Meetings

NERMA

Northeast Retired Military Association, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Mira’s Tavern, 327 Chestnut St., Dunmore.

AMVETS POST 189

Thursday, Polish Club, Dupont; Joe Sylvester, 570-961-2696.

Merli Center

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

Monday: Morning visits, 8:45; Bible study, 9:30; Northeast Intermediate School students performance, 10:30; Reflections music program, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4; Bible club, 2 south lounge, 4; holiday lights at Nay Aug Park, 6:30.

Tuesday: Morning visits, 8:45; Tobyhanna Christmas party trip, 10; GMVC choir Christmas concert with holiday treats 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4.

Wednesday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; Voices of the Valley, 10:30; Subway dine-in, 12:15 p.m.; resident welfare fund, 1:15; trivia, 2; Catholic service, 3; unit visits, 4; poker night, 2 north, 7:30.

Thursday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; chapel service, 10; ring toss, third floor, 10; U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright singing and playing guitar, doughnuts and cocoa, 10; elf visits, 1 p.m.; Mark Woodatt holiday spectacular, 2; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Friday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; high-bol, third floor, 10:15; ugly sweater party with Millennium performing and cake, 2 p.m.; senior fitness, 3; unit visits, 4.

Saturday: Morning visits, 8:45 a.m.; discussion starters, second floor, 10:15; Frankie Gervasi music program, 2 p.m.; unit visits, 4.

SUBMIT VETERANS NEWS no later than Monday before publication to veterans@timessham

rock.com or YES!desk, The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503.

1960: The Household Outfitting Company opened on Lackawanna Avenue in 1902, selling “everything that is necessary in fitting up a house in the most comfortable and luxurious manner possible,” from carpets to bedroom suites and refrigerators to go-carts. The store moved into a larger, four-story building at 312-314 Lackawanna Ave., featuring two large display windows, which became a popular Christmas attraction, drawing crowds of shoppers and inspiring wish lists.

2019: Household Outfitting closed in 1962. The building continued to house various furniture stores — Troy, Lee, and Ufberg — until it was razed to make way for the Steamtown Mall in the early 1990s. Festive holiday windows are still a popular sight downtown, and can be seen in many small businesses in Scranton during the holiday season.

— RESEARCH COURTESY LACKAWANNA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Abington Heights

Freshman Faith Bennett is already a business owner.

After volunteering her artistic ability at her church’s bazaar, she evolved her hobby into a side business — Faith’s Fun Faces.

The face-painting company is run solely by Faith on the weekends for birthday parties and other events.

“I like how it motivates me and helps me to look forward to expressing my artistic ability in a fun way,” she said. “I love how excited it makes the kids to look in the mirror after I am done.”

Faith enjoys spending time perfecting her artistic craft, including drawing and painting.

She is also a member of the tennis team, Girl Scouts, plays the cello and takes pointe, ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical dance classes at Abington Civic League.

One of her favorite things to do is work as a counselor in training at Camp Archbald.

In the future she hopes to attend an Ivy League college and become an international lawyer.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Carbondale Area

Eighth grader Holly Burke is a member of Carbondale Area’s Young Scholars Competition team.

“It’s a really amazing opportunity that we get to do this,” she said. “I’m sure it will be an awesome learning experience and I’m looking forward to competing. It’s nice to know that all the hard work pays off.”

The team, including Juliette Racht and Jocelyn Brown, had its first academic quiz bowl match in early November at Scranton Prep, competing against more than 30 schools from Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Career Technology Center of

Lackawanna County

Thomas Conklin, a senior from Lakeland in the service occupations program, returned to school this year with a positive attitude and a determined work ethic. 

“He does an outstanding job in service occupations and is motivated to go above and beyond to do his best,” according to the school. “Thomas constantly volunteers to do numerous tasks. You can find Thomas working nonstop throughout the school day as he works from bell to bell. Thomas is a great example of a hard worker and is a role model to the other students in class.”

Thomas, a member of the bowling club at Lakeland, enjoys reading and playing video games.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133;
@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Dunmore

Senior Briana Catanzaro won first place in the Lackawanna/Susquehanna Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ annual Celebrate Sober Art Contest.

“I was shocked to win and am so excited and honored to have my work chosen” she said. “Art allows me to express myself, and I am proud to show it on a billboard.”

Briana’s marker and colored pencil design is a peek through a window into a cozy home of a family celebrating Christmas, with the caption: “Stay warm. Stay cozy. Celebrate sober.”

It will be featured on billboards throughout the area and on a pin that was distributed throughout local school districts.

“I wanted to express the coziness that love and family give, and I hope you can see that in my design,” she said. Briana also hopes viewers of her billboard will consider her message of celebrating the holidays in a sober state with friends and family.

She is a member of the art club, SADD club, Spanish club, National Honor Society, chorus and show choir.

After graduation, Briana will major in criminal justice with hopes of becoming a probation officer.

Five competition finalists were from Dunmore High School, including Sierra Sherman and Madelynn Senatore, who received honorable mention; Maria Micciche, who won third place; and Hadassah Schork, second place.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Elk Lake

Despite having brain decompression surgery in April, junior Taegan Mills returned to the golf team and was named to the 2019 All Region all-star team.

“I am grateful that I was able to recover and have a successful golf season,” she said.

Taegan began having severe headaches in fall 2018. She saw several doctors and was finally diagnosed with Chiari malformation in March.

“I thought I’d get back to normal after a month or two, but it was a lot harder to recover than I expected,” she said. “Getting back to school was hard because I was tired all the time. It was hard for me to accept that I had to rest so much because I’ve always been really active.”

Taegan also participated in CrossFit and skiing, and is student council secretary. She is the class of 2021 vice president and a member of prom steering, Spanish club, Future Business Leaders of America and National Honor Society. She plans to become a lawyer.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Forest City Regional

Members of the National Honor Society, including senior Tyler Skotch, helped with the Family to Family Thanksgiving program at the Scranton Cultural Center as a service project. The students helped with the distribution, assisting the families in finding their baskets and carrying them to their cars. “I felt happy to be a part in helping local families in need during the holiday season,” said Tyler, who worked for three or more hours with the project.

He is also active with volleyball, band and Envirothon, does service work at a local church and works a part-time job. Tyler plans to major in civil engineering at college.

— LISA ZACCAGNINO

lzaccagnino

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9130

Howard Gardner

Eighth grade student Emily Kessler is one of eight students who participated in this year’s Women’s Suffrage Exhibition at the Steamtown National Historic Site.

Emily said her poster “is about equal rights for women because I feel as a woman that this is an important issue.”

This is not her first exhibition for human rights, as Emily also participated in the International Hexagon Project. Emily very much enjoys “using art as a means of expression,” she said.    

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133;
@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Lackawanna Trail

Senior Taylor Kilmer is writing a novel as an independent study with her creative writing teacher, Mrs. Hopkins.

“I really enjoy writing, but 10,000 words per month is a big commitment,” she said. “Sometimes I can write two-to-three-thousand words in a weekend at home, and other times I struggled to write 200. It has been really fun so far.”

Each month, Taylor and her peers participate in a peer editing session after school. While Taylor began the project for the enjoyment of writing, she hopes to one day publish a novel if given the opportunity.

Taylor is a varsity cheerleader. She plans to study biology after graduation at a local four-year college or university.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Lakeland

Sophomore Hunter Smith was Student of the Month.

Hunter was chosen for his work ethic, positivity and excellent class engagement.

“I was really surprised when I saw my locker decorated,” Hunter said. “I didn’t know I’d won until I saw it.”

Hunter enjoys playing video games and plans to join the National Guard after graduation.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mid Valley

Zach Rebar will take on the role of the Cowardly Lion in Mid Valley’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”

“It’s pretty sweet because my dad was in the play too,” he said. “It’s exciting because this is my first time in a play and it’s also a lead role.”

Zach plays football, runs track and field and enjoys hockey. After graduation, he plans to study criminal justice in college.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Mountain View

Seventh grader Zayandre Bradford was a perfect attendance raffle winner.

“Perfect attendance is easy to do,” he said. “I come to school every day, so I don’t have to make any work up.”

Zayandre participates in baseball, basketball and football. He plans to become a veterinarian.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

North Pocono

Senior Mary Kate Yatsonsky is a three-year member of National Honor Society who has achieved high honors every quarter throughout high school and is ranked sixth in her graduating class. 

“I feel it is very important to create your own opportunities for success,” she said. “I try to embrace that philosophy with all I do.”

The four-year varsity golfer was chosen as MVP and captain of the team. She was also chosen a 2019 All Region golfer by The Times-Tribune. Mary Kate is president of the school’s Interact club and a member of the North Pocono Buddies club. She plans to graduate with her associate degree from Lackawanna College in May — before she graduates from high school.

At Lackawanna College, she is part of the Level Up Program and is treasurer of the high school Business Scholars Program at the University of Scranton, where she also takes classes. On Sunday mornings, she volunteers at the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, where she has logged more than 300 hours. She plans to major in accounting while achieving her MBA in an accelerated program. 

— SARAH

HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timessham
rock.com;

570-348-9133;
@hofius
hallTT on Twitter

Old Forge

Eighth grade student Abagayle Toraldo was named a Devil Pride Student of the Month for November.

”I was so excited because I was not expecting this award,” she said. “I was sick on the day the awards were presented and I was upset I was not able to be in the group photo. However, my teachers and friends were emailing me to congratulate me, which made me feel very happy and proud.”

Abagayle is also a member of the student council, French club and science club, plays basketball and dances.  

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133;
@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Scranton

West Scranton High School senior Kailey DeFina is a semifinalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Students are selected based on GPA, class rank, community involvement and service hours. Of the approximately 93,000 applicants, only 1,928 were chosen as semifinalists. Kailey is now working on her second round of applications, which focus on school activities, community involvement, volunteer work, after-school employment, written essays, recommendations and school transcripts. Finalists will be announced in February.

The drum major for the Marching Invaders is involved with drama club, mock trial, chess club, chorus club, technology club and Latin club. She is a student in honors and Advanced Placement classes and participated in the Stanford University Intensive Law and Trial Program  in California last year. Outside of school she works with the Girl Scouts in volunteer and service projects and as a counselor. She hopes to study sociology and legal studies in college next year.

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133;
@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Scranton Prep

Senior Fiona Neville  represented Prep at the Ignatian Family Teach-In on Social Justice in Washington, D.C., which is the largest annual Catholic social justice conference in the United States.

“At the Family Teach-In, we spent two days learning about relevant, multifaceted issues affecting intersecting communities in our country and around the world,” Fiona said. “On the third day, we went to Capitol Hill and spoke to Senator Casey’s aides about climate justice and immigration and advocated for our brothers and sisters affected by these crises. We lived out St. Ignatius’ message of showing our love and compassion in our actions to attend the Teach-In and advocate for the marginalized.”

Fiona participates in the St. Joseph of Arimathea Funeral Ministry, cross country, track, Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre and Model United Nations. She was also a commended student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship program. In college, she plans to study health promotion and disease prevention — health sciences from a social perspective.   

— SARAH HOFIUS HALL

shofius@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9133;
@hofiushallTT on Twitter

Susquehanna Community

Senior Ryan Armitage won the Brandon Burlsworth Character and Sportsmanship Award, which honors an athletic performer who represents the ideals and values shown by Brandon Burlsworth, including giving 100% on the field and standing as a moral example to his team.

“I was shocked when my coach announced I won the award,” he said. “I really did not know how to react. It really made me happy and proud because of the work I put in these past few seasons on and off the field. At practice and in games, I would always try to be encouraging to younger players because I was a younger player not so long ago, and I remember everything that my upperclassmen taught and said to me.”

Ryan participates in football, wrestling, baseball, drama club, band, chorus and Friends of Starrucca Creek.

He played the role of the Beast in the school’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” in the spring.

Ryan plans to further his education and pursue a career with the state police.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Valley View

Lauren Walsh was November’s Senior of the Month in family and consumer science.

“I am honored to be chosen as Senior of the Month. It is rewarding knowing that I am succeeding in the career path I plan to pursue in the future,” she said. “I am thankful I had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Kinney in the child development program.”

The award is sponsored by the Valley View student council and the Blakely/Peckville Lions Club.

Lauren is also a member of the cross country and track and field teams, National Honor Society, Math Honor Society and other clubs. She plans to attend Marywood University and major in early childhood education.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

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

@kbolusTT on Twitter

Wallenpaupack Area

Katianna DiCarlo, a second grader at Wallenpaupack North Primary, is always excited to come to school and speak with her teachers and classmates. She is having a great time researching whales in her English language arts class. She also has fun writing creative stories and coming up with different characters. She excels in math class, and loves to share the strategies she uses to solve math problems.

Kat also enjoys playing with Barbies and running on the playground. Her favorite holiday tradition is watching Christmas movies with her family.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Wayne Highlands

Lucas Murray placed first in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen Youth Essay Competition.

The theme of the competition was “What Makes America Great.” In his essay, Lucas focused on the freedoms we have as Americans and the diversity of our country. He also honored the military, pointing out how his grandfather served with the National Guard. To conclude, Lucas called for unity to show the world how America is truly wonderful.

Lucas was honored to read his essay at the recent Veterans Day assembly. He will now advance to the regional level of the competition.

“It was an honor being in front of so many selfless people, especially my grandfather, at the assembly reading of their deeds that make America great,” he said.

The seventh grader is treasurer of the student council, a member of the band, and participates in basketball and soccer.

Lucas loves politics and history, and plans to become a lawyer.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

Western Wayne

James Fryzel is a member of the high school’s new Student Ambassador Program, in which selected students greet community members who enter the school.

“I am learning how the business world works and how to communicate professionally with others,” he said. “I am also learning how to present information to new people by speaking to them about my school.”

James is a four-year member of the volleyball team.

He has also been involved with Future Business Leaders of America for two years.

His category for the regional FBLA competition at the University of Scranton on Tuesday is emerging business issues. He and his partner are doing a project about how technology is affecting the workplace, both positively and negatively.

The senior hopes to attend either Penn State Scranton or Marywood University. He wants to major in accounting and minor in business. He aspires to be a sales ambassador for a shoe or clothing company.

— ROBERT TOMKAVAGE

rtomkavage

@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9100 x5365;

@rtomkavage on Twitter

A marijuana growing facility in White Haven reeks so intensely that many neighbors say they can’t open their windows in the summer without feeling sick.

The acrid stench from Standard Farms’ greenhouses can be detected up to a half-mile across the community.

Complaints were routine at borough meetings, minutes show. Several neighbors claim they have struggled to sell their houses — as their property values crashed — since the marijuana producer moved into the tiny hamlet.

“I open my back door and you’d think there was 20 skunks in my garage,” said nearby resident Doreen Ackers. “It takes your breath away. “

That’s not all that smells bad in White Haven.

Three former Standard Farms executives claim the

company violated state laws and skirted regulations. They allege that the company used banned pesticides, illegally imported seeds and clones, recycled returned product that should have been destroyed, and asked its employees to perjure themselves on legal documents.

“I wasn’t going to go to jail for lying,” said former executive Lisa Pabon.

A company representative said “Standard Farms refutes all of these allegations as being untrue. The company believes the source of these comments may be coming from a disgruntled employee.”

Standard Farms was founded by two former hedge fund executives from New York City with no agricultural or horticultural experience. It says it’s now the largest employer in White Haven, population 1,097. Standard Farms employs about 20 full-timers and claims more than 50 part-time employees.

The company says it’s a good corporate citizen. It was named “Best Business of the Year” in 2019 by the Greater White Haven Chamber of Commerce.

Nearly two years ago, Standard Farms began growing medical marijuana in White Haven. The company was one of the first 12 awarded a permit by the state Department of Health. The firm is now a division of a multinational weed conglomerate called Tilt Holdings, based in Boston and Toronto.

Claiming ethical lapses at the company, several executives have left the company rather than risk their professional reputations, they said. One would-be whistle-blower tried to alert the state health department to potential health risks at Standard Farms. But she couldn’t get anyone at the department to take her calls or reply to her Facebook messages, she said.

As the legislature mulls legalizing recreational use, two former Standard Farms executives question whether the state can police an industry poised for the huge growth that legalization would bring. They say what has happened in White Haven should serve as a warning.

Standard Farm’s director of quality assurance quit in protest rather than break the law, according to court records.

Renee Kelso said she’s bound by a non-disclosure agreement from talking about her tenure at Standard Farms. But in court testimony, Kelso said she tried to prevent her bosses from using a hydrogen peroxide mist, a state-banned disinfectant, on drying marijuana. The substance is often used to remove traces of mildew and mold. The health department specifically forbids its use on marijuana.

Penn State professor Alyssa A. Collins, who describes herself as a “vice crops enthusiast,” explained that without sufficient testing, hydrogen peroxide could alter the levels of desirable or undesirable chemical compounds in cannabis plants.

Despite Kelso’s protests, her bosses overrode her. “I tried to stop it,” Kelso said in court testimony. “I was told that compliance was no longer my job. And I walked out.” On her way out of the building, she snapped a photo of the SteraMist van that had come to apply the product.

A former owner of Standard Farms who spoke only condition that he not be identified, disputed Kelso’s account. “It didn’t happen,” he said. “Ask her if she saw it being used.”

Standard Farm’s former head of cultivation, Paul Karlovich, said he resigned in July 2018. “Part of the reason I left was I was asked to do things I wasn’t comfortable with.”

Karlovich has worked in industrial agriculture for three decades. “I’ve grown every plant on God’s earth as an ornamental,” he said. But his experience at Standard Farms left him with such a bitter taste that he said he’ll likely never work for a marijuana company again.

“There were many disgruntled employees, almost every single one,” he said.

Karlovich explained that Pennsylvania law provides a one month window for growers to bring in seeds and cuttings from out-of-state.

“We were bringing in material illegally after the 30-day deadline,” Karlovich told The Inquirer. “Stuff just started showing up. I didn’t like it. I refused to allow them to do it at first. I would say I was coerced. They kept asking me. I relented. They’ll deny it, of course.”

On the federal level, marijuana remains illegal. But if marijuana companies adhere to state regulations, federal prosecutors usually look the other way.

On the state level, the health department may revoke a company’s permit if the regulations are ignored.

Tim Conder, chief operating officer of Tilt Holdings, said the state-required seed-to-sale tracking system should have prevented anyone from importing seeds and cuttings past the allowable date. “If there’s a cultivation manager telling you there’s a way to game the system, that’s a problem for me. No way is there a culture of trying to game the system. You grow globally by not end-running regulations.”

Though it’s called a weed, marijuana is a notoriously fickle crop. Mold is a constant problem in the humid summers of Pennsylvania, Karlovich said, making a clean cannabis crop difficult to grow. “It was a disaster in the making.”

We didn’t have the tools to mitigate the powdery mildew. So that was another reason I just chose to leave.”

Standard Farm’s former director of administrative operations, Lisa Pabon, said she was fired Sept. 5, 2018, days after she refused to perjure herself on legal documents.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Pabon segued into a 25-year career in financial management. She said she was lured to Standard Farms with the promise of an ownership share in the company.

Her bosses at Standard Farms wanted to submit applications for a second growing operation in New Jersey. They also were applying for retail dispensaries in Pennsylvania. Because Pabon is a veteran, a woman, and over 50, both states would have awarded the company bonus points if she was listed as a senior officer.

Pabon asked to see the biography the company was submitting. She said Standard Farms had grossly overstated her qualifications. At one point, they told her to claim that she was also head of diversity and community outreach. She never worked those jobs.

In addition, the name of the company on the application was now Altus New Jersey. “I’d never heard of them,” she said. Pabon refused to submit her portion of the application. “I wasn’t going to go to jail for lying,” she said. Five days later, Pabon was unemployed.

She filed a wrongful termination suit earlier this year. The case was dismissed shortly before Thanksgiving. Neither side can discuss the arbitrator’s decision.

Former owner Jonathon Goldrath told the court that he fired Pabon because she was rude, incompetent, and hard to work with. But a month before he terminated her, Standard Farms gave Pabon a $25,000 bonus to buy one of the houses next to the grow operation.

The New Jersey application did not win a permit. However, the Pennsylvania health department awarded the ownership group a permit to operate a chain of three shops near Harrisburg under the Local Dispensaries LLC brand. Its documents list Pabon and Kelso as senior corporate officers.

After she was fired, Pabon refused to accept a severance package, saying she didn’t want to be muzzled by a non-disclosure agreement.

Several months later, Pabon went to the health department to allege that Standard Farms “sold product with defective/leaky cartridges.” She said she considered that a potential health crisis. She said she couldn’t find anyone in the department to take her calls. “They didn’t know where to send me,” she said. So she posted a warning on the health department Facebook page, hoping someone at the department would take notice.

“What happened to the oil they contained?” she wrote on Facebook. “The lot was never recalled as it should’ve been nor has anyone heard of the devices being destroyed.”

Nate Wardle, a spokesman for the health department, said no one there saw Pabon’s Facebook alert. He said no one monitors comments on the department’s social media pages.

“The department has not received any of this information regarding faulty cartridges, or any reports from the individual referenced,” said Wardle in an email, more than a month after the Inquirer asked about the Facebook post. “Anyone with information regarding faulty cartridges should contact the Office of Medical Marijuana. It is essential that anyone with concerns regarding the quality of the program contact us.”

Pabon kept records documenting at least $15,000 worth of returned vape cartridges from patients and retailers.

Pennsylvania regulations require that the health department be alerted to any recalled marijuana product. The record of their return — and their destruction — should be contained in the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system.

“The department does not have any record of Standard Farms products being returned,” said Wardle in a follow-up email.

If the company destroyed the defective products, Pabon said she would have recorded the loss on her financial records. The company recorded no such loss.

She suspects the oils were recycled, in violation of the law

Asked by the Inquirer about the vape cartridges, the former owner of Standard Farms said Pabon had violated a confidentiality agreement by speaking about it. He added that the vapes never posed a health risk. The next day, Standard Farm’s lawyers sent Pabon a cease and desist letter threatening legal action. The former owner could not say what Standard Farms did with the returned medical marijuana oil.

“Everything we have done is in accordance with the regulations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Standard Farms was dealing with chronic complaints from neighbors.

The tract is zoned as light industrial, but the adjacent homes were built when the property hosted a small electronics manufacturer.

Unlike most marijuana growers in the state, Standard Farms does not cultivate in a enclosed warehouse. It uses a quartet of glass greenhouses to cut the cost of energy intensive lighting. Powerful fans vent the fumes — a pungent perfume of skunk and diesel — to the area.

“It’s not only an eyesore, the odor is tremendous,” said neighbor Cindy Derolf whose home was within 60 feet of the greenhouses. “And there was no warning it was coming to town.”

Former head cultivator Karlovich said the company struggled to battle the smell. “They didn’t have a proper odor mitigation system designed. It was all done on the cheap. It’s really expensive to retrofit.”

Many residents gave up using their sun porches. Some have given up their homes entirely.

Derolf sold her house to Lisa Pabon.

Patty and Ted Horn said they relocated a year ago despite not being able to sell their house. “We have complained and complained and complained. We moved primarily because of the smell,” said Patty Horn.

The scent has discouraged potential buyers and depressed property values, Ted Horn said. “We first listed it at $232,000. We’ve had to mark it down to $179,000. Still no interest.”

Neighbor Gordon Ackers said he and his wife Doreen would move if they could. They’re afraid the smell will only become more intense as producers try to keep up with soaring demand.

“They’re going to want to build more greenhouses,” Ackers said with a tone of resignation.

The Pittston area, known for its Italian food options, is developing an international feel with diverse choices that include Thai, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

On South Main Street in Pittston, Fuji stands out as the only place serving authentic Japanese and Chinese cuisine among other restaurants selling pizza and Italian food throughout the city.

Owner Dora Ding, who is originally from China and who now lives in West Pittston, said her business has been located at 107 S. Main St. for more than two years. For Pittston area residents, having the option of authentic Japanese and Chinese cuisine offers something different, she said.

“Everybody is like ‘wow, it’s finally something that’s not Italian or a pizza place’,” Ding said.

Ding said popular sellers at Fuji include sushi and special rolls, such as the yellow dragon roll with shrimp tempura and lobster salad inside and fresh mango on top, and the angry dragon roll with shrimp tempura and avocado and topped with spicy kani.

People who like Thai food also now have a place to order in the Pittston area.

A West Pittston couple recently opened a Thai restaurant on the Pittston Bypass in Pittston Twp.

Len Pribula Jr., a Wyoming Area School Board member, and his wife, Nitda, who is from Thailand, opened NIT Thai Takeout at 102 S. Township Blvd.

The restaurant’s menu features appetizers, soups, salads and a number of Thai entrees as well as sides and desserts.

It’s the only Thai restaurant in the Pittston area. People can eat in the restaurant and sit at one of its 24 seats or they can order takeout. Delivery is available throughout the Pittston area, Pribula said. They recently launched a website.

With more people traveling outside the area, especially the younger generation, Pribula said they can find Thai food and other options in other locations and they are looking at more choices in the Pittston area also.

His wife Nitda, who has been cooking since she was young, is the main chef at NIT Thai Takeout and she has her own unique way of preparing pad thai with peanut drizzle on the side that customers can mix into their noodles. Other popular sellers include drunken noodles and red curry.

In the Pittston Crossings on Route 315, Greek and Mediterranean restaurant QuickChick has been serving Middle Eastern foods such as shawarma, hummus, falafel, tabouleh, kababs and grape leaves for two years.

Owner Yousef Kazimi, who is originally from Jerusalem and

now lives in Kingston, said he thought it was a good location to open the restaurant near CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park that spreads through Pittston and Jenkins townships.

“A lot of truck drivers come here from different nationalities,” Kazimi said. “I wanted to give something different for the community other than pizza.”

Kazimi said his restaurant serves healthy food and no processed food and his customers include vegetarians, vegans and people on keto diets.

“I have choices for a lot of diverse groups,” he said. “People appreciate the fact that we have something different other than pizza. Diversity is always good. It’s very tasty and very healthy cuisine.”

At QuickChick Restaurant, people can eat in and sit at one of its 30 seats or order takeout or delivery. Restaurant employees do some deliveries themselves and they deliver through Grubhub and DoorDash throughout the Greater Pittston area.

Michelle Mikitish, executive vice president at the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, said the Italian base in Pittston is great but when people go away other places, especially younger people who go away to college, they get the opportunity to experience different foods and they like to see that here when they come back home. They still like to eat at their favorite Italian eateries, but they like to eat other cuisine as well, she said.

She cited her daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend Chris Lynch, who went away to college, as examples. They like to eat food like sushi and hibachi, but they also like to try a different pizza place every Friday night, she said.

“It’s fantastic that this city that wants to revitalize itself is able to attract more businesses that reach a broader audience,” Mikitish said.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com;

570-821-2115;

@CVAllabaugh on Twitter

1. A Northeast

Pennsylvania family achieved its mission of generating tips for what member of restaurant staff in all 50 states?

A. Waiter

B. Cook

C. Dishwasher

D. Busser

2. The Scranton Zoning Board heard a request for what in the 500 block of

Wyoming Avenue on Wednesday?

A. Homeless shelter

B. Convenience store

C. Medical office

D. Shoe store

3. True or false? Scranton City Council on Monday approved a budget with a 2.4% tax hike.

A. True

B. False, the tax hike is 4.2%

4. What popular store in South Scranton will close its doors on Jan. 1?

A. Southside Seafood

B. Beverage King

C. Minooka Bakery

D. Maines Food & Party Warehouse

5. What fast-food chicken chain was approved by the Dickson City Zoning

Hearing Board on

Wednesday night?

A. Popeye’s

B. Chick-fil-A

C. Jack in the Box

D. KFC

6. A man was awoken by what after his home caught fire in Benton Twp. on Tuesday morning?

A. Bird

B. Smoke alarm

C. Neighbor

D. Dog

7. Under proposed

flood maps from the

Federal Emergency

Management Agency,

hundreds of property

owners may have to

purchase what?

A. Flood insurance

B. Homeowner insurance

C. Sandbags

D. A boat

8. Lackawanna County is selling its former administration building on Adams Avenue to what

developer?

A. Art Russo

B. Bob Bolus

C. Don Mammano

D. Charles Jefferson

9. Moosic native and

Riverside graduate Walter Lynch was tapped to become president and CEO of what utility

company?

A. UGI

B. American Water

C. Comcast

D. PPL

10. Jermyn officials are trying to reduce a population of what animal in parts of the borough?

A. Feral cats

B. Possums

C. Raccoons

D. Rats

Answers: 1. C 2. A; 3. A;

4. D; 5. B; 6. D; 7. A; 8. D; 9. B; 10. A

Despite turmoil in the financial markets just months earlier, the holiday season in Scranton seemed to be bright in 1929. Here is a sampling of prices for gifts for the holiday season. The prices came from advertisements that appeared in The Scranton Times between Dec. 18 and 20.

Toys

Sears, Roebuck & Co., 326-32 Adams Ave: A Flossie Flirt doll was $4.75.

Scranton Dry Goods, Lackawanna Avenue: 30-inch sled for 95 cents, large wagon was $1.49, dolls were $3.95, Lionel trains were priced between $7.95 and $23.95, and Velocipedes were either $9.99 or $10.99.

Economy Store, 316-18 Lackawanna Ave.: Child’s pool table for $15.75, kitchen set with cookbook for $1.79, plane building kit for $1.69 and sidewalk cycle for $13.95.

Furniture

Economy Store: Walnut cedar chest for $19.95, a sewing cabinet for $13.95, a phone table set for $7.95, bridge lamps were $9.75 to $11.70.

Kaplan’s Furniture, 211-213 Lackawanna Ave.: Cogswell chair for $22.75, Davenport table for $5.95, Simmons inner coil mattress for $19.95, desk and chair set for $9.98.

Inglis Furniture, 412-14 Lackawanna Ave.: Living room suite — a davenport and chair — for $139.

Radios

Stoehr & Fister, Adams Avenue and Spruce Street: RCA Radiola 66 cabinet radio was $225, Zenith 52 radio at $175 and Victor R-32 radio was $155.

Edison Shop, 314 N. Washington Ave.: Edison Light-O-Matic Radio was $167.50.

Appliances

Scranton Easy Washer Co., 321 Adams Ave.: An Easy Washer was $155.

Smith & Howley Co., 250 Wyoming Ave.: A Kelvinator for $185.

Scranton Electric Co.: A 1930 Hotpoint Automatic Electric Range for $15 down and 18 months of payments on monthly light bills.

Jewelry

Rottman, Penn Avenue: Rings were priced between $15 and $2,500.

Scranton Talk Machine Co., 305 Lackawanna Ave.: Dinner rings were priced between $25 and $300.

Joseph’s, 109 Wyoming Ave.: A wide selection of watches priced between $7.95 and $65.

Food

Fresh turkeys were 39 cents per pound, fresh geese were 32 cents per pound, pork loins were 22 cents per pound, large hams were 23 cents per pound, 3 pounds of walnuts for 65 cents, a 5-pound box of milk chocolates was $1.49, 2 dozen oranges were 59 cents, 5 pounds of sweet potatoes for 25 cents, a pound of cranberries for 20 cents, a pound of coffee was 29 cents, 10 pounds of sugar for 54 cents and a 24½-pound bag of flour was 94 cents.

Prices for grocery items were compiled from A&P Store and American Store advertisements.

Contact the writer:

bfulton@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9140;

@TTPagesPast on Twitter

Allied Services

The health system recognized four recipients of the Charles Luger Memorial Award, which recognizes an employee or employees for their outstanding commitment and dedication to Allied Services and their embodiment of the organization’s ideals and mission.

Jeff Snyder of South Abington Twp., director of operations, Burnley Employment and Rehabilitation Center, began his career at Allied in 2005. He previously worked as a program manager in the Developmental Services Division, assisting residents with disabilities. He enjoys his role working with community partners to create new opportunities for employment and vocational advancement.

Margy Fiscus of Scranton, director of vocational services, joined Allied in 1982 as a direct care worker in the Developmental Services Division. Over three decades, Fiscus has become known for her depth of experience and commitment to assisting individuals with disabilities. In her current position, she oversees the Community Employment Program, the William Warren Work Services Facility and the Adult Day Program. She has been instrumental in developing therapeutic and recreational programs for individuals served by the Adult Day Program.

Bob Ames of Peckville, vice president, community services, has demonstrated a commitment to serving individuals with disabilities during his almost 30-year career at Allied. He began as director of accounting before being promoted to executive director of vocational services. Today, he oversees staff and programs that deliver a variety of vital services across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania, including the Behavioral Health Division, Developmental Services Division, Vocational Division and Waiver Coordination Services.

Lori Ashman Williams, PT, MS, IMT, CLT, of Jefferson Twp., clinic director, Allied Services Dickson City Rehab Center, worked as an occupational therapist for nine years at Allied Services and also in the Pittsburgh area. Ashman-Williams has been part of the Allied family for more than three decades, helping countless patients to maximize their abilities and improve their quality of life.

Borton-Lawson

David Reese has joined the board of directors as an external director. Reese brings a diverse skill set to the team that includes entrepreneurial success and proven business expertise in the technology arena.

Reese serves as chairman of API Systems Inc., a leading provider of IT solutions, training and consulting services. He also serves as chairman of API Media, a digital media company whose clients include the Professional Golfers Association and the United States Golf Association.

Community

Bank NA

Lori Roth and Steve Stranburg were recently honored by the Pennsylvania Bankers Association for 40 years in the banking industry.

Roth and Stranburg both serve as vice president, branch manager. Roth has been with the bank since 2013 and has served the Northeast Pennsylvania region for her entire career. Outside of the office, she is involved with Lattimer United Methodist Church and serves on its finance and administrative committees. Stranburg has been with the bank since 2010 and has served the region for more than 30 years. He is involved in his community as treasurer of South Milford Baptist Church and sits on the board of directors for the Montrose Chamber.

Honesdale

National Bank

Luke Woodmansee, vice president, chief credit officer, was recognized for 30 years of service at the bank’s annual employee recognition dinner.

Woodmansee joined the bank in 1989 as a loan officer. He was promoted to the position of vice president and senior loan officer in 1991, and at that time also assumed the position of vice president, treasurer and secretary of HONAT Bancorp Inc., the bank’s holding company. Since 2001, Woodmansee has served in several critical leadership and officer capacities for the bank.

Marywood

University

Stephanie Wise, M.A., ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT recently co-authored a book, “Healing Trauma in Group Settings: The Art of Co-Leader Attunement.” The book went on sale Nov. 12.

Wise and her co-author, Emily Nash, LCAT, graduate and senior clinical affiliate of the integrative trauma studies program at the National Institute of Psychotherapies, set out to write a book about healing trauma in group settings and co-leaders working together. For Wise, partnerships and collaborations among groups and co-partners are at the heart of successful therapy.

Wise also recently co-authored a chapter in the book “Narrating Practice with Children and Adolescents.”

Misericordia

University

A congressional committee will review a scholarly research article by a university education professor as it works toward setting federal regulations and funding guidelines for active transportation in the country.

Assistant professor Tif Mulally, Ph.D., collaborated with Torsha Bhattacharya, Ph.D., and Kevin Mills, J.D., to write the report, “Active Transportation Transforms America: The Case for Increased Public Investment in Walking and Biking Connectivity,” for the October edition of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

The research addresses the importance of developing inclusive active transportation networks — biking, hiking and walking trails — so people can connect to popular destinations, their communities and society at large.

Tobyhanna

Army Depot

Jessica Carter was selected supervisor of the quarter. As chief of the production management directorate’s intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance program management division, she is responsible for one of the largest system portfolios on the Army installation. Carter accepted a temporary assignment as chief of the directorate’s sustainment planning division prior to receiving the third-quarter award.

The award recognizes her ability to manage the cost, schedule and scope for a multimillion-dollar portfolio that includes interservice air traffic control and landing, counter fire, air defense and range threat systems.

University

of Scranton

Three accounting department faculty members, Amanda Marcy ’10, G’11, Ashley Stampone ’10, G’11, and David Salerno, Ph.D. ’97, G’06, and economics and finance department faculty member, John Ruddy, D.P.S. ’91, recently had their research featured by a professional organization and cited in a Texas Supreme Court decision.

Marcy and Stampone’s work, titled “Emerging Technologies Will Impact More Than Office Duties,” was featured in an article by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants concerning how technological advancements will bring changes to CPA licensing and the CPA exam. Marcy, assistant professor of accounting, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university, where she is pursuing her D.B.A. She joined the accounting faculty in 2015 and is a certified public accountant. Stampone, faculty specialist in accounting, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university. She is also pursuing her D.B.A. A certified public accountant, she has taught at Scranton since 2016.

Salerno and Ruddy’s work, “Defining and Quantifying Pension Liabilities of Government Entities in the United States,” published in the Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance and was cited by the Supreme Court of Texas in rendering a government employee pension decision involving the Dallas police and fire pension system. Salerno, associate professor of accounting, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university and his doctoral degree from Kent State University. A certified public accountant, he joined the faculty full time in 2007. Ruddy, assistant professor of economics and finance, received his bachelor’s degree from the university, his master’s degree from George Washington University and his doctoral degree from Pace University. A certified public accountant and a chartered financial analyst, he joined the faculty full time in 2013.

Wayne Bank

Vincent O’Bell, senior vice president and commercial loan officer at the bank, was recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Bankers Association for his 40 years of service to the banking industry.

He was honored at the Pennsylvania Bankers Association Group 3 meeting Oct. 8.

O’Bell has served the banking industry in various senior roles for four decades. He holds an associate degree in banking and finance from Lackawanna Junior College and a graduate degree from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

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

SCRANTON — The net cost of converting the former Globe store into Lackawanna County’s new government center is either about $20.86 million or about $21.8 million so far, depending on whom in county government you ask.

Both figures exceed by millions of dollars the roughly $16.94 million officials estimated the project would cost when commissioners awarded five construction contracts for the conversion in November 2017.

The $20.86 million figure comes from county Chief Financial Officer Tom Durkin and represents project-related capital costs as of mid-November. The higher figure, which includes both capital and general fund costs and Globe-related debt service expenses as of late October, comes from the county controller’s office. The two county offices did not compare their numbers and used slightly different logic to arrive at a total.

Different figures

Commissioners voted 2-1 in April 2016, with Commissioner Jerry Notarianni

voting no, to buy the Globe building for $1.3 million from the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Co., the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce’s development arm. Commissioners Patrick O’Malley and Laureen Cummings supported the project, with O’Malley its chief advocate.

Months later, in October, commissioners authorized up to $17 million in borrowing from a consortium of local banks to finance the project. The state then awarded a $1 million grant for the retrofit in December 2017. After years of planning and construction, officials cut the ribbon at the new government center in January.

The difference between the figures presented by Durkin and Controller Gary DiBileo largely stem from different rationales the officials used in their calculations. DiBileo’s number includes general fund expenses related to the Globe but not included in the project’s capital budget, while Durkin’s strictly includes capital expenses.

The controller’s office puts the total of project-related costs as of late October at $24.4 million. They arrive at the net total of $21.8 million after deducting the $1 million state grant and $1.6 million in revenue from the sale of the county’s former Adams Avenue administration building.

General fund expenses included in the controller’s $21.8 million figure include about $600,000 paid to small vendors, a roughly $130,000 deposit on the Globe building purchase and about $350,000 in utility bills and $250,000 in insurance costs incurred prior to the county occupying the Globe, among others.

The controller also included the roughly $300,000 cost, paid out of different capital accounts, of buying and repairing a parking lot on the site of the former Community Bake Shop near the Globe.

“We wanted to take a look at the total expenses, so that’s why we broke it down as far as we did,” DiBileo said, noting his team did so in the interest of transparency.

Durkin is aware those costs exist and doesn’t dispute them, but doesn’t consider them part of the Globe renovation project. The up to $17 million in borrowing allocated for the project, and the original $16.94 million cost estimate, were both based on projected capital costs, he said.

“What I interpret as the renovation project was what the $17 million was allocated for,” Durkin said. “It’s just a little bit different perspective.”

Durkin’s $20.86 million total includes construction and closing costs, architectural and engineering fees, moving expenses, furniture and fixtures purchases and other capital expenditures. It also includes a roughly $800,000 estimate for renovations to the county’s Gateway Center on Jefferson Avenue, which will house the district attorney’s office.

It does not deduct the $1.6 million from the sale of the administration building, which was budgeted as general fund revenue this year, and does not include the cost of buying the Globe building, which was never part of the original cost estimate. The county paid for the Globe with existing economic development funds, he noted.

The $20.86 million total could climb or fall slightly depending on the final cost of the Gateway Center renovations, Durkin said.

Value for the cost

Like the cost, the value of converting Scranton’s former principle retail hub into the consolidated home of county government also depends on who you ask.

O’Malley and Cummings, who consider consolidation a signature achievement of their administration, see the new government center as an economic development driver that revitalized the 100 block of Wyoming Avenue while providing convenience for residents using county services.

Notarianni, who opposed the project from the outset, sees the project as a 255,964-square-foot albatross that was rushed to completion for political purposes and will continue to bleed money for years to come.

Both O’Malley and Cummings acknowledge cost overruns are inevitable during a project of the government center’s scale, but O’Malley often downplayed the potential extent of those overruns.

When The Times-Tribune reported in May that the project cost $19.3 million according to a controller’s report, O’Malley disputed the number and predicted the final cost would fall between $18.4 million and $18.8 million.

The $19.3 million figure didn’t reflect project-related reimbursements the county will receive, including some for moving 911 equipment, he argued at the time.

O’Malley predicted Thursday the project would cost between $19 million and $20 million when all is said and done.

“Definitely in the $19s (million),” he said. “Absolutely.”

Durkin disagrees.

“The $20.86 million is the number,” Durkin said, noting the figure accounts for an expected $270,000 reimbursement for relocating the 911 equipment and likely would only change by $100,000 or so in either direction depending on the cost of the Gateway project.

O’Malley and Cummings also point out the county is saving on rent and leases at buildings that housed county operations. The county’s footprint shrank from 13 buildings to five as a result of consolidation.

Once the DA’s office relocates to the renovated Gateway Center, Durkin said the county expects to save about $1.3 million annually on rent and leases. That money largely will cover principal and interest on the county’s $17 million borrowing for the Globe conversion, he said.

“It’s paid for in those leases,” O’Malley said of the borrowing.

Notarianni said he fears the Globe will continue to generate expenses and accused O’Malley of being dishonest about the reality of the cost.

“He says something and he expects people to believe it,” Notarianni said. “Because Pat O’Malley says it doesn’t make it so.”

Maintenance and other project-related soft costs, such as legal fees, also concern Notarianni.

The county allocated $321,000 for government center maintenance and utilities in the 2019 budget, but ended up spending almost $704,000, according to the 2020 spending plan. Durkin and county Buildings and Grounds Director Kevin Shaughnessy said it was difficult to anticipate those costs during the first year in the new building.

Notarianni expressed other concerns about the building, among them a leaking basement, lack of parking, an elevator in need of repair and issues with certain office space.

“Some offices are palatial and wonderful,” he said. “Other offices are crammed and jammed together.”

Notarianni said in May the conversion project would approach $21 million.

“I don’t do this to be vindicated,” he said. “It’s just common sense and logic.”

If the project costs the $20.86 million calculated by Durkin or slightly more, O’Malley said it’s still well worth it.

“Other administrations wasted millions and millions of dollars on rents and leases,” he said. “We knew that had to end.”

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

Dec. 15, 1934

Scranton cop

shot in holdup

Scranton Patrolman Leo Marcus was shot during a holdup at the Fern Cafe, 114 Adams Ave., in the afternoon of Dec. 14.

Fern Cafe bartender John McCormick told police that Milford Williams of Greentown walked into the cafe and ordered a beer. When McCormick asked Williams to pay for the beer, Williams pulled out a gun and ordered McCormick to move away from the bar and stand in a corner. Williams also ordered into the corner another man and two women who were in the cafe.

Hearing the commotion while on special traffic duty, Marcus, 25, ran to the cafe. He found Williams, and the two exchanged gunfire. Marcus was hit in the abdomen.

Responding to the gunfire were Traffic Patrolman Louis Morano and Constable Edward Wall. Wall knocked the gun from Williams’ hand and Morano struck Williams with a pistol. The pair took Williams into custody; he was taken to police headquarters and received first aid for a head wound. Marcus was rushed to Scranton State General Hospital.

Police traced Williams’ movements before the shooting and found that he and his wife did some shopping at Scranton Dry Goods and stopped at an insurance office in the Rehrig Building to pay on a policy.

After the stop at Scranton Dry Goods, Williams told his wife to go to the Grant store on Lackawanna Avenue and said he would meet her there. Williams then walked to a bar in the 100 block of Penn Avenue and held up that establishment. He met up with his wife, gave her the money from the Penn Avenue holdup, and told her to meet him at the Lackawanna Station in 30 minutes.

Police later picked up Williams’ wife at the station. She told authorities she didn’t know what her husband had done until they told her.

Marcus survived his injury and retired from the Scranton Police Department in March 1972.

Williams was later charged with two counts of robbery and one count of felonious wounding. He pleaded guilty in April 1935 and was sentenced to 23½ to 47 years in prison. He was paroled in 1943.

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.

Scouts honor

Michael Andrew Nowak, Jonathan Thomas Nowak and Christian Swatt attained the rank of Eagle Scout.

Michael, 17, of Mayfield, led his fellow Scouts and adults in refurbishing a playground in Mayfield for his Eagle Scout project. They removed weeds and grass from the play area, spread mulch, repainted picnic tables, swing sets and other playground equipment.

The son of Andrew and Arlene Nowak, Michael began his scouting career in 2008 as a Cub Scout. He has earned the Arrow of Life Award along with 36 merit badges and both the Ad Altari Dei and Pope Pius religious awards. Michael is a brotherhood member of Lowwapaneu Lodge 191, Order of the Arrow, a national scouting organization that recognizes Scouts who best exemplify the Scout oath and law in their daily lives. He also serves as a mentor to help younger Scouts in their advancement efforts.

A senior at Lakeland High School, Michael is member and secretary of the Marching Band, Jazz Band, Concert Band, secretary of class of 2020, National Honor Society Secretary and Mu Alpha Theta, Future Business Leaders of America, SADD, Quiz Bowl and student council member. He plays varsity baseball and basketball, Legion baseball and runs varsity cross country.

He plans to study electrical engineering in college.

Jonathan, 17, also of Mayfield, led his fellow Scouts and adults in fixing several issues at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery in East Jermyn for his Eagle Scout project. The group fixed downspouts on the chapel, added underground piping to divert water away from the retaining wall in front of the chapel, removed shrubs above the wall and repaired and replaced damaged blocks to make the wall presentable. They took down a large metal sign leading into the cemetery and repaired, repainted and enhanced a plaque that translated the Polish inscriptions into English.

The son of Andrew and Arlene Nowak, he joined Cub Scouts in 2008. He earned the Arrow of Life Award and 36 merit badges including both the Ad Altari Dei and Pope Pius religious awards. Jonathan is a Brotherhood member of Lowwapaneu Lodge 191, Order of the Arrow and serves as a mentor to help younger Scouts in their advancement efforts.

A senior at Lakeland High School, Jonathan is a member of the Marching, Jazz and Concert Bands, student council, SADD and is Mu Alpha Theta vice president. He is also a member of Future Business Leaders of America, Quiz Bowl, and National Honor Society. He plays varsity baseball, basketball and cross country and Legion baseball.

He plans to study civil engineering in college.

Christian, 18, also of Mayfield, organized his fellow Scouts and adult helpers to reparge the marquee at the United Methodist Church on Washington Avenue in Jermyn. He also repaired railings leading to the front entrance and repainted the railings, flag poles and trim around the doors in front of the church.

The son of Brian and Christine Swatt, he is a recent graduate of Lakeland High School where he was a part of the soccer and lacrosse teams and member of FBLA and the watershed team.

Christian is pursing a civil engineering degree at Penn State, University Park.

The Scouts will be honored by Troop 87 at a banquet at Heart Lake Lodge on Jan. 5. Tickets are available from any leader or Scout.

Realty company opens in Hawley

A leader in the Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre markets, Lewith & Freeman’s reach now extends to Wayne and Pike counties with the opening of the Hawley office. Located in the historic Hawley Silk Mill, Lewith & Freeman will continue to connect buyers and sellers throughout the region.

Lewith & Freeman officially opened the doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 7.

Hospital makes biopsy available

Wayne Memorial Hospital is offering an advanced step in the detection of breast cancer, a stereotactic biopsy procedure. The procedure is recommended when a mammogram reveals an abnormality, such as a suspicious lump, breast structure irregularities, changes in tissue or calcium deposits. A small sample of tissue is removed for examination under a microscope to see if cancer is present.

A specialized mammography machine provides X-rays from two angles to help pinpoint the suspicious tissue. The two sets of images guide the physician to the area of concern, where a needle in a hollow tube can be inserted to remove the tissue for analysis.

AllOne Charities

matches funds

On Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3, the national day of giving, AllOne Charities partnered with 33 nonprofits to complement their fundraising efforts. More than $84,000 was raised from over 500 donors to support the health care issues affecting the region and support caregiving organizations.

AllOne Charities supported each organization that raised over $1,000 with a match of $1,000.

U of S eyes

lower emissions

The University of Scranton will purchase carbon-neutral electricity for 2020 to reduce the school’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emission generation.

The university will use Carbon-Zero 24/7, a new, 100% emission-free product from Talen Energy, a privately owned independent power producer based in Allentown. Backed by Emission-Free Energy Certificates issued by PJM Environmental Information Services, Carbon-Zero 24/7 ensures that the electricity supplied to the university is from a source that does not directly emit any air pollution — sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide — which can help the university reduce emissions associated with its electricity usage.

Bank supports

schools program

Dime Bank recently contributed $1,000 to the Wayne Pike Schools and Homes in Education Afterschool Program. Administered through the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance working with community stakeholders, the program serves students in the school districts of Wallenpaupack Area, Western Wayne and Wayne Highlands.

Its goal is to improve academic performance, behavior and attendance, increase knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics principles, and increase family involvement in student learning and family literacy.

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

Unsuspecting civilians today face a 16th century threat — pirates.

Modern-day crooks of opportunity don’t sail the seas or swashbuckle.

So-called porch pirates’ greatest risks might include mistaking those oven mitts you ordered on Amazon for an iPad, or your video doorbell capturing their faces.

The rise and convenience of e-commerce engendered a new breed of criminal, and also new ways to keep them at bay.

Porch pirates are single-handedly the biggest market creator for Ring and other more elaborate home monitoring systems, so much so that e-commerce giant Amazon bought the startup, which makes a video camera offering better clarity than most banks’ closed-circuit cameras, for $1 billion in 2018.

The holiday season typically brings a spike in doorstep thievery, though some data suggests incidents are declining.

Amazon and parcel carriers are working with community-based retailers to arrange pickup services. So if you won’t be home when your package arrives, you can pick it up at, for example, Rite Aid or Walgreens in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Thieves have pushed security innovation and carriers are learning street smarts.

FedEx drivers send you a photo of your delivered package at your doorstep.

Postal workers leave a note if they can’t find a safe spot to drop.

All carriers ask for delivery instructions to place packages where shoppers would prefer things be dropped.

Amazon is accelerating its Hub Counter

package pickup service. Shoppers can ship their orders to their local Rite Aid

and pick up on the route home. FedEx is working with Walgreens to offer a similar service.

“With thousands of secure FedEx locations, including Walgreens and FedEx Office, we make it easy for customers to pick up their packages at a time and place that is convenient for them,” FedEx Vice President of Retail and Consumer Marketing Dennis Shirokov said in a statement.

Those combined efforts could be working. Nationally, the rate of porch theft this year fell about 7% compared to 2017, according to a survey

of 1,000 online shoppers by Shorr Packaging Corp

. One-fourth of shoppers in the survey said they had personally experienced package theft, compared to nearly one-third two years ago.

For the simplest reasons, the Postal Service has a leading edge when it comes to protecting parcels, said Scranton Postmaster Chuck Wanalista

.

“Letter carriers, in the Scranton area in particular, they know their routes. They know their customers. They’re in those areas every day,” he said. “They know, if it’s an address on Pittston Avenue or on Mulberry Street, they’re going to be cautious enough not to leave that package out.”

Package theft inevitably swells around the holiday shopping season with the sheer volume of packages delivered, he said.

A poll of area police departments revealed no significant rise in package theft reports around the holidays. Even in the region’s most populous city, Scranton police Chief Carl Graziano

said he’s seen no notable increase.

That’s probably partly because police aren’t usually the first call when a package goes missing. Online retailers often just replace items that never reach their destinations. Wanalista encourages customers to always report theft.

“We’ve had one instance,” said Clarks Summit police Chief Christopher Yarns

of the holiday delivery season. “But the person called back and said they found the package.”

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

Protect your packages

Scranton Postmaster Chuck Wanalista has a few suggestions and observations for ways customers can protect their packages:

• Leave your porch lights on. Postal carriers are delivering from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the holiday rush.

• Put as much delivery information as possible on the package so your carrier knows where to put it. Carriers will try to accommodate all delivery requests.

• If you’re concerned about thieves, ask a trustworthy neighbor to watch out for it, or simply ship it to his or her house.

• Just about every delivery through every carrier comes with a tracking number you can follow online. Keep tabs on when your delivery is arriving and make sure someone’s home to receive it.

• If thieves steal something, always report it to the police.

SCRANTON — On a few city blocks, the history of getting around peeks out from the black pavement that thousands travel daily.

Bricks still form the street instead of asphalt in the 2000 block of Hollister Avenue, the 1100 block of Poplar Street, the 1300 block of Olive Street and others.

They remain mostly as they were, reminders of the city’s past, still passable in its present and maybe hinting at its future.

In August, the day after cyclists whizzed around downtown Scranton in the first Electric City Classic bike race, some migrated to the Olive Street block for a hill climb. Four or five bikes at a time, they pedaled upward a seventh of a mile to an appreciative crowd.

A utility smoothed the bottom half of the steep block with asphalt about 20 years ago, but the upper half still has exposed, uneven bricks. They led up to the finish line, producing a serious challenge for riders.

“That was exciting,” said attorney Drew Hailstone, who lives nearby on Taylor Avenue. “These guys, they came from all over the place.”

Scranton buried most of its brick streets in asphalt decades ago, but Hailstone wants the remainder preserved.

“It’s a throwback,,” Hailstone said.

Mayor Wayne Evans said the city has no plans to pave over them.

“I’ve never had anyone ever in conversation say to me, ‘Can you pave that brick street because we don’t want it?’” he said. “I think they’re amazing.”

Many people call them cobblestone streets, but cobblestone is a misnomer. A cobblestone is actually a rounded stone. Early road builders bunched them together closely enough to produce a sturdier surface for horses to clop over. The Romans invented cobblestone streets as early as the third century A.D.

For the most part, the standard pattern over the centuries was dirt roads, if they existed at all, until more people arrived. To this day, you can find local roads that remain dirt because few use them. As usage increases, so does demand for smoother surfaces. Downtowns, especially in Europe, often started with cobblestone streets where wealthier residents lived or people worshipped, said Daniel Ter-Stepaniants,

a paving engineer for the regional state Department of Transportation office.

The Romans built cobblestone streets so their horses could move more quickly, a common reason for their use centuries later, too, Ter-Stepaniants said.

The still-uneven nature of pure cobblestone streets spurred other ideas — flat stones and later bricks after the Middle Ages.

For a while, towns also tried wooden planks, but wood deteriorates quicker and can catch fire.

Pat McCabe, a PennDOT road and bridge project manager, said local streets sometimes consisted of wooden planks. Some streets are named Plank Road for a reason.

Bricks, installed closely together to create a smoother surface, came next.

Northeast Pennsylvania hosted several brick manufacturers, including the Nay Aug Shale Brick Co. built near what are now the twin Interstate 84 bridges in Dunmore, McCabe said. Incorporated in April 1894, the company fashioned bricks from shale — the same rock that drillers fracture now to produce natural gas. Nay Aug’s bricks formed many local streets. Its bricks sometimes surface as paving companies grind away old asphalt before laying a new coat.

“Asphalt won,” McCabe said.

Asphalt and later concrete proved a smoother ride, which is why they dominate today. Underneath, bricks or cobblestones remain.

“They’re almost all over,” Ter-Stepaniants said. “Some of them are probably so deep, we don’t even dig that far (during paving).”

Usually, if you see brick streets now at all, it’s intentional. Cities add brick crossings at downtown intersections or in shopping neighborhoods. Nantucket Island, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, still has cobblestone streets.

“It’s the worst street in the world to ride on, but people love the character,” said Peter G. Hill, co-owner of a Newport, Rhode Island, company that recycles curb and sidewalk stone. “When they dig up the road in some places ... there’s areas as perfect as they were made.”

Sometimes, brick streets survive unintentionally because no one bothers with them, like the ones in Scranton and other municipalities in Northeast Pennsylvania.

McCabe said most brick streets locally are probably on steep hills, which don’t carry much traffic or prove difficult to pave. With paving money at a premium, dollars get spent on streets with substantial traffic.

Hill sees historic and potential economic development value in a historic brick street.

“They shouldn’t be covered up,” Hill said. “A lot of them should be uncovered. The people who make decisions — and I don’t mean this in a negative way — they don’t have the educational composition to understand or care about the preservation. That’s why all new buildings are all over the world. They don’t know.”

Brick streets can prove useful as the cycling hill climb showed.

Kacey Lloyd, co-owner of Long Tail Creative, which stages the races for Scranton Tomorrow, said when she suggested a hill climb on Olive Street local organizers thought her insane, but the block has a “wow factor.”

“When we found Olive Street, we said, ‘Oh, my God, this would be amazing.’ Cobbles have this kind of mystique in bicycling,” Lloyd said. “Races that happen over in Europe ... have a lot of cobble. It’s part of the uniqueness of the race, riding over those cobbles on your bike.”

Some riders broke their bikes on the bricks, she said, but plans are in the works for another climb next year. Long Tail examined the Poplar Street block, almost all brick between Clay and North Webster avenues, but Poplar has few homes and brush covers major parts of adjacent properties.

“We wanted it to be easier for people to come out and watch,” she said. “We were actually really pleased for the first year.”

Richard Leonori, chairman of the city’s Historic Architecture and Review Board, said city officials may want to think about subjecting the blocks to historical review. That way any alteration would require a board review.

In time, the brick blocks will need work, he said.

For now, if neighbors don’t mind, “keep patching them and keep them in modestly good condition,” Leonori said.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9147;

@BorysBlogTT on Twitter

Joseph Black

Wanted by: State Board of Probation and Parole.

Wanted for: Parole absconder; released Oct. 15, 2018.

Description: White man, 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 185 pounds, brown hair, hazel 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.

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

Sam the Man is a 3-year-old, male cat. He is very friendly and has nice long fur.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird

Travis is a young adult male, American Pit Bull mix. He is friendly and outgoing.
Contact the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter at 586-3700 if your pet is lost or goes astray. Staff Photo by Ted Baird



Watch the latest Pets of the Week video here:

SCRANTON - City police and the Lackawanna County coroner are investigating after a man was struck by a train and killed in the city late Saturday.

The unidentified man in his early 30s was hit by a Norfolk Southern freight train about 11:30 p.m. on rail lines located in the rear of 235 Railroad Ave., Coroner Timothy Rowland wrote in an email. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Check back for updates.

SCRANTON — U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

The full House of Representatives is expected to vote Wednesday on two impeachment articles the House Judiciary Committee approved Friday. All Republican committee members voted against the articles, which accuse Trump of abusing the power of the presidency and obstructing Congress.

In an op-ed published in today’s Times-Tribune, Cartwright touts his bipartisan record and notes he’s been one of the loudest Democratic voices urging restraint on impeachment.

Evidence, however, suggests Trump tried to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy into launching an investigation of a domestic political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, by withholding military aid, Cartwright contends.

Given that and Trump’s refusal to participate in the House impeachment process, Cartwright said he will vote to impeach the president.

If impeached by the House, Trump will stand trial in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Contact the writer:

jhorvath@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9141;

@jhorvathTT on Twitter

SCOTT TWP. — After delays and a request for a deadline extension, excavators and a big bulldozer are finally laying the groundwork for Lackawanna County’s second medical cannabis grower.

On a rainy morning last week, crews with KW Enterprises of Milton moved earth on a 19-acre parcel off Life Science Drive in Scott Technology Park.

PharmaCann Penn Plant LLC, the Chicago-based medical cannabis company, won a permit to build a $15 million grower/processor facility there, though the project has suffered significant delays and blew past its January operational deadline without putting a shovel in the ground.

A state Health Department spokesman said PharmaCann’s submission for a deadline extension is still under review, but site prep appears to be all systems go.

A lengthy stormwater control permit process delayed the start of construction, PharmaCann spokesman Jeremy Unruh said in an email.

“We work hard to ensure the state is aware of our construction timeline, and that the state knows we are working with all deliberate speed to become operational as quickly as we can,” he said.

Now that work is underway, he expects to bring the 54,000-square-foot facility, which will grow cannabis plants and turn them into medicine, online in the second quarter of 2020. The parcel size means PharmaCann has room to grow, with two more build-out phases planned, Unruh said.

Scott Twp. officials gave final construction approval in October, said Michael Giannetta, chairman of the board of supervisors.

About that time, news was breaking that the publicly traded, financially struggling cannabis company MedMen Enterprises would not acquire PharmaCann as previously announced.

Company officials assured the township that the disintegrated deal had no bearing on their project, and that it would proceed as planned, Giannetta said.

PharmaCann fills a key spot in the Scott Technology Park’s Phase II section, on the south side of Route 632, where other major development is kicking up.

The park’s owner, SLIBCO — the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce’s economic development arm — recently sold land to cosmetics manufacturer Seokoh, an affiliate of Process Technologies, which was an early Phase II tenant.

PharmaCann and Seokoh together are expected to bring more than 300 new jobs to the park.

Growth there spurred SLIBCO to try upgrading Route 632, which connects the park to Interstate 81. The state Department of Community and Economic Development recently set aside $3 million for work, which could include a turning lane, straightening what Giannetta called a blind turn and widening shoulders.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com;

570-348-9131;

@jon_oc on Twitter

MONDAY UPDATE brings Times-Tribune readers up to date on past or pending stories of interest. To offer a suggestion for a Monday Update, please email metrodesk@timesshamrock.com with “Monday Update” in the subject line.

Green Ridge

Sportsmen meet: Green Ridge Sportsmen’s Club meeting, Friday, 7 p.m., Lace Works Pub & Grill.

Olyphant

Spaghetti dinner: Eureka Hose Company 4 annual spaghetti dinner, March 7, fire station, 717 E. Grant St., tickets available soon from members.

Regional

Chapter meeting: Lackawanna Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited general membership meeting and Christmas party, Wednesday, 6 p.m., Tripp Park Community Center, 2000 Dorothy St., Scranton; chapter members invited to bring food or drink items to the meeting.

South Scranton

Party canceled: South Scranton Friendly Seniors Christmas party set for Tuesday at St. Paul of the Cross Parish Center has been canceled.

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.