OREGON TWP.
Wayne County Coroner Edward R. Howell on Friday ruled a Lebanon Twp. man’s death an accident following a crash the day prior.
Garrett T. Chellis, 21, died of blunt head and neck trauma following the early Thursday morning collision on Route 191 North, near 1266 Hancock Highway.
Howell was called to the scene at 4:52 a.m. and pronounced Chellis dead at 5:47 a.m.
More information about the crash has not been released.
— JOSEPH KOHUT
SCRANTON — Boasting a beautiful glass mosaic upon a plywood base body, Snowlady Sadie stands about four feet tall and greets passersby with a raised, mittened arm made from copper tubing.
The product of dozens of hours of effort by artist Tamara Pilger, owner of Scranton-based Tammy’s Stained Glass Treasures, and fellow artist Louise Banks, Sadie is part of a growing community of snow people populating the city’s downtown this holiday season. Those snow folk were created by area organizations and businesses eager to turn a snowman-shaped plywood cutout into something unique — a project pioneered by the Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department.
Residents have until just before noon Dec. 8 to vote on the county’s Arts and Culture Facebook page for their favorite snow person. The winner will be announced at noon that day at the county’s annual Winter Market in the 100 block of Wyoming Avenue, county Arts & Culture Director Maureen McGuigan said.
Snowlady Sadie is far from the only snow person with an artistic flair.
For example, one inspired by Norwegian expressionist artist Edvard Munch’s 1893 masterpiece “The Scream” stands outside Bar Pazzo on North Washington Avenue. It was painted by Manon Riley with artistic direction from Gavin Esham.
At Nick D’s Video Game Vault in the Marketplace at Steamtown, a snow person painted as Mario — a beloved face of the Nintendo brand for decades — greeted shoppers.
Owner Nick DeMarco said the snow folk and similar projects engage small businesses and give people more reasons to visit the growing downtown.
“I think we’re still in the midst of people finding out what’s going on here in Scranton,” he said. “People are still kind of waking up to what’s here and how it’s different, and I think it’s a big thing to promote that.”
Jennifer Saunders, owner of Northern Light Espresso Bar and Cafe on Spruce Street, expressed a similar sentiment. Her painted snow person, Nora Northern, boasts a ribbon scarf and a painted-on cup of coffee and chocolate chip cookie — one of the businesses’ best sellers.
“It is a very cute idea, and I love the programs that downtown Scranton has been doing so I try to participate in each and every one,” Saunders said. “Anything that helps ... people come in to the town is just great.”
To vote for your favorite snow person, search “Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department” on Facebook, scroll down and click through the photos of each entry. The snow person with the most Facebook likes will win.
The snow people should be on display at downtown shops and businesses into January, McGuigan said.
Contact the writer:
jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9141;
@jhorvathTT on Twitter
Q: I have a pristine 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air. I am the second owner. It has 95,000 miles on a 348 motor with a Powerglide transmission. It’s all original with no hot-rod modifications.
The car runs smooth as silk. I drive it two or three times a month to keep it exercised.
But my daughter complains that if she follows me in her car when we go to car shows, the exhaust really smells bad.
I have always used premium fuel in this car, and I drive it often enough that the gas is not particularly “old.”
I know this car was built well before pollution controls were introduced, but I never remember car exhaust smelling remarkably bad as a kid.
I have also noticed some of my vintage car show buddies have this issue with their 1950s-1960s cars.
Why do the vintage cars have “pungent” exhausts?
— JOE
A: I didn’t remember old car exhaust smelling bad when I was a kid, either, Joe. But a few years ago, we were lucky enough to take a trip to Cuba to check out the old American cars there.
And guess what: Most of them stunk! I think, as the air has slowly gotten cleaner and cleaner over the course of our lives, we’ve all forgotten how bad it used to be.
Nowadays, if a car drives by that’s got visible or malodorous exhaust, it stands out like a sore Edsel. Back then, most cars did that.
Between 1960 and today, we’ve added fuel injection, computerized engine controls, oxygen sensors, catalytic converters and more, to the point where you could put your nose next to the tail pipe of a new car and not smell anything — but please don’t, unless you want to end up as dumb as me.
The carburetor on your car, in contrast, is the technological equivalent of pouring gasoline into the cylinders from a paint can. It’s sloppy, imprecise and dirty.
Now, it’s possible that there’s also something wrong with your Bel Air. And the problem most likely to make your exhaust even stinkier than usual is a fuel mixture that’s too rich.
So, if your carburetor jets, for instance, are all worn out after only 60 years, they could be pouring way too much gasoline into the cylinders. The engine wouldn’t be able to burn that extra fuel, and — without any emissions equipment — it would all come right out the tailpipe. And it would stink.
There are other things that can cause incomplete combustion and a rich mixture: low compression, incorrect timing, low engine operating temperature or a weak spark. It’s probably worth checking all of them.
But my first guess would be the carburetor. And it’s probably not too early in this car’s life to replace the carburetor, Joe. That may very well improve the odor to some degree.
If that still doesn’t improve the smell to your daughter’s satisfaction, you can start following her to the car shows.
Mayfield
Food sale: St. John’s Russian Orthodox Church homemade bread and kolachi sale, Dec. 23, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., St. John’s Center, Hill Street; plain and raisin bread along with nut, poppyseed, lekvar and apricot kolachi; orders: call the rectory at 570-876-0730 or 570-876-3576 by Dec. 20.
Peckville
Club meeting: Blakely-Peckville Lions Club meeting, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Blakely Borough Building, 1439 Main St.; new members welcome.
Toy drive: Blakely High Papa Bear Club Toys for Tots drive, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., VFW Shopa Davey Post 6082, 123 Electric St.; all members are invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy; refreshments will be served.
Pittston
Prayer service: Rosary Rally for Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 3 p.m., Oblates of St. Joseph, 1880 Route 315 Highway; service will include Marian Fatima prayers; scriptural rosary and hymns will be offered; the rally will be held outside, weather permitting, or in the chapel; a Mass will follow at 4 p.m.
South Scranton
Musical performance: 11th annual Here We Come A Caroling, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., St. John Neumann Parish, Nativity of Our Lord Church, 633 Orchard St.; the event will feature multicultural holiday performances; kids crafts at 6 p.m.
CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com or Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.
Behind the Business is a new weekly feature taking an inside look at local businesses. To suggest a company or entrepreneur, email business@timesshamrock.com.
Business: Tom Grudis Optical Center and The Bare Accessories
Location: 424 Spruce St., Scranton
Owner: Tom Grudis and Stephanie Grudis-Whisner
Year established: 1980
Number of employees: Three
Tell us about your business: Eyeglasses, obviously, we make them here and assemble them. Most of the time we do a one-of-a-kind product, so we deal with a lot of independent, small companies.
There’s a lot of independent manufacturers out there that have an excellent product, and we’re able to deal with many of them, so when you buy a pair of eyeglasses from us, you have something pretty unique.
Our fitting and our service of frames, the quality is really unsurpassed. There really isn’t anything better.
Stephanie (Grudis-Whisner, Tom Grudis’ daughter) started The Bare Accessories almost 10 years ago up at Montage. We were able to expand our space here for the optical, so we decided to put the two businesses together.
What are your secrets to success? Service, quality. There’s a quote that the Cathedral Cemetery uses: “perpetual care.” That’s what we do, literally, it’s perpetual care.
The quality of the product is that customers don’t give up the pair that they’re wearing. They’ll add a pair to them. People don’t come in to buy a new pair because their other ones are broken. They come in because they know how good the pair that they have are, and they want to add to the collection.
What is your biggest challenge? The threat that online optical companies, websites that sell eyeglasses directly to customers, could someday steal customers, but I really haven’t felt that yet.
Our customer base — we have some young people mostly through their parents — it’s not based on millennials as much because they’re just not here. There’s a number of people who come back for their eyeglasses because they know the quality of our product. We’re a destination business.
A bill to ban certain uses of cellphones by Pennsylvania drivers has advanced in Harrisburg, and its sponsor believes motorists’ confusion about laws when they cross state borders is an argument for approval.
State Rep. Rosemary Brown, a Monroe County Republican, early this year filed the bill to ban hand-held cellphone use by drivers. It received approval from the House Transportation Committee and is awaiting action by the full House.
Brown’s district borders the Pennsylvania-New Jersey state line. New Jersey, like four other states that border Pennsylvania — New York, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia — has a ban in place.
“Consistency for drivers going state-to-state who do that on a daily basis” is important, Brown said, in addition to what she described as the common-sense knowledge that driving without holding a cellphone is safer.
According to the American Automobile Association, 55 million people were expected to travel more than 50 miles during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. An AAA spokeswoman said that figure represents a 2.9% increase from last year and, if it pans out, would be the second-highest total on record.
In Pennsylvania, many of those travelers may have crossed a state line that represents an abrupt change in cellphone law.
Brown said her bill would allow drivers to use hands-free devices.
“You are less distracted,” Brown said of hands-free devices. “And it has been shown in states that implement these laws, cellphone use goes down.”
Twenty states — including five of the six states that border Pennsylvania — have banned hand-held use by all drivers. Others have banned hand-held use by young drivers.
Organizations including state police and AAA support a driver ban on using a hand-held cellphone. The Brown bill is one of at least two that seeks to accomplish that goal.
The other was filed by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, an Allegheny County Democrat. Both he and Brown said the main pushback comes from independent-minded drivers.
“The opposition comes from the people who say it is their right to do what they want to do,” DeLuca said.
Legislative efforts to stop drivers from using hand-held phones go back at least 20 years.
Former state Rep. David Mayernik, a Democrat who represented an Allegheny County district from 1982 through 2002, filed a bill in 1999 that would have made hand-held cellphone use by Pennsylvania drivers illegal, but permitted them to use hands-free devices.
“The telecommunications companies were opposed,” Mayernik said. “To me it was about common sense and saving lives.”
Years later, Allentown adopted a ban on using hand-held cellphones while driving, but it was dropped after a judge ruled that only the state — not a municipality — can enact such a law.
A fact sheet distributed by the National Motorists Association called cellphone bans “poor public policy.” A spokeswoman, Shelia Dunn, said a ban in Pennsylvania would add to numerous driving safety laws already on the books.
Drivers, and even police, get confused when too many laws apply to a situation, according to Dunn.
She called managing hand-held cellphones a “tricky issue” that was comparable to seat belt use in its ability to infringe upon personal decisions made by drivers.
“Motorists have to determine what their level of distraction can be” and still operate a car safely, Dunn said. “It should be about individual responsibility.”
Brown, the sponsor of the bill, said, “I am all for liberty and freedom. But when you are affecting the safety of drivers, then the government has to be involved.”
Police, she said, have a difficult time enforcing no-texting-while-driving laws in Pennsylvania and other states. She acknowledged enforcing a cellphone law would be a challenge.
But, she said, common sense indicated roads would be safer.
A state police spokesman said the organization supports the bill because it would eliminate a driving distraction.
A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Alexis Campbell, said the agency encouraged the use of hands-free technology to talk while driving and discouraged the use of cellphones. But she said PennDOT was neutral on the bill.
Theresa Podguski, director of legislative affairs for the AAA region that includes Pennsylvania, said it supports the Brown bill.
“If we take our eyes off the road just two seconds to look down, it doubles our chances of being involved in a collision,” she said.
Calling it a policy change that “should have happened a long time ago,” President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill led in part by Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey to outlaw a form of animal abuse known as “crushing.”
The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act prohibits extreme acts of cruelty from taking place in interstate commerce or on federal property.
It’s intended to outlaw videos that show the maiming and killing of small animals. Sale and distribution of such material was banned in a 2010 law, but the act itself wasn’t criminalized. States have enacted similar laws.
The federal bill was unanimously approved in the House and Senate.
“It is important that we combat these heinous and sadistic acts of cruelty, which are totally unacceptable in a civilized society,” Trump said at Monday’s bill signing in the Oval Office.
Toomey, a Republican, had co-sponsored the Senate version of the bill with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut. The new law will ensure that individuals found guilty of torturing animals face felony charges, fines and up to seven years in prison, according to Toomey’s office.
Toomey was not present for the signing ceremony at the White House, where the president was joined by a House Republican from Florida who co-sponsored the bill, Chester County Sheriff Carolyn “Bunny” Welsh, and representatives from the Humane Society and other animal advocacy groups.
The University of Scranton wants a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a gay student who alleges he was bullied, arguing evidence shows the school took appropriate action to address the issues.
Attorney Joshua Richards of Philadelphia also argued that the university is not liable because the alleged harassment occurred at an off-campus home over which the university had no control.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Justin Robinette of Philadelphia, alleges a male, heterosexual housemate repeatedly made offensive and harassing comments to his client, who is identified as “John Doe” to protect his privacy.
The suit says the situation escalated Dec. 15, when the housemate physically assaulted him. The alleged victim repeatedly reported the conduct to university officials, but they “turned a blind eye” and failed to take action to halt the abuse.
The lawsuit seeks damages on several counts, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bars discrimination in eduction based on a person’s gender or sexual orientation, and the Fair Housing Act and Civil Rights Act of 1968.
In a motion to dismiss, Richards says the allegations do not meet the standard for a Title IX violation, which requires a person show a school was deliberately indifferent to their complaints. Richards said evidence shows university officials repeatedly met with Doe and conducted an investigation of the assault that led to a no-contact order. It also allowed him to move out of the home into on-campus housing.
“The court has enough information at this stage to conclude that the university was actively engaged in responding to Doe’s report ... and did not act in a clearly unreasonable manner,” Richards says.
Richards also argues prior courts have previously ruled that universities do not have the ability to control actions of students living in off-campus apartments.
“Doe’s allegations ... all took place off-campus well beyond the university’s supervision or control,” Richards says.
Robinette will have an opportunity to respond to the motion.
A judge will issue a ruling at a later date.
Contact the writer:
tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9137;
@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter
ANDERSON
UNIVERSITY
Leah Stuenzi, Clarks Summit
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Amanda Katchmar, Old Forge
BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY
Ruhani Aulakh, North Abington Twp.; Olivia Bongiovi, Hawley; Jeff Heim, Scranton; Keith Hubal, Thompson; Jeff Klebauskas, Scranton; Lainey Lavelle, Scranton; Sarah McDougall, Milford; Kate McGrath, Scranton; Ashley Vecchio, Milford; Allie Yudiski, Old Forge; and Lauren Ziolkowski, Honesdale.
CASTLETON
UNIVERSITY
Julie Spanton, Lackawaxen
THE CITADEL
Denis Kuchta, Damascus
COLGATE UNIVERSITY
DEAN’S AWARD WITH DISTINCTION
Madeline Condon, Scranton; and Vincent Betti, Jessup.
DEAN’S AWARD
Ashley Bound, Old Forge; Gabrielle Durr, Clarks Summit; Emily Karavitch, Scranton; Curtis Reeves, Greenfield Twp.; John Slater, Moscow; and Emily Stankiewicz, Montrose.
DAEMEN COLLEGE
Julia Sirotnak, Dunmore
FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON
Kristen Mattson, Gouldsboro
GETTYSBURG COLLEGE
Amanda Herold, Waymart; Brittany Maronna, Damascus; Stephanie Matlaga, Honesdale; Kyra Pfeiffer, Taylor; and Joseph Rutledge, Honesdale.
HAMILTON COLLEGE
Anthony Cantarella, Old Forge; Sophia Ficarro, Nicholson; Eamon Gibbons, Clarks Summit; and Samantha Wilkerson, Clarks Summit.
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY
PROVOST’S LIST
Angelina Ioppolo, Newfoundland; Kelly Mecca, Jessup; and Regina Volpe, Clarks Summit.
DEAN’S LIST
Noelle Arcaro, Scranton; Sarah Klush, Pittston; Jared Pallo, Jessup; and Alexis Smith, Scranton.
HOOD COLLEGE
Shaina Eremo, Old Forge
JOHNSON COLLEGE
PRESIDENT’S LIST
William Bennett, Dunmore; Valerie Crandall, Newfoundland; Jovanne Gitkos, Clarks Summit; Brian Hill, Scranton; David Hudak, Scott Twp.; Apostolis Kalyvas, Scranton; Stephanie Laskowski, Covington Twp.; Regina McCaffery, Pocono Summit; Joseph Morin, Dalton; Christine Noldy, Jessup; Joseph Stoffey, Scott Twp.; Diana Warrington, Tafton; and Kerri Wydeen, Scott Twp.
MUHLENBERG
COLLEGE
Abrar Shamim, Milford
SALISBURY
UNIVERSITY
Griffin Holmes, Fleetville
ST. FRANCIS
UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT’S LIST
Marielle Cavallaro, Matamoras.
DEAN’S LIST
Kayla Grasso, Old Forge; Zachary Lahart, Exeter; Brendan Meduri, Bushkill; and Madison Palmer, Honesdale.
ST. JOSEPH’S
UNIVERSITY
William Legg, Scranton
STONEHILL COLLEGE
Sarah Kean, Milford
SUNY NEW PALTZ
Ryan Hanna, Milford
UNIVERSITY
OF ALABAMA
PRESIDENT’S LIST
Kathryn Retzbach, Greenfield Twp.
DEAN’S LIST
Madeline Kelly, Carbondale; and Sierra Smith, Springville.
UNIVERSITY
OF PITTSBURGH
AT BRADFORD
Brianna Hall, Scranton
UNIVERSITY OF
THE SCIENCES
Faith Alunni, Jefferson Twp.; Kayla Askey, Tafton; Nina Cencetti, Pittston; Sahas Chandragiri, Waverly Twp.; Joseph Falbo, Carbondale; Nicholas Ferraro, Scranton; Samantha Frear, Factoryville; Jacob Gambo, Covington Twp.; Desiree Holena, Swoyersville; Kamryn Liuzzo, Carbondale; Kiera Lucash, South Abington Twp.; Kelly Mitchell, Pittston; Victoria Notarianni, Moscow; Marcello Oliveri, Carbondale; Amanda Sember, Moscow; Sara Skoritowski, Scranton; Jenna Snell, Jermyn; Brittany Souryavong, Duryea; Anya Stankiewicz, Olyphant; Jessie Walter, Peckville.
WICHITA STATE
UNIVERSITY
James C. Hoerst, Milford; and Keeley M. Johnson, Scranton.
YORK COLLEGE
OF PENNSYLVANIA
Tyler Bagnick, Sterling; Alexa Biscotto, Swoyersville; Skyler Drew, Matamoras; Serena Durdach, Lake Ariel; Brett Fritz, Honesdale; Jeffrey Hogan, Swoyersville; Joshua Mies, Duryea; and Kyle Peer, Honesdale.
A federal judge dismissed portions of eight lawsuits filed against several local school districts and a vocational technical school accused of failing to protect students from a former teacher who sexually abused them.
U.S. District Judge Malachy Mannion said the students can proceed with several counts that allege school officials knew Richard Humphrey, a former teacher at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County, was abusing them, but failed to act. He dismissed three other counts, including claims that officials retaliated against the students for reporting the abuse and failed to provide them counseling.
The students, who are represented by several attorneys, filed the lawsuits in June in Lackawanna County Court against the CTC and the Scranton, Lakeland, Mid Valley and Valley View school districts, which sent students to the CTC. The cases were later transferred to federal court.
The cases stem from a criminal investigation that began in May 2017,
after allegations against Humphrey were made to ChildLine,
a statewide hotline to report suspected child abuse.
Humphrey pleaded guilty in January 2018
to 11 counts of indecent assault and one count of corruption of minors and was sentenced to 11 to 33 months
in Lackawanna County Prison.
Attorneys for the school districts and CTC sought dismissal of the lawsuits, arguing there is insufficient evidence to support claims officials knew about Humphrey’s conduct prior to the ChildLine report. Once they learned of it, they acted appropriately and immediately suspended him.
Mannion agreed school officials acted promptly to remove Humphrey after the investigation began. He said it is too early in the litigation to determine if they were negligent for not discovering and acting on the abuse allegations prior to then, however.
The judge noted the lawsuits allege Humphrey’s conduct, which included claims he groped students’ genitals, was pervasive and well known among students and staff. That’s an issue that must be further investigated in pretrial interviews and evidence gathering before a ruling can be made, he said.
Mannion dismissed claims that allege the districts and CTC failed to provide counseling for the students after the abuse was discovered, finding that the law does not require them to do so.
He also dismissed claims school officials retaliated against the students in various ways, including reprimanding them to trivial matters. Even if the districts engaged in the conduct, it is not egregious enough to meet the legal standard to recover damages, he said.
Contact the writer:
tbesecker@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9137;
@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter
The Electric City Trolley Museum held its Elf on the Shelf trolley excursion Friday at the museum, 300 Cliff St., Scranton. Besides the trolley rides, activities included arts, crafts, storytelling, letters to Santa and face painting.
The museum’s other holiday-themed excursion — Santa on the Trolley — is scheduled today and Sunday, and Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22. Call the museum at 570 963-6590 for schedules and reservations.
The Electric City Trolley Museum Association is a volunteer nonprofit that supports the activities of the trolley museum at Steamtown National Historic Site.
Nov. 30, 1959
Hickory Street bridge closed
The Hickory Street bridge was closed to traffic Nov. 29 after portions of the bridge’s abutments were found to have washed away.
Heavy rains over the previous few days caused the Lackawanna River to rise, which could have contributed to the damage to the abutments.
After an inspection of the bridge, Scranton Public Works Director John Washo said he found that dirt underneath the abutment was removed. He believed the dirt was removed during a previous dredging of the river as part of a state flood-control project.
Washo said he would speak with state officials about the dirt removal and who ultimately would be responsible for fixing the bridge.
Boiler water and parts stolen
A thief caused some discomfort for the residents of an apartment building on Madison Avenue in Scranton.
According to police, J.S. Blumenfeld of Madison Avenue discovered that the boiler for the building had its water drained and several important parts removed. Blumenfeld told Scranton police that someone tampered with the boiler around the same time the previous year.
Police believed the thief to be someone with mechanical knowledge and familiarity with boilers.
Residents of the building were without heat for several hours while the boiler was fixed.
Shopping list
Ground beef, 45 cents per pound; 2 pounds of bacon, 69 cents; 2 pounds of carrots, 23 cents; four cans of orange juice concentrate, 75 cents; four cans of Campbell’s soup, 65 cents; a loaf of white bread, 17 cents; and a bag of potato chips, 55 cents.
BRIAN FULTON, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune’s expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history.
Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com
or 570-348-9140.
SCRANTON
The Forever Sammi Foundation is seeking donations of coats, blankets and other warm clothing items to benefit the homeless.
The organization, created by Marty and Stacy Henehan in memory of their daughter, Sammi, is collecting coats, gloves, scarves, hats, blankets, long underwear, socks and hoodies at any of the following locations until Dec. 18: Commonwealth Financial, 237 Main St., Dickson City; Center City Print, 119 Penn Ave., Scranton; DePietro’s Pharmacy, 637 Wheeler Ave., Dunmore; The Hall, 415 N. Eighth Ave., Scranton, at the Clearbrook Foundation’s space in the back during meeting hours; and state Rep. Marty Flynn’s office, 409 N. Main Ave., Scranton.
Marty Henehan said volunteers will collect the items and distribute them to people at homeless camps in the area beginning Dec. 19. Anyone who wishes to donate but cannot make it to a drop-off site should call Stacy Henehan at 570-604-7389 or Sean Bingham at 570-906-5641.
—TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER
Behind the Business is a new weekly feature taking an inside look at local businesses. To suggest a company or entrepreneur, email business@timesshamrock.com.
Business: Tom Grudis Optical Center and The Bare Accessories
Location: 424 Spruce St., Scranton
Owner: Tom Grudis and Stephanie Grudis-Whisner
Year established: 1980
Number of employees: Three
Tell us about your business: Eyeglasses, obviously, we make them here and assemble them. Most of the time we do a one-of-a-kind product, so we deal with a lot of independent, small companies.
There’s a lot of independent manufacturers out there that have an excellent product, and we’re able to deal with many of them, so when you buy a pair of eyeglasses from us, you have something pretty unique.
Our fitting and our service of frames, the quality is really unsurpassed. There really isn’t anything better.
Stephanie (Grudis-Whisner, Tom Grudis’ daughter) started The Bare Accessories almost 10 years ago up at Montage. We were able to expand our space here for the optical, so we decided to put the two businesses together.
What are your secrets to success? Service, quality. There’s a quote that the Cathedral Cemetery uses: “perpetual care.” That’s what we do, literally, it’s perpetual care.
The quality of the product is that customers don’t give up the pair that they’re wearing. They’ll add a pair to them. People don’t come in to buy a new pair because their other ones are broken. They come in because they know how good the pair that they have are, and they want to add to the collection.
What is your biggest challenge? The threat that online optical companies, websites that sell eyeglasses directly to customers, could someday steal customers, but I really haven’t felt that yet.
Our customer base — we have some young people mostly through their parents — it’s not based on millennials as much because they’re just not here. There’s a number of people who come back for their eyeglasses because they know the quality of our product. We’re a destination business.
Dickson City police are looking for a Hawley man after they say he ran from them Thursday night during a shoplifting investigation at the Viewmont Mall.
Tyler Jacobs, 26, whose last known address was 754 Church St., gave officers a fake name while they investigated an alleged theft at Macy’s committed by his girlfriend, Kaitlin Kelly, about 7:40 p.m., Police Chief William Bilinski said.
The store’s loss-prevention staff stopped Kelly for shoplifting and contacted police, Bilinski said. An officer went to speak with Kelly’s boyfriend, Jacobs, who was outside smoking a cigarette.
Jacobs told police he did not have an ID on him. He said his name was “Ian” and also gave a fake birth date, Bilinski said. Kelly would later provide authorities with his real name. As the officer tried to verify the information Jacobs gave, he ran, the chief said.
He cut across Viewmont Drive and climbed down a steep embankment into the trees below.
A police dog from Scranton arrived to help track him down. The footing was treacherous, however.
With his real name and a picture of him from the store’s surveillance system in hand, police opted to stop looking and instead appeal to the public for information on where he is.
Police posted his picture on the department’s Facebook page. It had been shared more than 250 times by late Friday morning.
The retail theft case against Kelly will be a misdemeanor charge handled by the store’s loss-prevention staff, Bilinski said.
Anyone with information on Jacobs’ whereabouts is asked to contact police by calling 570-342-9111.
Charges against Jacobs were pending Friday morning.
Contact the writer:
jkohut@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9144; @jkohutTT on Twitter
SCRANTON
A stretch of Mulberry Street between North Webster and Taylor avenues closed for several hours Friday as city police investigated a crash.
The crash happened shortly after 1 p.m. in front of Cockeyed Oscars, 1234 Mulberry St. The road reopened around 3:30 p.m.
Mick Hamidian, 29, said he had been cleaning up inside the bar when the building “shook.”
A red Honda Pilot struck the back of his Toyota Tacoma, which had been parked in front of the bar, and pushed it several feet forward.
The Honda had four people inside, including a young child in a car seat, Hamidian said. A person in the front passenger seat of the vehicle was unresponsive.
Police were investigating the circumstances that led to the crash.
— JOSEPH KOHUT
OREGON TWP.
Wayne County Coroner Edward R. Howell on Friday ruled a Lebanon Twp. man’s death an accident after a crash the day prior.
Garrett T. Chellis, 21, died of blunt head and neck trauma after the early Thursday morning collision on Route 191 north, near 1266 Hancock Highway. Chellis drove off the road and struck a tree with his 2016 Chevrolet Silverado just before 4:30 a.m., state police said. He was wearing a seat belt.
Howell was called to the scene at 4:52 a.m. and pronounced Chellis dead at 5:47 a.m.
— JOSEPH KOHUT
Danny Hicks
Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.
Wanted for: Parole absconder; released July 7, 2016.
Description: White man, 70 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 175 pounds, white hair, gray eyes.
Contact: Probation and Parole hotline, 800-932-4857.
Romeail Killbrew
Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.
Wanted for: Parole absconder; released Jan. 26.
Description: Black man, 38 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 200 pounds, black hair, black eyes.
Contact: Probation and Parole hotline, 800-932-4857.
Joseph Giordano
Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.
Wanted for: Parole absconder; released Jan. 23.
Description: White man, 34 years old, 6 feet 5 inches tall, 280 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes.
Contact: Probation and Parole hotline, 800-932-4857.
Kevin Atwell
Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.
Wanted for: Parole absconder; released April 22.
Description: White man, 30 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, 200 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes.
Contact: Probation and Parole hotline, 800-932-4857.
Jessica Saffarano
Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.
Wanted for: Parole absconder; released Jan. 4, 2016.
Description: White woman, 31 years old, 5 feet 1 inch tall, 165 pounds, brown hair, hazel eyes. Last known to be in Lackawanna County.
Contact: Probation and Parole hotline, 800-932-4857.
DUNMORE — His rifle in tow, Keith Keller trekked into the Susquehanna County woods early Saturday and bagged a six-point buck about 7 a.m.
The Dickson City hunter joined thousands of other camouflage-clad sportsmen and -women from across the state who participated in the opening day of Pennsylvania’s rifle deer season. It marked the first time since 1963 the season opened on a day other than the Monday after Thanksgiving — a change that’s been met with mixed reviews.
Officials felt opening the season Saturday would provide additional hunting opportunities for schoolchildren and adults who work during the week, said Mark Kropa, a conservation administration supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission Northeast Region Office.
The change frustrated some hunters who used the weekend after Thanksgiving to sight their rifles and ready their camps. Others simply factored the Monday opening day into their annual hunting and holiday traditions, Kropa said.
Despite a successful Saturday morning, Keller said he preferred the traditional Monday start.
“I’m retired now, so every day is Saturday, but I kind of liked the old way,” he said after dropping his kill off for butchering at Sibio’s Deer Cutting in Dunmore. “It was OK for me. I got lucky today. I got a deer early, but I kind of liked the old system better.”
Scranton hunter Roy Howarth, who shot a six-point buck near Lake Winola on opening day, said he understands why some are happy with the change, but generally agreed with Keller.
As Keller and Howarth chatted outside, several generations of the Sibio family worked inside butchering deer down into steaks, chops, roasts, hamburger and stew meat.
Cousins and business co-owners John and Jody Sibio learned the trade from their fathers, Butch and the late Bob Sibio, who started the deer-processing operation before they were born.
Bob Sibio died in 2005, but his picture hung in the room where the rest of the family cut and packaged the venison. Now 83, Butch Sibio worked alongside his son and nephew early Saturday afternoon.
The early start to the season didn’t change the nature of that work, and John Sibio expected hunters to bring dozens more deer in for butchering as Saturday wore on.
“If you come in at 5, 6 o’clock tonight, you’ll probably see 50 or 60 deer on the floor,” he said.
Rifle deer season continues through Dec. 14.
Contact the writer:
jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9141;
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