Jessup

Holiday event: Holy Ghost Church Christmas Festival, Dec. 21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Holy Ghost Hall in LaSalle Academy, 309 First Ave.; large assortment of Christmas cookies, kolachi, jellies, ornaments, holiday crafts. Proceeds benefit the church front steps repair project.

Keyser Valley

Christmas party: Keyser Valley Senior Citizens annual Christmas party, today, Keyser Valley Community Center; games and refreshments follow short meeting.

North Pocono

Christmas concert: North Pocono High School music department Christmas concert, Tuesday, 7 p.m., high school, featuring orchestra, chorus, show choir and concert band; $3/admission; 570-842-7606.

Musical revue: Kickoff to Christmas dancing, singing and musical revue presented by the Brown Initiative LLC, Saturday, 7 p.m., North Pocono High School, 97 Bochicchio Blvd., Covington Twp., featuring talents of North Pocono High School music department, the Brown Initiative, Diamond Academy of Dance, Electric City Steel Drum Project and Broadway veteran Michelle Bruckner; general admission, $10 online at www.squareup.com/store/thebrowninitiative. or $12 at the door; door prizes, raffle baskets and refreshments.

Scranton

Church event: Asbury United Methodist Church annual singalong, Sunday, 3 p.m., Asbury United Methodist Church, 720 Delaware St.

Prayer service: Longest Night/Blue Christmas Worship Service, Dec. 22, 7 p.m., sanctuary of Hickory Street Presby­terian Church, 435 Hickory St.; Scriptures, music, meditations.

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.

The annual Snow Forge was held Sunday in Old Forge.

Snow Forge is a free holiday-themed event organized by a group of community volunteers.

This year’s events included Santa’s Village Craft Fair, a Festival of Trees, a trolley ride with Mrs. Claus, the lighting of Old Forge’s Christmas tree on the Borough Building lawn and pictures with Santa.

Archbald

After the first substantial snowstorm of the year, borough officials are reminding residents to clean their sidewalks.

“With the first snowstorm, it’s been a problem,” said Assistant Borough Manager Rob Turlip. “Just after the first storm, there’s quite a few people that didn’t shovel their sidewalks.”

The slick, snowy sidewalks can be especially troublesome on areas with a lot of foot traffic like Main Street, he said.

The borough’s quality-of-life ordinance requires that anyone responsible for a property must clear a 30-inch path on the sidewalk, according to Turlip.

Those responsible for residential properties and businesses have to promptly clear the snow, he said. Residents must clear their sidewalks the same day the inclement weather ends or within four hours of sunrise after the weather ends, whichever is longer, according to the borough.

For business districts, sidewalks have to be cleared within two business hours of the weather ceasing, or by the beginning of business hours the next business day after the storm — whichever is shorter, according to the borough.

Anyone who violates the ordinance could be cited, according to Turlip.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Carbondale

The Carbondale Public Library is celebrating the holidays with a variety of Christmas-themed events this month.

The library at 5 N. Main St. will hold:

• A pysanky egg workshop on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The beginner class is about two hours long and will cover the basics for designing the Christmas-themed Ukrainian pysanky eggs. The event will also discuss the history of the eggs. Space is limited and registration is required.

• Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” on Saturday at noon. Clarks Summit native Bob Hughes, an actor and playwright, will perform a rendition of the Christmas tale.

• Don’t Wreck the Holidays on Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. The Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program will hold a free impaired driver safety presentation at the library.

• Grinch’s STEAM Camp for grades three through six, Dec. 30 and 31 from 1 to 4 p.m. The free event will include designing and building a model sled, science experiments, theater arts, a story-building game and an escape room. A light snack will be provided, and registration is required.

To contact the library, call 570-282-4281.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Honesdale

Almost 30 students between the ages of 11 and 13 at Wayne Highlands Middle School are embracing Rotary International’s motto of “service above self” by participating in a fundraiser aimed at eradicating polio worldwide.

The students are members of a new club called Early Act, which is similar to the high school’s Interact club but with younger members. The Interact club is a junior version of Honesdale Rotary. All three clubs — Early Act, Interact and Honesdale Rotary — put on a local and international project as part of their respective charters.

Starting Dec. 16, during lunch, Early Act and Interact members will team up to put on their version of the popular Purple Pinkie Project.

The name stems from Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign, which, along with the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has helped reduce polio cases by 99% since the 1980s. When children receive polio vaccines, their pinkies are dyed purple.

The Purple Pinkie Project will give Wayne Highlands students the chance to have their own pinkies dyed for $1. All proceeds from the multiday drive support the End Polio Now campaign.

— JEFF HORVATH

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Mayfield

The Mayfield Lions Club will host its annual visit with Santa on Sunday at St. John’s Center, 703 Hill St., from 2 to 3 p.m.

The free holiday event will include pizza and refreshments, along with coloring, writing wish lists and a Christmas singalong.

Santa will also read “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” and children can get their photo taken on Santa’s lap.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

Scranton

Downtown is once again decked out with holiday decorations.

Scranton Tomorrow’s annual Holiday Window Decorating Showcase began Friday and will run through Jan. 3.More than 50 businesses

created festive window displays for a Deck the Downtown promotion.

Judges will award prizes in the following categories: Unique; Traditional/Old-Fashioned; Most Retro; Most Whimsical; Most Festive; Best Use of Greens; Best Use of Recycled Materials; Most Childlike; Most Innovative; Most Glamorous/Bling; Best Use of Lights; Most Modern; Best Display of the Spirit of Christmas; Winter Wonderland; and Most Scrantastic.

For information, see www.scrantontomorrow.org or the organization’s Facebook page.

For a map of the participating businesses, see the Scranton Tomorrow website, under Events.

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

South Abington Twp.

Abington Heights’ Music Department will hold a vendor sale from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Friday at Abington Heights High School, 222 Noble Road.

The event will feature 60 local vendors, who will sell jewelry, clothing, food and crafts. There will also be a raffles, including a 50/50. All proceeds will benefit the Abington Heights Music Department.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage@

timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

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

MOSES TAYLOR

BERMEL: A son, Dec. 4, to Nicholas Bermel and Danielle Bonna, Scranton.

DENIKE: A son, Nov. 30, to Dylan and Jordan Fortuner DeNike, Scranton.

FLYNN: A son, Dec. 4, to Anthony and Elizabeth Flynn, Taylor.

GALELLA: A daughter, Nov. 28, to Steve and Lynnae Imdorf Galella, Mountain Top.

HICKMAN: A daughter, Dec. 3, to Dwayne Hickman and Janelle Montigney, Hunlock Creek.

JAMES: A daughter, Dec. 3, to Christopher James and Shayla Vittone, Scranton.

KANE-TRYGAR: A daughter, Nov. 29, to Zachary Trygar and Ashley Kane, Dunmore.

TUCCI: A daughter, Nov. 29, to Michael Tucci Jr. and Paige Amaya Hernandez, Scranton.

TURNER: A son, Dec. 3, to Kenneth and Amanda Turner, Scranton.

WILLIAMS: A daughter, Nov. 29, to John Williams and Fabiana Vargas, Scranton.

WILLIAMS: A daughter, Dec. 4, to Matthew and Melissa Wayman Williams, Old Forge.

In a Sunday message, Bishop of Scranton Joseph C. Bambera called on individual parishes and their members to plan for the next decade amid shifting demographics in church membership, aging buildings and a shrinking number of clergy.

In a video shared on the diocesan website earlier last week and in parishes Sunday, Bambera’s Vision 2020 homily asked members to help define a path forward, tailored for each region and church.

“We must work together to create a manner of responding which is innovative, achievable, and most especially respectful of the mission that we have been given as baptized followers of Jesus,” he said.

— JON O’CONNELL

FOREST CITY — Every morning, the mayor of Forest City walks down the steps of the Main Street home he shares with his partner.

From the sidewalk, Christopher Glinton waves to people driving past his first-floor floral shop.

Glinton, originally from the Bahamas, dreams of a day those residents don’t have to leave for work or to further their educations. He also wants to bring tourists to the borough of 1,900 people — located in Susquehanna County, just over the border from Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

“I’m trying to make Forest City a place you want to live, work and play,” said Glinton, who was appointed mayor last year to fill a vacancy. He won his first full term in November after running unopposed. “I work for the people. I have to do what’s best for the residents.”

Shortly after taking office in July 2018, Glinton started on his first project: bringing higher education to Forest City.

He contacted Johnson College, the Forest City Regional School District and elected representatives. On an old stage in the corner of Ros-Al Floral, he convened a meeting.

“If I’m nuts, you tell me,” he said to the people gathered. He wasn’t.

Starting in January, the two-year college based in Scranton will offer evening for-credit courses at Forest City Regional High School for district students and adults.

“Everything starts with education,” Glinton said. “Now, it’s a reality.”

Since becoming superintendent of the Forest City Regional School District in 2015, Jessica Aquilina, Ed.D.,

has worked to strengthen the relationship with the school district and the communities it serves. With Glinton, she has found a partner.

“He really cares about the community, and that comes through,” she said. “He cares about the kids. We share the same vision. ... I enjoy working with him very much.”

Finding a home

in Forest City

Glinton, 60, grew up in the Bahamas and came to the United States to go to school.

He lived in New Jersey, working for a company that manufactured pool tables and cues. He then worked in admissions for a trade school.

Then the blizzard of 1993 happened. Glinton had come to Forest City to visit friends, including his partner Paul Daugevelo, whom he had met on a Fourth of July cruise on the Hudson River. Some parts of Northeast Pennsylvania saw as much as 2 feet of snow. It took Glinton two weeks to get back to New Jersey.

“What a shame,” he said, laughing.

When he returned to New Jersey, he quit his job and sold his condominium. On his way back to Forest City, he said he handed his necktie to a toll collector at the Dingmans Ferry Bridge.

“It’s been happily ever after,” he said. “I don’t have one regret.”

Daugevelo, who has operated Ros-Al Floral in Forest City for 40 years, taught Glinton about the business and the art of flower arranging. Glinton now spends much of his time working in the Ros-Al location in Carbondale, and he and Daugevelo also plan special events and antique shows.

The partners are now renovating a building across the street from the Forest City shop, creating an event space on the first floor and an Airbnb rental unit above.

“We love what we do,” Glinton said. “We love the challenge.”

Plans as mayor

Growing up in a family interested in politics and public service, Glinton said he always wanted to become more involved with local government.

The longtime community volunteer now has an official title. Glinton earns $600 per year as mayor.

He wants to bring public transportation to Forest City, perhaps inquiring if the County of Lackawanna Transit System could extend service from Carbondale to Forest City. The borough, working with NEP Telephone Company, will also soon have wireless internet downtown, he said.

He also hopes to promote business and economic development and bring more people to the town. A trunk-or-treat event in October attracted 1,000 children, up from 400 the year before.

“The more events, the more stuff we do in this town, it brings people in,” Glinton said. “I’m going to make Forest City known. ... The bigger Forest City is, the other towns around us will benefit.”

On Delaware Street, a block up from Main Street, he wants to create a district with small shops, boutiques and cafes, similar to the towns of New Hope or Jim Thorpe.

He envisions people visiting the borough for the D&H Rail Trail, which runs 38 miles from Simpson to the New York border. Those visitors could stay downtown, shop at boutiques and eat at local cafes. One day, Glinton even hopes to see a souvenir shop and a restaurant so popular diners must make reservations.

“If we all work together, this is going to work,” Daugevelo said, the borough’s Main Street coordinator. “This is a small town that is going to be found.”

Inside Ros-Al in Forest City, Glinton and Daugevelo placed vintage Santas among a variety of other antiques for sale. A bird chirped as customers ordered flower arrangements and as others stopped in to say hello. Daugevelo shaped a bouquet and took another phone call.

“We are about to bloom in a big huge flower garden,” Glinton said. “And we’re going to bloom into a big tree.”

Contact the writer:

shofius@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9133;

@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Dec. 9, 1929

Winton School District

bankrupt, controller says

M.J. Barrett, controller for the borough of Winton, presented a report in Lackawanna County Court declaring that the school district was bankrupt.

The report said the district had $60,000 in unpaid bills and hadn’t paid its teachers in three months. Barrett also detailed how the members of the school board, despite knowing the district’s financial troubles, voted to increase the salary of the district’s solicitor from $600 to $2,500, and added “extras” onto contracts.

He ended his report by noting he was “tired of criticizing the management of school board affairs. If the district is to be saved, also its credit, there must be a bond issue.”

Show girl sues owner

of Carbondale hotel

Samuel Letzic, owner of the Anthracite Hotel in Carbondale, was sued by a show girl for $150,000.

According to the suit, Dolly Bribo alleged that Letzic broke his promise to marry her.

Letzic told a Times reporter that he knew Bribo but had not spoken to her “in a good many months.” He also denied that he “ever made any promises to marry Miss Bribo.”

Bribo was a resident of Wilkes-Barre.

Christmas shopping

at Leonard’s in Scranton

Ivorith toilet set priced between $2.50 and $20; Rotarex electric washer, $99; coffee urn sets, $15.50 to $48; bridge set, $1; cigarette box, $1; gold-encrusted china, $3 to $35; and nickel-plated pie dish, $1.

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 nonprofit Keystone Mission on Olive Street hopes to open a 50-bed homeless shelter in a vacant commercial building in the 500 block of Wyoming Avenue.

The mission seeks a variance from the city zoning board to convert 529-31 Wyoming Ave. into an overnight shelter with a day center and support services for the homeless, according to recent public notices in The Times-Tribune.

The zoning board will hear the application during its meeting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

A Christian-based ministry, the mission has been on Olive Street since 2007.

It is one of the few facilities in the city that help the homeless, many of whom suffer from mental health and/or substance abuse problems.

Not an overnight shelter, the Keystone Mission facility on Olive Street opens a dayroom respite for the homeless, provides free hot meals with worship four nights per week, gives out clothing and other essentials for adults, provides youth clothing and diapers and also holds food distributions.

The proposal for a shelter on Wyoming Avenue would allow for expanded and improved operations, programs and services to help the homeless, said mission CEO Justin Behrens.

The goal is to not only offer beds, but also provide skills in basic needs, job training and other areas, toward reversing a client’s homelessness, he said.

“We want to start a homeless shelter there (on Wyoming Avenue), but we want to build a transformation center,” Behrens said.

Partners would include people who share a calling to help to serve as mentors, teach skills and build long-lasting relationships with the clients, Behrens said. Mental illness or substance abuse may often result in severed relationships that help lead to homelessness, he said. The mission aims to fill the gaps.

“It’s not a lack of money, but a lack of relationships that make people homeless,” he said.

Earlier this year, mission officials spoke of hoping to relocate and offer more extensive

programs aimed at ending cycles of homelessness. Those comments came in response to neighborhood concerns about the mission on Olive Street.

At a city council meeting in March,

several neighbors of the mission described it as long-standing nuisance in their neighborhood. They told of often finding syringes, feces, garbage and other items in the neighborhood, and seeing mission guests engaged in all types of bad activities on nearby sidewalks and streets. Mission officials were sympathetic to the concerns, but said they can only control guests when they’re on mission property. The mission took a three-week break from opening during daytime and pursued relocation options.

The building at 529-31 Wyoming Ave. formerly contained auto/residential/commercial plate glass businesses. The mission needs zoning board approval of a variance for a shelter here because the commercial building is in a light industrial zone, city Planner Don King

said.

If the board approves a shelter at 529-31 Wyoming Ave., the mission would keep the Olive Street property and use it as a food/clothing distribution center for low-income residents, Behrens said.

“It would not be a place for the homeless to come to,” he said of the Olive Street site.

Behrens hopes the community supports the proposal for a homeless shelter on Wyoming Avenue.

“I would ask, before people make a judgment, spend a day to volunteer. This is a place of hope and transformation,” Behrens said of Keystone Mission.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5185;

@jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Lackawanna County detectives charged two area men for trying to entice a teenage boy to have sex with them after separate investigations.

In reality, the teenager was an undercover detective from the district attorney’s office, according to criminal complaints filed late last week by Detective Sheryl Turner.

Christopher Keith O’Connor, 41, 1826 N. Main St., Scranton, is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person younger than 16, criminal use of a communication facility and unlawful contact with a minor.

Keith Gerard Resavy, 58, 240 Spring St., Moosic, is charged with the same counts in addition to a count of disseminating explicit sexual material to a minor because authorities allege he sent lewd photographs as well.

According to an affidavit, O’Connor first appeared hesitant when the detective said she was a 14-year-old boy, telling her “I’m a cop, see ya.”

He explained that he was from New York and sent a picture of him holding a badge that had “Fugitive Recovery Agent” on it. It is unclear what, if any, affiliation with law enforcement he has. He was criminally charged in Pennsylvania three other times since 1998, though not for child sex abuse, according to court records.

However, the two soon discussed taking a bath together. The online conversation grew more explicit from there.

They made plans to meet after discussing having sex and detectives arrested O’Connor.

Resavy had no such initial qualms upon learning the purported age of the person he was messaging. The undercover detective said she wanted sex. Resavy said, “I could fix that.” Soon, Resavy messaged an explicit photograph to the detective he thought was a child.

They agreed to meet. Instead, he ended up in handcuffs.

Both were jailed at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of bail — $175,000 for O’Connor; $30,000 for Resavy.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Monday.

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

A West Pittston man told a woman he met through an online dating app that he wanted to film her having sex with her 10-year-old son.

By that point, however, Craig Anthony Malinauskas was no longer speaking with the person he met through MeetMe; she had reported his comments to the Lackawanna County district attorney’s office a few days earlier.

Malinauskas was unknowingly speaking with Detective Sheryl Turner.

Malinauskas, 49, 300 Exeter Ave., will stand trial on numerous child sex abuse charges, including attempted rape of a child, a district judge ruled after a preliminary hearing Monday in Central Court.

Malinauskas’ attorney, Robert Munley, declined to comment after the hearing.

Testimony at the hearing came from Turner. Assistant District Attorney Bo Loughney prosecuted.

District Attorney Mark Powell said that cases involving the sexual exploitation of children will be vigorously pursued.

According to Turner’s affidavit, a woman approached the district attorney’s office Oct. 24 to report Malinauskas, a man she met through the dating website. She became concerned once he started making statements like how boys are not “my thing” and asking if she had “any nieces.” He said he likes single mothers and their daughters.

Details are vague in a criminal complaint, but it suggests the crime occurred in Moosic.

Beginning Oct. 24, Turner took over the messaging account the woman had been using to speak with Malinauskas and continued the conversation.

The statements Malinauskas made became increasingly graphic as they discussed sex acts involving an 11-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl.

At one point, he explicitly said he’d be willing to “rape” the young girl.

On Oct. 30, he drove to meet them and said he would give them a “10 minute head start” so the woman and the two children could be undressed by the time he arrived.

Then authorities moved in to arrest him.

He remains free on $100,000 bail.

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

From Curt Camoni’s perspective, no matter where the Lackawanna River eventually finishes in voting for 2020 Pennsylvania River of the Year, the local waterway is already a winner.

“There is no downside to being in the running for the best of something,” said Camoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Monday the Lackawanna is once again among the nominees for the commonwealth’s River of the Year. The other four finalists as selected by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers are:

-- Brandywine Creek

-- Buffalo Creek

-- Connoquenessing Creek

-- Ohio River

Members of the public can vote online for their favorite through Jan. 17 at POWR’s website — pariveroftheyear.org — or on the group’s Facebook page.

The Lackawanna has finished third in the River of the Year balloting each of the last two years.

In the 2019 competition, the river received 2,852 votes in finishing behind the Clarion River, which claimed the title with 5,850 of the 14,790 votes cast, and the Delaware River, which was the runner-up with 4,748 votes.

Bernie McGurl, executive director of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association, said those results seem to indicate the river basically would have to double its vote total “if we want to have any say on a statewide basis.”

That is especially true with Lackawanna going up against one waterway — the Ohio River — with an obviously much, much larger constituency, he said.

“We just keep plugging away and maybe one of these years we’ll get lucky and enough people will say, ‘I’m going to go online and vote for our river and make it River of the Year,” McGurl said. “We need everyone to vote for us. That’s the bottom line.”

Although he’d love on announce at the LRCA’s annual ShiverFest extreme kayak/canoe race on Jan. 18 that the Lackawanna is the winner, McGurl said just being considered for the designation reinforces the idea “that we have a resource here that people care about.”

“It shows we have our eyes on the ball,” he said. “We want people to come and love our river and enjoy our river and find out what’s good about it, what’s bad about it and how they can make it better. That’s what we are all about — stewardship of the beautiful resource that is our river and its watershed.”

Camoni said while coming out on top in the voting would be amazing from a tourism and hospitality standpoint, there is also value in simply being part of the conversation. Adventure tourism and activities such as hiking, canoeing and kayaking are very popular right now, particularly among millennials, he said.

“You have people who will look at this list (of nominees) and want to go to every single one of those rivers to see them. ... It also gives us an opportunity to talk about all the different events like RiverFest and the heritage trail and the things that surround the river,” Camoni said.

DCNR said after a waterway is chosen for the annual honor, local groups will implement a year-long slate of activities and events to celebrate the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn. The organization nominating the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership grant from DCNR to help fund River of the Year activities.

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

2020 Pennsylvania River of the Year nominees

Brandywine Creek

The Brandywine Creek is made up of the East Branch, West Branch, and the Main Stem of the Brandywine for a total of 60 water miles. The headwaters in both the East and West branches have been designated as “high quality” and are annually stocked with trout for recreational fishing, yet the overall watershed faces development pressures associated with the expanding footprint of the Philadelphia region. Runoff pollution, flooding and erosion have earned many areas of the Brandywine the designation of “impaired.” The loss of riparian buffer cover due to land development presents the greatest challenge to the quality and health of the Brandywine Creek system. Keeping the water swimmable and fishable is a constantly challenging reality, about which landowners and farmers need constant education and support. Guardians of the Brandywine’s educational and volunteer restoration projects are all working to protect and improve the water’s quality.

Buffalo Creek

Buffalo Creek is a 34-mile tributary of the Allegheny River that drains into eastern Butler, western Armstrong and a very small portion of northern Allegheny Counties in western Pennsylvania. An Audubon-designated Important Bird Area and high-quality watershed, Buffalo Creek is an area of high biological diversity and home to many species of conservation concern. This scenic river is important ecologically, recreationally, economically and culturally. The watershed is popular for recreational activities such as fishing, paddling and hiking. Conservation challenges include development, forest fragmentation, stormwater impacts, Marcellus shale gas extraction, erosion, sedimentation, nutrients, invasive species, acid mine drainage and the wooly hemlock adelgid. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania works to restore the watershed. Activities include riparian buffer restoration, permitting and planning for the Buffalo Creek Nature Center along Little Buffalo Creek, environmental education in the Freeport Area School District and public education.

Connoquenessing Creek

Connoquenessing Creek is an important waterway in western Pennsylvania, flowing 54 miles through Butler, Beaver and Lawrence counties and providing many recreational activities for the community such as fishing, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, inner tubing, hiking, camping, wildlife watching and relaxing. The waterway is very diverse, and the lower section contains several miles of whitewater rapids. At one time the creek provided clean drinking water to several communities; however, due to decades of abuse and neglect the water is no longer safe to drink. Tragically, Connoquenessing Creek has become an endangered natural resource. The creek was rated the second most polluted waterway in America in 2000 due to detrimentally high nitrate levels from industrial discharge. Waste continues to be directly dumped into the creek by illegal dumping and annual flooding. Allegheny Aquatic Alliance has focused on this waterway due to its deplorable conditions. Since 2012, they have developed several different programs and projects to restore and protect Connoquenessing Creek.

Lackawanna River

The Lackawanna River flows for 60 miles through Susquehanna, Wayne, Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. The Lackawanna River has been adversely impacted by the anthracite coal mining industry, railroad, industrial and urban development over the past 200 years. With the abandonment of the anthracite mines in the 1960s and the development of modern sanitary treatment works, the river has staged a remarkable recovery. The Lackawanna now sustains a vibrant coldwater “Class A” fishery in its middle and upper reaches. It attracts more paddlers every year. The Lackawanna River Citizens Plan of 1989 and the Lackawanna Heritage Plan of 1990 are leading the development of an extensive river trail and greenway system. There are still many unmet needs for the river’s complete restoration. The Lackawanna River Conservation Association is currently developing a watershed stewardship program to train and involve active participants in hands on watershed stewardship work.

Ohio River

The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. It ends 981 miles downstream in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River. At this convergence, the Ohio is larger than the Mississippi. The Ohio River supplies drinking water and provides recreational uses for over 5 million people. The water quality and ecology of the Ohio River has been influenced in the last 100 years by industrial expansion, dam building, sand and gravel dredging, coal mining and steel manufacturing. Just 50 years ago, the Ohio River ran red with unregulated pollution and was quite inhospitable to aquatic life, which decimated fish populations. The Ohio River has experienced a rebirth and now represents one of the most diverse freshwater ecosystems on earth. The Ohio River Trail Council, Friends of the Riverfront and RiverWise collaborate in planning, education and community revitalization initiatives along the riverfront.

— PENNSYLVANIA ORGANIZATION FOR WATERSHEDS AND RIVERS

A South Scranton retailer of restaurant-grade food and equipment will close at the start of the year.

Employees at Maines Food & Party Warehouse, 733 Davis St., learned the store is closing to the public Jan. 1.

Efforts to reach officials with the store’s parent company, Conklin, New York-based Maines Paper and Food Service Inc. were unsuccessful Monday.

The Scranton store is one of the distribution company’s four retail spots. Another is in Forty Fort, which is not closing. The other two are in New York.

Maines first arrived in Scranton in 2006 bringing public access to restaurant-grade food and supplies with no club membership required.

Back then it was called MainSource and opened a store at Oak Street and Keyser Avenue. Maines opened the Forty Fort store about the same time and revealed plans to open 20 in all across its service area, which now includes more than 35 states.

Three years later, the Scranton store outgrew its space and expanded with a brand new 20,000-square-foot building on Davis Street and doubled its employee roster.

“I’m surprised because I always thought they did a great business there,” said Glider Diner owner Charlie LeStrange.

He shopped Maines more frequently when it was in North Side, and closer to his Providence Road restaurant, but said he still ventured down to South Side, most recently a few months ago for a commercial toaster.

A retail store like Maines makes sense for restaurant owners who need supplies in a pinch, LeStrange said, but otherwise food service sales reps offer full lines of equipment.

“You’re more inclined to order from them,” he said.

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

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP.

A Scranton woman broke a window and threatened her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend last month, police said.

Tiffany Marie Correll, 21, 1421 Schlager St., walked into a rear foyer at 307 Edella Road in South Abington Twp. on Nov. 30 and told her ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend that she was going to beat them up, police said. Correll was banging on a window and the glass shattered, according to a criminal complaint.

She is charged with burglary, terroristic threats and related charges. Correll is free on $20,000 unsecured bail with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 16.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

CARBONDALE

Police arrested a Greenfield Twp. man trying to sell cocaine in the city Sunday, officers said.

Officers arranged a drug sale with Christopher D. Liples, 30, 113 Ruthland Ave., through a confidential informant, according to a criminal complaint. Police set up surveillance on North Main Street when they saw Liples arrive about 6 p.m.

When police told Liples to exit his car, they saw him try to toss two bags of white power under his vehicle, police said.

Officers found the bags, which contained a total of 4.68 grams of cocaine.

Liples is charged with possession with intent to deliver and related charges. He is free after posting $30,000 bond with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 19 at 9 a.m.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

DUNMORE — A developer went before council Monday night to request a 10-year tax abatement term for a medical office complex expansion on Meade Street, but Councilman Michael McHale raised concerns over a sewer repair bill that the borough had to pay.

Chris Speicher, managing member of Dunmore Professional Center LP, asked council for a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance designation to more competitively market 3.3 acres south of the existing medical plaza on Meade Street. Under LERTA terms, property owners are exempt from paying some or all taxes on improvements done to a property.

Constructed about two decades ago on mine-scarred land, the professional center currently has around 30 firms operating out of it, which employ about 150 to 175 people, Speicher said.

Speicher hopes to add up to 60,000 square feet of medical offices in the expansion, but without a tax abatement in place, he’s struggling to find a buyer.

“It’s almost impossible to market it against another property that has some tax advantage associated with it,” Speicher said.

He told council that he lost “three potential very, very good medical groups” because the property did not have a tax incentive in place.

McHale questioned the developer about an issue with a sewer line that led to sewage leaking down the street. The borough had to pay for emergency repairs because no one else would, he said.

“We had, literally, waste going down the street,” McHale said, explaining it wasn’t the borough’s responsibility to pay for the repairs. “We had to step in because nobody, nobody would step up and take care of it. ... I, personally, to vote for your project, I’d like $8,500 to be earmarked to give back to us.”

The leak occurred in September 2018, borough Manager Vito Ruggiero said.

Speicher said the sewage leak resulted from a property owner improperly connecting into the medical plaza’s sewer line.

“The property owner tied it in,” Speicher said. “I don’t know how I could be held responsible for work that I did not contract for, that he contracted for, and that his contractor did improperly.”

Speicher said a dye test showed that the leak occurred from the tie-in, and he believed either the property owner or the property owner’s contractor were responsible to pay for the repairs.

“If it’s our responsibility, I promise you I will pay for it,” he said.

Council expects to discuss the LERTA request during its next meeting Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.

The Dunmore School District already approved the LERTA, Speicher said, and both council and Lackawanna County have to approve the request for it to take effect.

Council on Monday also passed its 2020 budget, which did not raise taxes.

Contact the writer:

flesnefsky

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5181;

@flesnefskyTT on Twitter

High notes

HERSHEY

A South Scranton Intermediate School teacher received recognition Monday as one of 12 finalists for Pennsylvania teacher of the year.

Science teacher Katona Miller, whose hands-on approach captivates her science students, was joined at the ceremony by Superintendent Melissa McTiernan and former student Jeannie Rafferty.

Joseph Welch, a middle school teacher in the North Hills School District in Allegheny County, was named the 2020 Pennsylvania teacher of the year. The announcement was made during the SAS Institute, the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s annual professional development conference.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

SCRANTON

Johnson College received a $5,000 grant to help fund a program to spay and neuter pets for low-income individuals, the school announced Monday.

Johnson College Animal Care Center received the grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, which is administered by Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Under the program, people who earn less than $25,000 can have their animals spayed or neutered at the clinic, according to the college. Individuals need to provide documentation, and if the animal is deemed healthy, the center will perform the procedure.

— FRANK WILKES LESNEFSKY

A bill proposed Monday by state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski would give Pennsylvania homeowners an $800 school property tax rebate regardless of how much their property is worth.

The $2.8 billion rebate would be paid for by an increase to the personal income tax from 3.07% to 3.49% and a sales tax increase on certain luxury items.

Every wage earner who makes $190,000

or less and pays school property taxes would benefit under the plan, said Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre.

The Universal Property Tax Relief Rebate is a “practical and balanced” way to help senior citizens and the middle class stay in their homes and is more realistic than calls to eliminate school taxes altogether, Pashinski said. Total elimination would cost $14 billion per year, he said.

“It’s reasonable and it does not negatively impact any segment of the population. It does help seniors the most, the working class next,” Pashinski said Monday of his bill.

The average homeowner in Northeast Pennsylvania pays about $1,500 in school taxes per year, so the $800 rebate proposal amounts to a more than 50% cut, Pashinski said. Around the state, the average taxes are between $2,000 to $2,200 per year, so the proposal still would be a 33% reduction, Pashinski said.

Since most seniors don’t work and won’t pay the personal income tax increase, they would get the full $800 benefit, Pashinski said.

A homeowner with a $30,000 income would see a $674 net gain, while someone making $190,000 would essentially break even by netting $2, according to a chart provided by Pashinski.

“We wanted to show how this will affect your personal situation,” Pashinski said.

The bill has 18 co-sponsors, including state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-119, Newport Twp. The proposal will now be considered by the finance committee.

The approximately $2.8 billion in replacement revenues to pay for the plan would come from an estimated $2.05 billion in additional PIT revenue and $765 million from the expansion of the current sales and use tax to things such as professional sports tickets, non-health related personal care services and cosmetic services to buildings and dwellings.

Personal care services are defined as hair cutting, styling, shampooing, coloring, waving hair, shaving, beard trimming, providing facials, hair removal services, applying makeup, nail care services, massage, non-medical diet and weight reduction services.

Building services are defined as various maintenance and landscaping jobs.

Pashinski’s proposal comes days after lawmakers unveiled a monthslong study about property tax relief including five plans, one that eliminates school property taxes all together.

Pashinski called his bill “a step in the right direction.”

“I believe this is the most balanced and fair plan put forth that provides real relief to property tax payers without penalizing the very people we are trying to help ... ” Pashinski said. “... Should this program be successfully implemented, it could point us in the right direction for how to provide additional property tax relief in the future.”

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2055;

@cvbobkal on Twitter

A proposed school tax rebate plan unveiled Monday would provide $800 to every homeowner in Pennsylvania. The plan, which includes an increase to the personal income tax for workers, would be a net gain for all households making $190,000 or less, according to state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre.

Income: Current PIT Proposed PIT Net benefit

3.07% 3.49%

$30,000 $921 $1,047 $674

$50,000 $1,535 $1,745 $590

$100,000 $3,070 $3,490 $380

$150,000 $4,605 $5,235 $170

$190,000 $5,833 $6,631 $2

In addition to a proposed increase to the personal income tax, there is a proposed tax increase on professional sports tickets, non-health related personal care services and professional services to buildings.

Personal care services (non-health related): hair cutting, styling, shampooing, coloring, waving hair, shaving, beard trimming, providing facials, hair removal services, applying makeup, nail care services, massage, non-medical diet and weight reduction services, day spas, saunas, ear piercing, steam baths, non-medical hair replacement, hair weaving, tanning and tattoo services.

Services to buildings: janitorial, custodial, housekeeping/cleaning/maid, cleaning, building exteriors, window cleaning, landscaping, arborist, lawn fertilizing, garden maintenance, lawn mowing, mulching, seeding, plant and shrub maintenance in buildings, tree and shrub pruning, trimming and removal, weed control (except crop), turf installation, landscape design, installation of walkways, retaining walls, decks, fences and ponds, snow plowing/removal, carpet and upholstery cleaning, exterminating and pest control, swimming pool cleaning, chimney cleaning, ventilation duct cleaning, drain or gutter cleaning, driveway cleaning.

SOURCE: STATE REP. EDDIE DAY PASHINSKI, D-121, WILKES-BARRE

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Michael Joseph Tancredi and Stephanie Marie Spires, both of Archbald.

■ Katie Elizabeth Richardson and Dennis Edward Engles Jr., both of Scranton.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ J. Peter and Rachel A. Winebrake, Clarks Summit, to Todd Allan and Kathleen Visneski, Clarks Summit; a property at 110 High St., Clarks Summit, for $275,000.

■ Jon and Tiona Beckley, Moscow, to John Richard III and Lindsay M. Croom, Moscow; a property at 923 Parkview Drive, Moscow, for $398,000.

■ Raymond and Sandra Wascavage, Old Forge, to Liddic Enterprises LLC, Clarks Summit; a property at 508 Maple St., Old Forge, for $37,000.

■ Samuel Morales, Boynton Beach, Fla., to Janice A. Geary and Geraldine M. Crane, Staten Island, N.Y.; a property at Eagle Lake, Covington Twp., for $127,000.

■ Andrew J. Summa, individually and as executor of the estate of Janet A. Summa, Dunmore, to East Lane Realty LLC, Clarks Summit; a property in Clarks Summit for $500,000.

■ John P. and Lynn C. Mooney, Pennsylvania, to Hop Doan, Pennsylvania; a property at 10 Debbie Drive, Dunmore, for $235,000.

■ Stephen T. Lezinski and Aimee G. Sweeney, co-executors of the estate of Grace Louise Lezinski, also known as Grace L. Lezinski, Scott Twp., to Elizabeth Bizik; a property at 514 Justus Blvd., Scott Twp., for $65,000.

■ Thomas J. III and Susan E. Hazelton, Blakely, to James Jacob Decker, Scranton; two parcels at 317 Line St., Olyphant, for $72,000.

■ Patricia and William Wagner, Moscow, to Hawk Enterprises LLC, Clarks Green; two parcels in Scranton for $250,000.

■ Robert G. and Wendy Dennis, Blakely, to Jeremy and Christy DeLorm, Dickson City; a property at 703 Adele Drive, Blakely, for $233,000.

■ Nancy McCarthy, by her agent, Brian McCarthy, Clarks Summit, to J. Peter and Rachel A. Winebrake, Clarks Summit; a property at 75 Hedge Row Run, Clarks Summit, for $366,500.

■ KML Law Group PC, attorney-in-fact for Fannie Mae, also known as Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas, to Leslie A. and Paul T. Uhrin; a property at 417 Justus Blvd., Scott Twp., for $142,900.

■ Catherine Moran and Ralph Falcone, Farmingdale, N.Y., as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, to Sara Dellecave and Anthony Cimahosky; a property at 1007 Sunset Ave., Glenburn Twp., for $168,000.

■ Christopher A. Grippi and Anna L. Friedman, now by marriage Anna L. Grippi, Scranton, to Gunvantrai, Padmaben G. and Mruga Patel, Scranton, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 920 Orchard St., Scranton, for $160,000.

■ Joseph F. Jr. and Jennifer Minicozzi, and Thomas and Suzanne Marie Czajkowski, to Charles Edward and Mary Margaret Stephens; a property at Big Bass Lake, Clifton Twp., for $204,000.

■ Michael E. Brier and Patricia Corbett to Ecaterina Iriza; a property at 102 Emerson Close, Moosic, for $450,000.

■ Carl and Bernice McAndrew, Scranton, to Onan M. Ordonez-Aguilar, Scranton; a property at 1749 Clearview St., Scranton, for $65,000.

■ Joshua R. and Sarah Braddell, Lackawanna County, to John N. and Lisa A. Schmidt, Lackawanna County; a property at 112 Jennifer Drive, South Abington Twp., for $249,500.

■ John N. and Lisa A. Schmidt, South Abington Twp., to Thomas R. Jr. and Nicole M. Ralicke, Scranton; a property at 502 Leach St., South Abington Twp., for $174,000.

■ Ward J. O’Donnell, executor of the estate of Edward J. O’Donnell Jr., Scranton, to DDCF LLC, Wilkes-Barre; a property at 844 N. Lincoln Ave., Scranton, for $35,000.

DIVORCE DECREES

■ Susan Welsh v. Scott Welsh

■ Paul O’Malley v. Joy O’Malley

■ Constance Mecca v. Paul Brown Jr.

ESTATES FILED

■ Sally A. Rosser, 1148 W. Locust St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Richard D. Rosser Jr., 1144 W. Locust St., Scranton, Linda J. Smith, 722 W. Elm St., Scranton, and Karen L. Cole, 14 Deer Run Drive, Tunkhannock.

■ Joseph George Kapinus, also known as Joseph G. Kapinus and Joseph G. Kapinus Jr., 177 Chapman Lake Road, Scott Twp., letters testamentary to Theodore P. Kapinus, 116 Kapinus Road, Scott Twp.

■ Margaret M. Opeil, 187 Opeil Road, Jermyn, letters testamentary to Thomas Opeil, 116 Creamery Road, Jermyn.

■ Francis Gilgallon, also known as Frank Gilgallon, 172 Spruce St., Archbald, letters testamentary to Martin Gilgallon, 18 Old Mill Road, Jermyn.

■ Mary Piazza, 1234-9 Bryn Mawr St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Joseph Piazza, same address.

■ Josephine A. Valencia, 614 Edith St., Old Forge, letters testamentary to Joseph F. Valencia, 828 Spring St., Moosic.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/court