MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Ciara Brooke Altieri, Wyalusing, and Jacob Jeffrey Bier, Haddon Heights, N.J.

■ Lana Marie Petrini and Tyler Christopher Briskie, Old Forge.

■ Kenneth A. Duonola and Rene Roxanne Chantille, both of Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Romar Auto Sales Inc., Eynon, to Revolutionary Home Health Inc., Dickson City; a property at Business Route 6, Archbald, for $650,000.

■ Christopher J. and Kimberly A. Hayes, Allentown, to Deborah Renee Nemcik, Philadelphia; a property at Sheffick Drive, Clifton Twp., for $89,500.

■ Patricia S. and Irvin L. Arter Jr., Clarks Summit, to Barry and Cherie Shepherd, Bowie, Md.; a property at 536 Gladiola Drive, Clarks Summit, for $325,000.

■ Joseph C. Mercado, Clearwater, Fla., to William and Erica Young, Lafayette, Ind.; a property at 166 Edgewood Drive E., South Abington Twp., for $180,000.

■ Nicole K. Flynn and Janet L. Willey, Clarks Summit, to Matthew D. and Nolan B. Sweet-Browning, Clarks Summit; a property at 809 Poplar St., Clarks Summit, for $205,000.

■ Krzysztof and Jadwiga Krajewski, Mayfield, to Jenna Alunni, Jessup; a property at 122 Buttonwood St., Jessup, for $137,000.

■ Sterling Way Properties LLC, South Abington Twp., to Abington Development LLC, South Abington Twp.; two parcels in South Abington Twp. for $604,800.

■ Judy Moskel, Factoryville, to John D. Aikman, Middletown, N.Y.; two parcels in Glenburn Twp. for $78,000.

■ Anthony Lynott, Throop, to LJ Rentals LLC; a property in Scranton for $25,500.

■ Roger C. and Ruth Altemier, Greentown, to Daniel B. and Amanda Veneski, Scranton; a property at Union Mill Road, Covington Twp., for $100,000.

■ Patrick W. and Rose Mary Sandone, Dunmore, to Jason and Erika Sensi, Dickson City; a property at 501 Ward St., Dunmore, for $255,000.

■ Sara L. Nowakowski, Lemoyne, to Deborah A. Smith, Scranton; a property at 830 Elm St., Olyphant, for $120,000.

■ NEWREZ LLC, formerly known as New Penn Financial LLC, doing business as Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, Greenville, S.C., to TNT Foundations LLC, Oakland, N.J.; a property at 108 Sleepy Hollow Road, Clarks Summit, for $167,500.

■ Thomas J. and Christine Chamberlain to Terry L. Yarbrough; a property at 609 Gladiola Drive, Clarks Summit, for $305,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Karen A. Shaffer, Moosic, v. Christopher A. Shaffer, Old Forge; married on May 13, 1995, in Lackawanna County; Lori A. Bowen, attorney.

■ Nikunj Patel, Scranton, v. Tejal Patel, Scranton; married on May 11, 2004, in India; Matthew P. Kelly, attorney.

ESTATES FILED

■ Laura Solfanelli, 950 Morgan Highway, Clarks Summit, letters testamentary to David Solfanelli, 259 S. Keyser Ave., Old Forge.

■ Pravinkumar P. Patel, 423 Harrison Ave., Scranton, letters of administration to Kishankumar Pravinbh Patel, same address.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

FACTORYVILLE — Taxes will rise slightly next year for Lackawanna Trail School District property owners.

However, the Lackawanna Trail school board also voted to rescind the per capita tax, to ease the tax burden on property owners, effective Monday. Municipalities and school districts can require a per capita tax for adults, which is based on residency rather than employment or property ownership.

The board passed a final 2019-20 budget of $24.9 million this week that increases taxes 0.97 percent in Lackawanna County, totaling a hike of 1.6 mills, and a 0.17 percent increase in Wyoming County, totaling an increase of 0.16 mills.

The final rates are 93.96 mills in Wyoming County and 167.28 mills in Lackawanna County.

Business Manager Keith Glynn pointed out this budget differs from the $21.5 million originally proposed, but assured that around $3 million was not added.

“How I’ve tried to do this is to match the way the PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education) form works,” Glynn said. “They show our budgetary reserves, so money we’re not spending from our fund balance as part of our expenditures. That is $3,144,000. Our true budget is up $52,000 from the proposed final budget at $21,662,045.”

The board also approved local tax rates for the 2019-20 fiscal year. This includes 0.5 percent of earnings in Wyoming and Lackawanna counties for earned income, as well as 0.5 percent of the sale price in real estate transfers for both counties. Board members approved a homestead and farmstead exclusion resolution, which includes a $234.25 reduction in property taxes for all properties that qualify.

Student handbooks for the 2019-20 school year in the elementary center and high school were also approved.

Principal of school management Rebekah King went over revisions made to the high school handbook:

• Incorporating the new school resource officer.

• Only allowing students to be assigned one primary bus pickup and dropoff location unless a parent/guardian can provide a court order that requires multiple locations.

• Adding hate speech to examples of misconduct on the school Gmail policy.

• Bolding “underneath” for T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts and turtlenecks in the dress code.

• Removing a reference to a school hotline that has fallen into disuse in light of social media and the district’s website.

• Clarifying what contraband entails, as it has become a gray area with cellphones, tablets, etc.

• Changing graduation requirements to reflect Pennsylvania’s requirement of Act 158 completion, to be in effect in the 2021-22 school year.

King also presented mockup pamphlets for the Lackawanna Trail Cyber Academy through VLN, which is set to launch this fall. The enrollment application and more information are available on the district’s website, ltsd.org. There will be an informational meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15 in the high school library.

The Lackawanna Trail School Board canceled its July 8 meeting. A work session will be held 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5 and a regular meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. Aug. 12. Meetings will be held in the boardroom in the administration wing.

Contact the writer:

bwilliams@wcexaminer.com; 570-836-2123 x36

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Thousands of people are visiting Luzerne County this weekend as Mohegan Sun Arena hosts the three-day convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Eric Forsyth, local spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, said the convention creates an economic impact of approximately $3 million for Luzerne County since the attendees visit restaurants, stores and other amenities in the area and many stay in the local hotels.

About 4,700 people are attending the event daily and they travel from throughout Pennsylvania and New York, he said.

“They come from Binghamton, New York, all the way out to Milford, Pennsylvania, down to Stroudsburg and over to Wilkes-Barre,” Forsyth said Friday from a suite overlooking the crowd who filled the arena. “A significant number travel from greater distances.”

Scott Stefanowicz, general manager at Smokey Bones on Mundy Street, said the convention has brought a “great flow of traffic” into his restaurant and throughout the area.

“They flood the area the entire weekend they’re here,” Stefanowicz said. “It’s huge for the entire area. All the hotels and restaurants are filled. Having the capability to have such large groups in the area is just phenomenal and we love it.”

Attendees also tour local attractions while they are here, said Scott Canter, also a local spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have participated in conventions in Wilkes-Barre Twp. for the last 12 years, for a total of about 20 convention weekends because they were held more than once during some years, Forsyth said. Attendance at the conventions has been consistent over the years, he said.

“It means a lot to Luzerne County having them staying at the hotels, visiting restaurants and checking out the amenities,” said Ted Wampole, executive director of Visit Luzerne County. “It’s one of the reasons we like to attract these types of conventions here because it’s quite an economic impact to Luzerne County. We’re just glad to have them.”

The convention, featuring the theme “Love Never Fails,” includes talks, videos and highlights how Bible principles can help people in practical ways.

Forsyth said Friday’s sessions helped those who attended “see how love can help them overcome whether it’s a challenged upbringing or an economic hardship.”

Today’s program examines how Bible principles can help husbands, wives and children. Sunday’s program includes a public Bible discourse titled “True Love in a Hate-Filled World — Where?”

There are nearly 8.6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide.

The convention, which is open to the public and free, continues 9:20 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. today and 9:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

“We open the invitation to anyone who lives within the vicinity to come and attend,” Forsyth said. “Anybody is welcome. All of the sessions are free as is the parking. The public is certainly welcome to come and enjoy the program.”

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

SCRANTON

Post 908 looks

to lease building

Members of American Legion Post 908 should learn more about the future of their Green Ridge property this weekend.

Faced with mounting maintenance costs, the veterans organization is looking to lease or sell its building at 625 Deacon St., post Commander William Cleveland said Friday.

A special informational meeting is set Sunday at 2 p.m. for members “to tell them what’s going on and how things are going to be handled,” he said.

Post 908 is not dissolving or folding, and the plan would be for the group to continue using the building after it is leased or sold, Cleveland said.

— DAVID SINGLETON

SCRANTON — For decades, the handiwork of world-renowned artist Milton Glaser peeked through glass block windows at 236 Penn Ave., the former Delta Medix Breast Care Center.

The double-petaled image of a flower that crawled from ground to roof is gone, but passersby will once again take in the visual arts from the street after ArtWorks, a studio and gallery now on Lackawanna Avenue, relocates in the coming months.

Renovations are underway now at the building, which Marketplace at Steamtown owner and developer John Basalyga bought last year as part of a deal that gave the specialty medical group Delta Medix a centralized, modernized location in the former mall.

The glass block has been replaced with floor-to-ceiling plate glass on the first and second floors. Inside, tight halls on the first floor have been knocked out to make room for an open gallery.

A new location for ArtWorks means the studio, which hosts gallery shows and offers artistic instruction, has about three times as much space to spread out, said Kaitlin Harrison, program and gallery coordinator.

With the added room, ArtWorks, which holds classes for the general public and is also a state certified day program for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, can offer more mediums.

The first floor will be dedicated as gallery space. The second floor, which has a narrow skylight running along the northeast edge of the building letting natural light flood in, is all studio.

“In the new location, we’re really excited because we’re going to have a pottery studio,” Harrison said.

The studio/gallery’s arrival also puts life inside a once-empty storefront for Basalyga. The developer had been marketing the place for lease since Delta Medix moved to the mall in April 2018.

As he fills empty vendor spaces at the Marketplace and its centerpiece Scranton Public Market in the former food court area, he has been embracing small, independent businesses with strong community ties.

“We continue to seize opportunities to support innovative visionaries in the downtown area,” Jenn Warnetsky, Steamtown’s manager and a spokeswoman for Basalyga, said in an email. “We see the future of Scranton evolving, and we’re proud to have a small part in ArtWorks continuing these types of developments in our city.”

Moving day hasn’t been set yet, but ArtWorks has its first gallery showing planned for September. Famed Rolling Stone magazine photographer Jay Blakesberg is to display his work and give an artist’s talk.

ArtWorks plans professional artists’ exhibits every other month.

During the opposite months, they’ll show off students’ work.

“It brings professional artists into the space so our students get to view their works that maybe they wouldn’t really be able to,” Harrison said. “It also really integrates our population with the larger arts community.”

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

SCOTT TWP. — Emily Seamans always wanted to be valedictorian.

Ranked first in her class after her freshman year at Lakeland Junior-Senior High School, Seamans thought she could reach her goal. Then, in 2016, the Lakeland School Board approved a policy that eliminated class ranks. Starting with Seamans’ class, the district would no longer name the student with the highest grade point average.

“I was working for that title,” said Seamans, who graduated earlier this month. “It was my dream.”

Lakeland is the first, and only, district in Lackawanna County to eliminate class rank.

Lakeland school officials made the decision to produce more well-rounded students, who care more about challenging themselves than taking an easier class to boost their GPAs.

The district joins a growing number of schools nationwide that skip naming valedictorians. In the last decade, the importance of class rank in the college

admissions process has declined steadily, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Many admission officers now discount the accuracy and importance of class rank as a factor in evaluating students because of tremendous differences in curriculum and grading standards at high schools — including weighted grading systems for honors or Advanced Placement courses, according to the College Board, the organization that administers the SAT. Some groups suggest as many as 50 percent of districts nationwide no longer rank students by GPA.

In the University of Scranton’s applicant pool for admission this fall, 64 percent of students did not provide a class rank, said Joseph Roback, the university’s associate vice provost for admissions and enrollment.

“It’s a trend that will continue,” Roback said. “For us, the most important thing is how the students challenge themselves with the subjects they’re taking.”

Sometimes students will take easier courses just to try to earn a higher GPA, which could mean students with lesser course loads can have higher class ranks, he said.

“Being involved inside and outside the classroom, they’re the things that really matter,” Roback said.

After eliminating class rank, Lakeland started giving students the chance to receive Lambda Eta Sigma status. To earn the designation, students had to maintain throughout high school a 97-percent attendance rate, have zero discipline referrals, complete 60 hours of community service, participate in six extracurricular activities for at least two years each, complete three capstone courses and maintain at least one leadership position in an extracurricular activity.

Superintendent William King said the new system helps create students with skills attractive to colleges or employers, such as communication and the ability to work as a member of a team.

“Students tend to put so much stress on themselves and limit themselves,” King said. “They think they can’t be involved with something because they have to study. At the end of the day, this probably does create more well-rounded students.”

Though Seamans had to give up her dream of becoming valedictorian, she said she still challenged herself with advanced coursework. She will attend West Virginia University in the fall, with hopes of becoming a pharmacist.

Classmate James Lewis, who will study economics at Hamilton College, saw classmates become more involved with extracurricular activities.

“There’s more to being a good student than good grades,” he said.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Sheer competence is rarely exciting, and Toyota’s just fine with that. Case in point: the 2019 Highlander Hybrid, a gas-electric-powered, seven-seat crossover imbued with the qualities that have made it a longtime favorite with American families more interested in reliability, comfort and functionality than in swoopy sheet metal or pulse-pounding performance.

It’s been four years since the current generation of the Highlander Hybrid (and its less-expensive gas-only sibling) rolled into Toyota’s showrooms, a comparative lifetime in the ever-churning automotive market. Changes for 2019 involve subtle tweaks to the exterior design.

Power is provided by a 3.5-liter gas V6 coupled with three electric motors and a nickel-metal hydride rechargeable battery pack. Taken as a whole, there’s 306 horsepower on tap — a bump of 11 horsepower over the gas-only V6-powered model — which is channeled to a standard all-wheel drive system via a continuously variable transmission. As is the case with all hybrid-drive vehicles, this particular Highlander features some notably frugal EPA fuel-efficiency estimates, to wit: 29 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 28 mpg combined.

Trim levels number four — LE, XLE, Limited and Limited Platinum — with prices starting at $37,320 and topping out at $49,980. Base models are fitted with a complement of standard safety systems (forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane-departure warning), Bluetooth connectivity, rearview camera, keyless entry and ignition, six-speaker audio and 18-inch wheels.

Toyota lays on additional niceties like fog lights, powered sunroof, multi-zone automatic climate control, leather seating, blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert, 12-speaker premium JBL sound, and more as one ascends the trim levels. We had the opportunity to drive an XLE sample for our annual, start-of-summer, over-the-river-and-through-the-woods journey to visit grandmother’s Kentucky digs, and found it well-equipped to meet our needs.

Starting at a base price of $42,030, our XLE long list of standard equipment (leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, tri-zone climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels and more) was augmented by the $1,810 rear-seat BluRay DVD system with roof-mounted screen, RCA jacks, remote control and two wireless headphones, and a $264 set of carpeted floor mats. Factor in the $1,045 delivery tab, and the bottom line rose to $45,149. For the purposes of comparison, our Highlander Hybrid XLE’s base price sits roughly $2,800 north of the similarly trimmed gas-only V6 model.

The gas and hybrid versions of the 2019 Highlander are virtually identical to the previous year’s model. The exterior is handsomely understated, and, at least to my eye, could be used as the illustration next to a dictionary definition of “crossover.”

The interior design is likewise thoughtful and logical, with instrumentation easy to find and operate (although points were deducted for the old-school interactive infotainment display that washed out in direct sunlight, a situation compounded by my pair of polarized sunglasses). The cabin feels open and airy, a sensation heightened by a tasteful tan-on-dark gray palette.

The front seats offered more than enough room for my daughter and I to stretch our legs for the 20-hour round trip to the Blue Grass State, while my son occupied the split-folding second row seats with no complaint. Legroom in the third row is all but nonexistent, though, unless the adjustable second row is slid forward. Even then, it’s a space best left for little kids on short hops. The 13.8-cubic-foot cargo hold expands to 83.7 cubic feet with the third and second rows folded.

Handling is precise and predictable with the expected amount of body roll through West Virginia’s sweeping interstate turns, and the hybrid system’s total output delivers more than enough accelerative thrust to handle the demands of the daily commute and interstate on-ramps. Our observed 24.3 mpg of mostly highway driving lagged the EPA’s estimates, a fact I blame on my heavier-than-normal right foot. Even then, that’s a pretty good number for a midsize family hauler.

2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid XLE

Vehicle type: Four-door, seven-passenger, gas-electric hybrid midsize crossover.

Base/as-tested prices: $42,030/$45,149.

Engine and transmission: 3.5-liter V6 paired with three electric motors and a nickel/metal-hydride battery (306 horsepower total output), continuously variable transmission.

EPA estimates: 29 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, 28 mpg combined.

The good: Comfortable and reliable family transportation both in town and on long-distance interstate runs; reasonably stout power from gas-electric hybrid system yields good acceleration on the highway; smooth and quiet ride quality; handsomely appointed interior; adult-proportioned accommodations in the adjustable second-row bench; good fuel economy for a mid-sized crossover; ample cargo area with third-row seating stowed; standard all-wheel drive.

The bad: Observed fuel economy short of EPA estimate; extra mass apparent going through sweeping interstate turns; lack of legroom in the third row; old-school infotainment interface washes out in direct sunlight and when observed through sunglasses.

Bottom line: The environmentally conscientious approach to family transportation, the Highlander Hybrid XLE justifies its $2,800 premium over its gas-only sibling.

Q: This September, I will be parking a 2016 RAM pickup truck in long-term parking at an airport for 3-5 weeks. Should I disconnect the battery? What is the maximum amount of time I can safely leave the truck parked with the battery connected? Thank you.

— HANK

A: You can safely leave the truck parked with the battery connected until the 115th season of “Game of Thrones” debuts, Hank. It’ll never be unsafe. The truck just won’t start after three or four weeks.

Every modern car uses some amount of battery power even when the vehicle is parked and shut off. There’s the alarm system, stored electronic settings and the evaporative emissions system. Those all draw power.

If you want to park the truck longer than a few weeks and start it when you come back, then you have two choices.

Option one is to hook up a trickle charger (also called a battery tender). That device plugs into a wall socket and “trickles” a small amount of current to your battery, to keep it always topped up.

If you don’t have access to an outlet — say, in a long-term airport parking lot — then your second option is to disconnect the battery. That’ll preserve the battery’s charge, so when you reconnect it, the truck should start right up. The downsides are minimal.

Q: When I go to start my car (normally the engine is cold), after I turn the key and release it, I hear a grinding sound. This used to happen only when it was cold outside, but now sometimes it happens in the warm weather, too.

I was wondering if this could be the starter. I’ve been using my car to learn how to work on cars, and I’ve learned about replacing starters but haven’t done one yet. I don’t want to buy a new starter and try replacing it if that’s not what’s causing my problem.

What do you think?

— DON

A: I think you’re about to get your big chance to change a starter, Don.

Every starter motor has a shaft with a little gear at one end. That gear is called the starter drive. When you turn the key to the “start” position, that starter drive pops out and engages with a much bigger gear called the flywheel, which is attached to the engine.

The starter motor’s job is to use that little gear to turn the flywheel until the engine starts running on its own — it usually takes only a second or two. Then, the starter gear retracts, and the engine keeps running.

If the starter drive doesn’t retract — or retracts too slowly — you’ll hear that starter gear getting ground up by the flywheel. Grrrrzzzzzzhhhhh! Sound familiar?

So, you’re going to fix this by replacing your starter. It’s a job that’s within the reach of most do-it-yourselfers, Don, so I have confidence you’ll succeed. Just remember to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery before taking the starter out so you don’t set your hair on fire.

ALL SAINTS ACADEMY

GRADE 8

High honors: Trevor Balcerzak, Ryan Burda, Samera Burrier, Gianna Cafarella, Hannah Curry, Grace Gaughan, Daniel Haikes, Hannah Johns, Aidan Krieger, Lena Ligorio, Aiden McCoy, Alexis Phillips, Ronald Prislupski, Eleanor Simrell, Pia Stivala and Kyle Zeigler.

Honors: Liam Badick, Cole Bittenbender, Corey Cicci, Maggie Dolphin, Emma Egan, Connor Rasimovich, Aidan Romanchick, Shamus Sullivan and Marleyna Weidow.

GRADE 7

High honors: Kylee Bonczek, Lily Butler, Ryan Georgetti, Samantha Greenfield, Cecilia Matatics, Luke Mozeleski and Alison Ross.

Honors: Brianna Backus, Luke Healey, Mia Lameo, Donovan Mozgo, Alexander Stabinski, Evan Stabinski, Alexander Strausser and Paul Wildermann.

GRADE 6

High honors: Judy Egan, Melisa Fornaszewski, Richard Mason, Raymond Nowakowski, Riley Ritterbusch, Nicholas Rusinko, Sienna Saunders, Richard Shelp, Carson Shrive, Abigail Suhosky and Helayna Weidow.

Honors: Sydney Clark, Aiden Hart, James Mancini, Jacqueline Minelli, Harmony Ritter, Marla Romiti, Emma Woody and Eric Zeigler.

LACKAWANNA TRAIL JR. SR. HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

High honors: Rachael Beemer, Noah Coleman, Jordan Edwards, Cali Fauquier, Jakob Fusik, Kiana Grella, Emma Hawthorne, Emily Herron, Sarah Kinback, Morgan Krzywicki, Lili Martin, Joshua Rosengrant, Samantha Schur, Zachary Stec and Alexus Wilbur.

Honors: Alyvia Cobb, Robert Davis, Jaida Ganser, Josiah Hricko, Samantha Kostick, Connor Mack, Brianna Miller, Lanee Miller, Dakota Moyle, Haileigh Novitch and Novella Wilhelm.

GRADE 11

High honors: Nico Berrios, Willoughby Burnell, Richard Cocchini, Abigail Dalton, Emily Dalton, Gerald Decker, Mark Dunckle, Luke Falcone, Amanda Haft, Madeline Huggler, Paige Hyde, Isabella Jagoe, Alec Jones, Mikenna Lee, Seamus Nichols, Ethan Palaskas, Danna Ramirez, Julie Richards, Richard Rodenbach, Rachel Saxton, Joshua Semken, Monica Stuenzi, Allison Swanchak, Madison Swanchak, Connor Tobin, Liam Trunk, Virginia VanFleet, Kilar Wallace, Katelin Walton and Mackenzie Wilbur.

Honors: Timothy Caulden, Alyssa Frens, Richard Helbing, Damian Howard, Jacob Jarnagin, Nicholas Pisanti, Aubre-Anna Sanko, Isaac Vierling and Madison Williams.

GRADE 10

High honors: Martin Burke, Paige Carpenter, Bella Charnecki, Isabella Coleman, Emma Corby, Nathan Dill, Mckenzie Edwards, William Edwards, Morgan Faist, William Filan, Celia Fortney, Brycen Hoffman, Taylor Kilmer, Kassidy Kostick, Danielle Lamberti, Catherine Litwin, Elizabeth Litwin, Ashtyn Mecca, Ray Melnikoff, Madison Norman, Grace Pawlukovich, Matthew Petrilak, Hannah Purdy, Margaret Reppa, Olivia Rosengrant, Kayla Ross, John Sharpe IV, Lilly Trunk, Tyton Vokes and Abigail Wilson.

Honors: Janelle Dannecker, John-Patrick Gilroy, Mason Grella, Victoria Kohinsky, Addilyn Kwiatkowski, Leah Levan, Mackenzie Newhart, Kyle Petrilak, Daisy Petty, Madalyn Toth and Casey Wernick.

GRADE 9

High honors: Jacob Basile, Kayleigh Beichler, Michael Bluhm, Mauriana Castellano, Brycen Decker, Alan Deutsch, Keith Dixon, George Duffy, Miles Edwards, Abigail Fahey, Tela Fotta, Megan Gatto, Joselyn Gonzalez-Medina, Annabelle Gumble, Cole Henry, Scott Jennings, Adam Jones, Dariane Jones, Marissa Keyes, Owen Lisk, John Long, Maggie Martin, Michael Measley, Kamryn Mercer, Emma Oswald, Josephine Paolucci, Jackson Pieretti, Makenna Ratchford, Lillian Rejrat, Cora Rivera, Matthew Schirg, Robert Schirg, Jordan Spencer, Caleb Stuenzi, Samantha Thomas, Landen Trunk, Nathan Wescott, Maria Wetzel, Natalie Whitney, Coleman Wohlken, Mason Zajac and Eric Zeon.

Honors: Gavin Davis, Cole Kauffman, Sun Kwan Lee, Cassandra Rivenburg, Landon Sprowls and Kevin VanLuvanee.

GRADE 8

High honors: Ethan Ankoff, Emily Beemer, Maxwell Bluhm, Jacob Breckinridge, Alex Bushta, Francis Cocchini, Annabelle Demora, Austin Fortney, Emma Fowler, Jeffrey Gallagher, Jacob Holmes, Emma Jacoby, Daren Le, Ethan Lee, Evan Litwin, Emma Long, Phoebe Mattes, Kiara Nichols, Jacob Noakes, Jackson Nordmark, Braeleigh Oakley, Riley Prutzman, Matthew Rakauskas, Cinderella Rivenburg, Deegan Ross, Seth Ross, Braden Savage, Joseph Shaw, Nadia Toth, Jayde Waibel, Nathan Walker, Beau Ware, Madisyn Wilson, Kayla Wood and Cadence Younica.

Honors: Jacob Bartush, Jason Carney, Kyle Davis, Adrean Fish, Jacqueline Gurdock, Michael Kane, Jasmine Kozubal, Mackenzie Remick, Christopher Ryan and Kadence Spencer.

GRADE 7

High honors: Danielle Ainey, Blake Borick, Brayden Clarke, Benjamin Cole, Ciera Darmock, Arik Deutsch, Samantha Duffy, Sofia Dugan, Lauren Fahey, Eliza Fotta, Kalee Graham, Lukas Gumble, Emily Hazlett, Tayan Hazlett, Lilly Jagoe, Stephen Jervis, Steven Johns, Emelia Jones, Leigha Joseph, Sutton Lisk, Anthony Litwin, Owen Polkowski, Lily Reid, Gretchen Rejrat, Cole Rosengrant, Carolena Ryon, Alyson Schirg, Cole Schirg, Mackenzie Schirg, Kolbee Soltis, Cloe VanFleet, Alana VanGorder, Eric VanLuvanee, Teagan Vokes, Deana Wilhelm and Nathan Wright.

Honors: Helen Bellucci, Thomas Bellucci, Alex Castellano, Connor Deacon, Sophia Fassett, Colton Lenz, Gavin LoVallo, Gavin Mulhern, Zoe Riley, Ryan Semon, Gary Shaw, Hailey Stork, Ty Stroble, Cote Whiteduck and Zoey Wright.

MOUNTAIN VIEW JR. SR. HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

Sarah Alessi, Jacob Andzulis, Devin Burney, Miranda Button, Angela Carroll, Scarlett Catalfamo, Cameron DeManicor, Alexandria DeWolfe, Alyssa Evans, Josephine Evans, Travis Getz, Dylan Hancock, Madison Hegedty, Joseph Jackson, Alyssa Kelly, Christopher Master, Lena Penny, Katelyn Satunas, Madison Schermerhorn, Matthew Schwarztrauber, Kurstian Stankiewicz, Tyler Striefsky, Lily Virbitsky, Caitlyn Williams and Abigail Wormuth.

GRADE 11

Alyssa Bollard, Matthew Dougherty, Kaylee Evans, Michael Fanelli, Brianna Hildebrand, Jacob Housel, Isabel Keating, Alyza Ransom, Kelsie Rumola, Camdyn Rusek, Tosha Shay, Sofie Swetter, Kathryn Tracy, Tyler Zech and Emma Zipprich.

GRADE 10

Sydney Barhite, Hunter Beach-Jones, Emory Bewley, Benjamin DeMark, Michael DeWolfe, Caleb Eichelberger, Alan Fortuner, Holly Galvin, Katie Glover, Alycia Harvey, Ashlynd Harvey, Madison Hunter, Connor Mancuso, William O’Brien, Marisa Ostir, Isabella Pliska, Zachary Polovitch, Connor Richmond, Caleb Seamans, Douglas Smith, Katelyn Supancik, Nathan Wells and Meredith Zrowka.

GRADE 9

James Bernosky, Benjamin Burman, Lauren Dick, Avery Fortuner, Rachael Gerfin, Jealousy Gorko, Ryan Henke, Deanna Holbert, Delaney Hollenbeck, Macie Kelley, Makenzie Lowrie, Emma Master, Andrew McHenry, Stephanie Nichols, Michael Nowlin, Nathan Ofalt, Victoria Pellew, Rebecca Plomchok, Ava Presley, Collin Saam, Maressa Salansky, Emily Streich, Maura Strickland, Shannon Toolan and Megan Zipprich.

GRADE 8

Wesley Anderson, Carter Bain, Nicole Baker, Ryley Baker, Charlize Barhite, Gavin Bewley, Briana Boswell, Lauren Clancy, Emily Cosklo, Neveah Cost, Alex Empet, Leah Evans, Amber George, Elijah Kamensky, Tyler Keating, Jack Kowalewski, Hunter Kozloski, Genevieve Larkin, Nicholas Lemoncelli, Pierce Lopez, Aiyana McElroy, Bailey Reuss, Emily Robinson, Cody Shay, Tanner Stout, Jonathon Symuleski, Adia Tompkins, Alexis Turner, Haley Very, Jordyn Walker and Alexis Warner.

GRADE 7

Brandon Alvord, Noah Barnes, Daniel Belcher, Logan Dick, Joshua Fanelli, Carissa Flynn, Holly Harvatine, Vanessa Harvey, Camryn Hicks, Rachel Hunter, Riley Jagger, Alexis Kozlowski, Emma Long, Hailey Miller, Logan Pliska, Jocelyn Schwarztrauber, Lillian Sedlak, Mikaela Stout, Colyn Streich, Paige Strickland, Ryan Supancik, Aaron Tomancheck and Penelope Ziegler.

OUR LADY OF PEACE

GRADE 8

High honors: Amir Akach, Michael Allardyce, Madeline Bormes, Kylie Hillebrand, Emma Ratchford and Skye Williamson.

Honors: Nathan Carr, Aidan Colleran, Nora Collins, Clare Devine, Talia Emiliani, Jake Grodack, Casey Healey, Annie Johnson, Owen Jumper, Teddy Novak, Keith Pritchyk, Ben Rothwell and Ava Touch.

GRADE 7

Principal’s list: Nora Kolucki and Joseph Ramey.

High honors: Gianna Familetti, Rachel Fay, Finn Kane, Grace Kowalski, Tyler Mackrell, Alexandra Pettinato, Andrew Summa, Maximus Tierney, Emmi Vitaletti and Holly Zaluski.

Honors: Caroline Bell, Kara Black, Aidan Carson, Cora Chichura, Zander Condeelis, Abigail Curran, Natalya Gnall, Nigel Gnall, Eamonn Hazzouri, Alyssa Kelly, Stella Kwiecinski, Luke Leventhall, Angelena Montefour, Jake Munley, Jordan Odom, Peter Pavuk, Jake Smith, Dominick Snipes and Gavin Walsh.

GRADE 6

Principal’s list: Kyle Costello, Nicholas Delayo, Maya Jenkins, Christopher Ramey, William Ramey and Mira Sheehan.

High honors: Brian Angeli, Brian Bell, Annabeth Bernard, Mia Boland, Caroline Curran, Grace Devine, Claire Geuther, JT Healey, Jenna Hillebrand, Sophia Mariotti, Grace McCormack, Chloe Mendicino, Matthew Millett, Ashlyn Moore, Jake Murnock, Louis Paris, Nabeeha Qadri, Cooper Rusak, Elizabeth Schnieder, Tessa Skotleski, Prithvi Sudhakar, Akhilesh Velaga and Alyssa Wigley.

Honors: Chloe Conaboy, Asa Dewey, Bryon Dickson, Tyler Liput, Joey Millan and Brynn Tierney.

ST. CLARE/ST. PAUL

GRADE 8B

Principal honors: Rita Collins, Eleanor Farrell and Bianca Talarico.

Honors: Patrick Conway, Liza Giannone, Cecelia Kennedy, Katheryn Lopez, Nico Mancuso, James Pettinato, Raymond Rinaldi, Caroline Skoff and Brian Walsh.

GRADE 8G

High honors: Matthew Budiman, Grace Granet, Olivia Roche and Anna Skoff.

Honors: Nina Domaino and Kathleen Oven.

GRADE 7B

High honors: Leo Clarke, Quinn Lynett, Jake Marx, Jayna McIntyre, Cullen Moran, Patrick Rose, Kyle Rupp, George Stallman and Abigail Thompson.

Honors: Norah Comerford, Kara Judge and Caroline Kennedy.

GRADE 7G

Principal’s honors: Rocco Rinaldi.

High honors: Rylin Berndt, Blake Decker, Caroline Haggerty, Salvatore Luongo, Konnor Moran, Brian Reilly, Daniel Santaniello, Dorothy Walsh and William Wright.

Honors: Nina Beistline, Kellen Casey, Owen Christianson, Allyson Gilmartin, Chase Scanlan and Brayden Sherry.

GRADE 6B

Principal’s honors: Noel Butler and Marco Rinaldi.

High honors: Caleigh Birtel, Andrew Cleveland, Isabella Dennebaum, Daniel Granet, Jackson Keating and Caelyn Oxley.

Honors: Alex Colon and Jake Skoff.

GRADE 6G

Principal’s honors: Ella Burke.

High honors: Catherine Colaiezzi, Ryan Davis, Patrick Dempsey, Kate Heffron, Madeline Hunt, Lisa Myronyuk and James Pappas.

Honors: Nicholas Ide, Brayden Moran and TJ Stott.

VALLEY VIEW HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

High honors: Carly Bailleau, Nicholas Beggin, Noah Benjamin, Taylor Bonacci, Taylor Boyle, Mia Ceccarelli, Rachel Chiricos, Julianna Cotroneo, Robert Craig III, Olivia Damski, Delayne DePietro, Emily Doherty, Kathryn Eberhart, Max Gillow, Allison Giombetti, Matthew Gregorowicz, Abbey Halloran, Kara Hirjak, Julia Kanavy, Paul Krzan, Marc Kudrich, Sarah Martin, Noah McKane, Gianna Memo, Charisse Mulherin, Kyle Novajosky, Justin Owen, Isabella Picchini, Amanda Sakulich, Rocco Stefonetti, Alexandra Vorozilchak, Robert Walker, Maddison Walsh, Navaeh Warholic and Cassondra White.

Honors: Anthony Aileo, Nina Angeloni, Vanessa Antenori, Jessica Baker, Madalyn Bonk, Leah Burke, Claudia Casarin., Camille Castelline, Dominic Clapper, Benjamin Cole, Cobi Combs, Brendan Condron, Noelle DiMattina, Victoria Duffy, Abigail Feduchak, Joshua Frazier, Peter Gentile, Christopher Huynh, Connor Judge, Kosovare Kabashi, Ryan Kennedy, Mason Kordish, Kathryn Kraycer, Trinity Lewis, Nathan McKane, Arianna Nardelli, Jonathan Petrasko, Keith Pfeiffenberger, Chad Propst, Maria Santarelli, John Schroeter, Benjamin Siesputowski, Nicholas Vilogi-Slayton, Meghan Winter, Zachary Yencho and Nicole Zuzzio.

GRADE 11

High honors: Ava Angeloni, Dominic Angeloni, Dixon Black, Olivia Blockberger, Abigail Borgacci, Jeremy Boyle, Robert Brudnicki, Damien Bryla, Anthony Carmadella, Ryan Carrotto, Maura Carter, Joshua Castellani, Beatrice Chindemi, Jonathan Clark, Jordan Conserette, Annaliese Daiute, Erica Davis, Serena Davis, Kayla Davitt, Ruth Deliman, Katelyn Dougher, Ava Giombetti, Madison Green, Nina Grushinski, Andrew Hall, Gavin Hallock, Alyssa Harrington, Dylan Howanitz, Tessa Jones, Lainey Kamora, Connor Kelley, Faith Kendricks, Julia Koniszewski, Madison Kuzdro, David Kuzmick, Sarah Linko, Aleksander Lukaitis, Zachary Manchak, Emily Martin, Mackenzie Mchale, Madison McVicar, Giavana Mercatili, Celeste Meta, Karli Muto, Kaylie Noto, Madison Pachucy, Carlo Possanza, Alexander Powell, Ashley Reddock, Noah Reed, Mia Rudalavage, Simal Sami, Alex Savkov, Taylor Seprosky, Angela Shander, Izabella Shemonski, Jake Sheridan, Michael Sklareski, Deanna Soulsby, Jadyn Swartout, Mia Tomassoni, Nicholas Tomassoni, Ryan Turlip, Francesca Villano, Lovely Faith Villanueva, Emily Walsh, Lauren Walsh, Ally Welsch, Lakayla Williams, Emma Ziminskas and Kaylin Zuzzio.

Honors: Mariah Addis, Kayla Barrett, Allison Bennett, Jessica Bizik, Justina Catapane, Samuel Cole, Joel Decarli, Teresa Dumas, Destiny Farmer, Anthony Ferraro, Robert Ferraro III, Enver Gashi, Mackenzie Gavin, Riley Gibbons, Margherita Giordano, Nathan Grover, Maura Healey, Jack Islas, Gabrielle Judge, Elsa Kovatch, Jude Kovatch, Zoe Loza, Mia Mercatili, Alex Munoz, Nadia Palevac, Nicholas Pavuk, Vivian Russell, Jarod Seymour, Ryley Shemonski, Molly Sweeney, Emily Tolerico, Markayla Ward, Mariah Wheatley and Gabriel Yurkanin.

GRADE 10

High honors: Aidan Alco, Skylar Bianchi, Ella Borgacci, Hailey Brajuka, Emma Burak, Hannah Carone, Ryan Cesarini, Shaylyn Chilek, Ryan Coleman, Laci Connor, James Cook, Corey Coulthard, Eric Demkosky, Julia Earl, Zachary Edwards, Angelina Estadt, Dominique Ferraro, Madison Flannery, Emma Giovagnoli, Caydenz Graham, Adam Grundt, Matthew Halloran, Max Hanyon, Corey Iyoob, Joseph Jarosh, Olivia Kaschak, Mikaylaa Katchmore, Gina Kenny, Brianna Kohut, Justin Kolsovsky, Alissa Koniszewski, Zack Kovalchik, Ian Kovatch, Mackenzie Longworth, Madison Luchetti, Eva Marino, Alyssa Marion, Micayla Matamoros, David Mayne, Emily Mondak, Matthew Morgan, Thomas Noto Jr., Sophia Pisarski, Taralyn Reilly, Lindsay Scopelliti, Lauren Sharpe, Amanda Sherwood, Morgan Siefring, Matthew Smith, Gianna Snell, Daniel Solomon, Sarah Solomon, Megan St. Ledger, Kyle Suchecki, William Sweeny III, Gavin Tylenda, Alyssa Valenza, Mollie Walsh, Jordan Wasilchak, Colin Wells, Sophia Williams, Emma Winter, Cheyenne Worden and Michael Zuzzio.

Honors: Jack Baronski, Jake Barrett, Gavin Benedict, Christopher Brzegowski, Rylee Cali, Tyler Cawley, Delaney Dennis, Margaret Domski, Spencer Duffield, Logan Gavin, Benjamin Gregorowicz, Kevin Iyoob, Lauren Konchar, Briana Layman, Mark Mariani, Skylar Minichello, Patrick Murphy, Tiffany Nestor, Dominic Pichany, Rylie Ravinskas, Alivia Romano, Madeline Sopp, Adam Szewczyk, Emily Turlip, CJ Walker, Lauren Yencho and Olivia May Yoder.

GRADE 9

High honors: Samantha Adams, Katelyn Ainey, Jessalyn Aquilino, Desiree Ashton, Robert Basalyga, Chase Benjamin, Angelica Berardi, James Bistran, Carli Bossick, Haley Bronson, Eric Burnett, Cory Bushta, Brianna Conniff, Christopher Conserette Jr, Hannah Danielowski, Caden Danks, Lauren Dupay, William Durkin, Connor Eberhart, Julia Falls, Noah Fontanella, Shay Gillen, Ava Giovagnoli, Elayna Haring, Liam Harrison, Caleah Hawley, Lori Kozlowski, Grace Lennox, Sean Mackinder, Morgan Masters, Emily Mattise, Morgan Mayne, Gia Mazza, Emma Mazzoni, Anthony Memo, Paige Morgan, Katelyn Morisco, Caleb Moser, Lauren Murnock, Sydney Naylor, Kaitlyn Newberry, Alexandria O’Halloran, Hunter Pazzalia, Tyler Pienkowski, Jared Ramos, Samuel Rosetti, Vito Rotell, Olivia Russell, Mahanoor Sami, Anna Sebastianelli, Leo Sirianni, Dylan Smith, Zakary Sova, Natalia Sturdevant, Natalie Sweeney, Adam Teeple, Daniel Vislosky, Pavel Vorozilchak, Nathaniel Worrell, Abigail Yurkanin, Rina Zambetti, Brianna Zipay and Anna Zuby.

Honors: Madelyn Davis, Marissa Dougher, Aaron Fontanella, Andrew Heid, Owen Howells, Michael Howey, Kylie Jenkins, Ryley Jervis, Timothy Karlaviage, Tim Lee, Leah Mackrell, Louis Marion, Madison Markiewicz, John Moran, Jocelyn Oveson, Nhi Pham, Victoria Pitoniak, Haylie Popovich, Paige Redman, Victoria Reed, Isabella Seymour, Kion Simmons, Colin Skeen, Timothy St. Ledger, Tyler Swartz, Kaylee Taylor, Lydian VanWert, Kevin Williams and Elijah Zimmerman.

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; and Marceya Hyman, Moosic.

GRADE 7

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

Honor roll: David Geyfman, Scranton; Aiden Jordan, Factoryville; Andrew Kuloszewski, Scranton; Celeste Perry, Wyoming; and Cameron Taylor, Waverly.

GRADE 6

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

Honor roll: Sophia Cordaro, Moscow; Daniel Fisher, Moscow; and Michael Melby, Hughestown.

GRADE 5

High honor roll: Alex Chen, Duryea; and Benjamin Mauriello, Duryea.

Honor roll: Dino DeMarzio, Scranton.

A 31-year-old man fired several shots at a man who came to confront him Wednesday in Scranton for addicting his girlfriend to methamphetamine, police said.

Aumont “Monty” Edwards is considered armed and dangerous, according to a wanted poster distributed Friday. He is charged with criminal

conspiracy, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.

Edwards is a suspect in a shooting that occurred at 3 p.m. Wednesday at South 10th Avenue and Oxford Street. It stemmed from a chase between two vehicles that began on Capouse Avenue.

No one was injured. The pursuing vehicle fired several shots at another vehicle. A few bullets found their mark.

Two men, whose names were redacted in a criminal complaint released Friday, told police they went to a field in Pine Brook so the angered boyfriend could fight Edwards.

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said their names were redacted Friday for their safety while Edwards is free. He characterized Edwards as “extremely violent” and said he may not know their full names.

The victims decided against confrontation because Edwards showed up with other people and is known to carry a gun, according to a criminal complaint.

They drove off. Edwards followed. Eight or nine shots were fired from his car. Three bullets struck the victims’ vehicle.

The victims drove to the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office on Spruce Street to report what happened. Police found Edwards’ vehicle, a silver Buick SUV,

parked in the 400 block of Emmett Street

minutes after the shooting. No one was there.

Edwards is known to stay at and frequent homes throughout West Scranton.

If anyone has information, they should contact detectives at 570-348-4139.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

June 29, 1969

Archbald native involved

in monkey space flight

Raymond Welsch, a native of Archbald, had a part in the NASA project that sent a monkey into outer space from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Bonnie, a pig-tailed monkey, is scheduled to spend 30 days circling the Earth as part of a study to see the effects of long space flight on a living creature.

Welsh was the head of the team that designed the Biosatelllite III capsule that Bonnie was riding in. The capsule contained all sorts of instrumentation to measure the animal’s vital signs.

Welsch’s employer, General Electric, had the contract with NASA to design the Biosatellite III capsule to carry the monkey into space. Welsch had been in charge of the project for GE for the past four years.

Folk wedding held

at Hoban Heights

The wedding of Richard Onze and Susan Bennett was possibly a first for the Scranton Diocese. The first was that the wedding Mass featured folk music.

The folk music was provided by the school’s 25-member Glee Club and guitar playing of Dana Clark, Raymond Grandieu and Floyd Goble.

The school’s director, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Paul Purcell, said the Mass and conducted the marriage ceremony for Onze and Bennett at St. Ignatius Church in Kingston on June 28. Onze, of Peckville, was the director of athletics at the boys’ school. Bennett was a nurse at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

At the movies

“True Grit” at the Strand, “Oliver” at the West Side, “Sweet Charity” at the Center, “Peter Pan” at the Comerford, and “Destroy All Monsters” and “Assignment to Kill” at the 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.

SCRANTON

School scores

STEM scholarships

Marywood University will receive a close to $1.2 million federal grant for science, technology, engineering and mathematics scholarships.

The funding will allow the university to recruit 20 diverse and academically talented STEM students, mainly math and biology majors, to teach math and science in high-need Pennsylvania school districts. These students will receive scholarships and other substantial support for their work. They will help address teacher shortages in those fields.

The grant, which totals $1,195,022, will be awarded as part of the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.

— CLAYTON OVER

SCRANTON

Two people cut

in city melee

At least two people were cut early Thursday morning in Scranton after someone pulled a knife during a fight over a girl, city police said.

Detectives are still investigating but have received little cooperation from those involved, Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said Friday. No one was seriously injured.

The fight, between two people quarreling over a girl, occurred at 1:30 a.m. in the middle of the road on the 1400 block of Pine Street. Each side brought back up and the fight ended up involving more than a dozen people.

Someone flashed a knife and two people were confirmed to have been cut.

Anyone with information should contact detectives at 570-348-4139.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON

Council changes

meeting schedule

City council changed its weekly meetings for July from Monday nights to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays, according to a public notice in The Times-Tribune.

The next weekly council meeting will be Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall, followed by meetings July 10, July 17, July 24 and July 31.

Each of the July weekly meetings will be preceded by a council caucus at noon, held in the city Clerk’s Office or council chambers.

Council also will recess from weekly meetings during August.

Council will not meet Sept. 2, Labor Day, and will resume weekly meetings at 6 p.m., Mondays, preceded by caucuses at 5:15 p.m., starting Sept. 9.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

NEW MILFORD

Water customers

must boil water

New Milford Municipal Authority water customers had their service restored Friday but remain under a mandatory boil advisory.

The authority is still asking residents to conserve water as much as possible for the time being.

“This means no unnecessary use of water like washing your car, watering your lawn or filling pools,” they said in a notice.

With water restored, the American Red Cross shelter at the Blue Ridge High School has been removed.

The water shortage stemmed from a seven-hour effort to extinguish a fire at the Summit on Route 11 on Tuesday night. The fire consumed the restaurant. Investigators could not determine what caused the fire because the damage was too extensive.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

HAZLETON - What started with a traffic stop in Sugarloaf Twp. for window tint ended with the seizure of about 3 pounds of marijuana, court papers say.

Pennsylvania State Police Safe Highways Initiative for Effective Law Enforcement and Detection unit noticed the sedan and stopped it on Interstate 81 near mile marker 145.5 northbound around 2:30 p.m.

They took the passenger, Justin K. Murphy, 34, of Carbondale, into custody and charged him with a felony count of possession with intent to deliver and misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Murphy was taken to jail Thursday night after failing to post $50,000 bail set by Magisterial District Judge Joseph Spagnuolo Jr., Plains Twp.

He was the registered owner of the stopped vehicle a woman was driving and denied troopers consent to search the car.

A K-9 dog was brought to the area and alerted troopers to the odor of drugs, after which they found the marijuana in the trunk, arrest papers state.

— AMANDA CHRISTMAN

The design, created by graphic artist Eric Bussart of Clifford Twp. is being executed by members of the Northeast Art Project.

It depicts what you might expect outside a downtown cinema: popcorn, 3D glasses, a film reel; but a floating astronaut upends expectations and pays homage to Iron Horse’s parent company, Cosmic Cinemas.

Bussart has left his colorful mark on other notable spots in the city, including an old dome-shaped shed along Wyoming Avenue and the “Scranton” mural on Linden Street’s 500 block.

Most recently, he completed a mural depicting a working grandmother coddling her grandchild inside the Marketplace at Steamtown.

That piece is a subtle reference to a softer side of the opioid crisis, one in which grandparents suddenly become caregivers again when their children get swept away by addiction.

SCRANTON — No one wants to take over historic City Hall and its $10.7 million in needed renovations.

The city did not receive any proposals by Friday’s deadline for an “adaptive reuse” of the 1888 Municipal Building at 340 N. Washington Ave.

“I’m not surprised,” city Business Administrator David Bulzoni said, citing the high cost estimate of renovations and facade restrictions from the building’s 1981 listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Seeking proposals was a step in a debate that arose earlier this year over whether Scranton should keep and undertake a $10.7 million renovation of City Hall or sell it and have city government move elsewhere at about half the repair cost.

Proposals for reuse were to have included: the method of acquisition (sale or long-term lease); funding (private equity, bank loan, grants, etc.); a schedule for repurposing the building; and a detailed description of the adaptive reuse.

With no proposals pitched, the city now will have to figure out how to fund and undertake renovations itself, Bulzoni said.

“The general consensus all along was to look at every opportunity to improve the building,” Bulzoni said. “We’ll likely begin that process of whatever alternatives we have to bring the building back to the condition it deserves.”

One idea raised by Mayor Bill Courtright and Bulzoni — the city buying the PenFed Credit Union building at 315-331 Franklin Ave. for $5 million and relocating city government there — now seems dead, Bulzoni said.

“It certainly appears at this point that the purchase of that (PenFed) building is off the table,” he said.

The issue stemmed from a report the city received earlier this year from consultant Highland Associates estimating a total renovation of City Hall would cost at least $10.7 million.

The administration floated the idea of possibly unloading City Hall and having the city instead buy the fairly new PenFed building at less than half the cost of a total overhaul of City Hall. However, most council members favored keeping City Hall and renovating it in stages, if necessary.

In May, the administration issued a public notice in The Times-Tribune for a “request for qualifications,” or RFQ, from entities interested in proposing an acquisition and renovation of City Hall. Councilman Wayne Evans, who favored staying put, pushed for the RFQ to leave no stone unturned.

“We did our due diligence,” Evans said. “We found out there’s no interested suitors. Now, it’s a clear path to restoration (by the city). We have to sit down, develop the plan and get it done.”

Bulzoni advocated for a total renovation done all at once. He said he still will advocate for the city committing the funding needed for a total renovation, even if the work ends up done in stages.

“My concern is doing a project in phases when you don’t have the dollars committed,” Bulzoni said. “If you do it in phases, then you have to commit to the funding. Otherwise, it’s just not going to get done.”

Evans said high-priority exterior repairs to seal the building must be the first work done. The city also needs to get an expert look at how interior space could best be used.

It’s not clear how the city might raise the funding needed, whether through borrowing or some other method.

“That’s a conversation we have to have,” Evans said.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

State legislators voted to delay a privatization plan that public-bus system operators say could threaten shared-ride bus trips.

The House voted 198-1 and the Senate 49-1 on Thursday on legislation to delay the plan until at least December.

Gov. Tom Wolf is expected to sign the legislation.

Backers say the delay will allow time for a more thorough analysis and study of an idea quietly inserted into a larger bill at the last minute last June without hearings.

The earlier bill directed the state Department of Human Services to develop a plan to use statewide or regional private brokers to provide non-emergency medical shared rides under Medicaid.

Officials of the County of Lackawanna Transit System and other shared-ride operators said brokers would take away funding critical to providing rides for physically impaired, low-income and senior citizen shared-ride clients. They said the change could also force service cuts or fare hikes on regular bus routes.

COLTS Executive Director Robert Fiume said he’s happy with the delay, but cautioned opponents will have to keep up pressure to block the idea permanently.

“It’s not over, but we’ve got the extra time,” Fiume said. “We’re going to keep pushing” against the idea.

In a statement, state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., said the original bill had “serious flaws.”

“It may or may not work in the cities, but in smaller communities and rural areas, it definitely has the possibility of driving up costs and hindering services to those relying on the system, such as people with serious medical conditions,” Baker said. “Our seniors will be relieved this problem has been pushed off before they suffer any unintended consequences.”

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter

After years of planning and anticipation, Jefferson Twp. will unveil a new walking trail next week at its burgeoning recreation complex — the first of its kind in the community.

Built on the 42-acre-complex the township purchased in 2012, the more than 1,300 feet of new trail runs from a trailhead near a paved parking area to a former logging road leading to a small pond on the public property. Officials will celebrate the new trail, located off state Route 348 next to Ritter’s Farm Market, at a 10:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

“It’s going to be a great asset for our community,” township Supervisor Jason Hollister said, noting other North Pocono municipalities such as Moscow and Covington Twp. have trails and parks that are popular and frequently used. “We don’t have anything aside from our Municipal Building on public property, so this is really the first of its kind (in the township).”

The first phase of the project, made possible by a state Department of Community and Economic Development grant, cost about $77,000 and included construction of the parking lot and trail. The township recently received a $400,000 state gaming grant to complete an access road leading to the trail and install additional parking areas, and is pursuing additional grants to install restrooms and two multi-purpose fields.

Hollister said the fields could eventually host youth soccer, football and other sports, noting the township’s recreation board was approached earlier this year by North Pocono Youth Soccer League officials who expressed interest in using the park for games.

A master site plan map of the recreation complex prepared by Honesdale-based Woodland Design Associates includes a baseball/softball field, tennis and basketball courts, horseshoe pits and a playground area, among others.

“The trails are just the tip of the iceberg,” said recreation board vice chairwoman Barb Janus, noting the township’s civic association has been raising funds to build a dog park at the complex.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter