Find a pet who needs a new home at the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

Bowie is an adult male cat. He is very friendly sweetheart.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Roxy is an adult female, Pit Bull/Boxer mix. She is very friendly and outgoing.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird



Watch the latest Pets of the Week video here:

Database: Missing Persons In Pennsylvania

Dec. 4, 5, 10 and 17: Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center free four-hour seminar, No-Cost Leadership Development Essentials (limited to two members of each organization); www.nepirc.com or 570-819-8966; seminar is available on Dec. 4, 8 a.m.-noon, TekRidge Center, 50 Alberigi Drive, Jessup; Dec. 5, 8 a.m.-noon, NEPIRC Training Facility, 75 Young St., Hanover Industrial Estates, Wilkes-Barre; Dec. 10, 8 a.m.-noon, Greater Hazleton CAN DO Inc., 1 S. Church St., Hazleton; and Dec. 17, 8 a.m.-noon, Pocono Mountain Public Library, 5500 Municipal Drive, Tobyhanna.

SUBMIT BUSINESS BRIEFCASE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

Company unveils expanded space

Precision Software Innovations recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newly expanded space at the TekRidge Center. The company is a graduate of the chamber’s IGNITE business incubator program and has now expanded its office space within the building.

Precision Software Innovations provides technology solutions to help restaurants achieve growth in a competitive market. Through the development of custom software solutions, their products can replace outdated legacy systems or add new information technology infrastructure to an established or growing restaurant business. Their multipronged approach includes cloud point of sale, online ordering, kiosks, loyalty and third-party integrations.

Pharmacy receives accreditation

Hazle Compounding pharmacy received accreditation from the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board, a service of Accreditation Commission for Health Care. The accreditation demonstrates commitment to the highest industry standards for quality and safety.

PCAB assesses pharmacies that compound medications by combining, mixing or altering drug ingredients to create a medication as prescribed for an individual patient. The accreditation process includes an extensive onsite survey conducted by an independent expert and annual verification to ensure compliance with the pharmacy compounding process defined by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention guidelines.

Health system achieves high score

The Endless Mountains Health System achieved the highest score of any area hospital in eight out of 10 categories in the latest Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey to measure patients’ perspectives of hospital care.

The survey asks a random sample of recently discharged patients to give feedback about topics like how well nurses and doctors communicated, how responsive hospital staff were to patient needs and the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment.

The overall results, which earned Endless Mountains Health Systems the highest local summary rating of four stars in the October survey, showed patient satisfaction met or exceeded other area facilities, as well as national averages, and state averages for Pennsylvania and New York.

Rehab centers earn top rating

U.S. News & World Report recently released the 2019-2020 Best Nursing Homes report.

To produce the report and its online Nursing Home Finder tool, U.S. News evaluated more than 15,000 homes nationwide. The ratings draw on data from Nursing Home Compare, a program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes.

For the second consecutive year, Allied Services Transitional Rehab in Scranton and Heinz Transitional Rehab in Wilkes-Barre received the survey’s top rating of High Performing for Short-Stay Rehabilitation, earning them the title of Best Nursing Homes. They were two of only three facilities in Northeast Pennsylvania to receive this ranking.

Allied Services Transitional Rehab Unit and Heinz Transitional Rehab Unit have consistently earned top marks for their patient care, receiving the U.S. News & World Report Best Nursing Home title six years in a row.

SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

This Saturday is a big day for small businesses. It will mark the 10th annual Small Business Saturday, which encourages holiday shoppers to patronize local independently owned shops.

Carolyn Rhoden, an employee at the Bee Hive Gift Shop in downtown Wilkes-Barre, said the shop will offer a 25% off sale on all merchandise on Small Business Saturday.

Rhoden said there are advantages to shopping at small businesses like the Bee Hive Gift Shop, which sells unique items like raw honey and locally made tea.

“We try to get things here that are different from what you would find in other stores, and we have good customer service, and we wrap everything,” she said.

The Bee Hive Gift Shop is one of more than 50 small businesses in downtown Wilkes-Barre and the Wilkes-Barre area that will offer deals or discounts, giving local shoppers the incentive to “shop small,” according to the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber, the Diamond City Partnership, the F.M. Kirby Center, the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association and the City of Wilkes-Barre will hold a number of events for Small Business Saturday, which will kick off with a ribbon cutting in front of the Bee Hive Gift Shop at 41 S. Main St. at 10 a.m. For a list of participating business and vendors, visit the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber’s Facebook page.

There’s plenty to celebrate in Scranton, too. To encourage shoppers to shop small, nonprofit economic development organization Scranton Tomorrow announced it has teamed up with local businesses to “Deck the Downtown” this holiday season.

More than 50 retailers and restaurants in Scranton will offer special promotions, and shoppers are encouraged to spread the word about the city’s unique shops and eateries using hashtags #smallbusinesssaturday, #shopsmall, #shoplocal, #eatlocal and #smallbiz on social media. For the most up-to-date list of participating businesses, follow Scranton Tomorrow on Facebook.

‘Bigger than

Black Friday’

American Express created Small Business Saturday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2010 to get more customers through the doors of small businesses and it has grown to become a permanent fixture of the holiday shopping weekend. This year, 74% of shoppers are choosing to shop small, according to the 2019 Shop Small Consumer Impact survey.

“From talking to many of our independent retailers, Small Business Saturday has gone from being nothing to now being bigger than Black Friday,” said Larry Newman, executive director of the downtown management organization Diamond City Partnership. “Consumers are starting to understand just how important their local independent businesses are to their community.”

The women-owned Pop Up! Downtown recently opened at 343 N. Washington Ave. in Scranton. The shop provides consumers with a unique holiday shopping experience featuring small businesses Artwork by Joy Zavada, GypsyJane Vintage Shop, Laurabee Studios, Newkirk Honey, Photography by Cristin Powers, The Post Home and Body and Tinton Pots & Plants.

They offer a variety of goods, including artwork, vintage clothing, local honey, natural home and body products, jewelry and plants. Shoppers are encouraged to shop for holiday gifts and enjoy special events each weekend.

Erin Grogan, who started GypsyJane Vintage Shop in 2013, sells vintage clothing and accessories. She was formerly located in On&On in Scranton and has been doing online sales.

To celebrate their store and Small Business Saturday, the shop will hold “Small Business Saturbae.” In addition to local female DJ duo Patrice Wilding, a Times-Tribune staff writer, and Jessica McDonough from 12 to 2 p.m., the shop will also offer 10% off all items, several giveaways and a selfie station from 3 to 5 p.m.

Since the new Pop Up! Downtown is 100% women-owned, “we wanted to keep that momentum going and have as many female entrepreneurs as we could,” Grogan said.

‘Spent locally’

Newman said when shoppers spend $1 at small businesses like the Bee Hive Gift Shop or Pop Up! Downtown, an average of 68 cents of that dollar stays in the community.

“More money is staying local and that recirculates throughout the local economy and is spent locally,” Newman said. “It’s an incredibly important thing to support independent businesses and what’s great about Small Business Saturday is it has given us a really focused way to be able to do that.”

One thing shoppers in downtown Wilkes-Barre will not find this holiday season are pop-up shops.

For the last two years, pop-up shops have opened for the holidays in Midtown Village but they won’t open this year, Newman said.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday in front of Bee Hive Gift Shop, Newman, Lindsay Griffin, chief operating officer and vice president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and Patty Hughes, City of Wilkes-Barre special events coordinator will announce plans for a new downtown pop-up holiday marketplace next year.

Griffin said they want the holiday pop-up marketplace to be “bigger and better” next year. She said it isn’t finalized yet but they are shooting for Public Square as the location of next year’s pop-up holiday marketplace.

“Our goal is to continue to have this program evolve. If the goal is to activate different parts of the downtown, we need to do that by moving it around,” Newman said. “We’re planning to change this up and I think everyone is going to be excited about what we’re hoping to do.”

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

In honor of Small Business Saturday, the city of Wilkes-Barre will present an old-fashioned holiday market on Public Square, which includes a visit with Santa, surprises for children and a free holiday selfie station.

A holiday art market also will be held on Small Business Saturday at the F.M. Kirby Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring local artists, an ornament-making station, coloring sheets and more, according to Anne Rodella, artistic director at the F.M. Kirby Center.

Maps of all participating businesses and their deals for the day will be handed out at the holiday market.

Entertainment schedule on Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Saturday includes:

12:45 p.m., Mt. Zion Abundant Praise Dance Team.

1:30, Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre.

2, David Blight School of Dance.

3, Wilkes-Barre Mohegan Sun Holiday Choir.

4, Moving Rivers Ministries Dramatic Sign Language Team and Youth Stick Performers.

5, Misericordia’s Beyond Harmony A Capella Group.

— STAFF REPORT

Consumers will ‘shop small’ nationwide

The U.S. Small Business Administration will partner with organizations across the country to celebrate Small Business Saturday.

There are about 30 million small businesses across the country that ignite the economy and create two out of three net new jobs in communities, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Last year, the total reported spending among U.S. consumers who said they shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on the day reached a record high of $17.8 billion. Among consumers who said they participated in Small Business Saturday, 41% reported that they shopped small online.

In addition to providing jobs and contributing to the local tax base, small businesses donate 250% more than larger businesses to local nonprofits and community causes.

Seventy-five percent of locally owned small businesses donate an average of 6% of their profits to charitable organizations annually. As of 2019, 81% of small businesses plan to give back to their community in 2019.

For more information about Small Business Saturday, go to www.sba.gov/saturday.

— DENISE ALLABAUGH

Camp Havaya

Andrew Kaplan, board chairman of the camp in South Sterling, won the JCamp 180 Outstanding Board Leadership Award. The award is given in recognition of an individual camp board member whose leadership has produced significant improvement in a camp’s governance, fundraising and strategic planning.

JCamp 180 is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, which provides consultation and support to Jewish camps around the country.

Chamber of the Northern Poconos

Holly Przasnyski has been appointed interim executive director. As the interim executive director, she will oversee the staff of the chamber and she will be responsible for office operations, member benefits and community outreach.

Commonwealth Health

Wilkes-Barre General Hospital’s third-quarter DAISY Award was presented to Christopher Jones, R.N., who works on clinical services telemetry at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

The DAISY Award is a nationwide program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skill and compassionate care given by nurses every day.

The DAISY, which stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, Award was started by the DAISY Foundation, which formed in 2000, after J. Patrick Barnes, then 33, died of complications of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an auto-immune disease.

Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce

Amy Luyster, vice president, graduated from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s premier business leadership program.

The inaugural Business Leads Fellowship Program trained and equipped leaders from state and local chambers of commerce with resources, access to experts and a network of peers to build their capacity to address the most pressing education and workforce challenges.

Upon completion, Business Leads Fellows join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s dedicated network of 200 chambers of commerce and statewide associations from around the nation who regularly engage on education and workforce initiatives.

King’s College

Dr. Michele McGowan, associate professor and graduate program director of health care administration, recently received notice that her submission to the Institute of Management Accountants Educational Case Journal, “Internal Medicine Associates: Decision Analysis in an Evolving Healthcare Environment,” was chosen the third-place winner of the Summer Case Writing Competition.

As the bronze winner, McGowan will receive a monetary award and her case will be submitted for publication review in the journal. The submission calls on students to provide an analysis of the financial sustainability of a physician practice.

Dr. Bernard Prusak, professor of philosophy and director of the McGowan Center for Ethics and Responsibility, was recently published in Commonwealth magazine. His article, “Start with Safe: The Ethics of Harm Reduction,” seeks to address the moral and ethical dilemma of providing safe-injection sites to addicted people.

The article focuses on the role that the Catholic Church should play in helping to heal addicted people and also highlights the efforts of Jesse Harvey, a graduate of King’s, to combat the opioid crisis.

Harvey, a recovering addict, opened Journey House, a nonprofit that oversees recovery houses in Maine, in 2016.

Lauren Pluskey McLain has been appointed associate vice president for institutional advancement and senior director of development and campaign.

Pluskey McLain will be responsible for planning and managing the daily operations of the fundraising and development component of the college’s Institutional Advancement Division, including leading the college’s comprehensive capital campaign. She is responsible for directing fundraising professionals in the areas of annual giving, major giving, planned giving and grants.

Before joining the college, she was managing director of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.

Leadership

Lackawanna

The Core Program class of 2019-2020 recently held its first session at Montage Mountain.

In the 10-month Core Program, participants gain leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills, as well as an enhanced understanding of the issues relevant to the Scranton area, through monthly sessions. Areas of focus include community development, economic development, government, health care, law, education, quality of life, sustainability, history and media, with sessions featuring widely recognized specialists. Members of the class also devote a large portion of their time to developing and implementing community projects, hence enhancing their leadership abilities, fostering teamwork and benefiting local nonprofit organizations.

The Program class of 2019-2020 includes: Benjamin Segall, Penn East Federal Credit Union; Eric Schab, Commonwealth Health/Moses Taylor; Cara Sherman, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA; Megan Kofira, Weiler Abrasives Group; Katheryn Kennington, Montage Mountain Resorts; Suzanne Kennedy, Community Bank NA; Alonzo Baker, Penn Foster; Mariah McAndrew, Penn Foster; Aubrey Rachel Fick; Dawn Talley, St. Joseph’s Center; Matthew Heimlich, Procter & Gamble; Elizabeth McGrath Ardizoni, the Wright Center for Community Health; Hans Christianson, Geisinger Health Foundation; Adam Witinski, Gertrude Hawk Chocolates; Dana Bilotta, Tobyhanna Army Depot; Peter Gentile, NBT Bank; Nicolette Stine, Tobyhanna Army Depot; Brittany Colon, First National Community Bank; Patrick Lindmeier, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials; Meghan Burns, Greater Scranton YMCA; Lauren Stroble, Girl Scouts in the Heart of PA; Autumn Granza, Penn Foster; Jasmine Ahuja, Jasmine Ahuja Realty; Mary K. Nolan, Tobyhanna Army Depot; Joseph Paulowskey, Benco Dental; Maura Mark, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA; Anthony Monastra, Geisinger; Karen Lipnichan, Lackawanna College; Mary Elizabeth Endrusick, NeighborWorks Northeastern PA; Dharti Ray, Penn State Scranton; Justin Collins, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Sarah Weber, NET Credit Union; Aditi Phalak, Barry Callebaut; Amber Walko-Ray, PPL Electric Utilities; Lauren Luongo, Fidelity Bank; Henry Matute Coello, Penn State Scranton; Michael DePietro, Benco Dental; and Keith Danielowski, Prudential Financial.

Misericordia

University

Misericordia University recently honored staff and faculty for service during the 40th annual Awards Dinner in Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall.

Part of the Mercy Heritage celebration, the 61 honorees were recognized for five-year increments of service, including a special recognition for Elaine Halesey of Hanover Twp., professor of medical imaging, who was commended for 35 years of service.

Glenn Bozinski of Kingston Twp., vice president of enrollment management, was honored for 30 years of service. Also recognized were Jerry Bradford, Shavertown; Dawn Evans, Hanover Twp.; Ronald Hromisin, Dallas; Sharon Hudak, Forty Fort; George Hunter, Mountain Top; Jennifer Luksa, Luzerne; Annmarie Narcum, Dallas; Georgia Young, Exeter; and Metz Culinary Management employees Bonnie Major, Shavertown, and Cindy Mulloy, Dallas, for 25 years of service.

Employees honored for 20 years of continuous service included Grace Fisher, Dallas; Jo Anna Naylor, Shavertown; Tammy Sponenberg, Dallas, and George Young, Exeter.

Recognized for 15 years of service were James Clarke, Hanover Twp.; Jill Dillon, Mountain Top; Michelle Donato, Plains Twp.; Brian Herron, Luzerne; Alicia Nordstrom, Drums; Bernadette Rushmer, Shavertown; Mark Van Etten, Dallas, and Metz employee Paul Hill, Shavertown.

Employees honored for 10 years of service were Alyson Harvey, Harveys Lake; Michelle Hawkins, Bear Creek Twp.; James Hedglin, Dallas; Matthew Hornak, Dallas; Joseph Redington, Scranton; Sameera Redkar, Clarks Summit; Kathleen Scaler Scott, Flemington, New Jersey; Scott Woolnough, Wilkes-Barre; Anne Zaborny, Drums, and Metz employee Frank Varvaglione, Pittston.

An additional 27 employees were honored for five years of service. They are Catherine Becker, Shickshinny; Jennifer Black, Shavertown; Laurie Brogan, Pittston Twp.; Rita Carey-Nita, Shavertown; Karen Cefalo, Wyoming; Lori Charney, Duryea; Dominick De Matteo, Dallas; Joseph Donahue, Pittston Twp.; Nicola Edwards, Kingston; Matthew Hinton, Forty Fort; Paul Hurn, Trucksville; Kristen Karnish, Nesquehoning; Joseph Krasson, Plymouth; Elizabeth Lipski, Shavertown; Charles Makar, Shavertown; Patricia Maloney, Hanover Twp.; Matthew Mihal, Dallas; John Mokychic, Monroe Twp.; Rita Molino, Kingston; Patricia Ross, Dallas; Morgan Sadowski, Hunlock Creek; Jeffrey Stephens, Dallas; Tiffany Wiernusz, Forty Fort, and Jennifer Yarnell, Stillwater. Also honored were Metz employees Cynthina Porasky, Falls, and Betty Ward, Dallas.

Penn State Scranton

Assistant chief academic officer and associate teaching professor of nursing Dr. Michael Evans was recently promoted to assistant dean of undergraduate nursing education at the Commonwealth Campuses.

In his new role, Evans will oversee the operations of the undergraduate nursing program at various Penn State campuses. Among other duties, he’ll ensure curricular consistency and quality across the campuses, assist in the development and implementation of effective strategies to recruit a diverse pool of high-quality students and collaborate with faculty and administrators to fairly, promptly and effectively resolve student and faculty issues.

United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania

Maura Mark was recently promoted to director of community services.

Mark has been a housing counselor since 2016. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in counseling diverse client populations and managing various programs in several local human service agencies.

Mark will oversee 14 community service programs provided out of UNC’s Olive Street location in Scranton, including basic needs assistance, crisis intervention services, housing and homeless support, self-sufficiency programs and cross-county outreach. Mark will assess emerging needs in the community to develop programs as needed and evaluate results to ensure programs are effectively meeting community needs.

Wyoming County Coroner’s Office

Deputy Coroner Louis Marcho is the first in the county to receive his certification from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.

Medicolegal investigators conduct forensic death investigations and serve as the eyes and ears of forensic pathologists. This national certification assures that the death investigator is proficient in all areas of death investigation. Before being allowed to even sit for the examination, an individual must currently be employed in a medical examiner, coroner office or equivalent federal authority with the job responsibility to conduct death scene investigations or supervise such investigations at time of application and examination.

SUBMIT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

SCRANTON — Local veterans creating the Scranton Veterans Memorial Park compiled the names of more than 950 city residents who died in wars since World War I that will be engraved on a new monument.

A park committee now seeks the public’s help in reviewing the list of names to ensure it is complete and accurate before engraving the names in granite for posterity, said committee Chairman Pat Ahern, a Marine Corps veteran.

A list of the veterans’ names can be viewed at www.thetimes-tribune.com.

The volunteer committee has been working for more than four years to create the park and monument on the Scranton High School campus next to Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Site work and installation of flagpoles, sidewalks and landscaping were completed last year.

Volunteers identified the Scranton residents “who died in the defense of freedom” during World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq/Afghanistan, Ahern said.

About half the names, many of whom are WWI and WWII veterans, do not appear on any other monuments or plaques in the city.

“We are really happy to be able to correct that,” Ahern said.

The list also includes veterans born and raised in the city who moved away, joined the military and died in wars.

“Scranton is their hometown,” Ahern said. “We will strive to include all” names possible, to honor their sacrifices.

The committee plans to have the monument completed in the summer.

Anyone who knows someone missing from the list, or sees a misspelling or other mistake, should email Ahern at ahernoffice@aol.com by Jan. 1, so corrections can be made before engraving begins in early January.

To compile the list of names, committee volunteers scoured obituaries, newspaper articles, various other records and monuments.

“We’ve done a lot of extensive research,” VFW Post 25 Commander Jim Kuchwara said of the effort. “We take our fallen comrades very seriously. It’s truly an honor to be part of all of this.”

Lackawanna Historical Society Assistant Director Sarah Piccini also assisted in tracking down names of veterans.

Of the veterans identified, more than 600 were WWII veterans, Ahern said.

The monument will be composed of panels and will be 33 feet long, 6½ feet high and 1 foot thick.

“It’s going to be a landmark in the city of Scranton and in Lackawanna County,” said Kuchwara, whose Gen. Theodore J. Wint VFW Post 25 in North Scranton is the veterans organization sponsor of the park project.

The park and monument stemmed from the creation a few years ago of a Vietnam War memorial outside the Lackawanna County Courthouse. At that time, Kuchwara, Ahern and others realized that many local veterans who died in wars were never recognized on monuments or memorials.

“Their names should be spelled out on a monument,” Kuchwara said. “They gave their lives. These are the men and women who never came home. It’s always on my mind constantly that we are the lucky ones. They gave their lives so we can live our lives.”

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Nov. 25, 1929

Soccer fight turns bloody in Throop

A soccer game in Throop turned into a free-for-all fight that left one man in critical condition at Scranton State General Hospital.

The fight took place during a match between the Portuguese and Throop A.C. at Throop baseball park. According to police, the fight started among fans over a call in the game.

As the fight grew, it spilled onto the field where Thomas Armstrong, a lineman for the match, was stabbed by a spectator as he was assisting Throop police in trying to get the fans off the field.

Armstrong was stabbed in the lower back near his hip by the unknown spectator. He was taken to Scranton State General Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.

The fight was described as “one of the worst that has ever occurred at a sporting event in the Midvalley.”

Throop police were searching for the man who stabbed Armstrong.

Chinchilla church

damaged by fire

Chinchilla Methodist Episcopal Church on Layton Road was damaged by an early morning fire.

The janitor at a neighboring school noticed the blaze and immediately called for help.

By the time fire companies from Clarks Summit and Dalton arrived, the flames had already broken through the church’s floor and were heading for the roof.

With the assistance of the Scranton Fire Department, three companies were able to put down the fire.

It is believed that defective wiring in the boiler room of the church was the cause. The damage was estimated at $10,000.

Sale at Scranton

Dry Goods

Men’s white broadcloth shirts were $1.64, designer dresses were $14, women’s coats were priced between $25 and $58, women’s undergarments were $1.39, girls winter coats were $7.94, washable kid gloves were $1.79 and wool blankets were $7.44.

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

SCRANTON — It’s not just superheroes anymore.

Over the 20 years Joe Figured has hosted comic book conventions, he’s seen the platform evolve. Now productions, from the small ones he puts on to the international comic cons in major cities, include special guests like actors and other celebrities who add depth and fresh buzz to events historically linked to comic book fandom.

That’s why he brought Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and Andrew “The Reinforcer” Anderson to the Scranton Comic Book Convention on Sunday at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel.

Outside the conference room, members of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Roller Derby zipped around on roller skates and educated guests on their rough and tumble sport.

But Sunday’s biggest star remained the comic books and their tights-clad heroes.

Comic book writer Scott Beatty of Lake Ariel pulled back the curtain on what it takes to create story lines for some of science fiction’s and fantasy’s most iconic characters.

His credits include titles for DC Comics in the Batman franchise as well as two stories for Star Wars. His contributions have attained permanent spots in the Star Wars universe.

“I’m part of canon,” he said matter-of-factly, explaining a planet he created as part of one story is included in an encyclopedia box set.

Everything he writes gets vetted by Star Wars creator Lucasfilm, now owned by Disney, before publishing to preserve narrative continuity.

In spite of a lengthy portfolio, comic book writing has to be a part-time gig.

“Freelance is feast or famine,” he said, so he diversifies. He teaches English part-time. His wife is a full-time professor. He home-schools their two kids, Hope and Finn, who helped him watch the booth Sunday afternoon.

Hollywood in general, and the blockbuster Marvel superhero universe in particular, have exposed more of the general public to superheroes and pushed once lesser known characters — think Iron Man and Captain Marvel — to iconic levels, said Dave Romeo, owner of Comics on the Green in Scranton.

He’s been selling comic books about as long as Figured has been collecting them, 28 years, and has watched interest in books and memorabilia surge and shrivel.

Historically, comic book fans got hooked as kids, Romeo said. Now they’re buying comic books for the first time as young adults, he said largely due to comic book characters dominating television and movies.

Some industry norms, however, might always stay the same.

“Batman still is the king as an entry point for a lot of readers,” he said.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

SCRANTON

Council to hold budget hearings

City council will hold a pair of upcoming hearings related to Mayor Wayne Evans’ proposed 2020 city budget, according to recent public notices in The Times-Tribune.

The $116 million budget would drop the annual $300 trash fee to $250 and collect it through property tax bills. Council introduced a budget appropriation ordinance on Nov. 18.

Council will hold a public hearing at City Hall on the budget ordinance today at 5:15 p.m. Afterward, the ordinance will go before council during its regular 6 p.m. meeting for a vote on advancement on second reading.

Council will hold a public caucus with administration officials on the budget on Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. at City Hall.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

The proposed Scranton Beltway for bypassing Interstate 81 between Dupont and South Abington Twp. will happen a year later than expected, but officials plan to host a public hearing next fall on the chosen alignment.

Pennsylvania Turnpike officials could not say exactly why the estimated $170 million project was pushed back a year, but the officials previously said the turnpike’s ongoing financial problems could delay six projects, including the beltway. Construction now is expected to begin in early 2023 and end in late 2026, according to a schedule mailed to potentially affected landowners.

The beltway would connect I-81 to the turnpike’s Northeast Extension in Dupont and South Abington Twp., where the turnpike ends.

Turnpike project manager Mark Raup insisted engineers haven’t settled on an alignment and don’t know precisely whose land the turnpike will need. Preliminary engineering, which will answer both questions, is about halfway done and should finish up in the middle of next year, Raup said. After that, the turnpike will seek approvals from environmental and other agencies. Approval delays could delay the hearing. Final design will begin after the hearing, which could produce adjustments to plans, he said.

“By law, we can’t take property that we don’t need,” turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said. “I’ve been around here for a couple of decades and I know that the engineers are very conscientious about that.”

Once engineers determine the alignment and land needs, the turnpike will officially notify homeowners who face relocation well before the public hearing.

“We haven’t sent out any letters to anybody saying they’re going to be affected because we don’t know that,” Raup said. “We’re still at the stage where we’re trying to figure it (the alignment) out. We haven’t submitted anything or got any official reviews from other agencies that have to buy into what we end up thinking it’s going to look like.”

Proponents want the beltway to relieve increasing traffic congestion on I-81, which passes over the turnpike in Moosic. The highways roughly parallel each other north and south of there. About 10,000 vehicles travel the turnpike daily between the two points compared to up to 70,000 on I-81. Estimates project removing 2,500 vehicles from I-81 northbound and 2,200 from I-81 southbound with 2,100 in each direction being trucks.

“This is really all about providing options to travelers,” DeFebo said.

Opponents expressed doubts that trucks would use the beltway much. Vehicles will be able to enter the beltway at highway speeds.

Last year, the turnpike sent letters to dozens of home and landowners notifying them engineers would enter their land to conduct surveys. The letters alarmed landowners like Wally and Ann Tompkins, who live on Willow Lane in South Abington Twp. and worry they might have to move to make room for the beltway.

“Our neighborhood and our neighbors are so frantic about the future and what’s going to happen,” Ann Tompkins said. “(Interstate) 81 is in our backyard.”

They have heard little since the letters, and are trying to arrange a meeting with turnpike and township officials to get an update. Raup said the turnpike does its best to keep the public up to date through email newsletters and its website, which lists the present schedule, but for now there’s little to report.

The turnpike paid Urban Engineers Inc. of Philadelphia about $2 million for the preliminary engineering work, Raup said. The company will do the final design on either the Dupont or South Abington Twp. connecting road with another still unchosen firm designing whichever Urban Engineers doesn’t.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter

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Great Bend

Spaghetti dinner: Knights of Columbus Council 356 spaghetti and meatball dinner, Dec. 14, 4-7 p.m., KOC Hall, 65 Kilrow St.; meal includes salad, bread, dessert and a beverage; $10/adults, $5/6-12 and free/under 5; takeouts available, live music by Carl Tanner & Friends.

Old Forge

Pierogi sale: St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church pierogi sale, Dec. 10, 2-5 p.m., Church and Winter streets, $7; order by Dec. 1 by calling Sandra at 570-457-9280 or the church hall at 570-457-2875.

Pittston

Garbage collection: Pittston City Hall and the Streets and Sanitation Department will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and City Hall will also be closed Friday; curbside garbage and recycling normally collected Thursday will be collected Friday.

Scranton

Community breakfast: The University of Scranton’s 11th annual Community Christmas Day Breakfast, Dec. 25, 8-10:30 a.m., third-floor Fresh Food Co. of the DeNaples Center, 600 Linden St.; free to the elderly and those alone or in need; the meal will include eggs, sausage, pancakes, Danish and juice; 570-941-7401.

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NORTH ABINGTON TWP. — You wouldn’t know by looking, but Barb and Dave Sanders had just returned from vacation the night before opening up their home for strangers to scrutinize.

“We got back at 9 o’clock last night,” Barb Sanders said, laughing. “The suitcases are hiding in the closet.”

Their mountain home, tucked into the hillside overlooking North Abington Road, was one of four stops during the annual Great House Tour of Waverly, a fundraiser for the Waverly Community House and a chance for anyone to check out some of the Abingtons’ stately abodes.

Dave Sanders, an architect, and his wife built their window-encrusted home on 38 acres in 2014. They had been a tour stop back then, but found folks still wondered what it looked like inside.

“If you open it up like this, then all those people get to see it all at once and it’s decorated very nicely when they do,” Barb Sanders said.

Homeowners get to show off their swanky digs, and retailers and interior designers display their designing chops by decorating.

Lisa Farrell, who owns the Waverly General Store, decked out the Sanders home with subtle tchotchkes, candles, table settings and lots of evergreen sprigs and boughs.

“They came in during the week when we weren’t even here to do the decorating,” Barb Sanders said. “They did a very nice job of just putting a few little things here and there rather than overwhelming the rooms.”

Architecture, rather than decor, was the name of the game at another stop, the home of James and Sharon Vipond on Lily Lake Road in Dalton. The couple bought the 1890 farmhouse in 1996 and later built an addition. Donna Nasser of Vie Events decorated their home, also opting for a light touch rather than gaudy trimmings.

In the family room, books on works by renowned architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Tadao Ando are stacked in floor-to ceiling bookcases. A loft playroom, where a 1,000-piece Santa Claus puzzle remained unfinished on a large glass-top table, peers over the family room.

Tour co-chairwoman Sue Houck greeted guests at the Viponds’. The event is part of the Waverly Community House, or Comm’s, Artisans’ Marketplace craft fair. Last year the tour brought out around 250 curious visitors, she said.

“It all benefits the Comm,” she said.

Other stops included the Waverly Country Club and another home on Birch Hill Road in Waverly Twp.

Contact the writer:

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

@jon_oc on Twitter

Mayfield

The borough is gearing up for the holidays with its 37th annual Toys for Tots collection drive and its annual Santa visit.

Mayfield has Toys for Tots collection boxes at the Borough Building, 739 Penn Ave., and Tuzze’s Pharmacy, 509 Poplar St., according to the borough. Mayfield isn’t involved in the distribution of the items, but anyone with questions can call the borough secretary at 570-876-4391.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be visiting the borough Dec. 14, delivering treats to borough children with help from Mayfield’s volunteer hose companies.

The North Pole couple will begin their trek at 4 p.m. in the west side of town, continuing through every street in Mayfield.

Parents of sick or homebound children can request an in-home visit by calling 570-766-2959 before 1 p.m. on the 14th.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be rescheduled to Dec. 15 at 5 p.m.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Scott Twp.

The township’s Police Department is raising money to add a police dog.

Full-time Officer Ed Frescoln bought a 4-month-old Belgian Malinois . Its breeder said the dog has a very good drive, sparking Frescoln’s interest to make Nika a police dog.

Township Administrator Carl Ferraro estimates the cost at about $35,000 for the dog’s training, equipment and modifications to police vehicles.

The department raised about $10,000 in the past few weeks after sending letters to businesses and posting information on its Facebook page, Ferraro said.

Proceeds from a basket raffle at the fire company’s Santa Breakfast at 9 a.m. Dec. 8 at the fire hall will be donated for the dog’s training and other expenses.

Ferraro believes the police dog would be a good fit in the community.

“We have a lot of rural, wooded areas,” he said. “In addition to tracking narcotics and explosives, the dog would be able to track missing people. The benefit of finding one missing person who wandered away from home would make the entire program worthwhile.”

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Scranton

A Santa train attraction called the North Pole Limited, a one-hour trip organized by the nonprofit Iron Horse Society, will depart from Steamtown National Historic Site on three weekend days in December.

Festive passenger cars will ride behind historic steam locomotive Baldwin No. 26 on an hourlong round trip to the North Pole, as Santa visits with children on the train.

Some of the trips are sold out, but tickets are still available for:

Dec. 14: noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m.

Dec. 15: 10 a.m., noon, 1:30 and 3 p.m.

All North Pole Limited tickets and reservations are made directly through the Iron Horse Society website at theironhorsesociety.com/santa.

North Pole Limited ticket sales support the society’s mission to promote awareness and preservation of railroad heritage at Steamtown National Historic Site, off Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street in downtown Scranton.

For information on Steamtown’s activities, hours and schedules, see www.nps.gov/stea.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

City council last week introduced or adopted legislation approving appointments and reappointments to various city boards and authorities.

Council introduced legislation to:

n Reappoint Katherine J. Gilmartin of Capouse Avenue to the Historical Architecture Review Board, with her term expiring Oct. 11, 2022.

n Reappoint Nell O’Boyle of Arthur Avenue to the Historical Architecture Review Board, with her term expiring Oct. 11, 2024.

n Appoint Walter Barron of Luke Avenue to the Human Relations Commission, with his term expiring Oct. 11, 2024.

n Reappoint Aja E. Wentum of Harrison Avenue to the Human Relations Commission, with his term expiring Aug. 24, 2023.

n Appoint John J. Harrington Jr. of Lilac Lane to an unexpired term on the Scranton Parking Authority. The term expires June 1, 2022.

n Appoint Thomas Tansits of Terrace Drive to an unexpired term on the Scranton Parking Authority. The term expires June 1, 2021.

n Appoint Todd Pousley of Rundle Street to the city Planning Commission, with his term expiring Dec. 31, 2022.

n Appoint Michael S. Cummings of Crown Avenue to the Redevelopment Authority board, with his term expiring Oct. 1, 2024.

Council adopted legislation to:

n Reappoint Thomas J. McLane of Stafford Avenue to the Shade Tree Commission, with his term expiring Oct. 29, 2024.

n Reappoint Magisterial District Judge Terrence V. Gallagher of Oram Street to the Scranton Housing Authority for a term expiring Sept. 27, 2023.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

The Electric City Trolley Museum will host several special holiday events in the coming weeks.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, guests may ride the trolley with the popular Elf on the Shelf. Trolley departure times for the day are 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., and 12:30 and 1:30 p.m.

The Friday event also features arts, crafts, storytelling, letters to Santa and face painting from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The popular trolley excursions featuring Santa begin Saturday and continue Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. Departure times for these rides are 10 and 11 a.m., and 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

The museum will host a children’s holiday celebration from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 14. The event will feature arts and crafts, a magician, refreshments, music and a visit from Mrs. Claus.

For information or to make reservations, call the museum at 570-963-6590.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

South Abington Twp.

Matthew McDonnell and his family want to make Christmas brighter for children in the hospital.

They will host Matthew’s Hope 4 Miracles Toy Drive from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at South Abington Park, 642 Northern Blvd.

New, unwrapped toys, including plastic dolls, action figures, Lego kits, Matchbox cars, pop-up toys and art supplies, will be collected for children with cancer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Any small toys children can use bedside would be ideal, Linda McDonnell said. Gift cards may also be sent to Child Life Department, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 515 Osler Circle, Wood Building, 5th Floor, Philadelphia.

The township gave the family permission to decorate a tree in the park with plastic ornaments.

When someone puts an ornament on the tree, named the Tree of Miracles by Matthew, they will be asked to think about the children in the hospital and say a prayer, Linda McDonnell said.

“Matthew wanted to do something a little more meaningful than just dropping off the toys,” she said.

Matthew McDonnell, a pediatric cancer survivor, founded the nonprofit Hope 4 Miracles to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

AROUND THE TOWNS appears each Monday, spotlighting the people and events in your neighborhoods. If you have an idea for an Around the Towns note, contact the writer for your town, or the Yes!Desk at 348-9121 or yesdesk@timesshamrock.com.

GEISINGER WYOMING VALLEY

AGOSTO APONTE: A son, Oct. 31, to Sonia Janet Agosto Aponte, Carbondale.

SNYDER: A daughter, Oct. 28, to Brett Snyder and Renee Coy, Montrose.

MOSES TAYLOR

ABEL: A daughter, Nov. 15, to Kevin Abel and Jennifer Garguilo, Forest City.

AMAYA: A son, Nov. 16, to Edwin Amaya and Marina Keklak, Scranton.

ANTONIS: A daughter, Nov. 17, to Adam and Tiffany Tedesco Antonis, Scranton.

AVERSA-CRASS: A son, Nov. 15, to Jonas Crass and Ashley Aversa, Old Forge.

AYERS: A daughter, Nov. 14, to Noyar and Kaitlin Sosnowski Ayers, Dickson City.

BIANCHI: A daughter, Nov. 16, to Eric and Laura Karnafel Bianchi, Scranton.

BULLARO: A son, Nov. 16, to Justin and Mia Cipriano Bullaro, Clarks Green.

CARDONA MELENDEZ: A daughter, Nov. 18, to Maykin Cardona and Perla Melendez, Scranton,

DEVINE: A son, Nov. 18, to Ryan and Amy Welcome Devine, Clarks Summit.

EVERETT: A daughter, Nov. 19, to Brant Everett and Caitlin Turley, Scranton.

GOMBAR: A daughter, Nov. 15, to Christopher and Sarah Evanina Gombar, Archbald.

LIDDICK: A son, Nov. 18, to Michael Liddick and Jessica Fornicola, Mehoopany.

LORENZEN: A son, Nov. 11, to Dane William Lorenzen and Lisa Lyreen Fenstermacher, Scranton.

ORMISTON: A daughter, Nov. 20, to Matthew and Chelsey Leslie Ormiston, Waymart.

ROBINSON: A daughter, Nov. 15, to Aron Robinson and Amanda Sims, Scranton.

ROZAS: A son, Nov. 15, to Brittany Rozas, Scranton.

VELEZ: A daughter, Nov. 20, to Joshua and Kasey Velez, Scott Twp.

WRENN: A son, Nov. 15, to Brice Wrenn and Helena Johnston, Scranton.

YEAGER: A daughter, Nov. 16, to William and Mia Yeager, Old Forge.

SCRANTON — City council wants to know when Scranton’s overdue 2018 audit will be ready.

As council continues to study Mayor Wayne Evans’ proposed 2020 budget before its December adoption, Councilwoman Mary Walsh Dempsey sent a letter last week to Kohanski & Co. PC, the Moosic firm conducting the audit. The letter reflects council’s waning patience with the audit’s delay.

“(As) we close in on December, with no audit results, even preliminary ones, Council is concerned and troubled,” the letter reads.

It also notes several council members inquired about the audit’s status in recent months.

Another firm, SB & Co., performed the city’s 2017 audit. City Business Administrator David Bulzoni noted last week that Scranton solicited proposals for audit services before awarding the contract to Kohanski. City council approved legislation authorizing the Kohanski contract in late April.

“We went through that process a little later in the year than we would have liked, so they didn’t get started until a little later than we would have wanted,” Bulzoni said, calling the audit a complicated process.

Beyond inputting and evaluating new financial information for the first time, Bulzoni said Kohanski also must restate a relatively minor yet erroneous element of the 2017 audit — an unexpected complication that further slowed down the process.

The error involved a 2006 debt issue the city paid off in 2017, though the 2017 audit prepared by SB & Co. did not indicate the debt issue had been paid, Bulzoni said.

“I think they’ve done a very good job,” Bulzoni said of Kohanski. “I understand that (the audit) is late and certainly everyone would like to have the audit sooner. ... We have been very diligent in trying to move that process along as quickly as possible.”

Scranton’s original request for proposals for audit services notes the city may impose a 10% penalty on the cost of the contract if, at minimum, a draft audit is not delivered by Sept. 30 of the subsequent fiscal year, in this case 2019. Bulzoni does not recommend the city impose that penalty, arguing it should only be levied if there is negligence, which is not the case here.

Dempsey’s letter asks Kohanski to provide a date council can expect the final, complete audit and additional details on the problems with the 2017 audit. It also asks the firm to provide availability for a “post-audit exit report” so council can ask audit-related questions.

The letter also expresses council’s commitment to “maintain transparency and to monitor, assess and review” the city’s finances following ex-Mayor Bill Courtright’s guilty plea to federal corruption charges.

“Timely receipt and prompt review of the audit is a major tool in helping us achieve this goal,” the letter reads.

Bulzoni said the city expects a draft of financial statements in the audit to be available this week and the final audit to be available by the first week of December.

Council introduced an ordinance last week appropriating funds for the proposed 2020 budget. Councilman Kyle Donahue voted against introducing the budget ordinance, arguing council should wait until it receives the city’s 2018 audit.

Council plans to hold a caucus on the proposed 2020 budget Dec. 4, at City Hall.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Ten people including seven children were hurt in a one-vehicle rollover accident on Interstate 81 South in Hanover Twp. on Sunday afternoon, according to authorities.

Several people were ejected from the vehicle during the accident and one person was airlifted for medical treatment, state police said in a news release.

The accident happened at about 2:55 p.m. at mile marker 166.7, between exits 168 (Highland Park Boulevard) and 165 (state Route 309), according to police.

The vehicle involved was a Mercury Mountaineer sport utility vehicle with third-row seating, according to Hanover Twp. firefighters.

The SUV rolled over several times “resulting in numerous ejections and other injuries,” police said.

All 10 occupants were taken to area hospitals, with one patient later flown to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, according to police.

The victims were a 40-year-old man, a 29-year-old woman, a 28-year-old woman and seven children ranging in age from 2 to 14, according to police. Five of the juveniles are female and two are male, police said.

Police did not release the names of the victims as of Sunday night.

The investigation is ongoing and further information might be released today, police said.

Police closed I-81 south near the accident scene, which caused traffic to back up on the interstate and nearby roads.

Contact the writer:

emark@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2117

A Harveys Lake man was killed early Sunday when his vehicle swerved off the road, ricocheted off a rock and then crashed into a tree, according to police.

Jeffrey Weaver, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene near Pole 275 on Lakeside Drive, while his girlfriend was treated and released from a hospital, Police Chief Charles Musial said.

Officers were dispatched to the scene around 2:25 a.m. Sunday to a report of a vehicle, a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado, blocking both lanes of travel, he said.

Investigators determined Weaver was driving the pickup at a “high rate of speed” northbound on Lakeside Drive before it veered off the side of the road and its passenger side hit a pole that damaged the full length of the truck, Musial said.

The truck’s passenger wheel then hit a rock that sent the truck back onto the road and across the southbound lane before crashing into the tree, he said.

Weaver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown under the dash board and was pronounced dead on the scene, Musial said. His girlfriend, who was not identified, was treated and released from a hospital later Sunday morning, he said.

Investigators don’t know what took place leading up to the crash because the girlfriend reported she couldn’t remember anything, he said.

No autopsy was planned because only the truck was damaged in the crash and the driver is deceased, Musial said.

WAYMART — State police are investigating the death of an inmate at the State Correctional Institution at Waymart.

Corrections officers discovered the body of inmate Roy G. Mosley Jr., 45, of Conneaut Lake, unconscious in the inmate bathroom at 3:15 a.m. Nov. 17, prison Superintendent George Miller said Monday. Officers provided first aid until facility medical personnel arrived, performed CPR and then EMS transported Mosley to Geisinger Community Medical Center. A GCMC doctor pronounced him dead on Nov. 18, Miller said.

Mosley’s official cause of death will be determined after an autopsy.

Mosley was serving a 20- to 40-year sentence for third-degree murder and has been at the prison since January 2004. He was charged with criminal homicide in 2000, stemming from a case in Crawford County, court records show.

— STAFF REPORT

SCRANTON -- Lackawanna County Commissioner Jerry Notarianni and Commissioner-elect Debi Domenick have tapped attorney Larry Moran Sr. and Al Dorunda to lead their transition team.

As Notarianni and Domenick prepare to take office as a new Democratic majority in January, Moran and Dorunda will lead the process of transitioning from the current to the next administration.

Moran has served the county in multiple capacities over the past dozen years, including as general counsel for litigation and as the county’s chief public defender since 2013.

Dorunda, a business executive with more than 20 years of private sector experience, serves as chair of the Domenick/Notarianni campaign and was part of the county’s transition team in 2015.

— JEFF HORVATH