CLARKS SUMMIT — Borough council will hold a public meeting next week to discuss a funeral home’s plans to add a crematory.

Jennings-Calvey Funeral Home plans to open a state-of-the-art crematory within a year, attached to the business at 111 Colburn Ave., funeral director Chris Calvey said.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the plans. After the meeting, borough council will vote on amending an existing zoning ordinance to allow for the crematory.

No other plans have been submitted yet, and council is not voting on anything other than amending the ordinance, said borough solicitor Kevin Hayes.

Jennings-Calvey wants to offer crematory services and needs an amendment, he said.

Molly Philbin lives two blocks away from the funeral home and is opposed to the crematory. She said she is worried potential toxins and mercury will be dispersed into the air from the bodies they cremate.

“We have hip replacements and pacemakers,” she said.

She also worries about the carbon footprint of the crematory since the bodies are burned at a tremendous heat.

“We’re not allowed to burn things in our backyard, but now we’re going to burn bodies in the middle of town,” said Philbin, who described herself as a environmentalist.

Calvey estimated that 70% of the funeral home’s clients are cremated. The funeral home uses RH Jones Crematory in Tunkhannock for its cremation services.

“In my 40 years, I’ve seen a tremendous growth rate in cremation,” he said.

A 2019 report by the National Funeral Directors Association found that cremation outpaced the rate of burials for the fourth consecutive year. By 2040, the cremation rate in the United States is projected to be 78.7%, compared to the predicted 15.7% burial rate, according to the report.

It’s not unusual for a funeral to cost as much as $9,000, depending on whether the body is buried or cremated, according to Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Co.’s website.

Borough resident Carla Vincent is not opposed to having a crematory in the borough.

“I work as a nurse, and people make choices whether they want a traditional burial or to be cremated, and that’s their choice,” Vincent said. “So, I have no problem with it whatsoever.”

However, Philbin worries that amending the zoning ordinance could lead to other crematories opening up in the borough.

“I am not as alarmed as when I first started,” she said of her research into cremation. “So it’s legal. Is it healthy? Is it wise?”

KATHLEEN BOLUS, staff writer, contributed to this report.

Contact the writer:

drosler@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100, x5365;

droslerTT on Twitter

Four entities in Lackawanna County received $4.5 million in state grants for redevelopment, health, business and school projects, local legislators announced Thursday.

The funds come from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program for economic, cultural, civic and community development projects. RACP requires a dollar-for-dollar match from recipients in their projects, with expenses incurred and satisfied in advance of state reimbursements.

The RACP grants “will be incredibly impactful for our region in community and economic development, availability of quality health and mental health care, school security and access for women to job training and business support,” state Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, said in a statement.

This round of RACP grants includes:

$2 million to Lace Building Affiliates for its redevelopment of the old Scranton Lace factory into a residential complex called Laceworks Village. The funds will go toward design, engineering, historic preservation and construction at the 10.3-acre complex between Meylert and Albright avenues. The sweeping redevelopment, with demolition of several structures and restoration of the most significant and original buildings, has been underway for some time.

$1.5 million to the Wright Center for Community Health, to open a 36,000-square-foot primary care clinic at 501 S. Washington Ave. in Scranton. This facility will house the center’s Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence. The funds will equip the space for primary, dental, and behavioral health care and physician training. The Wright Center has already secured a commitment of federal New Markets Tax Credits and significant philanthropic support for this $10 million project, Blake said.

$500,000 to United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania for establishing an incubator in South Scranton for women-owned businesses. This plan involves converting parts of the landmark Peoples Security Bank & Trust Co. in the 500 block of Cedar Avenue at Alder Street into UNC offices and an incubator. The grant advances the project that has been in the works for the past few years.

“We’re thrilled. We’ve been waiting to do this project,” UNC President/CEO Lisa Durkin said. “A lot of people will really benefit from this incubator.”

$500,000 to Old Forge School District for energy and security upgrades. School Board President Jenna Shotwell said the district needs to create secure vestibule entrances at the high school and elementary school. The district was going to use bond funds for the security improvements, but now can allocate the bond money to other necessary projects.

“This is a big deal for us. We live paycheck to paycheck,” Shotwell said.

The Wright Center declined to immediately comment. Efforts to contact representatives of Lace Building Affiliates were unsuccessful.

State representatives Marty Flynn, D-113, Scranton, Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely and Bridget Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp. also issued press releases on RACP grants.

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

Scranton property owners could see their school taxes increase by 6.7% next year.

Even with the tax hike, the Scranton School District faces a $1.7 million deficit for 2020.

As school directors continue to review the comprehensive recovery plan, which calls for yearly tax increases, the board plans to vote on the $168.3 million proposed preliminary budget next week.

The recovery plan, submitted to the state Department of Education by Chief Recovery Officer Candis Finan, Ed.D., last week, calls for the district to raise taxes to the state Act 1 index, usually about 3.4%, for the next five years. The plan also calls on the district to apply for exceptions from the state to raise taxes higher than the Act 1 index if necessary.

The total estimated tax increase of 6.7% includes the allowable 3.4% increase, about 4.5 mills, and estimated exceptions to Act 1 totaling 3.34%, or about 4.5 mills. A total increase of 9 mills would mean the owner of a property assessed at $10,000 would pay an additional $90 in taxes next year. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.

“I certainly am in support of everything we can do to keep those numbers as low as we possibly can,” Director Katie Gilmartin said.

Between now and when the board must pass a balanced budget at the end of December, officials said they must eliminate the $1.7 million shortfall and look for ways to lower the potential tax increase. The budget calls for no salary increases.

“Everyone understands the gravity of the tax increases,” Gilmartin said. “Everyone will work together to do what they can do to balance this budget.”

Board Vice President Greg Popil, chairman of the budget and finance committee, called the potential tax hike “ridiculous.” He and other school directors have called on Harrisburg to provide more adequate funding. The district needs an additional $18.9 million a year to receive the per-pupil funding of similar urban districts.

“We are being underfunded,” Popil said. “Because of that, our citizens are being penalized.”

To achieve solvency within five years, the plan states the district must raise taxes every year. If the district does nothing, it faces a projected $39 million deficit in 2024.

“I can’t stand seeing the taxes go up that high,” Director Tom Schuster said. “It bothers me, but we’re trying to get the district where it needs to be.”

Other school directors shared similar thoughts.

“Do I want to raise taxes? No,” Director Mark McAndrew said. “But the preliminary budget has to align to the recovery plan.”

The board will vote on the preliminary budget at a special meeting Wednesday, scheduled for 7 p.m. in the board room of the Administration Building, 425 N. Washington Ave.

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

WILKES-BARRE — A North Carolina-based media company has acquired the Times Leader, the company announced Friday.

Avant Publications has purchased the daily newspaper along with its branded publications, including the Weekender, the Sunday Dispatch, the Abington Journal and its digital properties, according to the announcement. The properties were owned by Civitas Media, a portfolio company of Philadelphia-based private equity firm Versa Capital Management.

The announcement identifies Avant’s leadership as chief executives Scott Champion and Andrew Mok, Chief Financial Officer Corey Champion and Chief Technology Officer Nick DeLorenzo.

The Champions own Champion Media, which owns five daily newspapers and 21 weeklies in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Minnesota and Virginia. In 2017, Champion Media acquired Civitas’ properties in North Carolina and South Carolina, including five daily newspapers and 16 weeklies, according to an announcement in The Sampson (North Carolina) Independent.

That announcement described Scott Champion as having more than 40 years of experience in the newspaper industry.

Times Leader staff members appeared optimistic by the acquisition.

“I think we are all relieved,” said one staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “This guy is a newspaper owner. He strikes me as a rich guy who likes the business.”

The sale, for an undisclosed price, follows a series of major cuts implemented by Civitas Media, including a decision to halve the paper’s sports department in March and a round of cuts last August that terminated the employment of the paper’s life editor, the director of marketing and administration and a staff photographer.

Also last year, Civitas sold the Times Leader headquarters building at 15 N. Main St. in Wilkes-Barre to King’s College for $725,000, moving its newsroom, advertising and circulation departments to the Times Leader production facility on East Market Street near Pennsylvania Avenue.

Circulation numbers have showed The Citizens’ Voice has been increasing its daily and Sunday lead over The Times Leader in recent years. 

According to the Alliance for Audited Media, which verifies newspaper sales figures, the Times Leader’s Monday-Saturday circulation in the fourth quarter of 2018 was 14,524 and its Sunday circulation was 17,621. The Citizens’ Voice had a Monday-Saturday circulation of 19,854 and a Sunday circulation of 21,132, the alliance reported.

The trial for a Wyoming County man accused of killing of a 24-year-old woman and dumping her body in the Susquehanna River at Falls, is delayed two months.

Police said Phillip Donald Walters, 32, of Mill City, killed his live-in girlfriend, Haley Lorenzen, in December.

After the discovery of her body 22 miles downstream near Plymouth in Luzerne County on July 20, District Attorney Jeff Mitchell announced Walters was scheduled for a September trial date. He also said the investigation is continuing.

However, during pretrial motions in President Judge Russell Shurtleff’s chambers Thursday, Walters’ attorney Timothy Michaels requested a continuance until mid-November for a jury trial so he could build his case. Shurtleff granted his request.

Walters was arrested Jan. 9 and charged with criminal homicide. He remains jailed at the Wyoming County Correctional Facility.

Walters also faces a set of criminal charges dealing with child pornography, which were alleged on June 13 after five images were discovered on a forensic scan of his cellphone. Those separate charges were bound over Friday to Wyoming County Court.

Contact the writer: bwilliams@wcexaminer.com, 570-836-2123 x36

A single case of the West Nile Virus has been found in the Robinson Park area of East Mountain, city officials announced today.

The random testing was the first to come back positive for the virus in Lackawanna County this year, according to a press release from Scranton Mayor Wayne Evans. There has been no reported human transmission of the virus.

“As a precaution we have notified the City of Scranton Parks Department to close the park immediately and the Scranton Police Department will be patrolling the area regularly to make sure no one has entered the park area until we have determined it is safe to do so,” the press release states.

The area has already been sprayed to eliminate the virus and Lackawanna County will be spraying most if not all of the East Mountain section of Scranton beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Check back for updates.

OLD FORGE — Moosic Road will close to traffic at the railroad crossing beginning Monday, the state Department of Transportation said.

The closing will remain in effect until Aug. 12 while the tracks are replaced and a contractor paves the approaches to the crossing, PennDOT said. Detours will be set up and motorists will have access throughout the closure to all businesses by following posted detours.

This work is separate from a larger paving project that will continue later this year, when a contractor is scheduled to pave an additional 2.4 miles of Moosic Road/Route 3015, along with 1.3 miles of Wayne Street/Route 1019 and one-half mile of Main Street/Route 3024.

— STAFF REPORT

At least one of every 14 absentee ballots cast in the election last November in seven Northeast Pennsylvania counties arrived too late to count, local and federal figures show.

The late absentee rate could be higher than Pennsylvania as a whole, but it’s hard to tell. That’s because federal figures used to calculate the state rate show zero late absentees in more than a third of the state’s 67 counties and at least three zero-reporting counties definitely had late absentees.

In the midterm election, at least 7.1% of the absentee votes in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Wayne counties arrived beyond the deadline for counting them, based on figures from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and election officials in Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

Luzerne County elections officials claim a lower number of absentees and late absentees than the commission. County officials say they had 292 absentees submitted too late to count out of 4,450 submitted. The commission says the late absentees totaled 447 out of 4,650 absentees. The commission gets its numbers from the state Department of State.

Department of State and county officials could not determine why the numbers differ.

The Times-Tribune used the federal commission’s figures for its calculation.

Statewide, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week, the percentage of late absentees was 4.2%, or 11 times the national rate.

The state rate is likely higher. The Inquirer reported Bucks County had hundreds of late absentees and reported none and Philadelphia had far more than reported to the commission.

Bucks is among the 23 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties that reported zero late absentees, according to the federal commission’s figures.

The 23 reporting zero late absentees include Lackawanna and Wayne counties, but election directors in both provided numbers to The Times-Tribune that were used in the calculations for this story.

Lackawanna County elections director Marion Medalis said the county had 269 late absentees. Wayne County elections director Cindy Furman said her county had 43.

The state does not require reporting late absentees, and Medalis said she doesn’t scan late absentees into the county’s vote-counting system because they don’t count.

“If a county shows a zero ..., it would appear the county did not record any of their absentees that were returned after the deadline through the tool that we provide,” Department of State spokeswoman Wanda Murren said.

Medalis and others blame the late absentees on the short time — three days — between the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot and the deadline for elections offices to receive a completed ballot for it to count. The receipt deadline is four days before an election. Too often, Furman said, voters don’t pay attention to the deadlines.

If a ballot isn’t physically in an elections office by the Friday before a Tuesday election, votes on the ballot can’t count.

Pennsylvania voters submitted more than 195,953 absentee ballots in 2018, with 8,474 rejected because of a missed deadline, according to Election Assistance Commission statistics supplemented by the Lackawanna and Wayne figures The Times-Tribune obtained.

The seven local counties received more than 14,000 absentees, regardless of the differences in Luzerne County figures. Here are the figures with the difference in Luzerne County noted:

■ Lackawanna: 3,831 absentee ballots, 269 late, 7%.

■ Luzerne: 4,620 absentee ballots, 447 late, 9.7%, according to the commission. 4,450 absentee ballots, 292 late, 6.6%, according to the county.

■ Monroe: 2,422 absentee ballots, 193 late, 8%.

■ Pike: 1,711 absentee ballots, 79 late, 4.6%.

■ Susquehanna: 755 absentee ballots, 15 late, 2%.

■ Wayne: 1,100 absentee ballots, 43 reported late, 3.9%.

■ Wyoming: 450 absentee ballots, 17 late, 3.8%.

Gov. Tom Wolf plans to pursue changes to absentee voting. The present system limits absentee voting to someone who is out of town or unable to get to a polling place on Election Day. Wolf’s plan would allow anyone to vote absentee for any reason.

“The governor believes the current absentee ballot system is archaic and out of touch with the lives of modern voters. He will pursue legislation that provides ‘no-excuse’ absentee ballots, where registered voters can use an absentee ballot if it is most convenient for them,” Wolf spokesman J.J. Abbott said. “The governor also supports extending the deadline to return an absentee ballot in-person to 8 p.m. on the day before the primary or general election. For mailed ballots, the governor supports a return deadline of the Friday after the primary or general election.”

Furman cautioned that could turn problematic. Someone could wait until the day after the election to vote and still turn in a ballot on time. Requiring a postmark no later than Election Day could solve that problem, she said.

Furman said the tight deadline wouldn’t be a problem if absentee voters paid attention to deadlines and applied earlier.

Susquehanna County voter registration director Macy Rudock and Medalis said extending the filing deadlines for mailed ballots by a week wouldn’t cause much trouble.

Absentee ballots that arrive by the Friday after an election would arrive just as she begins the official count, Medalis said.

However, Wyoming County elections director Flo Kellett said extending the deadlines would likely require delaying the date an official count begins.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter

At least four Democrats want the Scranton Democratic Party’s nomination to run in a special election for mayor.

So far, no Republicans have applied for their party’s nomination.

At least two men are also planning independent candidacies.

Scranton will have a special election for mayor Nov. 5 to serve the remaining two years of former Mayor Bill Courtright’s term starting Jan. 6.

Courtright resigned July 1 and pleaded guilty the next day to taking bribes, attempted extortion and criminal conspiracy. He is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 14. Last week, City Council named Councilman Wayne Evans to replace Courtright until the special election decides the next mayor. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of his term; the post pays $75,000 a year.

The four announced Democrats are:

■ City Councilman Kyle T. Donahue, 33. Donahue, a former Scranton school director, is in the middle of his first term as a councilman. He said two weeks ago he would seek the mayoral nomination, though he has not submitted a resume to the city committee.

■ Attorney John J. McGovern Jr., 48. McGovern, also a certified public accountant, is the lawyer for a group of citizens challenging the city’s tax structure in Lackawanna County Court. The challenge claims the city violated limits on revenues collected from income and other taxes for years and seeks a refund to taxpayers. “My resume and track record would say maybe I’m the right person,” McGovern said.

■ Attorney Francis P. McHale, 68. McHale, a retired administrative officer for the state Workers’ Insurance Fund, also owns four rental properties in Scranton. He ran unsuccessfully last year for the 112th state House District representative seat.

McHale said his background qualifies him for the job.

“I want to do something. I care about the city,” he said.

■ Charles Wasko, 49.

Efforts to reach Wasko and Donahue were unsuccessful.

City Democratic chairman Bob Sheridan said Friday only McHale and Wasko applied in writing.

At least two other Democrats haven’t ruled out a run.

Scranton School Director Katie Gilmartin, 41, said Friday she’s “very, very seriously considering” asking the city Democratic committee for the nomination. She plans to decide “pretty soon.”

Thom Welby, 70, the chief of staff to state Rep. Marty Flynn, said he’s still undecided about running. Welby applied for the interim post that went to Evans.

“Five months, I could do,” he said, sounding quite uncertain about running.

One well-known Democrat ruled himself out Friday. Lackawanna County Controller Gary DiBileo. Seeking reelection to his present job in the Nov. 5 municipal election, he said he won’t seek the mayor position. DiBileo ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2005 and 2009.

On the Republican side, former city councilman and former Lackawanna County Republican Party chairman Paul Catalano, 77, owner of a popular West Scranton delicatessen and market, said he’s thinking about seeking the nomination.

Two men who previously wanted to run for mayor as third-party candidates want to again.

Downtown pizzeria owner Giovanni Piccolino, 43,and Gary St. Fleur, 35, a writer, are circulating nominating papers to get enough signatures to go on the ballot. They need at least 212 signatures. Both failed to get enough valid signatures to run for mayor as third-party candidates in 2017. LaFleur is one of the citizens challenging the city’s tax structure.

Sheridan set a deadline of Aug. 9 for Democrats to submit resumes and letters of intent.

The party committee expects to interview prospective nominees Aug. 19. Applications may be sent to the Sranton Democratic Committee, c/o Bob Sheridan, 830 Meadow Ave., Scranton, Pa., 18505.

Lackawanna County Republican Party chairman Lance Stange said the party will accept resumes and letters of intent until Aug. 18 with interviews either Aug. 19 or 20. The applications may be sent to the party’s email address lackawannagop@gmail.com.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are sort of thinking about it,” Stange said.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.

SCRANTON — Prosecutors will dismiss charges against a former Lackawanna County Prison guard accused of sexually assaulting a female inmate at the jail.

The state attorney general’s office filed a motion Friday in county court to withdraw the case against Paul J. Voglino, who was awaiting trial on one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

Voglino, 46, Rear 4 Orchard St., Carbondale, is among seven former county corrections officers who were charged in February 2018 with sexually abusing inmates after an investigation by a statewide grand jury.

Investigators accused him of having sexual contact with a female prisoner in the early 2000s.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Voglino’s attorney, Joseph D’Andrea, said he could not express how happy his client is that the commonwealth decided to withdraw the charges.

“We firmly believed from the beginning that they had no factual or legal basis for the charges, and we were prepared to fight this to the end,” he said.

Bradford County Senior Judge Jeffrey Smith, who was appointed to preside over Voglino’s case, is expected to consider the motion Aug. 29 at a previously scheduled pretrial hearing for Voglino and another guard, James J. Walsh.

However, D’Andrea said he intends to ask the court to sign an order immediately.

Efforts to reach the attorney’s general office were unsuccessful.

In asking the court to approve dismissal of the charges, Deputy Attorney General Rebecca A. Elo said in her motion that Voglino provided material information to investigators and agreed to cooperate and testify if called upon to do so.

D’Andrea said as condition for dismissing the charges, investigators asked Voglino to cooperate “as have dozens of people at the jail” and share any information he might have about potential wrongdoing at the prison.

“He was asked questions, and they were answered honestly,” D’Andrea said.

Calling his client “completely innocent,” the attorney said Voglino would have rejected any arrangement proposed by prosecutors that would have required him to accept criminal responsibility, even for a summary offense.

Voglino, a guard at the jail from 1994 until he was fired shortly after his arrest in 2018, will seek to return to work at the prison, D’Andrea said.

Three other former guards still await trial.

Mark A. Johnson, 55, Scranton, is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 23 before Judge Julia Munley on two counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and institutional sexual assault and one count each of indecent assault and harassment.

Smith has set no trial dates for Walsh, 52, Roaring Brook Twp., who faces four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, or John Shnipes Jr., 44, Archbald, who is charged with six counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, four counts of aggravated indecent assault and two counts each of institutional sexual assault and harassment.

In February, a jury acquitted former guard George T. McHale, 52, Scranton, on all charges.

Not long after, two other guards, Jeffrey T. Staff, 43, Clarks Summit, and George R. Efthimiou, 51, Taylor, each pleaded no contest to official oppression. They received probationary sentences.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132

SCRANTON — A man who says he was wrongly arrested after police mistook legal hemp for marijuana was granted unsecured bail today.

Joseph Molitor, 46, formerly of Old Forge, had been jailed since June 6 on charges of delivery of a controlled substance. Prosecutors alleged he attempted to mail packages of marijuana to several people. Police were alerted to the packages by a postal employee, who suspected they contained marijuana because of the smell they emitted.

Molitor, owner of the CBD Shop of Northeastern Pennsylvania, contends the packages contained hemp flower, which looks and smells like marijuana. Hemp is legal as long as the level of tetrahydrocannabinol­, or THC, which produces the “high” of marijuana, is 0.3 % or less. Marijuana has a THC level of 0.5 % more. The problem, he says, is police tested only for the presence of THC, not the level.

Molitor remained jailed because he was not able to post a percentage of the $25,000 bail that was set. Today, the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s office agreed to modify his bail to $25,000 unsecured.

Molitor’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Daniel Lipson,said he’s speaking with the district attorney’s office about having the THC level of the evidence tested. He said if prosecutors won’t test it, he will petition the court to approve payment to have a private lab do the test.

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

A month after the Pennsylvania Game Commission began searching for a loose pig near Lake Scranton, animal rescues, sanctuaries and residents are trying to save the missing pig’s life.

The game commission learned of the pig in early July and have been working to trap and euthanize it with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services. Pigs can carry a variety of diseases and are detrimental to indigenous wildlife, game commission officials have said.

As of today, the pig had not been captured, according to game commission information and education supervisor Bill Williams. The pig would have its brain matter tested after being euthanized, he added.

When Dunmore resident Marissa Minichello learned that the game commission would euthanize the pig, she offered to adopt it herself.

“It’s like if your dog got loose,” she said. “Are you going to let the game commission shoot it?”

Minichello has her own pet pig named Norman.

“What if, God forbid, he got out and someone called. Would they euthanize (him)?” she said.

Additionally, two animal groups have offered to save the pig, including Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Mehoopany and Ross Mill Farm in Rushland.

Indra Lahiri, founder and president of Indraloka, has been rescuing pigs for more than 20 years, but she has never seen law enforcement decide to euthanize an animal instead of placing it in protective custody to be assessed by behavioral experts, she said.

The only disease that would require euthanasia and brain testing is rabies, and even then, there are other options, Lahiri said.

“Even with rabies, a quarantine is a perfectly legitimate way to make sure the animal is not sick,” she said.

Indraloka reached out to the game commission this week and offered to help capture the pig, assess its temperament and provide it with an appropriate home for the rest of its life, she said. The commission told her they would contact her if they wanted her help, she said.

Ross Mill Farm, a pig rescue based out of Southeast Pennsylvania, has rescued more than 1,000 pigs since it began keeping records in 1999, said owner Susan Magidson. Like Indraloka, they offered to save the wayward pig, which Magidson identified as a pet pig — likely a potbelly — based on photos she saw.

The game commission does not give approval to outside agencies to capture animals, William said. He could not comment on any specific penalties for doing so.

“Any interference would have to be dealt with because we’re taking care of it,” Williams said.

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

MOSCOW

The North Pocono Trails Association will sponsor a 5-mile “EZ hike” Sunday as part of this year’s Moscow Country Street Fair.

The hike begins at 9 a.m. at Old Mill Park in the 200 block of Market Street. It will proceed along the North Pocono Community Trails.

Hikers are encouraged to bring water and a snack.

— JEFF HORVATH

Aug. 3, 1936

Owens wins gold

On the second day of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Jesse Owens of Cleveland ran the 100-meter dash in 10.3 seconds to claim his first gold medal. His closest competitor, Ralph Metcalfe of Chicago, was a yard and a half behind when Owens crossed the finish line.

Also taking gold on Day 2 was Tony Terlazzo of York, who won the weightlifting competition in the featherweight division by lifting 687.5 pounds.

Johnny Terpak, a Mayfield native, came in fifth in the lightweight division in weightlifting. Terpak lifted 709 pounds. Terpak, who was living then in York, was the first person from the region to make the U.S. Olympic team since 1928. Margaret Hoffman of Kingston competed for the U.S. in swimming in the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

4,000 city youth at camp

Through the efforts of several nonprofits and service organizations, 4,000 boys and girls from Scranton enjoyed a few days of sunshine and country air at one of the many camps in the region.

The Catholic Men and Boys’ Association sponsored 1,200 campers over the course of the summer at Moosic Lake Camp. Other organizations that sponsored the children were Kiwanis Club, Big Brothers Boys’ Club and the Community Chest.

Some campers went as far as the Poconos for club, while others stayed close to home at Camp Sunshine on East Mountain.

At the movies

“And Sudden Death” at the State, “The Return of Sophie Lang” at the Ritz, “San Francisco” at the Family Theatre, “Escape Me Never” at the Riviera, “The Green Pastures” at the Strand and “Satan Met a Lady” at the Capitol.

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.

PITTSTON — “B+ for Ben” is the unofficial slogan of the Pittston Tomato Festival this year.

Ben Tielle, a longtime member of the Pittston Tomato Festival committee, is in need of a kidney transplant because of health complications following a heart attack. His festival friends are lending a helping hand.

During the final meeting before the festival begins Aug. 15, committee chairwoman Lori Nocito revealed T-shirts for every member to wear at the opening ceremony. The shirt features the slogan “B+ for Ben” and “Will you share your spare?” It has Tielle’s cellphone number on the front and words of encouragement on the back.

“It means the world to me,” Tielle said of the shirts. “I’m a very outgoing person so when it comes to my own personal self, I never ask anyone for anything, so it’s very difficult for me.”

Tielle had a heart attack three years ago and underwent open heart surgery. Complications with the surgery and the blood loss it caused created a domino effect that led to Tielle’s kidney function dropping to 14%.

Since Tielle’s blood type is B-positive, he can only receive a kidney from a donor who has a blood type of B-positive, B-negative, O-positive or O-negative. Potential donors with diabetes or high blood pressure are not eligible to donate.

However, a kidney exchange program exists that allows for a donor of any blood type to still donate a kidney to help Tielle. The program finds two or more pairs of donors and recipients of opposing blood types and matches them up to allow each person to receive a kidney.

Potential donors can contact Tielle directly at 570-430-1924.

Contact the writer:

amiller@citizensvoice.com

Archbald

Family Fun Day: The Lackawanna County commissioners will host their final in a series of family fun days, today, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Aylesworth Park; free, open to the public; hot dogs and soft drinks.

Dunmore

Walk meeting: Suicide prevention walk meeting Tuesday, Aug. 13, for a planning meeting for suicide remembrance and prevention walk; everyone welcome, 5 p.m., San Cataldo Club, 316 Elizabeth St., Dunmore. Contact: Kathy Wallace, 570-575-2343.

Lake Ariel

Drug take-back day: Turn in unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication for safe disposal, Saturday, Aug. 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Lake Ariel Volunteer Fire Company Fire Hall, 1381 Lake Ariel Highway.

Luzerne County

Blood drive: Alt 92.1 teaming with Bonner Chevrolet and Miller-Keystone to “roll up our sleeves and donate blood,” Thursday, Aug. 22, Bonner Chevrolet, Kingston; rooftop rally, 92.1 broadcasting all day on Bonner’s roof, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., or until 92 pints of blood have been donated.

Market Mondays: Health Screening Day at Monday at the Market, Aug. 5, numerous health screenings and over 35 health and wellness vendors will provide health and safety tips to attendees; cornhole tournament begins this week and continues through Aug. 19; Mondays at the Market continues every Monday through Aug. 19 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Moosic

Water park fundraiser: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania will host a Wings at the Waterpark fundraising event Sunday, noon-3 p.m., Montage Mountain, inside the lodge; sample a chicken wing from 14 wing vendors; $20/adults pre-purchase, $25/day of event; $10/children, 6-12; free/children under 5; attendees may also add a ticket to the water park for an additional $10; wing vendors: 3 Jack’s Burger Bar, Ale Mary’s, Andy Gavin’s, DeLeo’s, Dominic’s Pizza, Food & Fire BBQ, Harvest Season Grill & Wine Bar, JAK’s Pub and Eatery, Lace Works Tap & Grill, Mickey Gannon’s, PJ’s Pub at the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center, Slocum Hollow Bar & Restaurant, Stirna’s Restaurant and the V Spot. Tickets: momtn.com/wings. Information: Julianne Cucura, development director, 570-342-8709, x110; or

jcucura@bgcnepa.org.

Scranton

Seniors meet: The South Side Friendly Seniors meeting Tuesday, 12:30 p.m., St. Paul of the Cross Parish Center, Prospect Avenue, Scranton.

5K run/walk: The fourth annual Bob McGoff 5K run/walk, Aug. 25, Connors Park, 511 Orchard St., race at 9 a.m.; race day registration, 7:30-8:45 a.m.; $20 registration fee, $25 race-day registration; first 175 people to register receive a race shirt; proceeds to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer; scholarships; basket raffle and music. Registration/donations: bobmcgoff5k.org. Information: 570-344-6759.

West Scranton

Bus trip: West Side Active Older Adult Community Center sponsoring a bus trip to the Tioga Downs Casino near Binghamton, New York, Wednesday, Aug. 21, bus leaves center, 1004 Jackson St., at 9 a.m., leaves casino at 4:30 p.m.; $25/member, $28/nonmembers, $40 rebate, $30 in free play and a $10 food voucher; optional brown bag breakfast offered; anyone 21+ is welcome. Information/reservations: 570-961-1592, x101.

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.

DICKSON CITY — Lackawanna County’s third medical marijuana dispensary opened Friday in the borough.

Chicago-based Justice Grown held a ribbon-cutting and open house for its dispensary at 272 Main St. Sales will begin Aug. 9.

The first dispensary in Lackawanna County was Columbia Care, which opened in April 2018 on North Keyser Avenue in Scranton, The second dispensary, BEYOND / HELLO at 1137 Moosic St. in Scranton, held an open house July 23 and began sales Wednesday.

Previously, Justice Grown opened the first dispensary in Luzerne County in February 2018 in Edwardsville.

Some of the nearly two dozen severe medical conditions eligible for treatment with medical marijuana include cancer, terminal illnesses, autism, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anxiety disorders and Parkinson’s disease.

Justice Grown CEO Abbe Kruger described how medical marijuana has been life-changing for many patients and their families. Chemotherapy patients get their appetites back. Those with post-traumatic stress disorder have less anxiety, so they can enjoy their day and get a good night’s sleep. Pain sufferers can stop using opioids. Families of patients with autism “kiss us and hug us and cry on our sales floor because their child is speaking for the first time or being permitted to be touched for the first time,” she said.

“When you live through those moments, there’s really no turning back,” Kruger said. “We’re thrilled to bring all of that to Lackawanna” County.

Dickson City Mayor Bob MacCallum warmly welcomed the dispensary. He recalled how the newly renovated Justice Grown building formerly contained an old Motorola Communications facility, a place where radios and pagers were sold and repaired. Just as communications have evolved, so, too, has medicine, giving rise to medical marijuana, he said.

“The transformation is just incredible,” MacCallum said. “I’m happy you’re here in Dickson City and I’m really excited to be — I’m speaking for our community — to be welcoming you here and be part of that change.”

The burgeoning medical marijuana industry’s growth in Lackawanna County and beyond, which also includes growing/processing facilities, produces many positive spinoffs in general, including economic development, job creation and advances in research and development and technology, said Bruce Reddock, an economic development specialist with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s nothing but good things for our community,” Reddock said.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

The man accused of sexually assaulting an elderly woman Thursday in Exeter while holding her captive for hours was just released on parole from a Lehigh County prison last week, prison officials confirmed Friday.

Joshua Perez, 25, could have been imprisoned until Nov. 16, 2020, but was granted early release July 23, officials with the Lehigh County Jail said.

Perez is accused of entering an elderly woman’s home on Susquehanna Avenue, binding her with duct tape and forcing her to perform a sex act on him.

Perez is charged with burglary, attempted rape, unlawful restraint, trespassing, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, indecent assault and indecent exposure.

Court records indicate Perez was incarcerated until recently in the Lehigh Valley Jail in Allentown since his February arrest in Carbon County on charges of attempted burglary and loitering and prowling at nighttime.

The February arrest was a parole violation for a previous arrest when Perez was charged in 2018 with indecent exposure.

Perez also was charged with indecent exposure in 2012, according to court records.

In the local case, police said they also learned Perez was the man who barged into a home on Cornelia Street in Pittston on Wednesday and exposed himself to a female resident.

The victim in the attempted rape in Exeter said she first noticed Perez in her backyard around 4 a.m. Thursday when she was going out to feed neighborhood cats.

She said she demanded he leave her property.

Upon returning home from her walk, she said she was confronted in her home by Perez, who told her he was “horny.” She said he then tied her hands with duct tape.

The woman told police she pleaded with Perez to take a pot of chicken soup she had cooking out of the oven so it wouldn’t burn. As he did that, she said was able to flip the steaming contents onto Perez, scalding Perez’s chest and neck.

But Perez remained, she said.

Perez eventually stripped naked and started to pleasure himself in front of the woman, police said.

He then stripped the woman of her clothes, but she refused to have sex with him, police said.

Perez then made the woman perform a sex act on him, police said.

After about three hours, the man finally left, the woman told police.

She immediately called police and the suspect was located in West Pittston near Luzerne Avenue and Blackman Street.

Following an arraignment Thursday, Magisterial District Judge Joseph Carmody ordered Perez jailed in the Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 cash bail.

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2055, @cvbobkal

Republican senators’ fear of backlash from their base contributes to a lack of consensus in the Senate on comprehensive immigration reform, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey told the editorial board of The Times-Tribune.

Just two weeks removed from visiting migrant detention facilities at the nation’s southern border with other senators and federal officials, Casey on Friday summarized President Donald Trump’s immigration policy in four words: “Fear, smear, demonize and divide.”

Trump, Casey contends, is the only one who can convince the GOP base to support significant immigration reforms and build a necessary consensus around the issue in the Senate. Despite past promises from the president, Casey said Trump hasn’t earnestly endeavored to do so.

The senator pointed to remarks Trump made in early 2018, vowing to support future legislation protecting a group known as Dreamers — undocumented youth brought to the United States illegally as children — in exchange for increased border security measures. Trump also said he’d “take the heat” politically for a comprehensive immigration reform package that could follow.

The president proceeded to publicly oppose and threaten to veto a bipartisan measure that would have committed $25 billion over a decade to border security, including construction of a border wall, and offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented young people.

Amid the veto threat, only eight GOP senators supported the proposal, which failed to advance in the Senate. Other immigration bills collapsed in Congress later that year.

“(Trump) said to the Republicans ‘you get me a bill,’ and he made two promises: ‘I will sign the bill and I will take the heat,’ ” Casey recalled. “And of course, when the bill came and eight Republicans stuck their neck out and voted for it, he chopped their heads off.”

While comprehensive immigration reform has eluded other administrations, Casey criticized Trump for what he sees as the president’s propensity to demonize migrants and political opponents instead of trying to solve the problem.

The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for its treatment of migrants at detention facilities, where critics have blasted conditions as overcrowded and inhumane in some cases.

Casey visited several facilities during his trip to the border, some nicer than others.

One facility in Donna, Texas, had air conditioning, showers and sufficient amounts of food and basic provisions, Casey said, calling it the “high point of the day.”

The “more disturbing” part of the day, he said, came at a different facility in nearby McAllen, Texas. There, Casey said he saw migrants packed tightly into a room and got the impression they lacked showers and basic hygiene supplies. He said he also saw men and women in chain-link cages.

Nonetheless, Casey said he believes U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security more broadly are responding to public pressure applied by Congress, lawyers and immigration activists to improve conditions for detained migrants.

“I’m not going to be categorical and say everyone in the administration is doing the wrong thing all the time, because we met people on border patrol who are obviously dedicated professionals who care about the work they’re doing, or at least seem to, and they’re trying to solve a problem,” Casey said. “It’s very hard for even people within the administration ... when the guy at the top is just taking a different direction.”

Also Friday, Casey discussed:

Health care: The senator criticized Republican efforts to “sabotage” the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Casey derided an ongoing lawsuit, Texas v. United States, in which 18 states and individual plaintiffs argue the health care law’s individual mandate provision is unconstitutional and, therefore, the law should fall.

A federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in December, but stayed the ruling pending an appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case awaits resolution. The Justice Department issued a letter in March agreeing with the lower court’s ruling.

“I think we should make the case about what’s happening,” Casey said of Democrats. “This lawsuit in the Fifth Circuit could be decided by the fall. It would be appealed, but when you have now (Supreme Court Justice Brett) Kavanaugh making it a 5-4 court, this whole thing could be struck down.”

Casey sees no prospect of a Republican replacement plan passing if the ACA falls.

Recent Democratic debates and former Vice President Joe Biden’s performance: Casey, who has endorsed Biden’s 2020 bid for president, said he thinks the former vice president did well at the Democratic debate in Detroit this week. As the frontrunner, Biden was repeatedly targeted by other Democrats on stage.

Biden has a “solid policy foundation,” Casey said, noting among other things his plan to build on the ACA by adding a public insurance option and his climate plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ James Joseph Kosciuk and Tammy Ann Liford, both of Olyphant.

■ Katherine Elizabeth Kerr and Joshua Sydney Arnold, both of Spring Brook Twp.

■ Samantha Marie Rhatigan, Lake Ariel, and Matthew Mark McCullough, Tafton.

■ Gabriel Frank Morrison and Maria Elizabeth Wakefield, both of Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ James J. and Suzanne George, also known as Suzanne Kramer, to Magalwa and Romazani Solenso; a property at 365-367 N. Rebecca Ave., Scranton, for $161,120.

■ Giuseppe Sparacio and Sera Amato, Scranton, to Landon Miller, Las Vegas; a property at 715 Jefferson Ave., Jermyn, for $65,000.

■ FGM Group LLC to Mariam Rossoll; three parcels in Scranton for $65,000.

■ Michael B. Devaney and Mallory L. Jones, now by marriage Mallory Devaney, Clarks Summit, to Richard and Gina Arcuri, South Abington Twp.; a property at 209 Woodlawn Ave., Clarks Summit, for $177,000.

■ Charles R. Perugino, Drums, to Thomas J. Hashem Jr., Dalton; a property at 301-303 S. Irving Ave., Scranton, for $89,500.

■ Vincent and Michelle Wilkes-Carilli, Fredericksburg, Va., to Gary Adam and Sarah Ann Beppler, Dickson City; a property at 14 Susan Drive, Scott Twp., for $396,000.

■ Ted J. Kalinowski, Lackawanna County, to Jennifer Newman and Evan Thomas, Lackawanna County; a property at Summit Woods Road, Roaring Brook Twp., for $36,500.

■ Thomas A. Fritz and Robin Marie Luchko, Dunmore, to Drew E. and Kraig E. Obermiller, Carbondale; a property at 206 Sanderson St., Olyphant, for $61,285.

■ Shane and Ashley Langan, Lackawanna County, to Douglas and Kelly Clark, Scranton; a property at 721 Willard Ave., Jefferson Twp., for $277,500.

■ Sean Patrick O’Neill, Throop, to Matthew F. and Alia F. Parmenteri, Moosic; a property at 734 Carmalt St., Dickson City, for $206,000.

■ Wells Fargo Bank, Frederick, Md., to Nicolas Perry, Dunmore; a property at 342 Golf Club Road, Roaring Brook Twp., for $56,150.

■ Community Bank, Watertown, N.Y., to Jamie and Claire Barrett; a property at 1223 S. Irving Ave., Scranton, for $40,000.

■ Historic Property Holdings LLC to MJM General Contractor LLC; a property at 5 Oakwood Place, Scranton, for $37,000.

■ John and Palma Luchansky, Throop, to John E. and Betty J. Cramer, Throop; a property at 412 Dunmore St., Throop, for $153,500.

■ Ann Davidowski, Scranton, to Claire Festa, Scranton; a property at 501 S. Crown Ave., Scranton, for $68,000.

■ Mario Parlopiano, Scranton, to Lawrence and Sharon Spathelf, Scranton; a property at 202 Wilbur St., Scranton, for $115,000.

■ Randall and Sheila Ettinger, Lackawanna County, to Catherine Marie Padden, Lackawanna County; a property at 924 Brook St., Scranton, for $157,000.

■ Kelly J. Baldoni, South Abington Twp., to Robert and Denise Kern, South Abington Twp.; a property at Wyndham Road, Unit 127, South Abington Twp., for $353,000.

■ Melette Moffat, executrix of the estate of Charles H. Moffat, Glenburn Twp., to John M. and Cecilia Larios Carr, Glenburn Twp.; a property in Glenburn Twp. for $325,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Kaylee Doran, Scranton, v. Corey James Doran, Scranton; married March 14, 2013; Anne Marie Howells, attorney.

■ Tina Young, Clarks Summit, v. Stephen L. Young, Clarks Summit; married Aug. 7, 1999, in Clarks Summit; Nina M. DeCosmo, attorney.

■ Katyra Edwards, Prince William County, Va., v. James Edwards, Aiken County, S.C.; married March 23, 2008, in South Carolina; John D. Lalley, attorney.

■ April Krehel, Clarks Summit, v. Paul Krehel, Clarks Summit; married Aug. 4, 2006, in Clarks Green; David J. Ratchford, attorney.

LAWSUITS

■ Darryl James and N’Keesia Vaughn-James, 6279 Decker Road, Bushkill, v. Erie Insurance Exchange, 100 Erie Insurance Place, Erie, seeking an amount in excess of the jurisdictional limits, consideration of compensatory damages, punitive damages, interests, costs of suit, attorney’s fees and such other relief as the court may deem appropriate, on three counts, for injuries suffered in an automobile accident on May 15, 2018, while traveling on Seven Bridge Road, East Stroudsburg; Joseph E. Mariotti, attorney.

■ Leon Blake, 516 Pittston Ave., Scranton, v. Royah Sediqi, 702 Herbert St., Scranton, seeking an amount in excess of $50,000, together with allowable costs of suit, for injuries suffered when the defendant hit the plaintiff with their vehicle while they stood on the corner waiting for a COLTS city bus, on Dec. 4, 2017, at 8:39 a.m., at the northeast intersection of Pittston Avenue, Scranton; Thomas W. Munley, attorney.

ESTATES FILED

■ Ann Marie C. Demuth, also known as AnnMarie C. Demuth-Pardo, 208 Gardner St., Moscow, letters of administration to Jose Pardo, same address.

■ William Schiavo, 3621 Birney Ave., Moosic, letters of administration to James Schiavo, 214 Center St., Taylor.

■ Robert Charles Pritchard Jr., 5560 Haas Pond Road, Moscow, letters testamentary to Janice P. Rockmore, 2 Great Woods Drive, Ewing, N.J.

■ John P. Guzik, 1110 Springbrook Ave., Moosic, letters of administration to Catherine Guzik, same address.

ARDS

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

■ John Russell Bird, 65, 186 Wimmers Road, Jefferson Twp., stopped Dec. 30 by state police.

■ Bruce Edward Wheeler, 22, 125 Rebecca St., Throop, stopped Nov. 25 by state police.

■ Kelina Stokes, 22, 36 Poplar St., Wilkes-Barre, stopped Aug. 19 by state police.

■ Michael Patrick Morris, 35, 1889 N. Keyser Ave., Scranton, stopped July 23, 2018, by state police.

■ Frank James Gilroy, 57, 144 Janes Lane, Clifford Twp., stopped Dec. 25 by state police.

■ William C. Burdett, 62, 1801 Bloom Ave., Scranton, stopped Nov. 22 by state police.

■ Roman Loboda, 29, 113 Franklin St. #1, Dunmore, stopped Dec. 23 by state police.

■ Justin Ashman, 37, 152 Laurel Road east, Covington Twp., stopped March 17 by state police.

■ Jorge Luis Ortiz Fonseca, 48, 408 Adams Ave., Apt. 411, Scranton, stopped Oct. 14 by state police.

■ Samantha Boyd, 29, 915 N. Rebecca Ave., Scranton, stopped Nov. 24 by Scranton police.

■ Kathleen H. Barber, 66, 349 Ferdinand St., Scranton, stopped Sept. 3 by state police.

■ Anthony John Grasso, 60, 300 Crane St., Scranton, stopped Oct. 30 by South Abington Twp. police.

■ Harvey William Everett, 53, 69 Oak St., Plains Twp., stopped Oct. 15 by state police.

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

■ Amanda Giamoni, 35, 1367 Capouse Ave., Scranton, arrested Jan. 21, 2018, by Scranton police for endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person.

■ Nicholas Joseph Competiello, 30, 9 Memorial Road, Marlboro, N.J., arrested Dec. 1 by state police for marijuana/small amount for personal use, use/possession of drug paraphernalia and harassment, subjecting another to physical contact.

■ Hanna Joy Hull, 35, 1754 State Route 12, Hubbardsville, N.Y., arrested Dec. 3 by state police for DUI, marijuana/small amount for personal use and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Scott Dickman, 49, 208 W. Main St., P.O. Box 392, Dalton, arrested Jan. 3 by South Abington Twp. police for possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Sonya Sashin, 32, 521 Harrison Ave., Scranton, arrested Sept. 29 by Scranton police for DUI and accidental damage to unattended vehicle or property.

■ Denis Loboda, 27, 113 Franklin St., Dunmore, arrested Dec. 18 by Blakely police for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Hector M. Santiago, 35, 55 Mount Hope Place 5, Bronx, N.Y., arrested Jan. 16 by Scranton police for DUI, possession of marijuana and use/possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Nashira Tyneese Turner, 28, 723 N. Hyde Park, Scranton, arrested Nov. 30, 2017, by Dunmore police for theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, theft by deception/false impression.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts