1. The Scranton School District must complete repairs to what system at the Scranton High School?

A. Sewer system

B. Electrical system

C. Fire sprinkler system

D. Heating system

2. What arts-and-crafts chain, which has one store locally, intends to announce closure plans in the next few weeks?

A. Jo-Ann Stores

B. A.C. Moore

C. Hobby Lobby

D. Michael’s

3. What fast food chain plans to open a location in Clarks Summit?

A. KFC

B. Arby’s

C. Chipotle

D. In N Out

4. In Dunmore’s preliminary 2020 budget, what is the proposed tax hike?

A. 1%

B. 1.5%

C. 2%

D. No tax hike

5. Lackawanna County Commissioner Jerry Notarianni got into a shouting match with whom before a vote to approve the county’s 2020 budget?

A. Patrick DeSarno

B. Laureen Cummings

C. Fran Pantuso

D. Patrick O’Malley

6. John Bucci, owner of Backcourt Hoops, who passed away last week, was best know as head coach of what high school basketball team?

A. Scranton Central

B. Bishop Hannan

C. Bishop Hoban

D. Bishop O’Hara

7. What festivities took place at the Scranton Times Building on Wednesday evening?

A. Fireworks

B. Visit from Santa

C. Radio tower lighting

D. All of the above

8. The Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department sponsored a contest to judge the best-dressed what?

A. Snowman

B. Santa

C. Christmas tree

D. Angel

9. Educators from what school district picketed on Monday to demonstrate their frustration for working under an expired contract?

A. Riverside

B. Scranton

C. Mid Valley

D. Carbondale Area

10. The Friends of the Poor’s annual Thanksgiving dinner took place where on Tuesday?

A. Elm Park United

Methodist Church

B. Scranton Cultural

Center

C. West Scranton High School

D. Carbondale YMCA

Answers: 1. C; 2. B; 3. A; 4. D; 5. D; 6. B; 7. D; 8. A; 9. B; 10. B

SCRANTON — Amid an abundant collection of antiques and vintage goods available at On&On in the city, Rosalie Warner found something unexpected — a little baby Jesus figure matching one long missing from her Nativity scene.

“It’s like a walk down memory lane,” the Clarks Green resident said of the vintage marketplace, noting she’d been trying to replace the missing manger-scene figure for years. “I don’t need anything at my age, and I ended up with two bagfuls.”

By buying from On&On and other local shops Saturday — the nationwide shopping holiday known as Small Business Saturday — Warner and her friend Leni Piaski were among a plethora of patrons who ditched the major retail chains in favor of shopping small.

In contrast to Black Friday’s emphasis on big-box bargains, Small Business Saturday encourages holiday shoppers and gift-buyers to patronize the smaller brick and mortar establishments in their backyards.

“I like shopping small because I feel it gives the small-business owner the opportunity to thrive and do well,” Clarks Summit resident Cheri Pasqualichio said as she scanned a rack of women’s clothing inside Freedlove on Spruce Street. “Everyone in here is always very very friendly and very helpful. The atmosphere is great. I love the store.”

Others, including Allyson Wind of Dickson City, said small businesses often offer the kind of gifts unavailable at large retailers. Back at On&On, she found a vintage set of bar tools she planned to gift to a friend.

“My goal is to not go to the mall at all during Christmastime,” she said.

Many local restaurants also offered special deals and discounts to hungry shoppers on Small Business Saturday.

At Peculiar Slurp, a popular downtown ramen restaurant serving up Asian-inspired cuisine on Penn Avenue, co-owner Miranda Philbin emphasized the importance of small businesses supporting each other.

“If we don’t support each other than we’re not going to exist,” she said. “We have to support each other or else it’s just going to be all chains and corporate places.”

Beth Ann Zero, owner of the Wonderstone Gallery in Dunmore, echoed a similar sentiment. Money spent at locally owned establishments is often reinvested in the local community, which is good for everyone, she said.

“Money stays in the community when you spend it in your community,” she said. “We’re the ones that are sending our kids and our grandkids to school and paying the local taxes and supporting the local economy.”

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

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The disaster took place more than 3,000 miles away, but it felt very close to home for many Northeast Pennsylvania residents 53 years ago.

A waterlogged mountain of coal mining waste in Aberfan, Wales, slid downhill in late October 1966, destroying a school, homes and farms and killing 116 children and 28 adults.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster at the village mine, thousands of men and women dug through the sludge in an effort to find the missing and the dead.

“The savagely tattered school books and drawings lie in the mud beside the tons of colliery waste that overwhelmed Pantglas school,” an Oct. 23, 1966, New York Times News Service story published in The Scranton Times began. “Miners claw at the black sticky mass with their shovels.”

Continual rain caused the slide and also hampered search efforts, the story reported.

The story went on to mention that residents and local officials had concerns about the mound of waste for years. And in the days after the disaster, officials here in Pennsylvania began wondering about the likelihood of something similar happening here.

“With his thoughts on the Aberfan, Wales tragedy of Oct. 21, H. Beecher Charmbury, state mines secretary, announced … that the state has 23 mine refuse and culm banks that are possible hazards in the event of a continuing hard rain or ‘other sort of act of nature,’ ” a Nov. 30, 1966, Tribune story reported. “Constant watch on the banks was ordered.”

Six of them were in Lackawanna County, the story said: Bolands Silt Bank near Powderly Breaker in Carbondale Twp., Racket Brook Refuse Bank in Carbondale, Archbald Refuse Bank in Archbald, Raymond Silt Bank in the Eynon section of Archbald, Pompey Silt Bank in Jessup and Taylor Silt Bank in Taylor. Yet another was located in Luzerne County — Bel Air Silt Bank in Duryea.

In addition to the region’s long history of coal mining, many residents can trace their heritage back to Wales. In fact, one North Scranton woman hailed from a village less than 4 miles from Aberfan and had visited her childhood home just days before the disaster.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Price, 202 Spring St., spent about 10 weeks in that part of Wales in early October, according to a Nov. 27, 1966, Scranton Times article. Mrs. Price was not identified by first name, in keeping with the practice of the newspaper at the time.

“We were sick and startled to think we had been so close to the village,” Mrs. Price told The Scranton Times. She had grown up in Treharris and said when she heard about the disaster, she thought, “I probably went to school with the grandmothers of the children who died there.”

The couple also remembered seeing the mountain of coal waste during their visit, explaining “the area’s main highway skirts a hillside overlooking Aberfan and the most outstanding object in the village was that ‘big, big black mountain,’ ” according to the newspaper article.

The couple were among thousands of locals who raised money to help the people of Aberfan. Both got involved with the local Aberfan Children’s Fund Drive. Thomas Price also helped organize benefit performances by the St. David’s Male Chorus; he served as the group’s vice president.

St. David’s was one of several groups that held fundraisers after the disaster. A committee of citizens, formed by Aberfan native Mrs. Ceinwein Hughes of Scranton and Basil Jones of Clarks Summit, collected donations from Northeast Pennsylvania residents. Several business owners, school groups and the University of Scranton’s student council also raised money and made donations.

All together, our region sent about $2,800 to Aberfan, in care of a priest in that area, according to a March 15, 1967, Scranton Tribune article.

ERIN L. NISSLEY is an assistant metro editor at The Times-Tribune. She’s lived in the area for more than a decade.

Contact the writer:

localhistory@timesshamrock.com

Allied Services

The health system announced the advanced certifications of two of its administrators. James Cooney, NHA, vice president of Allied Services Skilled Nursing Facilities, and Travis Davis, MHA, NHA, administrator of Allied Services Transitional Rehab in Scranton, earned the title of Health Services Executives Qualified Administrators as recognized by the National Association of Long Term Care Board Administrators. NAB is the nation’s leading authority on licensing, credentialing and regulating administrators of organizations along the continuum of long-term care.

Cooney joined in 2014, when he led the opening of the new 55-bed Transitional Rehab Unit located in the Allied Services Rehab Hospital, Scranton. Cooney, a graduate of the University of Scranton, is a Pennsylvania Licensed Nursing Home Administrator with more than 19 years of professional experience in health care.

Davis joined in 2014. He earned his master’s degree in health administration from the University of Scranton, and brings with him a strong background in marketing, business management and health care referral source collaboration.

Classic Properties

Ellie Rancont has joined the Kingston office. She was raised and currently lives in Freeland with her family. Rancont has an associate degree from Lackawanna Junior College and currently works as a full-time legal assistant for DBI Services in Hazleton. She recently earned her real estate education at Vintage Real Estate Academy in Hazleton.

Brooke Rowe has joined the Kingston office. Raised in Forty Fort, she graduated from West Side Career and Technology Center. Rowe spent the last eight years in customer service and two years designing kitchens and bathrooms. She recently earned her real estate license online with Real Estate Express.

Misericordia

University

Susan McDonald, Ph.D., L.S.W., assistant professor and chairwoman of the Department of Social Work at Misericordia University, recently had a chapter included in the book “Narrating Practice with Children and Adolescents,’’ published by Columbia University Press in September.

McDonald, a Kingston resident, and co-author Stephanie Wise wrote the chapter “Creating Spaces for Sam: A Story of Healing Trauma through Narrative Means and Art Therapy.’’ In it, the authors examine case study with a child who had experienced pre-verbal trauma. The interprofessional collaboration between the social worker and the art therapist provided the necessary therapeutic tools for Sam to recover from his past trauma.

Northeastern Gastroenterology Associates

David A. Talenti, M.D., a partner of the Honesdale practice, was elected by a statewide group of physicians to serve as vice president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

Talenti’s election took place during PAMED’s annual House of Delegates in Hershey. He begins his new position immediately and will serve a one-year term.

After another one-year term as president-elect starting in October 2020, Talenti will be inaugurated as the organization’s president in October 2021. He will be the first physician from Wayne County to serve as PAMED president in the organization’s 171-year history.

Realty Network Group

Cheryl Gerrity has joined the realty firm. A lifelong resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania, she was born in Scranton and spent the last three decades residing in the Abingtons. She earned bachelor’s degrees in computer science and business administration, and worked 17 years in corporate America before attaining her real estate license.

Justin Gerrity, a Realtor serving the Scranton area, has joined the company. He’s been a licensed agent for several years and looks to his new “home” as providing him more opportunities for his clients. Before real estate, the Northeast Pennsylvania native spent his time in the service industry caring for people’s needs.

University

of Scranton

The university has named five individuals to its board of trustees: Rachele Mackin Browning ’84; Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, H’19; the Rev. Ryan J. Maher, S.J.; John R. Mariotti, D.M.D. ’75; and Steve Sandherr ’80.

As managing director of SEI’s institutional group, Browning is responsible for new client outreach and business development in the United States for health care, nonprofit and the corporate markets. Prior to working for SEI, a global provider of asset management, investment processing and investment operation solutions that she joined in 1995, Browning was a commercial lender at Core­States Bank responsible for business development in the United Kingdom and its U.S. subsidiaries. She later was responsible for the sales and marketing of the derivatives desk in CoreStates Capital Markets Group, hedging corporate client portfolios.

Cummings is the William W. and Anna Jean Cushwa director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame and the Rev. John A. O’Brien Professor of American Studies and History. In addition to directing the Cushwa Center, Cummings presently oversees the History of Women Religious, an academic organization devoted to the historical study of Catholic sisters. Her teaching and research interests center on the history of Catholicism in the United States, the study of American women and the relationship between religion and American society.

A native of Phoenix, Maher has served as the president of Scranton Preparatory School since 2015. Previously, he served as executive director of the University of Scranton’s Jesuit Center, a resource center he founded to help faculty and staff understand and engage more fully in the Catholic and Jesuit mission of the university. During his career, Maher has taught in Jesuit high schools in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and served for 11 years as an associate dean and professor at Georgetown University. He also worked for three years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate.

Mariotti has worked as an orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics practitioner for 35 years. He is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics in the specialty of orthodontics. In the past few years, he has been chosen to be a fellow of the International College of Dentists and to the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Both societies honor doctors throughout the world who aspire to excellence.

He is an Army veteran and was commissioned as an officer with the rank of captain in the Army Dental Corps. He has also served as an active member of the Medical Alumni Board at the University of Scranton.

Since 1997, Sandherr has served as chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, the nation’s largest commercial construction trade association with more than 27,000 member firms across the country. In that capacity, he leads efforts to protect and promote the construction industry in Congress, federal agencies and the courts. For the past 12 years, the newspaper The Hill has named Sandherr as a top association lobbyist. He has also served as labor and small-business counsel for the National Association of Home Builders and practiced law with the firm of Thompson, Mann and Hutson.

Wayne Bank

The bank recently held a luncheon and awards presentation Oct. 23 to recognize employees celebrating years of service milestones with the bank.

Employees recognized for five years of service included Gerald J. Arnese, assistant vice president and installment lending officer; Andrea Bartow, Stamford community office customer service representative; James F. Burke, executive vice president and chief lending officer; Karolyn Frey, Marshalls Creek community office head teller; Brenda Gesell, Franklin community office manager; Melinda S. Gorton, Lakewood community office branch specialist; Lorraine A. Holt, Lackawanna County teller; John Koczwara, vice president and Central Scranton and Clarks Summit community office manager; Robert J. Mancuso, executive vice president and chief operating officer; Kimlyn M. Michalek, mortgage underwriting associate; and Christine Routledge, assistant vice president and Roscoe community office manager.

Honored for 10 years were Norma J. Kuta, Narrowsburg community office head teller; Sandra Lawler, Effort community office teller; Alison G. Menotti, commercial loans administrative assistant; Linda A. Meskey, credit analyst; Briana J. Scholl, credit analyst manager; and Kerry Snyder, Roxbury community office branch specialist.

Milford community office head teller Maria Maceri celebrated 15 years of service.

Twenty-year honorees included Ronald P. DePasquale, facilities and security officer; Amanda L. Hall, vice president and financial reporting manager; Kristine Malti, vice president and deposit operations and electronic banking manager; and Julie A. Swingle, Hawley community office teller.

Hamden community office Manager Debra Renwick was honored for 25 years of service.

Teresa Hynes, assistant vice president and Roxbury community office manager, and David F. Yamialkowski, facilities specialist, celebrated 30 years.

Honored for their milestone 35 years of service were Ann M. Crane, accounting specialist, and Bonnie Lockett, assistant vice president and credit analyst.

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’s, coroner’s 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.

The gift requests are usually modest. Pajamas. Bath towels. Slippers.

And for the past 10 years, Jessica Blomain has worked to get those wishes filled by folks who have never met the needy seniors who made them.

Blomain, Home Instead Senior Care’s general manager, also coordinates the company’s Be a Santa to a Senior program. The goal? To ensure seniors aren’t forgotten during the holiday season.

“A lot of times people associate Christmas with children. But when they see seniors in need, it pulls at their heartstrings,” Blomain said.

People interested in participating in the program can take an ornament with a requested gift off a tree at the Abington Community Library, 1200 W. Grove St., Clarks Summit; Home Instead Senior Care, 506 N. State St., Clarks Summit; or Western Pocono Community Library, 131 Pilgrim Way, Brodheadsville.

Unwrapped gifts and their corresponding ornaments must be returned to designated boxes at the locations by Dec. 11.

Blomain has been impressed by people’s willingness to buy gifts for strangers. In fact, she said, many donors even buy extra presents for the recipients.

“One of the greatest things is seeing the community come together to help bring joy to people they don’t even know,” Blomain said. “It has become a tradition for many who participate.”

Patti Pallo, an administrative assistant at the Abington Community Library, has been supporting the cause for 10 years, ever since Blomain asked if the library would serve as a participating location.

The South Abington Twp. resident has been touched by the simple yet meaningful requests from the seniors, including stationery and stamps so they can send letters to their families.

“The little things they ask for are so sweet,” Pallo said. “It makes me so happy to do it for them.”

More than 20 volunteers and about 300 donors chip in each holiday season to make the program successful.

“It seems like every year more and more people want to be involved,” Blomain said.

The selection process helps determine the appropriate people to receive the gifts, Blomain said.

“We work with area nonprofit groups and community organizations to identify the most needy and isolated seniors,” she said. “We know these seniors wouldn’t have any visitors or get any gifts during the holidays.”

Contact the writer:

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Dec. 1, 1954

Miss America visits Scranton

Miss America, Lee Ann Meriweather, had a busy day in Scranton.

In the morning, Meriweather was welcomed with a reception at City Hall where Mayor James Hanlon presented her with a key to the city. During the reception, Hanlon said she was the first Miss America to visit Scranton.

After the City Hall visit, she made an appearance at the Scranton Talk department store between 1 and 2 p.m. Then she was taken on a tour of International Correspondence Schools, Federal Pacific Electric Co. and Consolidated Molded Products, followed by a press conference at the Hotel Casey.

After that, she dined privately with officials from the Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Philco Corp. and Scranton Talk. After the dinner, she returned to Scranton Talk from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Meriweather’s visit also raised the ire of Lackawanna County Court President Judge T. Linus Hoban. When she was driven around the downtown, her police escorts were blasting their sirens. Hoban was hearing a criminal case at the court at the time and the sirens became a distraction.

Hoban ordered Assistant District Attorney William Kearney to contact District Attorney Carlon O’Malley to call Public Safety Director William Lonsdorf and tell the cops to stop the sirens.

Ex-teacher dies

Sarah Walsh, a teacher in the Scranton School District for 51 years, died at her Olive Street home. She was 93.

Walsh, the daughter of pioneering residents of Scranton, was born in 1861. After receiving her teaching degree from Pennsylvania State College — the forerunner of Pennsylvania State University — she taught at Robert Fulton No. 9 School, Wyoming Avenue and Ash Street in Scranton, for 48 years, followed by three years at the Administration Building. She retired in 1932.

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.

CARBONDALE — Kindergarten through third graders used donated crayons to draw a large, lowercase R from the bottom to the middle of a turquoise sheet of construction paper after school in Carbondale.

Those lowercase Rs eventually transformed into Thanksgiving peacocks with colorful feathers the 30 or so students decorated with small, crunched-up pieces of tissue paper.

Instead of heading home after school, they stayed for the art program to fulfill the need for in-school elementary art classes at Carbondale Area. The high school teacher retired at the

end of 2018-19 and the financially struggling school district did not fill the position to help plug a hole in its budget, leaving only one art teacher in the district.

The elementary school art classes are now getting a second life after school through the generosity of the community, including donated supplies and more than $3,000 from a fundraiser organized by parent Deanna M. Bednash.

Passionate about art education, Bednash, who is a member of the school board advisory committee, was dismayed to find out art would be incorporated into Carbondale Area elementary school classes instead of its own course.

“They don’t deserve to have things taken away from them. Not only do kids love art, special needs kids, abused kids that’s how they express themselves,” she said. “I’m a big art advocate.”

‘New ideas’

Art is suffering a similar fate across the state and locally, especially in the Scranton School District, which entered financial recovery in January.

“Due to many reasons ... regionally, statewide and nationally, there’s been a cut in art learning in our schools,” said Dr. Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Ed.D., director of the arts and education program at the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit and assistant professor of early childhood education at the University of Scranton. “Many art teachers who resign are not replaced.”

Along with music and gym, art is one of the first subjects cut when districts need to find savings, said Rosemary Boland, president of the Scranton Federation of Teachers.

Students in the Scranton School District’s three intermediate schools and 11 elementary schools have reduced art and music classes since the district laid off 16 teachers last school year. Librarian positions were also eliminated.

“There should be art. There should be music. It gives them an outlet on top of the education value,” Boland said.

Art teachers are overextended and work in several buildings, with a lack of supplies and sometimes without a classroom, said Richmond-Cullen.

Scranton School District art teacher Ryan Hnat sees around 800 students a week at Neil Armstrong Elementary School in North Scranton. He teaches 25 to 30 kindergarten to fifth grade students in each of his seven art classes from 8:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. each day.

Elizabeth Smith, the only art teacher at Carbondale Area, teaches seventh through 12th graders during the regular school day, kindergarten, first, second and third graders after school Mondays and fourth, fifth and sixth graders after school Fridays.

Art class is more than putting a pen, paint or marker to paper. Students learn critical thinking skills in art, Hnat said. His students learn about art through history and discuss places around the world while working with different kinds of materials and taking things apart and putting them back together.

“If they no longer have art, they won’t have the opportunity let their mind wander a little bit,” he said. “The art, the music and gym let them expel energy and let them rethink all the other stuff that’s going on outside the classroom and focus on something totally different.”

Hnat is also the newly appointed Region 9 representative for the Pennsylvania Art Education Association. He advocates for art classes in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.

“Without that, you’re going to be pumping out robots. We’re not going to be able to give these kids new ideas, new challenges so they can think about different things as they get older,” he said.

Hnat believes the dwindling access to art in schools is a community problem that can be solved by creating an “art economy” that values artists from all mediums both inside and outside school.

‘Eternally grateful’

To help balance Carbondale Area’s $25.9 million budget for 2019-20, the board in June furloughed five teachers and cut two administrative positions. Since then, some teachers have been brought back as long-term subs or to fill positions. Art is incorporated into regular classes at the elementary school.

“Elementary classroom teachers are certified to teach all subjects,” said Richmond-Cullen. “When the arts are spread so thin over the curriculum and the art teachers and specialists aren’t available, the program gets watered down.”

She said there needs to be more training for classroom teachers to integrate art into academic subjects.

Bednash heard about the art class switch up at a Carbondale Area School Board meeting and got organizing.

In about five weeks, she solicited monetary donations to purchase raffle items including bicycles, a Power Wheels dune buggy and a sitting hover board, along with many community-donated baskets and food.

The fundraiser was held Nov. 3 at the Meredith Hose Company, the use of which Stephen Gullone donated. The McDonald’s across Brooklyn Street from the school district and Comprehensive Physical Therapy also both held art supply drives for the program, she said.

“It was so awesome just to have that support from people,” she said.

Each after-school session is four weeks. Thanks to the donations, elementary school teachers and aides receive a stipend to stay with the students from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. while they work on homework before the program begins at 3:30 and to assist with the program.

“It all works out really, really great,” Bednash said.

Smith is paid $30 per hour, according to the teachers contract, to teach the after-school art class, said Business Manager David Cerra.

Bednash’s donation will go into the district’s general fund as miscellaneous revenue, he said.

“We’re eternally grateful,” Cerra said.

Bednash hopes to make the art fundraiser an annual event.

For details or to donate, visit Parents For The Arts 18407 on Facebook.

For details on the Pennsylvania Art Education Association, visit www.paeablog.org.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Abington Heights

Daniel Cummins is a National Russian Scholar Laureate and National Merit semifinalist.

“Russian is much more than a language, it is a way of perceiving the world that has helped to inform my global perspective invaluably over my five years of study,” said Daniel, a senior.

He is founder and president of the Abington Heights High School Tutoring Corps, czar of the Russian club, captain of mock trial, president of Interact club and a member of the newspaper club.

A National Honor Society member, he is also a Russian and biology TA, National High School Slavic Honor Society member and an ESL teacher on Sundays at the Lackawanna County Children’s Library in Scranton.

After graduation, he plans on double-majoring in philosophy and international business in college and continuing on to law school.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Blue Ridge

Fourth grader Sierra Sparks , a student helper in Mrs. Hobbs’ pre-K classroom, helps students get unpacked and ready for breakfast, and reviews classroom rules with them.

Sierra, 9, has been using strategies she learned from previous teachers. She created a sticker chart for one student to help improve behavior, and uses the quiet sign and voice inflections to keep them interested. She also taught the students how to copy her clapping sequence to gain their attention.

“It’s fun helping the pre-K students,” Sierra said. “I really like having a job at the school. I get to teach them the quiet signs and the clap method.”

—ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Carbondale Area

Declan Caviston was elected president of Carbondale Area’s Future Business Leaders of America.

“In the past, our club has been very successful at both local and state competitions and I want to keep that trend going,” said Declan. “My goal this year is to make it the best year yet.”

Declan hopes to increase the number of students participating on a statewide level and make sure the group stays connected and has a fun year.

Madison Mushensky is co-president; Michaela McLaughlin and Jarred Rosar are co-vice presidents; Madison Cost, secretary; Alyvia Schiavone, treasurer; Aiden Kelly, governor; Emma Jones, sergeant-at- arms; and Sarah Tolerico, parliamentarian.

FBLA participates in state and regional business competitions, fundraisers and class trips that are business related. The club also attends finance seminars and workshops and a regional leadership conference at Keystone College.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Career Technology Center

Nalla O’Dowd, a junior carpentry student from Carbondale Area, is a student ambassador who helps with school tours and fifth grade career exploration days.

“Nalla stands out as one of the only two female carpentry students,” according to the school. “Nalla excels in the shop. She is extremely detail-oriented in her work and proves that her passion truly lies in the trade each and every day.”

The football cheerleader hopes to attend Pennsylvania College of Technology for architecture and sustainable design. 

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Dunmore

Students in the Art II and Art III classes at Dunmore High School painted the windows of Dunmore Corners businesses for the holidays.

“It was a good way to show our talents and to get people in the holiday spirit,” senior Kassandra Wearing said. “I’m proud of my work and the work of my classmates. It was cold, but we had a good time, and we hope that community members appreciate our creations as they drive through that part of town.”

Kassandra painted a snowy nature scene on the windows of three businesses along Drinker Street. The community involvement project helps celebrate Home for the Holidays in Bucktown happening today.

She is a member of the school’s TACT club, Students Against Destructive Decisions club, service club, yearbook staff and the football cheerleading squad

Kassandra plans to major in psychology during college.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Elk Lake

Senior Lizzy Rothwell placed first at District Band pre-auditions and will advance to District Orchestra and District Band.

Lizzy has been playing flute for seven years. She is also a member of the Northeastern Youth Wind Ensemble, Marywood Wind Symphony and the Marywood Wind Ensemble.

“I like how playing an instrument is part of a group but also something I can improve on individually,” she said. “Playing the flute has a lot of technical aspects and I love playing it.”

Lizzy is band and chorus president, a member of student council, prom steering, class of 2020 secretary, Key club vice president and National Honor Society member.

She plans to study music education in college.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Forest City

Regional

As her senior project, Seana Stolz is making homemade dog treats at the CTC culinary program to donate to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.

One of the chefs at school gave her the idea.

“I like animals a great deal and helping them this way means so much to me,” Seana said.

Seana is a member of National Technical Honor Society, volleyball, Future Business Leaders of America and Skills USA. She also does service work each fall with Dale Curtis Foundation and has won baking competition medals.

Next year, Seana plans furthering her education at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Lackawanna Trail

Eliza Fotta won Scope Magazine’s September essay contest.

The eighth grader wrote about the challenges faced by refugees.

“This was an interesting topic to write about for me because I hadn’t realized that so many people were struggling,” she said. “It’s the second Scope essay contest that I’ve won and it’s just really special and fun.”

English teacher Gena Lengel and academic support coach DeeAnn Vida helped Eliza submit her essay.

She received a signed copy of “Escape from Aleppo” by N.H. Senzai, and was recognized by Scope magazine in its October issue.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Lakeland

Junior Maegan Bednash is a student mentor program administrator.

“To be a successful student at the high school level, you’ve got to help out other students and also ask for help for yourself when you need it,” she said. “That’s why we started the student mentor program.”

Maegan was October student of the month. She’s the student council president and a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, the football cheerleading team, Spanish club and dances.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Senior Khaya Fuller was Homecoming Queen.

“I have always dreamed of wearing a crown since I was a little girl, and I’m really glad that I got to spend it with some of my closest friends,” said Khaya.

Khaya is a member of student council, National Honor Society and the secretary of Student Against Destructive Decisions. She’s also a member of mock trial, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, French club president, women’s choir, cheer, pride squad, unified track, RAK club president, a peer mediator, PR intern, drama club and photo club member, JR Annual Shoot and yearbook club.

After graduation, she plans to attend college and become a cosmetic plastic surgeon.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mountain View

Senior Shayla VanVleck is a two-time champion at the PA State 4-H Show and a reserve champion at the PA 4-H Equine Show.

“I was surprised and happy,” Shayla said. “It took a lot of practice.”

She participates in 4-H and cheerleading.

Shayla, 17, plans to pursue a degree in the medical field in college.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

North Pocono

Jimmy Bianchi is enrolled in six Advanced Placement courses his senior year, including physics II, calculus AB and computer science, along with taking AP macroeconomics as an independent study.

He is a member of the National Honor Society and has consistently earned high honors throughout his high school career. He will have completed 12 AP courses by graduation and is currently ranked first in his class. 

In addition to his demanding classwork, Jimmy is an officer and a four-year member of the Science Olympiad team, on which he has earned more than 30 medals. He holds the position of president in both the Mathletes club and Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, where he has earned a first-place award in chemistry at the state level the past four years. Jimmy is also a four-year member of the high school marching band and two-year member of the tennis team. 

Outside of school, he is an active volunteer in the community and as a Boy Scout, earned the prestigious Eagle Scout award as a freshman. Post-graduation, Jimmy plans to attend college to major in biology with aspirations to earn a medical school degree. 

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Old Forge

Sixth grader Kate O’Hearn is excited for the Christmas concert on Dec. 12.

“I am also sad this is my last concert in elementary,” she said. “I feel the concerts help me connect with friends and the community and it shows off our talents.”

Kate, who is a gymnast at United Sports Academy, recently received first place on vault, second place on beam and third place on floor. Kate also plays softball and soccer, dances and plays the piano and ukulele.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Riverside

Carlos Soto-Lopez helped his school collect more than 2,500 food items for local food banks.

“It’s important because so many people don’t have money to buy food,” he said. “My mother always says, ‘Any food we waste is a shame because so many people go hungry’.”

Carlos is in sixth grade at Riverside Elementary East.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Scranton

Third-grade students from Neil Armstrong Elementary School know the news.

The students created Armstrong News, a broadcast that includes 23 students reporting on topics including current events, sports, how things work, Armstrong achievements, on this day in history and upcoming events. This broadcast can be viewed on YouTube by searching Neil Armstrong November News or on the PTA Facebook page.

“The school news is amazing because not only did I get to be a part of it, I’m learning too,” Lily Weaver said. “I didn’t know about all the amazing things at Armstrong, like the planetarium and greenhouse.” 

Jaiyden Cordona said, “Being on the news helps me to be a better speaker and gives me confidence in myself.” 

Hannah McHugh said at first, she was scared to speak in front of the camera.

“When I did it I felt good about myself,” she said. “It made me happy.” 

Olivia Bright was also a reporter and said, “I learned a lot and it was really fun to do.” 

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Susquehanna Community

Junior Preston Perry gave a presentation on blood control kits that were placed in the high school and elementary school.

He felt it was important for the students to know what was in the kits and how to use them.

“It’s better to know the students can use these now than not knowing in the event of an emergency,” Preston said.

Preston, 16, is a junior firefighter and Life Scout, and plays golf.

He plans to join the Air Force following graduation.

—ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Valley View

Julia Koniszewski was selected as a first team All-Star for the Division I Lackawanna League for girls soccer.

“It’s a great accomplishment and good way to end the season,” she said. “I worked hard for it. Thank you to the coaches who picked me.”

The senior, who was captain of the girls soccer team for the past two years, led her team to the semifinals in the playoffs, ending with a 14-4-1 record.

She is also a member of the National Honor Society, student council, art club, LEO club and Spanish club. In her free time, Julia enjoys going to the gym and running.

After graduation, Julia plans to study nutrition and continue her soccer career in college.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114;

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack

Sixth grader Christopher Collins bowled a 237 at age 10 and received a medal with his name and score on it during his bowling league.

“I was very excited to receive a medal with my name and score on it from Valley Lanes,” Christopher said.

Christopher, 11, also enjoys baseball, basketball, soccer, collecting cards, and donating to his local food bank.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Wayne Highlands

Fifth grader Parker Brown was nominated for kindness and good judgment.

“I feel honored to be nominated,” Parker said.

Parker, 10, a student at Lakeside Elementary, participates in soccer, baseball, gardening, yo-yoing, chess club, raising rabbits and farming.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Western Wayne

Seventh grader Makayla Walton is an excellent student who loves reading and music.

Makayla, 12, plays the flute in the middle school band and has played piano for seven years.

“I love to play both the flute and the piano,” Makayla said. “I look forward to joining the Western Wayne Wildcat Marching Band in high school.”

She loves to read in her English Language Arts class, especially fiction. “The Hunger Games” is her favorite series.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

For a former city Democratic Party chairman, Scranton Controller-elect John J. Murray’s promise to put politics aside may sound strange.

Murray, a two-decade veteran of the state auditor general’s office, sees no reason the city, city school district and Lackawanna County governments can’t cooperate to set each on a permanent, financially stable path. Each will have extensive new leadership so the time seems ripe for change, he said.

Paige Cognetti will take over as the city’s first woman mayor. Four newcomers, all women, will join the school board. County Commissioner

Jerry Notarianni and newcomer Debi Domenick are expected to form a commissioners office majority.

“Why can’t they cooperate?” Murray asked. “Let’s get politics out of the way. I mean that’s coming from a former city Democratic chairman. ... We all work for the same people.”

Murray, 63, who lives in the city’s Green Ridge neighborhood, will take the oath of office for his first term in the $40,000-a-year job Jan. 6, four days before the city marks its 28th anniversary in state financially distressed status. He will replace former Controller Roseann Novembrino, who served almost 32 years but resigned from her office Nov. 12. She retired earlier than expected because of health struggles.

Criticized at times for a failure to more aggressively monitor city finances and failing to produce annual audits, Novembrino nonetheless was elected eight times. Murray will take over a five-employee staff whose $299,888 budget this year represents less than three-tenths of a percent of the city’s $110 million spending plan.

“Is there a better way?” he said. “I mean this city, we’ve got to square things away. We’ve got to get on the right track.”

Murray grew up in the milieu of local politics. His grandfather, John Murray, opened Murray’s Service Station and handed it off to his father, Robert, who served as a judge of elections in Scranton’s 13th Ward. When the controller-elect, an only child, was little, he tagged along to the polling place his father staffed, he said.

“I mean I grew up, (with) Pat Mellody, the county commissioner, he lived on Larch Street right across from our garage. Chick Harte was a minority commissioner, he lived on Capouse Avenue another block away,” Murray said.

After graduating from Marywood College in 1979 with a business administration degree, Murray joined Emery Air Freight, later Emery Worldwide. Downsized out of his job as manager of administrative services in 1991, he got a job as an administrative officer at the State Workers’ Insurance Fund. He left there in 1996 for the state auditor general’s office when friend and relative Bob Casey Jr. took over as auditor general. Casey’s mother, Ellen, is the sister of Raymond Harding, the stepfather of Murray’s first wife, Judith, who died of breast cancer.

Her death spurred Murray later that year to co-found the local Race for the Cure, which still happens annually.

Murray spent 21 years as northeast regional director for Casey and his successors, Jack Wagner and Eugene DePasquale, before retiring in 2017. He never audited finances, but reviewed a lot of audits and ensured auditors did their jobs.

“I mean I learned a lot, I worked for three auditors general who were really professional,” he said. “If you learned anything from them, it’s politics aside, it’s doing the job, Democratic governor, Republican governor, it didn’t matter. You went in, you looked at it, if it was wrong, you told them it was wrong. It’s not a job where you’re looking for a fight. You’re looking to help. That’s basically what this whole thing is about.”

Casey instituted performance audits, aimed at determining if an agency or government spends money wisely rather than just ensuring money is spent as allocated.

Murray hopes to add performance audits to the controller’s repertoire, though he’s unsure what he can accomplish because he still needs to learn the office’s operation and will have only five employees.

“The controller looks at every invoice that’s paid and signs off on them,” he said. “I’d like to do more than that.”

He did not rule out asking for help for his staff.

“I’ve spoken to them and they’re hungry to do some different things,” he said. “Performance audits are a key thing.”

City Councilman Bill Gaughan said Murray’s auditor general’s office experience should serve him well as controller.

“I think he’ll do a great job. I think he’s ethical, a really ethical person and I’m really hopeful. John certainly has the background and experience,” Gaughan said.

For now, Murray studies the city’s budget “line by line” and reads the city Home Rule Charter to clearly understand not only his role in city government, but others’ too.

“I want to help,” he said. “People ask me all the time, ‘Why are you doing this? Are you crazy?’ No, I want to help. That’s the bottom line. I’m tired of people making fun of the city of Scranton, to be honest with you.”

He doesn’t like that only 37% of city voters turned out for this past election, especially one that followed ex-Mayor Bill Courtright’s July resignation and guilty plea to federal corruption charges.

“And why is that?” he asked, miffed.

Murray thinks the national electorate’s foul mood has trickled down into local politics. He’s unhappy about that and thinks citizens deserve better.

“We need discourse among people. This stuff that’s going on now nationally is bad, it’s just bad,” Murray said. “People don’t just sit and talk, it’s one side versus the other side. ... They’re both on different sides of I-81, one’s going north, one’s going south. It’s not the way government is supposed to be run. It’s supposed to be people helping other people. And I’m not talking welfare states. I’m just talking common sense. We pay a lot of taxes in this town. People should get what they pay for and that’s good public officials.”

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter.

Name: John Joseph Murray

Age: 63

Address: Scranton.

Education: Bishop Hannan High School, 1974; associate degree, business, Lackawanna Junior College, 1976; bachelor’s degree, business administration, Marywood University, 1979.

Work experience: Emery Air Freight/Emery Worldwide, 1979-1991, left as manager of administrative services; administrative officer, State Workers Insurance Fund, 1991-1996; regional director, state Auditor General’s Office, 1996-2017.

Civic experience: Co-founder, Race for the Cure, board member, 1991-2000; founding member and president, Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Foundation, 2013-present, still a board member; board member, Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple, 2015-present, board president since September; chairman, Scranton City Democratic Committee, 2010-2014.

Family: Wife, Elizabeth, daughters, Katie, Allison, Meghan; four grandsons, two granddaughters. First wife, Judith, died of breast cancer in January 1991.

Grads seeking grads

Members of the Dunmore High School “Golden Class of 1949,” who celebrated their 70th reunion on Nov. 21, are seeking to connect with fellow members.

The principal, E.J. Devine, christened their class “The Golden Class of 1949”since they were the last ninth grade class to graduate from the Dunmore Junior High School on Apple Street.

The class size was 187 — 107 are known to be deceased and 22 have been hard to locate.

Class officers were Jean Marie O’Connor Hurley, president; Robert Ragnacci, vice president; Michael Zabatta, treasurer; and Marie Vellela Margotta, secretary. Paul Richards, an astronaut from Northeast Pennsylvania, is the son of classmate Angela Cordaro Richards.

The reunion was held on Nov. 21 at La Cucina.

Anyone with information about members of the class are encouraged to contact class historians Frank DiVizio at 570-955-9854 or Richards at 570-346-3406.

Super students

Members of the North Pocono High School volleyball team, alumni and faculty, including Lexi Hynak, Alyssa Bonacci, Molly Keating, Katrina Kincel, Megan Morrell, Kellie Bray, Kaity Raven, Mallorie Deschaine, Chris Summa, Alahnna Balbach, Jillian Burke, Kendra Jordan, Emma Monson, Sam Zaic, Jordan Goetze, Gabrielle Schieber, Leah Yablonsky and Madeline Leggerio and coaches: Justin Bechaver and Alex Zero, participated in “Dig Pink” for a member of their class who is battling cancer.

The girls volleyball team played a team of North Pocono alumni on Nov. 8. The junior varsity team played a game against some North Pocono faculty.

More than $800 was raised from the event.

High notes

Incoming participants of the University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program for 2019-2020 include Michael Brown of Scranton, project manager, the Wright Center; Chelsea Chopko of Scranton, executive assistant, the Wright Center; Cathy Colangelo of West Hazleton, executive director, Partners in Education; Ginny Crake of Pittston Twp., executive director, Junior Achievement of NEPA; Julianne Cucura of Scranton, development director, Boys & Girls Clubs of NEPA; Anna Faramelli of Scranton, crisis and advocacy services director, Women’s Resource Center Inc.; Janine Fortney of Wilkes-Barre, program director, Family Service Association of NEPA; Nicole Morristell of Scranton, executive director, Lackawanna Leadership; Megan Mould of Scranton, associate vice president of college advancement, Johnson College; Amber Loomis of

Wilkes-Barre, chief advancement officer, Family Service Association of NEPA; Ben Payavis of Pittston, chief content officer/executive producer, WVIA; Jeremy Popiel of Carbondale, aquatic/program director, Greater Carbondale YMCA; Ron Prislupski of Pittston, chief development officer, WVIA; Helayna Szescila of Scranton, governance officer, the Wright Center; Jessica Wallo of Throop, vice president of programs and services, United Neighborhood Centers; and Mary-Pat Ward of Scranton, executive director, city of Scranton OECD.

The program seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions.

Pearl Harbor day

observance set

Dupont VFW Post 4909 and AMVETS Post 189, Pearl Harbor day ceremonies, Saturday, 11 a.m. Post 4909, 401 Main St., Dupont.

Dinner to benefit

Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots pasta dinner, sponsored by Teresa’s Angels, Saturday, noon-5 p.m., Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League 1340 Alder St., Scranton. Bring a toy and get a free dinner or pay $10 at the door. Proceeds benefit Toys for Tots.

Abington Post

schedules event

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, turkey, ham and slab bacon spin, Dec. 8, 4 p.m., post, 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit; public invited.

Christmas party
at Post 4909

Dupont VFW Post 4909 Christmas party, Dec. 14, post home; buffet dinner, 7:30 to 8:45 p.m.; bar open, 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.; entertainment by Millennium and dancing, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; door prizes donation, $30; tickets, post or Bob, 570-654-9104.

Center to host

town meeting

The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Plains Twp., will host a community town hall, 5 p.m. Dec. 17 at the center, 111 East End Blvd., to discuss issues with the facility’s director, Russell Lloyd.

Meetings

POST 25

Gen. Theodore J. Wint VFW Post 25, today, 2291 Rockwell Ave., Scranton, canteen meeting, noon, post meeting, 12:30.

POST 665

American Legion Post 665, Dickson City, today, board of directors, home association, 12:30 p.m., elections for board, noon to 4 p.m.; post meeting, 2.

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE

Northeastern Detachment Marine Corps League and Museum, today, 2 p.m., detachment.

POST 327 AUXILIARY

Olyphant Raymond Henry American Legion Post 327, Monday, 7 p.m., post home.

POST 4909

Dupont VFW Post 4909, Monday, 7:30 p.m., post home; home association meeting follows.

POST 610

Mayfield American Legion Post 610, Monday, 7 p.m., legion headquarters.

109TH INFANTRY

The 109th Infantry Regiment Association, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Shopa-Davey VFW Post, Peckville.

Merli Center

Today: Coffee, 8:30 a.m.; morning visits, 8:45; Eucharistic ministry visits, 9:15; Lenoxville band, 2 p.m.; holiday music with John Hollenbaugh, 3; unit visits, 4.

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45; Bible study, 9:30; ball toss, third floor, 10; George Rittenhouse music program, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4; holiday lights at Nay Aug, 7.

Tuesday: Boscov’s, 9 a.m.; bingo in memory of Paul and Mary Provini, third floor, 10:15; choir practice, 1:45 p.m.; Catholic service, 3; unit visits, 4; Cub Scout Pack 44 visit, caroling, 6.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; resident council, 10; food committee, 10:30; Salvation Army visit, 11; Young at Hearts music program, 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4; trivia, 1 south, 7:30.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel service, 10; basketball, third floor, 10; Vincenzo’s dine-in, 12:15 p.m.; birthday bash with the Luongo Brothers, cupcakes, 2; senior fitness, 3; VFW Dupont Christmas party trip, 5:30.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; coffee and doughnuts by Friends of the Forgotten, 10:15; bingo by American Legion District 11, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Saturday: Pearl Harbor remembrance. Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Pearl Harbor discussion, second floor, 10:15; movie, “Tora, Tora, Tora,” and beverages, 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4.

Local manufacturer of windows honored

The Associated Builders and Contractors of Connecticut Inc. informed Thermolite Inc., a Scranton-based vinyl window manufacturer, that the Residence at Selleck’s Woods in Darien, Connecticut, has been selected for an Excellence in Construction Award. The general contractor was Wohlsen Construction Co., and Thermolite supplied all the vinyl windows for the project. The project was selected as a winner by an independent panel of judges consisting of owners, architects and engineers. The selection of this project is a testament to the work performed by Wohlsen Construction in concert with Thermolite, its window supplier, the company said. The awards dinner was held Oct. 24 in Southington, Connecticut.

Car dealership makes donation

MotorWorld Toyota recently made a $5,000 donation to support the Commission on Economic Opportunity/Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank’s Thanksgiving Project and general food distribution.

Bank contributes $24K to library

Dime Bank recently contributed $24,000 to the Wayne County Public Library toward approved innovative educational programs. The libraries of Wayne County strive to support students in the three local school districts, as well as home-schooled students, to ensure they get the help they need to improve their grades, increase their confidence and encourage them to expand their educational explorations.

The donation, which was made through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program, will provide funds for several programs, such as Learning@theLibrary and Teen Tech@theLibrary. Both include the purchase of Tutor.com, Teen Health and Wellness, Learning Express Library and Financial Literacy Programs.

Dealership to host annual coat drive

Ken Pollock Auto Group will hold its annual coat drive, collecting gently used and new coats in all sizes at all five dealerships and the tire and auto center through Dec. 17.

The coat drive helps families in local communities. Donations from Ken Pollock Nissan, Volvo, Alfa Romeo-Maserati and the Tire Center are delivered to Luzerne County Head Start. Donations from Ken Pollock Ford go to Columbia County Head Start. Ken Pollock Mitsubishi collects in coordination with the Carbondale YMCA, and coats go to Catholic Social Services.

Health system earns recognition

For the 10th consecutive year, Allied Services Integrated Health System’s Home Health Division has been named a Top Agency of the 2019 HomeCare Elite, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. The ranking is developed by ABILITY Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of health care.

Allied Services Home Health serves patients in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties, bringing medical care to patients in their own homes. The service combines the health system’s more than 30 years of nursing and rehabilitation experience to provide skilled nursing and rehab medicine, including physical, occupational and speech therapy, along with medical social services and home health aides.

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

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

Zora is a 2-year-old female, American Pit Bull mix. She is very sweet and friendly.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Grandma is a senior female, Tuxedo cat. She is low-key and friendly.
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:

For local internet entrepreneur Albert Martino, Cyber Monday is the biggest day of the year for sales.

Martino owns NortheastSnacks.com, a website he built to sell products well-known in the region such as Middleswarth potato chips, Gertrude Hawk chocolate, Pittston Ketchup, the Beekeeper’s Daughter raw honey and Tastykake.

For Cyber Monday tomorrow, he will offer free shipping on holiday snack packs, a “buy two, get one free” sale on select Middleswarth snack cases and an additional 10% off all products. He also will offer something new: curbside pickup.

For the first year, customers can order online and pick up their orders at space he is renting in a warehouse that was the former American Silk Mill at 75 Stark St. in Plains Twp. He is leasing about 1,000 square feet of space from Joseph Fernandes III of Lackawanna County, who bought the warehouse, he said.

“If people want, they can come in and pick it up or we’ll bring it right out to their cars,” Martino said. “If you place your order online, just let us know when you want to pick it up and we’ll be waiting out there, maybe with a Santa hat on.”

Martino formerly shipped from a warehouse in Swoyersville, but moved to the larger space in Plains Twp. earlier this year as his business grew.

With larger retailers offering curbside pickup for customers’ online orders, he said the new space allows him to “jump in the game” and offer that as well.

“It gives us more room to have more products available for people,” he said. “It removes the barrier for people who don’t want to pay for shipping.”

He said business for Cyber Monday last year was “insane,” and this year he’s gearing up for another busy day.

“We will have three people here just packing probably 12 hours a day,” he said. “We have a full staff coming in.”

This also is the first Cyber Monday that Martino will sell Middleswarth mugs and hats online, which he said gives people another reason to get excited.

He said products like Middleswarth chips are popular sellers because of “nostalgia.” Middleswarth chips, made in Middleburg, are sold only within a 50-mile radius of Northeast Pennsylvania. Local parents like to send snacks to their children when they go away to different colleges, he said.

“They’re such unique products that nothing really compares,” Martino said. “We have shipped to every single state. We have shipped to a few NFL teams.”

Gertrude Hawk Chocolate, which is now sold at stores throughout Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, is another local favorite, Martino said. The late Gertrude Jones Hawk started the business in her kitchen in Scranton in 1936 and the chocolate is produced in a plant in Dunmore.

Martino also sells ItalyPoint baskets of products online at NortheastSnacks.com for Muzio Pesaresi, an Italian gourmet food importer who lives in Dallas.

Pesaresi said products sold online all over the country include pasta, olive oil, bread and sauces and they also will be marked 10% off on Cyber Monday.

Cyber Monday is the last of a busy five-day shopping weekend that started on Thanksgiving and continued on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

More than 165 million people nationwide are expected to shop this weekend through Cyber Monday, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Nearly 69 million people nationwide are expected to take advantage of online bargains on Cyber Monday, according to the survey.

“The tradition of Thanksgiving weekend holiday shopping has become a five-day event with consumers spending money in stores, supporting local small businesses, and online with their mobile devices and computers,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation.

Overall, the National Retail Federation’s annual forecast estimates that holiday retail sales in November and December will increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent over 2018.

Martino said he finds more people want to shop online because of convenience.

“It’s just so much easier,” he said. “When you really want something, you go and get it but nowadays with shipping speeds increasing, you’ll have it soon anyway. You don’t have to waste gas or try to find a parking spot. If the weather is inclement, you don’t have to worry about that. You could just shop whenever you want to.”

Pesaresi said he also finds that shopping online is “definitely the trend, which I doubt is going to change in the future.”

“It’s probably going to be more intensified,” he said.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

A pool of cash collected to right the coal industry’s historic wrongs could start running dry in 2021 unless Congress reauthorizes the Abandoned Mine Land Trust Fund.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, is pushing his bill to extend the fund, which is fed by a fee that mining companies pay for every coal ton (28 cents for surface mining, 12 cents for underground mining) they produce, until 2036.

Cartwright has bipartisan support, and introduced the bill with co-sponsor Glenn Thompson, R-15, Centre County. Thompson told the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources that the 15th District has “more abandoned mine sites than all the other congressional districts in America combined, although we’re proud of the fact of what that coal is used for.”

In the Northeast, which has seen a dramatic surge over the last decade in new warehouse and business park construction, developers are sizing up forgotten chunks of real estate that often include former coal wasteland.

Advocates and conservationists who collaborate with industrial developers say trust fund money offers a powerful incentive for investors who want to build, but who balk at the added cost of site reclamation.

“It’s an important component going forward for economic redevelopment of abandoned mine lands,” said Bernard McGurl, director of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association.

In Hanover Twp., the fund helped backfill land around the former Huber Breaker, then owned by the Earth Conservancy and later used to site massive warehouses for Chewy.com, Adidas and Patagonia.

The same funds helped in Carbondale to extinguish long-burning underground mine fires south of Russell Park. The money also is helping move tens of thousands of tons of culm piled high in Swoyersville.

“There’s potential for redevelopment,” said Robert Hughes, director at the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. He testified Nov. 14 before the Energy and Mineral Resources subcommittee.

“It doesn’t have to be warehouses. It could be mixed use industrial development; it could be a housing complex, houses that get put back on the tax rolls,” he said.

In the last four months, crews have removed between 20,000 and 25,000 tons of coal waste from the Swoyersville project.

“I would certainly support and promote any type of incentive program that would help clean former industrial mined lands and put grayfields and brownfields back on the market,” said John Augustine, director at Penn’s Northeast, an agency that has played a hand in drawing most of the large warehouse and business park developers and tenants to the region.

Cartwright has widespread support from both sides of the aisle, with Republican co-sponsors primarily from coal-affected districts.

“At a time when people in this country must thing that partisanship has consumed us, here we have a bipartisan, common sense proposal that creates jobs, protects the environment and saves lives,” he said during the subcommittee hearing.

As coal gets replaced by alternative energy sources, McGurl and Hughes say lawmakers should start thinking a decade or two years down the road when the money starts to dwindle and mine-scarred land remains unreclaimed.

With that in mind, Hughes said lawmakers should also consider which projects get tackled first.

The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement estimates remedying the remaining high-priority abandoned mine sites nationwide will cost $10 billion.

“We want to talk about a little bit of a reprioritization on targeting sites for economic development,” he said. “In case 15 years down the road, there may not be another opportunity to do this.”

Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @jon_oc on Twitter

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.

* WHAT...Heavy snow and mixed precipitation expected. Total snow
  accumulations of 9 to 15 inches and ice accumulations of
  around one tenth of an inch.

* WHERE...In Pennsylvania, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne,
  Lackawanna, Pike and Southern Wayne Counties. In New York,
  Onondaga, Cortland, Broome and Sullivan Counties.

* WHEN...Snow will overspread the area from the southwest between
  9 AM and noon. The snow will mix in with sleet and freezing rain
  from south to north across the area this afternoon except for
  the I-90 corridor where snow could be moderate to heavy at
  times. A brief lull in the precipitation is possible in some
  locations this evening. Steady snow redevelops after midnight
  and could become heavy at times late tonight through the early
  afternoon on Monday. The snow tapers off from southwest to
  northeast during the late afternoon and evening Monday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. The
  hazardous conditions will impact holiday travel today, as well
  as the Monday morning and evening commutes.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Periods of heavy snow this afternoon,
  especially in the I-90 corridor, and then again late tonight
  into Monday. Snowfall rates up to 2 inches per hour are
  possible. Temperatures hover in the mid 20s to lower 30s through
  the event.

Today
Snow and sleet before 3pm, then freezing rain, possibly mixed with snow and sleet. High near 33. East wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

Tonight
Snow, freezing rain, and sleet, becoming all snow after 1am. Low around 30. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

Monday
Snow. High near 35. North wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of around 3 inches.

Monday Night
A chance of snow, mainly before midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 23. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.

A stretch of Interstate 84 East between the Hamlin/New Foundland exit and Lake Wallenpaupack/Greentown exit is closed as crews tend to multiple crashes in the area, according to PennDOT.

The National Weather Service put out a winter storm warning, which remains in effect until midnight Monday, with 9 inches to 15 inches of snow accumulation and ice expected.

A Lackawanna County 911 dispatch supervisor said the county has seen multiple crashes since a slick wintry mix started falling late this morning. No one’s reported serious injuries and the crashes have not led to any interstate closures in the county.

Check back for updates.

Police have issued an alert advising all emergency personnel in the region to be on the lookout for a stolen Nanticoke police vehicle.

Police are looking for Jordan Oliver, 20, who allegedly stole a Nanticoke police SUV and drove off in it following an incident in Nanticoke this afternoon.

Oliver is considered armed and dangerous, according to the alert.

Also in the vehicle is a woman Oliver allegedly held hostage before stealing the SUV.

The stolen police vehicle has the number 7 displayed on its front.

Anyone who sees the vehicle or has information may call 911.

— ERIC MARK

A Jermyn man is wanted in connection with an assault early Sunday in Clarks Green.

Police say Chase J. Passeri, 29, 413 Gibson St., was at a home on Fairview Road where victims say they were drinking with friends.

When he arrived on the scene after 8 a.m., Clarks Summit police Officer Kevin Yetkowskas found blood on the sidewalk and stairs. He saw dried blood on the floor throughout the first floor and on Nicholas Thompson’s pants, shoes and shirt, Yetkowskas said a criminal complaint.

The night before, Thompson’s girlfriend, Staci Wirth, had gone to bed, but about 3 a.m. she woke to find Passeri rifling through Thompson’s dresser.

When confronted, Passeri told Wirth he was “leaving a tip.”

She called for Thompson, who argued with Passeri; then both went downstairs. Wirth told Yetkowskas she heard a “bang” and found Thompson on the ground. Wirth tried to stop Passeri, who pushed her to the ground and jumped into a vehicle waiting outside, police said.

The victims didn’t decide to call police until family urged them to.

Passeri faces simple assault, harassment and disorderly conduct charges.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter