A Transportation Security Administration officer found a loaded handgun Tuesday in a Jim Thorpe man’s carry-on bag at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, according to the TSA.

The officer spotted the .45 caliber handgun in a checkpoint X-ray machine.

The TSA contacted Avoca police, who confiscated the weapon and detained the man for questioning. The weapon was loaded with seven bullets. The TSA did not provide the man’s name.

“There was no impact to airport operations,” according to a news release emailed by Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokeswoman.

Attempts to reach Avoca police were not immediately successful. It is not known if the man faces charges.

Last year, TSA discovered more than 4,200 firearms in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms a day, according to the TSA. That’s about a 7% increase from 2017. Of those, 86% were loaded and nearly 34% had a bullet in the chamber.

Tuesday’s discovery represents the third gun confiscated at the local airport checkpoint this year. In 2018, TSA officers stopped just one gun.

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

Former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta formally announced Tuesday he won’t run for Congress and will concentrate on building a new political and government consulting firm.

In a statement issued by his political action committee, LOUPAC, Barletta, 63, a Republican and former Hazleton mayor, said he spent a lot of time thinking about and talking with his family about his future before deciding against running.

“My eight years in Congress are an experience I will always be grateful for. There was no greater honor than serving the residents of Pennsylvania in Congress and the residents of Hazleton as their mayor but I have made the decision to not seek an elected office next year,” Barletta said. “I will never close the door on any future opportunity but for right now my focus is on starting my new chapter.”

Barletta defeated longtime Rep. Paul Kanjorski in 2010, on his third term, to win the former 11th Congressional District seat. He served between 2011 and 2019, but gave up a chance at reelection last year to run for the U.S. Senate. He lost to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Barletta was one of the earliest congressional Republicans to support President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. Trump won Luzerne County, a victory considered key to becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state since 1988.

Since at least June, Republicans urged Barletta to try to win back a congressional seat by taking on Rep. Matt Cartwright, a Moosic Democrat who represents the 8th Congressional District. Barletta seemed lukewarm about the idea from the start.

“I’m not thinking about running,” Barletta said in June, shortly after the first published newspaper stories of a potential candidacy appeared. “I’ll never close the door on anything, but I’m enjoying this part of my life. Right now, I’m looking at some business opportunities.”

In his statement today, Barletta said he started a boutique consulting firm, Pioneer Strategies, a few months ago, focused mostly on political campaigns and government affairs.

“I started as a small businessman with my wife Mary Grace and enjoyed every second of growing our line painting business, started with only $29.95, into the sixth-largest in the country,” Barletta said. “Reflecting on that period of my life and my time as a public servant, I see that there’s a great opportunity to merge my areas of expertise.”

Barletta said he will use his campaign experience to advise candidates “first-hand from that unique perspective ... (and) help others navigate through their journey.”

Cartwright is expected to seek reelection to a fifth two-year term next year in the $174,000-a-year job. So far, only Teddy Daniels, who bills himself as a pro-Trump conservative Republican, has emerged to challenge Cartwright. Daniels is a veteran, retired police officer and businessman.

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

CANAAN TWP. — Authorities today released the name of an inmate who died at the United States Penitentiary-Canaan but few other details about how it happened.

Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell identified the man as 53-year-old Gary Fama.

Fama was pronounced dead by Howell at the prison shortly after 8 p.m.

An autopsy Monday was not conclusive. The cause and manner of Fama’s death were still pending investigation today.

“Further studies will be performed in an effort to conclusively determine the cause and manner of death,” Howell said.

Prison officials did not respond for comment today.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

SCRANTON — Lackawanna College, among the oldest educational institutions in the region, reached a milestone today — 125 years of existence.

The college, which over the decades established itself as a major presence in downtown Scranton, formally marked its quasquicentennial with cake and remarks from college brass and community leaders as the sun beat down outside of Angeli Hall on Vine Street.

“At the basic bedrock of our institution ... we are a college that is focused on our community, on the needs of that community and on providing an affordable way for our area residents and those that join us outside of the region to achieve a quality education,” college President Mark Volk said.

The anniversary comes on the heels of another major milestone for the college. In May, the college awarded 50 of its first-ever bachelor’s degrees.

Volk said that the college formed in 1894 as the Lackawanna Business College under the leadership of John H. Seeley. It was an era when coal was still king in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Some of the earliest students were young men looking to leave the coal breakers for office jobs “to raise themselves up for their communities and their families,” Volk said.

The college’s name changed over the decades as its geographic footprint and class size expanded.

Volk said that enrollment is at an “all-time record” for the college: 1,879 students, 80% of which are locals. The college owns more than a half-dozen buildings in Scranton and has six satellite centers scattered through Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

This will be Volk’s last year with the college. Jill Murray, Ph.D., will become the college’s ninth president and first female leader on July 1.

Murray said she intends to build on the existing legacy and further ingrain the college’s role in the city’s economic recovery.

For example, that means helping students form businesses. Some are already doing that.

Amanda Lopez, 29, worked her way around the crowd snapping photos today. A student, she owns a business — Mindful Melinda’s Alpaca Trek — where clients pay a fee to go for a walk with an alpaca as a form of therapy.

The business classes at the college were a great benefit to her, she said.

Angeli Hall holds a special place in Scranton Mayor Wayne Evans’ heart. He went to school there when it was still Scranton Central High School.

“We’re truly becoming a college town and that’s a great thing,” Evans said.

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

Lackawanna College milestones:

- 1894 — Founded by John H. Seeley as Lackawanna Business College.

-1957 — Chartered as a nonprofit institution, Lackawanna Junior College. Course offerings are expanded to associate degrees in humanities and social and behavioral sciences.

- 1994 — Lackawanna Junior College purchased and renovated the former Scranton Central High School. It became Angeli Hall, the main academic building on campus.

- 2001 — The “junior” is dropped from the name.

- 2019 — The first bachelor’s degree students graduated.

In a last-minute bid for freedom, a man who had spent the better part of Friday evening fleeing police seized a moment and took off running in handcuffs.

Brian Howey, 18, 104 Novitsky Court, Blakely, faces charges from Scranton police and Throop police, according to a pair of criminal complaints.

It started when a Throop officer noticed his Monte Carlo swerving on Boulevard Avenue at 7:07 p.m. It ended when a Scranton officer took him down with a stun gun shortly before midnight.

Throop Officer Brandon Straub, who watched traffic at the intersection of Boulevard Avenue and Rebecca Street, noticed the Monte Carlo and saw that the car’s registration was bad. He tried to pull the vehicle over but Howey sped up.

Howey nearly hit a car in an oncoming lane. Straub followed, his sirens screaming.

Howey made a right onto Deacon Street and struck a stop sign. Even though the sign became wedged underneath the Monte Carlo’s left side, spitting sparks, Howey didn’t stop.

The damage was done, though. The car had a flat tire and Howey had jumped out of the vehicle near Riverside Drive and Depot Street and started running toward Shawnee Avenue.

Police lost sight of him at Bates Street. Nearby agencies helped look for Howey, but he was gone.

Scranton Patrolman Jason Hyler of the department’s Street Crimes Unit received information that Howey was seen leaving the 600 block of East Market Street in a gray vehicle with a crooked registration plate and a loud exhaust system.

Shortly after 11 p.m., they found that car on the 500 block of Kennedy Street. They tried to pull it over, but the gray Infinity fled.

Hyler did not give chase. He last saw it turning south on Wayne Avenue after passing several vehicles while driving on the wrong side of the road.

Hyler and his sergeant, James Sheerin, went back to Kennedy Street, where they first spotted the Infinity. It paid off. Howey was on a porch trying to get into a home with three other women.

They approached Howey to arrest him. He fought back but Hyler and Sheerin put him in handcuffs.

By then, a big crowd had gathered. They were growing hostile and they followed the officers as they helped Howey to his feet and tried to lead him away.

As the officers tried to stop the crowd from surrounding them, Howey shouldered Hyler from behind and ran, still wearing handcuffs.

Hyler brought Howey down with a stun gun as more police swarmed to assist.

As they searched him, police found 10 grams of marijuana.

Howey faces numerous charges including flight, escape, resisting arrest and recklessly endangering another person.

He is in Lackawanna County Prison on $10,000 bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled Monday.

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

SCRANTON

A city man faces criminal charges after a woman told police he strangled her because he believed she’d been unfaithful.

Wykeem Fritz, 20, 913 Albright Ave., was charged with strangulation, simple assault and a related count after police were called to the home around 12:25 a.m. today for reports of a domestic altercation.

The victim, Katalin Sheehan, told police Fritz believed she had cheated on him two months ago and became angry when she returned home that night after spending time with friends. He struck her and put his hands around her throat for a minute or two, she said. Police noted bruising on her neck, according to the complaint.

Fritz remains free on unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.

— ERIN L. NISSLEY

SCRANTON

A city man is accused of robbing a woman on Prospect Avenue Sunday and then threatening a man who chased him.

Police said Charles Edward Grant, 23, 1613 Linden St., approached Todd Butler, an acquaintance, in the 100 block of Prospect Avenue around 10:28 p.m. Sunday. Butler’s companion, Christine Joyce, was holding about $40 and told police Grant grabbed it and ran away.

Joyce and Butler chased him for several blocks. He confronted the pair in Donnelly Court, punched Butler and threatened to shoot him, police said. They called police from their home to report the robbery and police found Grant at his home. Joyce identified him as the man who robbed her; police also searched the home and found a coat they said he wore during the robbery.

Grant remains in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10.

— ERIN L. NISSLEY

SCRANTON

Police filed aggravated assault and related charges after subduing a man brandishing a piece of glass outside of a city apartment.

Marvin Munguia, 44, 1803 Brick Ave., Scranton, is accused of stabbing Matthew Varela on Friday after an altercation at the home. Varela said Munguia was drunk and acting disorderly around 10:44 a.m. When Varela shoved him out of the house and called police, Munguia punched a window, breaking it, police said. He then grabbed a piece of glass and stabbed Varela in the stomach. Varela only suffered a small scratch, according to the complaint.

When police arrived, Munguia was still holding the glass and refused to show his hands. Officers used a stun gun to subdue him.

He remains in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9.

— ERIN L. NISSLEY

MARRIAGE LICENSES

• Caroline Comerford and Paranjay Datt Malhotra, both of Florhan Park, New Jersey.

• Kurt Douglas Burns and Samantha N. Chase, both of Greenfield Twp.

• Alyssa Marie Cicco, Peckville, and Anthony William Bartoli, Throop.

• David James Masteller and Mary Joan Walker, both of Dubuque, Iowa.

• Eric Joseph Castellano, Scranton, and Ashlee Elizabeth Danko, Forty Fort.

• Rachel Ward and Brian Alan Dippel Jr., both of South Abington Twp.

• Alyssa Marie Boshman, Jessup, and Andrew Edwin Salva, Archbald.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

• Theresa Slachta to Kyle E. Rabiega and Mary M. Olinyk; a property at 1904 Delaware St., Dunmore, for $137,800.

• Edward Jr., John, Andrew and James Gregorowicz and Ann Marie Drake, to Mark J. Kobylanski, Blakely; a property at 903 Woodmere Ave., Dickson City, for $186,000.

• William J. and Paulette E. Burns, Scranton, to James M. Fahey, California; a property at 116 Green Place, Scranton, for $77,000.

• Sheila J. and Robert B. Ferraro, Scranton, to Warren and Lori Raker and Joseph and Diane Hughes, Glenburn Twp.; a property on Ransom Road in Ransom Twp., for $175,000.

• Anthony G. DeSantis, Scranton, to JMS Elite LLC, Scranton; a property at 510 North Hyde Park Ave., Scranton, for $48,000.

• CC Key Properties LLC, Peckville, to Cerroe LLC, Moosic; a property at 1000 South Keyser Ave., Taylor, for $400,000.

• American Advisors Group, Lansing, Michigan, to Padavan LLC, Jefferson Twp.; a property at 202 Erie St., Jessup, for $41,000.

• John J. Pfleckl, also known as John Pfleck, Jessup, to Anthony Domenic and Charise Rose Demeo, Jessup; a property at 310-312 Hand St., Jessup, for $183,000.

• Jeanie Pavlovich to Eric J. and Ebony Shager; a property at 305 Fifth St., Vandling, for $217,000.

• Michaelene Merril, Dunmore, and Stephanie Grudis-Whisner and Steven Whisner, Scranton, to Robert Gagliardi, Scranton; a property at 11 Beechwood Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., for $280,000.

• Gary A. Phillips, Jermyn to Rossi Property Development LLC, Mayfield; a property at 213-215 Rushbrook St., Jermyn, for $240,000.

• Mary E. Shelinski, Picture Rocks, to Jerome W. Jr. and Mary Goyne, Dickson City; properties in Dickson City, for $105,000.

• Ann D. Bellafatto and Marianne Perhacs, executrices of the estate of Robert E. Cegelka, by their agent Ralph J. Bellafatto, to Lucas and Ibrahim Polo, Newark, New Jersey; a property at 1447 Dartmouth St., Scranton, for $44,000.

• Patricia Noldy and Janet Yetkowskas, co-executrices of the estate of Mildred Misura, South Abington Twp., to Howard Joseph and Rebecca Theresa Acla, South Abington Twp.; a property at 53 Abington Gardens, South Abington Twp., for $108,969.

• Ann Flood Bianco, executrix of the estate of Elizabeth Flood, Carbondale, to RTR Management LLC, Scranton; a property at 60-62 Belmont St., Carbondale, for $25,000.

• Mary Lynn T. Ruddy, administratrix of the estate of Patrick J. Ruddy, to Robert W. Ruddy; a property at 302 Church St., Dunmore, for $55,000.

• Melissa Russo to Andrew Gordon Jackson and Alissa L. Cutrona, Scranton; a property at 141 Florida Ave., Scranton, for $111,300.

• Pine Hill Farm Properties Group LLC, New Jersey, to Erika M. Monacelli; a property at 414 Wheeler Ave., Scranton, for $160,000.

• Deborah Benson and Michael Skapyak, Old Forge, to John Piesecki Jr. and Ashley Nicole Shaffer, Old Forge; a property at 722 Beech St., Old Forge, for $127,000.

• Daniel and Johanna Badyrka, Dunmore, to David A. Holden and Melissa M. Frick, Dunmore; a property at 616 Throop St., Dunmore, for $123,000.

• USA HUD to Thomas F. Quinn; a property at 1011 Sterling St., Scranton, for $37,000.

ESTATES FILED

• Francis J. Fetcho Sr., 304 Third Ave., Jessup, letters of administration to John Fetcho, 298 Main St., Sturges.

• Joyce Holley, 1905 Newton Ransom Boulevard, Newton Twp., letters testamentary to William Holley, 38631 Burger Lane, Dade City, Florida, and Donna Holley Thomas, 10029 Valley View Drive, Clarks Summit.

• Lucille Laskowski, 1620 South Irving Ave., Scranton, letters testamentary to Marie P. Eskra, 407 Storrs St., Taylor, and Howard Richard Powell, 2404 Red Oak Drive, Clarks Summit.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

• Steven Miller, Scranton, v. Morgan Miller, Scranton; married May 17, 2003, in Clarks Summit; pro se.

• Lindsey L. Turner, Throop, v. Jeremy Turner, Throop; married June 16, 2016, in Hawley; Carrie A. Buscarini, attorney.

FEDERAL TAX LIENS

• Steven M. and Lynne A. Mellen, 610 Smith St., Scranton; $9,445.69.

• Thomas J. and Arlene Golden, 2015 Delaware St., Dunmore; $11,471.23.

• Centers for Healing Scranton Inc., 810 Green Ridge St., Scranton; $17,276.81.

LAWSUITS

• Patricia Worrell, 322 Prospect Ave., Apt. 1, Scranton, v. Michael Hopkins, 354 Point Road, Factoryville; seeking in excess of $50,000 and compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest and other such relief for injuries suffered June 27, 2018, when Worrell was crossing a crosswalk and was struck by Hopkins’ vehicle; Michael J. Pisanchyn Jr., attorney.

• Linda Pasco, 445 Third Ave., Scranton, v. Kyle Evin Frederick and Kevin Michael Frederick, 13024 Maple Drive, Clarks Summit; seeking in excess of $50,000 for injuries suffered Sept. 5, 2017, in a car accident on Newton Ransom Boulevard in South Abington Twp.; Sandra M. Stepkovitch, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

The NFL season kicks off Thursday night when the Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears, but sports fans will not yet be able to bet on the game at Mohegan Sun Pocono or Mount Airy Casino Resort.

Mohegan Sun Pocono officials previously said they hoped to launch a sportsbook at the Plains Twp. casino in time for NFL season but wagers are not yet being accepted.

The sportsbook is still being constructed near the casino’s main entrance and Molly O’Sheas Irish Pub.

David Parfrey, vice president of marketing for Mohegan Sun Pocono, said he expects it will open in late September.

Todd Greenberg, general manager for Mount Airy Casino Resort, also previously said he expected the sportsbook at the casino would open in time for NFL season.

An opening date has not yet been set to launch sports betting at the Monroe County casino, however, Joanna Doven, a spokeswoman for Mount Airy, said Tuesday.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved Mohegan Sun Pocono’s petition for a sports betting license in May and Mount Airy’s in June. Each casino is paying a $10 million licensing fee.

The 1,130-square-foot facility being constructed at Mohegan Sun Pocono will have capacity for 75 patrons, including 42 couch seats and 23 high chair seats. It includes an 8-foot by 15-foot high-definition video wall and four 3-foot by 6-foot screens for various games.

The casino entered into an agreement with New York-based Unibet Interactive Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Group PLC, that will serve as its sports wagering and interactive gaming operator. Online sports wagering is expected to go live after the sportsbook opens.

Mount Airy entered into a partnership with The Stars Group to offer sports wagering at the casino and online.

The former Gypsies Lounge will be converted to an approximately 7,000-square-foot sportsbook and poker room.

The 3,800-square-foot sportsbook at the casino will include live tellers during peak hours, flat-screen high-definition televisions and four self-service kiosks. Four additional kiosks will be located on the existing

gaming floor.

Mount Airy officials also could not yet say when online sports wagering would start.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

FIXER-UPPER: Two-story income property blighting cozy Hill Section neighborhood. Multiple uninhabitable rental units, on-street parking and motivated seller. Damaged by fire in 2017. Condemned and targeted for demolition, but somehow still standing. Minimum bid: $11,298.15.

The charred husk of 1620-1622 Pine St. is one of eight PSN Realty properties listed for auction in the Sept. 30 “upset” sale by the Lackawanna County Tax Claim Bureau.

Regular readers recognize PSN Realty as the ramshackle alter ego of Ken Bond, Scranton’s most notorious landlord and tax and garbage fee deadbeat.

Since his first appearance in this column back in April, Bond has become the sneering face of local government’s chronic failure to hold scofflaws accountable at the eternal expense of taxpayers who play by the rules.

In April, I reported that Bond owed $125,375.99 in delinquent garbage fees, by far the biggest offender in the city’s deadbeat database. Four months later, Bond is still stiffing the city with impunity. As of Tuesday, PSN Realty’s unpaid trash tab is $129,102.41 — still the largest and still piling up while honest property owners carry the weight.

Stunned that Bond owes more now than he did in April, I called Northeast Revenue Service, which collects delinquent taxes and trash fees for the city. No NRS employees have been charged, but the firm played key roles in the pay-to-play-related downfalls of felonious former Mayors Bill Courtright of Scranton and Ed Pawlowski of Allentown.

Pawlowski is serving a 15-year sentence in a federal prison. Courtright will be sentenced in November.

No one from NRS returned my call. City council and Mayor Wayne Evans are considering termination of the firm’s contract. The question I have for all three: How is it that after four months, the city’s biggest deadbeat owes more?

On the eight properties in the upset sale, Bond owes a combined $59,922.93 in back taxes and fees. He owes $11,298.15 in back taxes and fees on 1620-1622 Pine St. alone. That number is the minimum bid on the property, but could change by the sale Sept. 30 at 10 a.m. at the Lackawanna County Courthouse, Joseph Joyce, acting deputy director of the Tax Claim Bureau, told me.

It’s also possible Bond will follow past practice and make partial payments to keep some of his properties out of the sale. That seems unlikely for the Pine Street hulk. It’s been condemned, and Bond also owes $22,988 in garbage fees on the property.

Bond declined comment on the upset sale. “I go through this every year,” he said. Bond said he might have something more to say later in the day. He didn’t call back.

If 1620-1622 Pine is ever demolished, taxpayers will get the bill. City engineers inspected the wreck and determined it structurally sound, Evans said. Because it’s not in danger of collapse, the city can’t justify an emergency demolition order.

The city budget has money earmarked for demolitions, however, and officials are working on a list of priority properties to be razed.

“That one (1620-1622 Pine) is very high on the list as far as I’m concerned,” Evans said. “The neighbors deserve relief. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, and that property has been a bane of their existence.”

Ken Bond bought his fixer-upper for $60,000 in 2007. Ever since, it’s been dragging down a good neighborhood he never called home.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, wonders aloud what the candidates in the special mayoral election plan to do about parasites like Ken Bond. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at times

tribuneblogs.com/kelly.

FELL TWP. — The clock is ticking for the township to enact legislation that places restrictions on wind turbines, but supervisors are confident they’ll get it done on time.

“We know what (we’ve) got to do, and we’ll get it done,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Joseph Trichilo.

About 30 residents piled into the township building Tuesday night for updates on both the upcoming wind turbine ordinance and a future zoning hearing for Pioneer Aggregates’ Simpson Stone Quarry on Route 171. Last month, the township zoning hearing board voted to continue a hearing regarding the quarry’s use of construction and demolition waste for mine reclamation.

Supervisor Andy Gorel said Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources reached out to the township at least a year ago with plans to construct wind turbines in Fell Twp. Next-Era constructed the 43-turbine Waymart Wind Energy Center in 2003, which is visible throughout northern Lackawanna County and Wayne County.

Doing business as Waymart Wind II LLC, NextEra presented informal plans in Carbondale Twp. for a 24-turbine wind farm that would span several municipalities. In the past year and a half, Waymart Wind II LLC purchased property and acquired easements in Archbald, Carbondale, Fell Twp. and Jefferson Twp.

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

In the spring, Carbondale Twp. supervisors passed an ordinance that established restrictions, including setback requirements and decibel limits for wind turbines. Now, Fell Twp. is looking to do the same.

When the township began plans to create the ordinance in July, it set a 180-day window — now about 120 days — to pass the legislation, and NextEra would be held to whatever restrictions the township puts forward, said planning consultant John Varaly.

Varaly recommended the township put together a preliminary draft by October for the public to review.

Before the township can adopt a zoning ordinance, it needs to hold a public hearing, and the township and the county planning commissions need to review the ordinance — all time-sensitive steps, he said.

Township officials met with Varaly prior to the meeting and are considering retaining his services to help them create the ordinance.

However, Gorel is against hiring the planner because he recently testified against the township in an August zoning hearing as an expert witness for Pioneer Aggregates and its quarry.

After the meeting, Trichilo said a NextEra representative was supposed to attend the meeting, but he didn’t show up.

The next supervisors meeting will be Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., and the zoning hearing board will meet to make a ruling on the quarry Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. Both meetings will be at the Fell Twp. Municipal Building, 1 Veterans Road.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

BLAKELY

Club outing: Blakely Bear Outing, Sunday, 1 to 5:30 p.m., Montdale Country Club; late callers should contact by Thursday, 570-489-0758.

JERMYN

Reunion: St. Rose class of 1959 60th class reunion, Sept. 14, St. Michael’s Center, Delaware Street, Jermyn; reunion begins at 4 p.m. with Mass at St. Rose Church; dinner immediately following.

NEWTON TWP.

Volunteers needed: Grounds Cleanup Day at the Newton Rec Center; litter pickup, tree/hedge trimming and more, Saturday, 9 a.m.; lunch will be served to volunteers.

Fall festival: Newton Rec Center Fall Festival, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free Touch a Truck, kids activities, farmers market, indoor vendor fair, food trucks and more.

MOSCOW

Meeting: Moscow Women’s Club, Tuesday, 11:30 a.m., Moscow Methodist Church, Church Street; potluck lunch will be held and dues collected.

MOUNT COBB

Golf tournament: 29th Annual North Pocono Minisink Lions Golf Tournament, Sunday, Scranton Municipal Golf Course, Mount Cobb; sign in by 7:30 a.m., 8 start; buffet dinner afterwards at Van Fleet’s Grove; contact Ron Donati at 570-842-2196 or Don Brown at 570-842-3028.

SCRANTON

Free hot meal: Saturday, 1 to 3 p.m., St. Stanislaus Youth Center, 530 E. Elm St.; 570-343-6017.

Residents meet: Weston Field/Bulls Head Residents Group, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., 1414 Von Storch Ave.

Veterans meet: Lackawanna County Council of Veterans, Monday, 10 a.m., conference room of the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center; will reorganize and discuss coming years programs for county veterans; member organizations dues $15.

TAYLOR

Club meets: R & L Civic Club meeting, Friday, at 8 p.m., St. George’s Hall.

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.

High notes

William F. Carroll Jr., William P. Gassmann, Brad M. McNally and Daniel J. Stieh will be inducted into the Delaware Valley High School Hall of Fame.

The inductees were active during their years at Delaware Valley High School and have continued with lives of personal success and service to others.

Carroll earned both a bachelor and master’s degree from East Stroudsburg State College and a master’s degree from the University of Scranton. He not only had a long teaching career but also a lifetime of community service with an emphasis on helping young people.

Gassmann earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a nuclear engineer for Exelon Nuclear.

McNally earned a bachelor’s degree from the United States Coast Guard Academy and two master’s degrees from Purdue University and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a military officer and pilot.

Stieh earned a bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. from the University of London. He lives and works in the Netherlands as the HIV Biomarker Lead for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson.

They will be introduced before the start of Delaware Valley’s Homecoming football game on Saturday, Sept. 21. On Sunday, Sept. 22, they will be formally inducted at a banquet beginning at 5 p.m. at the High Point Country Club.

The banquet is open to all interested people in the Delaware Valley School District community. Tickets are available from Wanda Holtzer at 845-551-0780 or Bill Webster at 570-491-2718.

Local leaders

graduate

The University of Scranton celebrated its second cohort to complete the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program, which develops future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions.

Members of the class and the organizations they represent include: Athena Aardweg, community services specialist, NEPA Alliance; Angeline Abraham, assistant director, Employment Opportunity Center; Eloise Butovich, leadership gift officer, University of Scranton; Diane Dutko, chief operations officer, the Luzerne Foundation; David Falchek, executive director, American Wine Society; Kristen N. Follert, director of quality assurance, NEPA Community Health Care; Katlyn J. Gardner, development and human resource director, NEPA Community Health Care; Shannon Hayward, director WIC administration, Maternal and Family Health Services Inc.; Elizabeth Hughes, director of communications, Earth Conservancy; Gretchen Hunt Greaves, director, nutrition programs and resource development, Commission on Economic Opportunity; April Kemp, program director, Marley’s Mission; Teddy Michel, regional director, Ignatian Volunteer Corps of NEPA; Lauren Pluskey McLain, director of development, the Kirby Center; Todd Pousley, community revitalization manager, NeighborWorks NEPA; Joseph Salva, president/founder, Individual Abilities in Motion; Janine Tomaszewski, associate vice president of college relations, Johnson College; Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director, Luzerne and Lackawanna Medical Societies; and Alison Woody, director of competitive grants/donor stewardship, Geisinger Health Foundation.

The certificate program includes a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The students are required to complete a capstone project that forms comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.

For details, visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program website or call 570-941-4047.

Sept. 4, 1919

Wedding bells were ringing

Two women of prominent families in Scranton got married Sept. 4.

The first was Josephine Margaret Bosak, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bosak. Bosak married Dr. John Francis Zychowicz at Holy Family Church. The nuptial Mass was celebrated by the Rev. Andrew Zychowicz, brother of the groom. Michael Bosak established Bosak State Bank and was associated with the Horke-Vino tonic company.

Bosak was graduate of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and was a student at Columbia University. Zychowicz, had just returned to the United States after serving two years in the Medical Corps of the 78th Division in France.

Following the Mass, the couple were honored with a wedding breakfast at the home of the bride on North Washington Avenue. After a wedding trip, the couple resided on Pittston Avenue.

The second bride was Lydia Schnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Schnell. Schnell was wed to Clarence Sanderson of East Orange, New Jersey, at the bride’s Wheeler Avenue home. Andrew J. Schnell operated Schnell’s Garage, which sold REO and Standard Eight automobiles.

The wedding ceremony was conducted by the Rev. V.B. Darlington of Newark, New Jersey.

After the ceremony, the couple was honored with a dinner at the Wheeler Avenue home. Bauer’s Orchestra performed following the dinner.

Following a honeymoon to the Great Lakes, the couple resided in East Orange, where Sanderson was a member of the Sanderson Brothers Garage Firm.

Sale at Scranton Dry Goods

Fall dresses for $15.77, men’s overalls were $3.59, men’s heavy wool work socks were 49 cents per pair, women’s full-fashioned silk hose were $1.98 a pair, an ironing board was $1.98, a dozen eggs were 48 cents, a pound of lard was 37 cents and a package of King Midas noodles was 11 cents.

BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.

Authorities on Tuesday identified the man who died Sunday in federal custody in Wayne County as a 53-year-old convicted bank robber from Brooklyn, New York.

Gary Fama, who had been an inmate at the United States Penitentiary — Canaan since March, was found unresponsive at the prison about 4:45 p.m., according to a statement from the Bureau of Prisons.

“Life-saving measures were initiated immediately by responding staff,” as EMS responded, according to prison officials. EMS personnel pronounced him dead. Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell responded later and also pronounced Fama dead.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation was notified,” the statement read. “No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger.”

An autopsy Monday was not conclusive. The cause and manner of Fama’s death were still pending investigation Tuesday.

“Further studies will be performed in an effort to conclusively determine the cause and manner of death,” Howell said.

Fama was convicted in 2012 for robbing approximately $5,658 from a Brooklyn bank Dec. 29, 2011. His accomplice, Gambino crime family associate Jack Mannino, known as “the Seven-Second Bandit,” cooperated with authorities and testified against Fama, according to the New York Post.

Fama was due for release Feb. 22, 2024, according to the BOP.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

A Transportation Security Administration officer found a loaded handgun Tuesday in a Jim Thorpe man’s carry-on bag at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, according to the TSA.

The officer spotted the .45 caliber handgun in a checkpoint X-ray machine.

The TSA contacted Avoca police, who confiscated the weapon and detained the man for questioning. The weapon was loaded with seven bullets. The TSA did not provide the man’s name.

“There was no impact to airport operations,” according to a news release emailed by TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

Attempts to reach Avoca police were not immediately successful. It is not known if the man faces charges.

Last year, TSA discovered more than 4,200 firearms in carry-on bags at airport checkpoints across the country, averaging about 11.6 firearms a day, according to the TSA. That’s about a 7% increase from 2017. Of those, 86% were loaded and nearly 34% had a bullet in the chamber.

Tuesday’s discovery represents the third gun confiscated at the Pittston Twp. airport checkpoint this year. In 2018, TSA officers seized one gun.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9144;

@jkohutTT on Twitter

Jessica Borders was only on campus at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, for a few weeks before Hurricane Dorian forced her to return home to Carbondale.

Borders, 19, a 2019 Carbondale Area graduate, moved into her dorm Aug. 17 and was notified Saturday classes were canceled.

“I went there for the warm weather and to get away from the snow and bad weather, but it all comes with the territory and I signed up for it,” Borders said.

Students received an evacuation notice Sunday; those who were not off campus by 10 a.m. were escorted by college representatives to a campus in Tennessee.

Instead of learning her way around campus, Borders is taking her first-semester classes online. She was informed students may not be allowed back until Sept. 16.

Roxanne Spindler, who previously lived in Scranton and Lake Ariel and now resides in Williamsburg, Florida, works at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

She said most parks were closed by 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Spindler moved to Florida before Hurricane Irma hit in 2017 and is optimistic about the effects from Dorian.

“The way the storm is moving, it seems to be creeping,” Spindler said. “It was expected Sunday and Monday, so we’ve been preparing. We stocked up on canned food, toilet paper, water, Gatorade and batteries for electronic candles.

“I don’t think it will be as bad (as Irma),” Spindler said. “I’m more at ease.”

Officials from the American Red Cross were less at ease.

Dave Skutnik, director of communications for the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania Region, said his group sent 18 disaster workers to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Tuesday morning. Seven of the workers are from Northeast Pennsylvania, including one from Lackawanna County. They will be responsible for staffing shelters and facilitating the movement of resources.

“We have great, dedicated staff and volunteers who are always willing to help out,” Skutnik said.

UGI Spokesman Joe Swope said Tuesday the natural gas and electric utility was not planning to send any workers to the affected areas at the time.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to retain all crews should issues arise here in Pennsylvania,” Swope said. “We monitor updates from multiple weather reporting services and we’re in a holding situation.”

PPL announced last week four local line workers — two from Lackawanna County and two from Luzerne County — were among a group heading to Florida to help with power outages.

Contact the writer:

rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5363;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

SCRANTON — Voters will decide whether the Scranton School District can pursue moving from business privilege/mercantile taxes to a payroll tax.

After a heated discussion Tuesday night, the board voted 6-3 to take the issue to referendum in November. If voters approve the change, they will give the board that takes over in December the option to modify the tax structure for 2020.

A majority said in the next two months, the board can get more information from the city, which requested the change as part of shedding its own financially distressed designation. Other directors called the move to a payroll tax too risky, as the district counts on $7.2 million a year in business privilege/mercantile taxes. Once an initial rate is set, now estimated at 0.793% of a business’s total payroll, the district only has one additional chance to adjust the tax before it is locked. The move must be revenue-neutral, and a rate that is too low will cause the district to lose money. The city would have its own rate, but the total tax would be about 1%, officials said.

Business privilege/mercantile taxes are based on gross receipts of retailers, wholesalers and certain services, while a payroll tax would tax a percentage of a business’s total payroll.

Director Bob Lesh, during his first in-person appearance at a school board meeting in three months, called the vote “foolish.”

“We can’t afford this. It’s crazy. It’s asinine,” he said. “If I was the public, I’d never vote for this.”

Lesh, recently criticized by fellow directors for his poor attendance record, refused to speak to a Times-Tribune reporter after the meeting at the Electric City Academy, the district’s special education and alternative education school.

As of last week, Lesh had only attended seven of 20 regular voting meetings, special meetings, committee or work sessions since January. He had participated by phone in three others.

Directors Greg Popil and Paul Duffy also voted against taking the issue to referendum. President Barbara Dixon and Directors Kenneth Norton, Tom Borthwick, Katie Gilmartin, Mark McAndrew and Tom Schuster voted for it, seeking to keep the tax change option available as the board learns more. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has said the district must go to voter referendum to make the change. The district must notify the department of the board’s intent by Friday.

Scranton would be the first district in the state to make the change to a payroll tax. The city has argued that a payroll tax is easier to collect and more fair because it would be spread among more businesses, including banks and manufacturers not required to pay business privilege/mercantile taxes.

District administrators said changing the tax structure would be a risk to the district, which cannot afford to lose any revenue. The option of switching to a payroll tax is only available to municipalities designated as distressed under state Act 47. The city is set to shed its distressed status next summer, so this would be the last year the city and district could make the change. City officials have said the city won’t make the change unless the school district does as well.

In other business:

n The district will continue to rent parking spaces at Bethel AME Church for Northeast Intermediate School staff. The district will pay the church $25 per month for each of the 25 spots. After Cooper’s Seafood House decided to raise parking rates, Jeff Kelly, the district’s acting assistant operations director, approached Regional Hospital to inquire about spaces. Directors approved a rental agreement with the hospital for 51 spaces in the hospital’s garage, at a rate of $20 per space per month.

n The board made the following appointments: Ashley Colan and Amanda Hinkle, art; Marcela Negron, Nathan Beichler and Kayla Wolthoff, learning support; Angeline Rubasky, Tricia Karp and Dawn Lesh, fifth grade; Christine Snyder, life skills; Colleen Pauley, autistic support; Kristen VonAhnen and Jonathan Palochko, intervention specialist; and Terry Whalen, acting principal of the Electric City Academy.

n Parents of students at All Saints Academy in West Scranton questioned why it now takes their children more than one hour to get home on a district bus, more than double the time from last year. If a district provides transportation to its students, state law requires the district to provide transportation services to private school students of the same grade level, if the school is within 10 miles of the district’s boundary. Duffy asked administration to look into the issue.

n The Palumbo Group will evaluate the condition of porticos over the East Gibson Street entrances of Northeast Intermediate and provide a report, at a cost not to exceed $4,000. Riddle Environmental will remove asbestos found at the school, at a cost of $4,450.

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

WILKES-BARRE — City police have identified the man shot early Tuesday as city resident Kevin Lester.

Police say Lester, 22, of 417 Blackman St., was shot by a man described only as wearing a bandana covering his face.

Lester remains hospitalized in critical condition as the result of the shooting that took place near his home around 1:35 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police at 570-208-4200.