SCRANTON — A Scranton woman faces drug charges after a traffic stop in the city Tuesday, police said.

Barbara M. Heredia, 32, 1821 Price St., was charged with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and related counts after officers from the Scranton Police Street Crimes Unit stopped her car for a window tint violation at 4:30 p.m. at 10th Avenue and Oxford Street.

After smelling marijuana, officers searched the car and found eight Lorazepan pills and three suspected ecstasy pills in Heredia’s purse.

After arriving at police headquarters, detectives found 5.2 grams of marijuana in her pants and six packets of heroin in her shirt, along with more than $800 in cash.

Bail and preliminary hearing information were not available Tuesday.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

Fundraiser planned

To help fight Matt Burnett’s battle with the genetically transmitted disease, Huntington’s chorea, his friends are hosting a chicken/pasta ala vodka dinner on Saturday.

Burnett is an active volunteer fireman with the Columbia Hose Company 5 in Carbondale and a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Trinity Club. He devotes countless hours of volunteer service to his community.

Both his mother and grandfather lost their fight with Huntington’s chorea. Burnett is manifesting the symptoms of this disease, which takes away a person’s functional abilities. There is no cure for the disease.

Dinners will be available for pickup between 1 and 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Trinity Club, South Main Street, Carbondale. Tickets for the dinner are $12 each. Ticket sales and returns should be in by today. There will also be a basket raffle, 50/50 and other events.

High notes

Hospice of the Sacred Heart’s held its annual Prayer Breakfast and Blessing of Hands on Nov. 7 at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel in Scranton.

Prayers and reflections were offered by Diane Baldi, CEO, Hospice of the Sacred Heart; Rabbi Daniel J. Swartz, Temple Hesed, Scranton; Wayne Evans, mayor of Scranton; Dorothy MacGregor, MSW, Hospice of the Sacred Heart; Frank A. Bucci Jr., M.D., president and chairman of the board, Hospice of the Sacred Heart; and the Rev. Ryan P. Glenn, assistant pastor, St. John Neumann Parish, Scranton.

Honored speakers included Judge Andrew Jarbola, Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas; Joanne D. Arduino, artistic director, Ballet Theatre of Scranton; and Louis Pettinato.

The Hospice of the Sacred Heart Chairman’s Award was presented to Maurya Bergan, billing specialist; and special recognition was given to Marianne Yanik, RN.

Super students

Honesdale High School graduate Grey Rabbit Dion Puett spent a day as a student shadow of state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., at the state Capitol.

Puett, who graduated in 2018, attends Penn State University’s Harrisburg campus where he’s interested in political science and finance.

While in Harrisburg, he sat in on committee meetings, attended public rallies, watched and listened as Baker conducted legislative business and saw how the Senate operates.

The son of J. Morgan Puett and Mark Dion — owners of Mildred’s Lane, a 94-acre exhibition and workshop gallery near the Delaware River in Wayne County, Puett was introduced by Baker during floor remarks during session.

“This young man has received a quality education and has had some extraordinary experiences both inside and outside the classroom,” Baker noted.

BLAKELY

Two Peckville residents face charges after police received tips about suspected drug activity at their home.

Marcus Holiday Cicero, 22, and Naomi Christine Esteras , 21, both of 207 Meadow Lane, were charged Tuesday with possession with intent to deliver and related charges.

Witnesses told police people would throw money into an open window at the home and bags would be thrown out.

Police interviewed one witness who claimed he bought drugs at that home. After obtained a search warrant for the Meadow Lane house, police found 148 grams of marijuana, as well as scales, baggies and other paraphernalia.

Cicero remains in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail. Esteras was released on $20,000 unsecured bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Dec. 5.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

DICKSON CITY — A basement fire damaged a multi-family home on Bowman Street early today.

Borough firefighters who responded to 405-407 Bowman St. at 3:27 a.m. found flames with heavy smoke in the basement on the 407 side of the two-story, four-unit structure.

Crews brought the fire under control within 15 minutes, Fire Chief Matthew Horvath said. Fire damage was contained to the basement, although there was smoke damage throughout the building.

Two people were taken to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, including a 16-year-old boy who had minor burns to his hands, state police at Dunmore said.

The state police fire marshal investigated and ruled the fire accidental, saying the cause appeared to be an electrical issue with a space heater plugged into an extension cord.

The American Red Cross was assisting the residents, police said.

— STAFF REPORT

MARRIAGE LICENSE

■ Jessica Rachel Travis and Darren Degilio, both of Old Forge.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Mark E. and Jennifer Vaughn, Newton Twp., to Edward E. Jr. and Christine M. Volovitch, Newton Twp.; a property at 13003 Silver Fox Lane, Newton Twp., for $330,000.

■ PUD Properties LLC, Dun­more, to Bradley Marx and Olivia Jackson, Scranton; two parcels in Dunmore for $105,000.

■ Timothy and Kathryn Brown­ell, Archbald, to Benjamin D. and Angeline Jones, Plains Twp.; a property at 209 Raymond Drive, Archbald, for $257,800.

■ Joseph H. Roginsky and Yvonne Slick to Kelly Ann and Ryan E. Williams; a property at 13 Riverview Drive, Jessup, for $320,000.

■ Paul J. Woodbridge Jr. and Jammie Bilinsky, Greenfield Twp., to Jeffrey J. and Jill A. Slomian, Waymart; a property at 143 Birkett St., Carbondale, for $95,400.

■ Fidelity Deposit and Dis­count Bank, Dunmore, to Chris­tys Realty Group Corp., Scran­ton; a property at 109 VanBrunt St., Moscow, for $139,000.

■ Jeffrey J. and Kimberly A. Krisiak, Lackawanna County, to Thomas J. Dolph III, Lacka­wan­na County; a property at 482 Salem St., Archbald, for $126,750.

■ Hawk Enterprise LLC, Clarks Green, to Jeffrey Baka, Clarks Summit; a property at 113 Fairview Ave., Clarks Summit, for $199,000.

■ BP&S Holding Co. Inc., Dallas, to Performance Building L.P., Moosic; four parcels in Moosic for $1,400,000.

■ Michael L. Bzdick to Benja­min Worlinsky; a property at 109 Jessup Ave., Jessup, for $94,000.

■ Thomas F. Walsh, Pennsyl­vania, to Ken C. Greenidge, Penn­­sylvania; a property at 308 Oak St., Scranton, for $143,650.

■ Timothy P. and Tracy Marcks, Scranton, to Kristen Hricenak and Maria Tomczyk, Scranton; a property at 208 Seymour Ave., Scranton, for $164,000.

■ Patrick and Mary Kathryn Cawley, Scranton, to Monica Scott, Rosedale, N.Y.; a property at 1136-1138 Rock St., Scran­ton, for $25,000.

■ Barbara A. Zumbo to Fred­rick Tomlinson; two parcels in Scranton for $71,000.

■ Lawrence J. McAndrew, Scran­ton, to 539 Hemlock Street LLC, South Abington Twp.; a property at 539 Hem­lock St., Scranton, for $61,000.
■ David Wasko, executor of the estate of Joseph M. Rogan, Scranton, to Daniel Paul Cor­coran, Scranton; a property at 194 W. Parker St., Scranton, for $52,000.

DIVORCES SOUGHT

■ Ashley O’Connell, Scranton, v. Collin O’Connnell, Scranton; married May 3 in Scranton; pro se.

■ Ronald Mascaritola, Dick­son City, v. Sandra Mascaritola, Dickson City; married May 17, 1997, Woodbridge, N.J.; Oliver, Price & Rhodes, attorneys.

■ Laureen Pidgeon, Jermyn, v. Paul D. Pidgeon, Jermyn; married Sept. 10, 1994, in Concord, Mass.; Hughes, Nicholls & O’Hara, attorneys.

ESTATES FILED

■ Joseph N. Orlowsky, 1021 Cedar Ave., Scranton, letters testamentary to Diana Senkev­itch, also known as Diane Sen­kevitch, 191 Main St.-Jutland, Hampton, N.J.

■ Joseph Toth, 419 Academy St., Peckville, letters testamentary to Susan Kerecman, 1217 Pettit St., Dickson City.

■ Victor Ocetnik, 1101 Vine St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Donna Mela, 4635 Dawn Acres Drive, Madison Twp.

■ Patricia Ann Zur, also known as Patricia A. Zur, 18 Midland St., Simpson, letters of administration to Mary A. Lewis, same address.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/court

Nov. 21, 1969

Ribbon-cutting held for bridge, interstate

Two local highway projects were formally dedicated by state Highway Secretary Robert Bartlett. The projects were the Spruce Street Bridge Complex in Scranton and the completion of a new section of Interstate 81 East.

In Scranton, Bartlett along with Mayor James Walsh cut the ribbon on the $5.5M bridge complex that connects South and Central Scranton.

The dignitaries then traveled a short distance outside the city to mark the completion of an 8-mile stretch of Interstate 81 East (renamed I-380 in 1973) between Gouldsboro and Daleville. This time, instead of using a pair of ceremonial scissors, Bartlett drove a tractor-trailer through the ribbon.

When completed, motorists will be able to use highway to connect with Interstate 80 in Monroe County.

Planned amusement park opposed

Several residents of East Scranton attended the Scranton Board of Zoning Appeals to oppose the proposed amusement park in their neighborhood.

Leroy and Lucille Demuth of Stafford Avenue had submitted a request to the board to place amusement park rides, such as a merry-go-round and go-karts, on property that they owned near Nay Aug Park.

A neighborhood spokesperson, attorney Emanuel Laster, told the board he and a group of 21 area residents oppose the installation of the rides because of the “undue noise in the summer” and the possibility of property depreciation.

The Demuth request was sent to the city planning commission for review.

Out & about

At the movies: “Alice’s Restaurant” at the West Side, “Easy Rider” at the Comerford, “The Christmas Tree” at the Strand, “Krakatoa East of Java” at Cinema North, and “The Cobra,” “Psycho Circus” and “Island of Terror” at the Circle Drive-In.

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

The man responsible for a triple shooting that paralyzed a young woman during an attempted drug robbery earlier this year was sentenced Wednesday to serve up to 7½ years in state prison.

Terence D. Bradley, 20, of Wilkes-Barre, previously pleaded guilty to a felony count of aggravated assault in the Feb. 12 shooting that injured Nichole Santiago, 20, and Alanah Sobrinski, 19, both of Scranton, as well as Miles Singleton, 20, of Moosic. Santiago was paralyzed from the waist down, according to her family.

Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas on Wednesday sentenced Bradley to 38 to 90 months in prison for the assault as well as for two unrelated robbery cases filed when Bradley was a minor.

According to prosecutors, Santiago, Sobrinski and Singleton — along with two minors — had come to

Wilkes-Barre from Lacka­wan­na County with the plan of ripping off a marijuana dealer.

They met up with Bradley, leading to a dispute that ended with Bradley firing into their car, according to prosecutors.

Singleton was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg and Sobrinski was treated and released from a hospital. But Santiago will be paralyzed for life, her mother has said.

In addition to his time in prison, Bradley will be required to pay $26,078 in restitution to Sobrinski and $773 to Santiago, Lupas ordered.

Bradley was remanded to serve his sentence, receiving credit for 261 days time served.

Contact the writer:

jhalpin@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2058

Carbondale

Garbage collection: Garbage collection for the city of Carbon­dale will be suspended for Nov. 28, due to the Thanks­giving holiday. The Thursday route will be collected Nov. 29.

Hamlin

Cookie event: St. John’s Episco­pal Church annual Cookies Galore event, Dec. 14, 9-11 a.m., Route 191 S. (next to Jack Williams Tire), more than 50 varieties of homemade cookies, $8/small container or $15/large container (containers provided; Welsh cookies, $6/dozen, pre-orders only by Dec. 9; Sandy Toy, 570-689-2441, by Dec. 9.

Lackawanna County

Santa trolley: Electric City Trolley Museum is opening the Santa on the Trolley excursions with Elf on a Shelf on five trolley excursions along with sing-a-longs and storytelling on Nov. 30, 300 Cliff St., Scranton, trolley excursion times are 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 and 1:30 p.m., museum activites include arts and crafts, balloon art and face painting 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., regular rates apply, reservations are encouraged to assure the ride time preferred.

Peckville

Free lunch: Free community lunch at the Red Door Cafe at Peckville United Methodist Church, Saturday, noon, 732 Main St.

Hoagie sale: Hoagie sale for missions, Dec. 7, 9-10 a.m., Peckville United Methodist Church, 732 Main St., $5 each; Bonny, 570-489-6093, or Paul, 570-489-8042 by Nov. 30.

West Scranton

Cookie sale: SS. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church 10th annual cookie sale, Dec. 15 and 22, noon-2 p.m., 1720 Academy St., $8/pound, pre-packaged, come early for best selection; rectory, 570-343-8128, or center, 570-961-3147 (days of sale); special orders, 570-842-6476; www.saintspeterandpaulscranton.com.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timessham

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

Scranton is sprucing up for the holidays.

The Holiday Light Show at Nay Aug Park begins at 5 p.m. Friday when Mayor Wayne Evans and guests throw the switch.

The Department of Public Works and the Scranton Municipal Recreation Authority added numerous new light displays and installed over 10,000 LED bulbs throughout the popular attraction, authority Chairman Bob Gattens said.

A new feature this year is the addition of music for visitors to hear while they drive through the park by tuning their car radios to 96.7 FM. Reindeer that sing along with the music have also been added to the end of the light show.

At the end of the light-show display, donations are encouraged to support the show and park. All contributions benefit Nay Aug Park.

Also new this year, in the area across from the Everhart Museum, 72 wreaths decorated by neighbors, friends of the park and businesses adorn newly installed lampposts.

“You will be amazed at the talent and craftsmanship” of the wreath decorations, Gattens said. “This is an area we encourage everyone to walk through and enjoy.”

Santa also will visit various nights throughout the season.

Horse-drawn carriage rides around the park will be available, for a fee, Thursdays through Sundays, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. The carriage rides start behind the museum.

Meanwhile, the popular David Wenzel Treehouse has been closed for winter and will reopen in spring.

Scranton Tomorrow also is working with local businesses with “Deck the Downtown” holiday shopping promotions continuing through Dec. 25. Check Scranton Tomorrow’s Facebook page for lists of participating businesses.

Among the promotions:

Give Thanks Video Series. Scranton Tomorrow is producing a holiday video series featuring different downtown businesses daily. The videos will publish on Scranton Tomorrow’s Facebook and Instagram pages now through Nov. 27 using the hashtag #GiveThanks. Scranton Tomorrow also will feature a new business daily on social media as part of its 25 Days of Downtown, from Dec. 1 through 25 using the hashtag #25DaysofDowntown.

Black Friday, Nov. 29. Sales, incentives and signature holiday drinks and dishes will be available at downtown stores and restaurants. Holiday maps will be available for download at www.scrantontomorrow.org.

Small Business Saturday, Nov. 30. More than 50 retailers and restaurants will offer special promotions. Scranton Tomorrow has organized downtown Scranton’s Small Business Saturday since 2011. Hashtags include #smallbusinesssaturday, #shopsmall, #shoplocal, #eatlocal and #smallbiz.

Flurry of Feasts, now through Nov. 30. Select downtown restaurants and cafes are offering holiday promotions using the hashtag #FlurryOfFeasts. Business owners interested in registering for the program should contact Victoria Pennington, social media campaign strategist, Scranton Tomorrow, at scranton2morrow@gmail.com.

Cyber Monday, Dec. 2. Local shops will also offer online deals, and restaurants will create holiday specials as part of Cyber Monday.

Holiday Window Decorating Showcase, Dec. 6 through Jan. 3, 2020, A downtown Scranton tradition, the annual Holiday Window Decorating Showcase will feature festive window displays in more than 50 businesses.

Contact the writer:

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

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

All aboard: Santa Train schedule

The Santa Train is coming to town — actually six towns — on Dec. 7.

“Meet Santa as he visits your town,” posters promoting the popular, annual attraction say.

A project of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area and numerous sponsors, the “Christmas in a Small Town” celebrations will have Santa Train stops and times along the former route of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad as follows:

Carbondale: 10:30 a.m., train station, River Street.

Archbald: 11:35 a.m., train station, Pike Street.

Jessup: 12:20 p.m., train station, Church Street.

Olyphant: 1 p.m., Queen City train station, Lackawanna Avenue.

Dickson City: 1:45 p.m., train station, Boulevard Avenue.

Scranton: 3 p.m., Steamtown National Historic Site, Cliff Street.

Children are encouraged to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots collection program.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

SCRANTON — When staff are stretched thin, fall-risk patients at a Scranton hospital often wind up parked in recliners behind the nurses’ station, according to the nurses union.

Geisinger Community Medical Center officials contend that moving patients near the nurses’ station is a way to keep those with dementia engaged. It’s not a short-staff remedy, they said.

It’s one of a number of examples that the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, or PASNAP, local is making as temperatures rise over the union’s next contract.

The old contract lapsed without a replacement at the end of October. Both sides remain at odds on nurse staffing levels throughout the hospital, and union members say Geisinger negotiators are digging in their heels on key issues.

In a written statement, hospital spokesman Matt Mattei challenged the union’s positions and said the members haven’t cooperated to set another date to bargain.

As of Wednesday, a bargaining date had not been scheduled.

Registered nurses are among the most in-demand professionals across the country. Hospitals and health systems compete for talent, and nurses have no shortage of options when choosing where to work.

Union leaders, who represent more than 400 registered nurses at GCMC, say the hospital has around 235 open full-time nurse positions that are being filled with agency and travel nurses and overtime, and accuses the hospital of loading up incentives for new recruits but failing to reward tenured service.

“These new nurses, they come out of school, they have the talent, they have the passion,” said Kali Gargone, a recovery room nurse. “But then their workload is so high, their stress level is so high, that after their first taste of bedside nursing, they go, ‘This isn’t for me any more.’ ”

They quit after two years to work for a specialty clinic or a traveling nurse company where they earn more money, she said.

Union leaders told The Times-Tribune that they believe skeleton-crew conditions have led to poor safety grades by the nonprofit hospital rating organization Leapfrog. GCMC scored poorly for nurse staffing numbers and too many patient falls, among other measures.

Mattei said the hospital earned an overall B grade based on 28 measures, and the medical center is performing on par with the best hospitals nationwide.

“We recognize opportunities to improve and are taking a multidisciplinary approach among physicians, nurses, other allied health professionals and environmental services to earn a grade of A with a goal of zero harm to our patients,” he said.

This year, the hospital recorded 2.32 overall falls per 1,000 patient days, which is below the national benchmark of 2.5, he said.

Geisinger offered union members $5,000 retention bonuses on Oct. 29, the day before their contract expired, he said.

“The union rejected that offer even though it is our understanding that Geisinger has the only hospitals in the area offering a retention bonus,” he said. “We have also proposed language on how to jointly tackle staffing and make other improvements including enhanced paid time off that would increase the annual hours accrued for 88% of the nurses.”

Gargone described a frantic environment in which they rarely take breaks during long shifts, and if they do, they’re frequently interrupted when one of their patients needs something in a hurry.

Geisinger officials say each unit is responsible for managing their own breaks, and that nurses who have trouble taking scheduled lunch breaks are encouraged to speak with a manager, team coordinator or charge nurse.

But charge nurses, who are supposed to have no patients or, at most a few patients with less-serious ailments, often pick up full patient loads of their own, according to union members.

The union has not announced plans to strike but plans to ramp up a public relations campaign, local president Roben Schwartz said.

“We have plans in the works for engaging the community, engaging all of our nurses, engaging our families,” she said.

Contact the writer:

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

@jon_oc on Twitter

SCRANTON — The Department of Public Works will pick up leaves instead of newspapers during the week of Nov. 25-30.

Bagging of leaves is suggested.

Leaf bags are available free of charge for residents at the DPW, 101 W. Poplar St., or at the Weston Field House, 982 Providence Road.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

With about six weeks left in her term, Lackawanna County Commissioner Laureen Cummings is making a renewed push to have Jesus Christ’s name added to a monument on Courthouse Square.

In June 2018, commissioners voted 2-0, with Cummings abstaining, to award a roughly $58,000 contract to Honesdale-based Martin Caufield Memorial Works to correct dozens of verifiable errors and make other changes to the monuments surrounding the courthouse. Cummings took issue with a change involving a Bible verse engraved on the Veterans Memorial wall located near the courthouse’s front entrance.

A 2014 review by the Lackawanna Historical Society, which identified numerous misspellings, incorrect dates and other issues with the monuments, prompted the county’s request for proposals for the monument work. The RFP calls for the attribution of the Bible verse to be changed from “Anonymous” to “John 15:13 KJV” — a reference to the book, chapter and verse of the King James Bible where the excerpt appears.

Cummings, however, wants the quote attributed directly to Jesus Christ. She argued in June 2018 that the attribution in the RFP is not the appropriate way to reference scripture and argued this week the verse should be attributed to Christ, who is speaking in the Biblical passage.

County Arts and Culture Director Maureen McGuigan said an internal committee of officials working in partnership with the historical society researched Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association citation guides and consulted with various faith leaders and others before determining the attribution should read “John 15:13 KJV.” McGuigan said she also researched examples of Bible verse attributions on other public monuments.

Maria Johnson, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Scranton’s Department of Theology/Religious Studies, said the attribution in the RFP is proper.

“John 15:13 is an entirely appropriate way to do it,” she said.

Cummings contends the Bible verse attribution was still an open question when commissioners voted on the monument resolution in June 2018. Meeting minutes confirm the issue was unresolved and that arts and culture department program manager Chris Calvey planned to meet with faith leaders to further discuss the matter.

Calvey said Wednesday that he polled both protestant pastors and Catholic monsignors who agreed the attribution should include the chapter, book and verse of the Bible. Calvey said he did not hold a formal meeting with the faith leaders and did not communicate their opinion directly to Cummings, though he did apprise other officials.

A frustrated Cummings said she’s been “getting the runaround” with regard to the attribution and suggested officials may be trying to run out the clock on her term.

If the county is to add Christ’s name to the monument, county general counsel Donald Frederickson said commissioners will have to approve a resolution.

Commissioner Jerry Notarianni said he will stick with the opinion of the experts and faith leaders officials consulted. Attempts to reach commissioner Patrick O’Malley were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Aside from the Bible verse attribution, McGuigan said the monument corrections are largely complete. Attempts to reach Martin Caufield were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Cummings said she will continue to fight for the addition of Christ’s name.

“I’ve been pushing for it since I found out about it,” she said.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — School property taxes would increase 3.4% for 2020 in a spending plan the Scranton School District must balance by the end of the year.

The tax increase — $45 for a property assessed at $10,000 — still leaves an almost $2.7 million deficit. School directors approved the proposed budget with a 5-0 vote Wednesday night.

Without reserves and vowing not to borrow additional money to balance the budget, district officials now plan to trim expenses in the $168 million spending plan.

“We have to continue the hard work of trying to find savings,” Director Katie Gilmartin said. “We’ll hopefully be able to close that gap.”

Just in the last three years, the board voted to borrow about $30 million to pay for expenses like salaries, textbooks and copier paper — a practice that helped lead the state to place the district in financial recovery earlier this year. The district also depleted other one-time revenue sources, including the health care fund.

School directors have the ability to raise taxes up to 4.63% for 2020, but that would still leave a $2.1 million deficit. The district had originally sought exceptions from the state to raise taxes as high as 6.7%, or a total increase of 9 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. The state only granted the district the ability to levy an additional 6.2 mills, or 4.63%.

With a 3.4% increase — the original increase allowed by the state Act 1 index, taxes would increase 4.5 mills, to a total of 137.6 mills.

The recovery plan approved by the board in August 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.

School directors said they want to keep the increase as close to 3.4% as possible.

The proposed budget includes projected revenue of more than $7.2 million in business privilege/mercantile taxes. Although voters approved a referendum this month for the district to move from those taxes to a payroll tax, officials remain undecided whether to do so.

The budget, 71% of which is used to pay employee salaries and benefits, does not provide raises for teachers. In their third year of working under an expired contract, teachers on Wednesday said their colleagues are seeking employment in other districts.

“Morale is at an-all time low,” said Scranton High School teacher Kevin Kays, a union leader. “I don’t know why a young teacher would want to stay in the district at this time. You’re likely to see an exodus.”

Directors Tom Borthwick, Barbara Dixon, Paul Duffy and Bob Lesh were absent Wednesday.

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

Within the next three years, the majority of Lackawanna County residents will be over 60, and an upcoming 113-unit senior housing complex in Taylor aims to give them a place to settle down.

Williamsville, New York-based Clover Group Inc. plans to open its Oak Hill Senior Apartments complex at 512 Oak St. in February, said Clover Group district manager Stacey Conte. The pet-friendly housing complex, which is for individuals 55 and older, will primarily consist of two-bedroom apartments with a handful of one-bedroom units, she said.

“We’re seeing a trend of people younger and younger who are wanting to spend their lives doing things other than shoveling their driveway and mowing their lawns,” Conte said.

Clover Group also operates the 119-unit Green Ridge Senior Apartments in Scranton, she said.

Rent, which includes utilities, will range from $1,110 per month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit to $1,295 for a two-bedroom, 1½-bathroom unit, according to Clover Group’s website.

Oak Hill will also have its own salon with a licensed hair stylist, a coffee shop, a fitness center and a common room, among other amenities, Conte said.

Construction began on the facility in 2018, and the only remaining work is primarily cosmetic, she said, explaining they’re starting to install cabinets, appliances, carpeting and flooring.

Half of the apartments have already been reserved, she said.

“All they’re doing is waiting for us to open the doors,” Conte said.

More than 60% of county residents will be over 60 by 2022, said Jason Kavulich, director of the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.

“We definitely continue to see this need for affordable senior housing,” he said.

Maintaining homes and paying taxes can be difficult for older adults, especially those who are single, he said.

To incentivize development, Oak Hill won’t be taxed on improvements to its property for 10 years under a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance term, said Taylor Borough Manager Daniel Zeleniak.

The borough’s development authority, which Zeleniak chairs, owned the land, and the authority is trying to market an additional 30 or so acres in that section of town, Zeleniak said. He hopes the apartment complex will spur more development.

“It’s an area of town that the municipality really needs to see developed, and this is a huge starting point,” he said.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

SCRANTON — A Scranton man who was accused of sexually abusing a 3-year-old girl will spend three to 23 months in Lackawanna County Prison.

Nicholas John Puchalski, 41, was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle after pleading no contest to corruption of minors.

Scranton police arrested Puchalski in January after the girl told investigators at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania that he touched her genitals in September 2018.

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

Originally charged with indecent assault of a person younger than 13 and corruption of minors, Puchalski entered his plea to the misdemeanor corruption charge June 27.

Addressing the court Wednesday, the victim’s mother asked Moyle to impose the maximum penalty on Puchalski. The newspaper is not naming the mother to protect the identity of the girl.

The mother spoke of her daughter’s lost innocence, telling the judge the girl asks if the monsters ever go away. The victim is seeing a therapist and being treated for behavioral issues, she said.

“I tell her to keep fighting and always be brave,” the mother said.

Puchalski’s attorney, Kim Giombetti, told the court her client has undergone a remarkable change since the incident, addressing both his drug and alcohol problems and his mental health issues. He is working, with his employer so pleased with his performance that he plans to put him in a management position, she said.

“He’s a different man. He’s enjoying life,” said Giombetti, who asked Moyle to fashion a sentence that would allow Puchalski to continue on his current path.

In handing down the jail sentence, Moyle called it a case of competing interests but said she had to consider the seriousness of the offense. She told Puchalski she would consider an application for his entry into the work release program at the appropriate time.

She also ordered the defendant to have no unsupervised contact with minors after his release from jail.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9132

SCRANTON — A city woman who had a sexual relationship with a teenage boy faces at least five months in Lackawanna County Prison.

County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle on Wednesday sentenced Leanora Propes, 40, to five to 23½ months in jail plus two years of probation for corruption of minors.

Scranton police opened an investigation in February after the mother of the 14-year-old boy reported to detectives that Propes had a relationship with the minor.

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

Although both the boy and Propes both initially denied the accusation, Propes eventually admitted to having intercourse with the teenager, according to investigators. She blamed it on depression and loneliness, telling police her boyfriend was incarcerated at the time.

Charged with statutory sexual assault and other offenses, Propes pleaded guilty to a felony corruption count June 21.

Attorney William Thompson, who represents Propes, told Moyle on Wednesday that the arrest represents his client’s first involvement with the criminal justice system.

At the time of the incident, she was in an abusive relationship and, while that is not an excuse for what she did, it does provide context, Thompson said.

Noting Propes has a very young child and is also four months pregnant, the attorney suggested the judge craft a sentence that would allow her to care for both of the children.

Propes addressed the court briefly and told Moyle she was not in the right state of mind when she committed the offense.

Moyle, who cited the seriousness of the offense in handing down the sentence, ordered Propes to undergo parenting and sex offender classes. She is also to have no contact with the victim, the judge said.

Deputy District Attorney Sara Varela noted at the outset of the hearing that Propes is a “tier 1” offender under state law.

Moyle told Propes that status requires her to register as a sex offender for 15 years.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com,

570-348-9132

SCRANTON — A Carbondale man was sentenced Wednesday by Lackawanna County Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle to 18 months to four years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.

Alfred H. Pratt IV, 36, was accused by Carbondale police in January of assaulting the teen starting in 2017, after an investigation prompted by a ChildLine report.

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

Charged with statutory sexual assault and other offenses, Pratt pleaded guilty in July to corruption of minors and furnishing alcohol to minors.

— DAVID SINGLETON

SCRANTON

A Scranton man faces charges after hitting a woman with his SUV and leaving the scene Monday, police said.

Julio Calixto, 29, 1513 Von Storch Ave. , struck Margarta Flores, 71, at 6:42 p.m. at West Linden Street and North Main Avenue and fled south toward Taylor Avenue, police said. He returned about 45 minutes later and told police he was driving the Jeep that hit Flores.

Calixto told police he looked back to talk to his daughter when he struck Flores.

Flores was transported to Geisinger Community Medical Center and diagnosed with a broken wrist and broken ribs, police said. She was in fair condition Wednesday, Geisinger spokesman Matt Mattei said.

Calixto was charged Monday with failure to stop and render aid and accidents involving death or personal injury.

He remains free on $10,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 25.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

SCRANTON — A Lackawanna County judge told Eric Leidel she initially planned to sentence him to state prison for statutory sexual assault.

Instead, he’ll do his time at Lackawanna County Prison with a chance to prove Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle made the right choice.

Moyle sentenced the 25-year-old Scranton man on Wednesday to 11 to 23½ months in jail followed by four years of probation for sexually assaulting a pre-teen girl several years ago.

Scranton police accused Leidel in June of having a sexual relationship with the victim in 2011 or 2012, when she was 11 years old. The abuse, which included oral sex and intercourse, happened at a home in North Scranton.

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

Describing it as a difficult case, Leidel’s attorney, Curt Parkins, argued for leniency for the defendant.

He asked Moyle to consider Leidel’s age at the time of the crime.

“When the offense started, he, too, was a minor,” Parkins said.

Although probation officials recommended a state prison sentence, Parkins said he believed Leidel was someone who could be rehabilitated at the county level.

Moyle, who received and reviewed a letter from the victim at the outset of the hearing, told the defendant it made some very compelling points.

However, she said, Leidel’s attorney also made compelling points. There is no indication the defendant has reoffended in the years since the original assault, she said.

Moyle told Leidel that because the crime was a serious, violent offense committed against a child, incarceration was necessary.

In sending him to the county jail instead of state prison, Moyle warned Leidel she was still giving him “enough rope to hang yourself” by imposing the four-year probationary period along with a series of other conditions the defendant must meet when he is released.

Among them, Leidel must find full-time employment, avoid drugs and alcohol, have no contact with the victim and have no unsupervised contact with minors, the judge said.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9132

FACTORYVILLE — The Lackawanna Trail Elementary and Junior Senior High schools are on administrative lockdown this morning.

The district confirmed the lockdown on its website.

“Although there is no immediate threat to either building, we will maintain our lock down status until further notice,” the district said.

Efforts to reach Superintendent Matthew Rakauskas were not immediately successful.

Check back for updates.

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