Correction
Candidate’s
name omitted
An analysis published on A1 Wednesday about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s endorsement of Earl Granville for the 8th Congressional District seat omitted the name of Luzerne County Councilman Harry Haas as a Republican candidate.
HAZLE TWP. — After working on campaigns across the country, Jim Bognet came home to Hazleton to run his own campaign for Congress.
To enter the crowded race for the Republican nomination in Pennsylvania’s 8th District, Bognet quit his most recent job as senior vice president for communications of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
President Donald Trump appointed Bognet to the job, and Bognet is running to support Trump.
“I think this election is going to be about defending President Trump from the out-of-control witch hunt the liberal Democrats ... have launched against him,” Bognet said Thursday when announcing his candidacy.
While the impeachment trial underway in the Senate now is expected to end this month, well before the primary election April 28, Bognet said Republicans have to send a message or else Democrats in the House will continue trying to oust Trump during a second term.
During Trump’s administration, the stock market has climbed and unemployment fallen, and Bognet wants to bring the benefits of a rising economy to the district, which stretches from Hazleton to Scranton.
“Good jobs at good wages are very important. We have to help the job creators,” Bognet said.
After graduating from Hazleton Area High School Bognet went to Penn State University and interned for then-U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum before heading to UCLA, where he earned a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration.
He volunteered on the campaign for governor of Arnold Schwarzenegger, for whom he became deputy economic adviser. Later, he assisted around the country on campaigns for president of Mitt Romney and candidates for governor, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Most recently, he was chief executive officer for the campaign of Martha McSally, a fighter pilot who won a Senate seat in Arizona two years ago.
Bognet, 44, based his political consulting business, JRB Strategies, in Hazleton and pays taxes there, which is where he started in politics.
In 2002, he came back from law school to help Lou Barletta in an unsuccessful run for the House seat that Barletta later captured.
“I got to see him interacting with people, got to see how much he cared about improving the lives of citizens,” Bognet said.
Matt Cartwright, a Democrat who voted to impeach Trump, holds the 8th District seat that Republicans think they can win.
Five other Republicans — Harry Haas, a Luzerne County councilman; Earl Granville, who lost a leg serving in the military in Afghanistan; Teddy Daniels, a decorated veteran and former police officer; Michael Marsicano, a former Hazleton mayor who switched parties; and Mike Cammisa, manager of Bottlenecks Saloon in West Hazleton — also are seeking the nomination.
Contact the writer:
kjackson
@standardspeaker.com;
570-501-3587
SCRANTON
A screening of a documentary on the Knox Mine Disaster will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College, 501 Vine St.
Twelve men were killed during the disaster in January 1959 in Port Griffith, Luzerne County, when the Susquehanna River crashed through the River Slope Mine.
Filmmaker Albert Brocca, a Kingston native who lives in California, worked on the documentary with his cousin, David Brocca.
Tickets may be purchased for $10 at www.knoxminedisaster.com.
— STAFF REPORT
Archbald
Dog licenses: Dog licenses were processed Jan. 15 at the Borough Building; there are no other dates available at this time.
Mayfield
Bookmobile visit: Lackawanna County Bookmobile, Monday, 1:15-1:45 p.m., Municipal Building, 739 Penn Ave.
Olyphant
Spaghetti dinner: Eureka Hose Company 4 annual all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner, March 7, station, 717 E. Grant St., Olyphant; takeouts, 3-5 p.m., and dinners served, 5-8; $10/ticket, available from members or by contacting Mayor John Sedlak Jr., dinner chairman, 570-383-1406; proceeds used to defray insurance and maintenance expenses.
Regional
Diabetes program: Geisinger Health and Wellness is offering a six-week program for people living with diabetes, Feb. 6-March 19, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Fresh Food Farmacy, 3 W. Olive St., Suite 127, Scranton; learn how to improve your health and manage your diabetes; caregivers, friends and family welcome; registration: 866-415-7138.
Tax service: United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties VITA program offering free confidential tax preparation services for households with incomes of $54,000 or less; program under the direction of Angela Bassani, CPA, Richard Kokas, CPA, and Dillon Lukas, enrolled agent, with trained volunteer students from Penn State Scranton, Lackawanna College, the University of Scranton and other community volunteers; appointments are being taken now by calling 570-343-1267, ext. 211, or visiting uwlc.net/taxes; program will run Feb. 3-April 2.
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.
SCRANTON
Graduates of two Johnson College programs can now easily transfer into programs at Marywood University.
Representatives from the two schools signed an articulation agreement Tuesday to provide students with the opportunity to complete a two-year degree at Johnson and then transition to Marywood to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Under the agreement, graduates of Johnson’s computer information technology program can transfer into Marywood’s computer science or information security programs. Graduates of Johnson’s veterinary technology program can transfer to Marywood’s biology program.
Students must meet minimum cumulative grade-point average requirements and satisfy all other transfer requirements.
— SARAH HOFIUS HALL
Local agency ranks high in nation
The Scranton Area Community Foundation can count itself among the tops in the nation in terms of philanthropic services.
The foundation announced this week it has received reaccreditation with the highest standard for philanthropic excellence by the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations program.
The program, which is administered by the Council on Foundations, establishes legal, ethical and effective practices and requires community foundations to document their policies for donor services, investments, grantmaking and administration.
Laura Ducceschi, foundation president and CEO, called the accreditation critically important to the organization’s donors. When people make a charitable bequest or establish a fund, they are putting their trust in the foundation to help carry out their legacy, she said.
“They are counting on us to steward the investment wisely, honor their charitable wishes and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one,” Ducceschi said in a statement. “The National Standards accreditation says all of our practices are of top quality and ethical standards, and worthy of our donor’s trust.”
The reaccreditation followed a rigorous evaluation of the foundation’s operations, communications manager Brittany Pagnotti said Thursday.
“It’s a lot of work to obtain it,” she said. “They ask us for all kinds of documentation. They ask about our procedures. We have to submit all of our forms for review.”
Founded in 1954, the Scranton Area Community Foundation works to enhance the quality of life for people in Northeast Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy.
With assets of more than $40 million and more than 200 charitable funds, the foundation distributed over $2 million in grants and scholarships in 2019.
In addition, through foundation management services offered to other private and public foundations, it manages assets of more than $31 million and distributed another $1.2 million in grants and scholarships last year through assets under management.
Contact the writer:
dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132
SCRANTON — The city won’t lower the annual trash bill $50 this year after all, the mayor and council president said.
Trash fees also won’t be billed through property tax bills, and instead will come out as separate, stand-alone garbage bills as usual, they said.
Former Mayor Wayne Evans proposed cutting the trash fee to $250 and having it paid through the property tax bill. His 2020 budget adopted by council in December opened the door to the trash fee changes, but did not set them in stone. The trash fee revenue anticipated in the budget was pegged at the amount that a $300 trash fee would generate, or $5.6 million, the same as in 2019.
The budget was inherited Jan. 6 by Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and the new council led by President Bill Gaughan. Evans did not present legislation to set and authorize the reduced trash fee, they said. That legislation still must be enacted. Cognetti and Gaughan said they are inclined to leave the fee at $300 and keep the trash bill separate from property tax bills.
Changing the trash-fee billing method would need more review and would take some time to implement, they said. There’s not enough time to get it done for this year, because trash bills get mailed in February, they said. Cognetti said she also would need more time to make sure that a reduced trash fee would not blow a hole in the budget.
“We’d like to (reduce the trash fee), but not this year,” Cognetti said Wednesday. “It’s likely that the $300 fee that council adopted (in passing the 2020 budget) will remain.”
The trash fee arose in discussion during city council’s meeting Tuesday. In a caucus, Gaughan noted legislation to set the annual trash fee for 2020 has not yet been enacted.
“I, like all of us, was under the impression that within the budget, that the figure for the amount of (trash fee) revenue we would receive is based on (a) $250,” garbage fee, but that’s not so, Gaughan said.
“At this point, I think personally it’s unrealistic to lower it, because to lower it, we would have to have the refuse bill placed in the real estate tax bill. That, at this point, is off the radar,” he added.
Councilman Kyle Donahue said the city must not rush through a trash fee change and must ensure it’s done correctly.
“If that’s going to be done, you need to start mining through that data now, going into next year, so it’s not a rush to do it,” Donahue said.
On Thursday, Evans said his idea was to lower the trash fee to $250 but bring in the same amount of revenue by collecting the trash fees through property tax bills, which are sent to more entities in the city and has a higher collection rate. He left the trash fee flexible, so the new leaders could pick the path they wanted.
“When you put it (a trash fee) in a property tax bill, it’s $250. If it’s in a trash bill, it’s $300. It just depended on which way the city was going to go,” Evans said. “There was always going to have to be legislation (to set the annual trash fee). At the end of the day, it was always going to be up to the new mayor and new council.”
While Evans also proposed a no-tax-hike budget, the city’s Act 47 recovery coordinator, Pennsylvania Economy League, in early December urged a 2.4% property tax hike for 2020.
At that time, Evans said the 2020 budget’s two “seismic shifts” — dropping the annual trash fee from $300 to $250 and collecting it with property tax bills, and replacing business privilege/mercantile taxes with payroll taxes — were enough to deal with, and he did not believe it was a good time to add a tax increase.
But the prior council disagreed and took PEL’s advice, and last month amended Evans’ 2020 budget to include a 2.4% increase on land millage.
The new council earlier this month then followed suit and introduced an ordinance from the Cognetti administration to authorize the 2.4% property tax increase on land millage. Council advanced the tax ordinance on second reading this past Tuesday.
The 2.4% increase equates to 7 additional mills, which would boost tax revenue in the budget by $566,000.
Under the tax ordinance, the tax millage levy on land for 2020 would rise to a millage rate of 0.239521; and the tax millage levy on improvements (buildings) would remain unchanged at a millage rate of 0.050564.
The ordinance will come up for a third vote on adoption at council’s meeting this coming Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter
Two former care workers at a group home in Scranton filmed a developmentally disabled woman as they made her chase after and eat pieces of chicken they threw in the yard, basement and bathroom floor, city police charged.
Eileen Dougherty, 39, 121 S. Everett Ave., Scranton, and Lisa Ann Wall, 41, 622 Donnelly St., Duryea, turned themselves in Thursday to face 10 counts of abuse of a care-dependent person — one for each video that surfaced. Both worked for the Arc of Northeastern Pennsylvania as direct support professionals at a group home at 137 Chesterfield Lane. They have since resigned.
“Those who are entrusted with the care of people with developmental disabilities should treat them with kindness, dignity and respect, not humiliation and derision,” Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell said. “The acts alleged in this case are not only inappropriate, they are shocking and repulsive.”
The woman appears to be doing well since her victimization, ARC Executive Director Maryclaire Kretsch said. There is no evidence of physical or emotional trauma.
“We thank God for that,” Kretsch said. “We are outraged by the actions of these two former employees. This is not who the Arc is.”
Dougherty sent the videos, filmed during the first three months of 2019, to her ex-boyfriend Bill Hadley.
Hadley turned the videos over to his friend’s mother, Mary Cintron, who works for Keystone Community Resources, which also serves people with developmental disabilities. Cintron contacted Allison Cave, an investigator with Adult Protective Services.
Cave made a police report on Dec. 27 and Detective Vincent Uher soon followed up. Cave gave him the videos.
“In the 14 years I’m sitting here … this is one of the most disturbing cases I’ve seen,” Magisterial District Judge Laura Turlip said at the pair’s arraignment Thursday.
In the video, two women laugh as they toss pieces of chicken around, often referring to it as “front porch chicken,” “basement chicken” or “bathroom chicken.” One woman filmed as the 62-year-old group home resident rushed after the chicken and ate it, sometimes picking it off the bathroom and shower floor or out of a bush in the yard.
In another video, a wet towel was thrown three times at the victim’s face as people off camera laughed.
“Wait, wait, give me that back,” one said. The victim handed over the wet towel, only to be hit in the head with it again.
Wall can be briefly seen on camera at times, police said.
Hadley told Uher that Dougherty filmed them. Not only did she send the clips to him, he recognized her voice.
Dougherty and Wall’s responsibilities included feeding, hygiene and the overall safety of those entrusted to their care.
Kretsch said that the Arc invests time and resources to prevent such incidents and puts employees through background checks. For employees in roles like Dougherty’s and Wall’s, they are required to go through annual training.
“Yet, despite all the measures we take, there is still an element of trust that each worker will be respectful of the individuals we serve,” Kretsch said.
Uher interviewed the pair on Jan. 13. Both acknowledged the videos were made in poor taste, according to a criminal complaint.
Wall admitted she threw the chicken while Dougherty filmed. Dougherty said she never meant to harm the victim and never posted the videos on social media.
The pair were quiet in court on Thursday. Turlip’s voice rose above the din of the courtroom.
“There’s three deputies behind you,” Turlip said. “You’re going to jail, just so you know.”
Turlip set bail at $50,000 each. Wall remains in Lackawanna County Prison; Dougherty is free after posting bail. Preliminary hearings are scheduled 11 a.m. Feb. 3 in Central Court.
Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9144; @jkohutTT on Twitter
From purchasing scuba equipment to equipping divers with an underwater communication system, the annual state fire commissioner’s grant is a vital source of funding that allows Scott Twp.-based Dive Rescue Specialists to continue saving lives.
“When you get into emergency equipment like that, it’s very expensive,” said President and Rescue Capt. Bill White, explaining the dive group doesn’t receive any local tax funding. “We have to have this equipment up to par all the time. Somebody could die if it malfunctioned.”
The Office of the State Fire Commissioner recently awarded more than $750,000 to 61 fire, emergency medical and rescue groups in Lackawanna County as part of the Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program.
The grant is open to both paid and volunteer fire companies, emergency medical services and volunteer rescue squads, according to the fire commissioner’s office. The funds must go toward a department’s facilities, equipment, debt reduction, training or education.
Dive Rescue Specialists received $14,248.03. With about 22 divers and 40 members, the volunteer dive company is Lackawanna County’s first-response department for water incidents, White said. They take out loans to pay for their equipment and use the grant for debt reduction.
Major purchases have included a truck outfitted with equipment to refill scuba tanks, sonar, suits for different weather conditions and an underwater communication system for divers, White said.
“We’re a much more efficient, much more professional organization because of these grants,” White said.
Moosic’s Greenwood Hose Company 1 will use its $14,248.03 grant to pay off a 2020 Ford F-350 brush truck, said Fire Chief Chuck Molinaro.
Brush trucks are specialized trucks outfitted with equipment to fight fires in wooded areas, allowing firefighters to drive off road and in tight spaces, the chief said. The truck cost more than $70,000, he said.
Greenwood’s new truck, which is heavier duty than its previous brush truck, will also allow towing of ancillary trailers with emergency equipment, he said.
The volunteer company spends most of its time not fighting fires, but instead seeking out funding to pay bills, Molinaro said.
“It’s a pretty tremendous task,” he said,
Eynon Sturges Volunteer Hose Company 3 received the most grant funding in Lackawanna County — $23,283.31. The money will help the company outfit its new KME pumper truck with emergency and scene lights, said company President Donnie Cirba. The volunteer company received the most funding because it’s a merged department comprising both the former Eynon and Sturges hose companies, Cirba said.
“The money helps us significantly each year,” he said.
The annual funds allow Throop to outfit its firefighters with the latest and greatest technology, said Fire Chief Andy Hegedus.
Throop Volunteer Hose Company 3 received $12,604.88 this year, and Throop Hose Company 1 received $12,331.03.
Using the grant money, the hose company can purchase 15 portable radios that would allow the company to switch to digital communications in the future, Hegedus said.
“We rely on it,” he said. “We don’t skip a beat with it when the grant period opens.”
For a full listing of grant recipients, visit osfc.pa.gov.
Contact the writer:
flesnefsky@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9100 x5181;
@flesnefskyTT on Twitter
PITTSTON TWP. — A new $7.74 million center for cleaning and fueling rental cars at the local airport shouldn’t cost car renters any more money, officials said Thursday.
The $3.25 that airport-based rental-car companies now charge for each rental day should remain the same, said Chris Teich, project manager and president of project delivery for Conrac Solutions, the developer.
Teich said the charge should suffice in helping pay off the private loan that will finance the project with no taxpayer money required.
He outlined the project at a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport board meeting.
Conrac hired L.R. Costanzo Co. Inc. of Scranton to build the center, known as a quick turnaround, on land across from the airport’s cellphone parking lot on Old Navy Way Road.
Construction will cost almost $6.18 million, with the rest representing project management, permit fees and other costs.
The land includes an abandoned building that housed Verizon offices and an existing maintenance center owned by rental-car company Avis Budget. L.R. Costanzo will demolish both. The other rental-car companies — Enterprise/National/Alamo and Hertz/Dollar — wash and fuel their cars miles away.
The center will have room for 250 cars with an 11,000-gallon, above-ground fuel tank, fence and guardrails, Teich said. The rental companies will store about 75 cars in a parking lot farther up Old Navy Way Road and across from the center. A “special-purpose entity” will lease the project lots from the airport, Teich said.
L.R. Costanzo will also enclose a walkway in the separate lot where customers return rental cars to protect them from bad weather.
The rental companies will staff the center, Teich said.
“This is going to take a lot of traffic off the (roads) because two of the rental car companies have to go off site,” he said.
Demolition is scheduled to begin in October with construction completed by the end of October 2021.
In other business, the board:
■ Reorganized and appointed Lackawanna County Commissioner Debi Domenick as its chairwoman and Luzerne County Councilman Tim McGinley as its vice chairman. A six-member board made up of three people from each county oversees the airport.
■ Honored airport Public Safety Director George Bieber, who will retire Jan. 31 to take a job as operations director for a new drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic near Lake Scranton in Scranton. Airport officials heaped praise on Bieber, 65.
Airport Director Carl Beardsley Jr. said when he took his job, he noticed Bieber knew everyone in the terminal and always helped.
Board member C. David Pedri said Bieber exemplified the meaning of the term “customer service.”
“I saw him help a mother of four who was bringing her children in here one time. The kids were crying. George stopped everything he was doing (and said), ‘Let me help you out,’ ” Pedri said. “Everybody was treated with respect.”
Bieber accepted the award with humility.
“I loved it,” Bieber said of his job. “I had a great time.”
■ Honored Tia Toney, airport assistant financial director, for 15 years of what Beardsley called “outstanding service and dedication.”
■ Said it would consider Dupont resident Lou Posly’s request to remove a gate at one end of Lidy Road if Dupont Borough Council officially asks. Posly, who first asked several months ago, said opening the gate will improve emergency-vehicle access and allow Lidy Road residents easier access to Interstate 81. Airport officials said they met with Dupont officials, who so far haven’t asked to remove the gate.
Contact the writer:
bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com;
570-348-9147;
@BorysBlogTT on Twitter
SCRANTON
City police charged a female student with making bomb threats against West Scranton High School.
The 15-year-old girl, who was not identified because she is a juvenile, made a series of threats through the anonymous Safe2Say Something app from Tuesday into Wednesday, police Capt. Dennis Lukasewicz said.
She faces charges of terroristic threats, he said.
“She will go to a juvenile hearing and we’ll take it from there,” said Lukasewicz, who singled out School Resource Officer Jill Foley and Juvenile Officer Kevin Uher for their work on the investigation.
In October, city police arrested five students after a rash of bomb threats plagued Scranton and West Scranton high schools.
—DAVID SINGLETON
Chandra, a black-spotted pot-bellied pig, is recovering at the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary from a deep wound after a good samaritan found him injured Thursday on the side of the Morgan Highway.
“He’s the apple of everyone’s eye this morning,” Indra Lahiri, sanctuary founder, said Friday.
A woman was driving down Route 307 in Lackawanna County when she noticed Chandra tangled in the bushes on the side of the road near a cemetery, Lahiri said. The good samaritan flagged down other cars whose drivers helped her get the injured pig into her car.
She brought him to the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter around 1:20 p.m. and workers there rushed him to the Carbondale Veterinary Hospital after noticing there was material imbedded into his stomach area and around his back, said Ashley Wolo, shelter executive director.
“Our hearts broke immediately, just looking at the pig,” she said. “We just knew it wasn’t a good situation.”
The vet surgically removed some sort of metal from his body that was imbedded as far deep as his muscles, said Lahiri.
Chandra — which is Sanskrit for moon and was Lahiri’s father’s middle name — now requires around the clock care while he heals from surgery that left a wide, deep wound.
“It’s a serious wound,” she said.
The vet estimated that the pig is around 5 or 6 years old and about 20 to 25 pounds underweight, said Wolo.
Aside from recovering from surgery, Lahiri said he has other ailments including runny eyes and issues with his back legs.
The vet said Chandra might never be 100%. With the right help, he’ll recover, Lahiri said.
“We can get him to the point where he will be happy,” she said.
The sanctuary and Griffin Pond are working with their humane officers to identify who injured Chandra and if there are any other animals suffering similar fates.
Anyone with information should call either the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary, 570-763-2908, or the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 570-586-3700. To donate to help with Chandra’s care, visit www.indraloka.org or the santuary's Facebook page..
Contact the writer: kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter.
SCRANTON — The Scranton Shade Tree Commission reminds individuals and companies that it is unlawful to engage in the business of tree removal, tree pruning, stump removal and tree planting without first registering with the state attorney general’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The requirement, mandated under the state Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, applies to work performed on both private and publicly owned property, city forester Anthony Santoli said.
Vendors of tree services may contact the Attorney General’s Office at 717-772-2425 or by email at hic@attorneygeneral.gov for more information.
— STAFF REPORT
An Old Forge man in a hurry to get to work faces DUI charges after police say he ignored a school bus stop sign, hit a Mid Valley student with his car and did not stop.
Charles Hope, 48, 210 S. Main St., Old Forge, hit a child crossing Sanderson Street and Memorial Drive in Throop with his red Chevy Blazer around 2:48 p.m. Thursday, according to the criminal complaint.
The student suffered injuries to his left hand, leg and knee and was taken to Geisinger Community Medical Center, police said.
The bus driver, John Longo, told officers the school bus stop sign and warning lights were activated when Hope’s Blazer passed the bus in the left oncoming traffic lane. Hope was heading towards Dickson City, said Throop Police Chief Andy Kerecman.
Dickson City Police Chief William Billinski recognized Hope’s name and told officers the name of the gas station where he works. Officers took him into custody there.
“I was in a hurry to get to work, the school bus stopped very fast and I had to go around it,” Hope told officers, according to the criminal complaint.
Hope, who acknowledged to police that the school bus stop sign was activated when he went through it, said he saw the student fall next to his vehicle when he passed a school bus but “didn’t think he hit the kid.”
When officers asked why he didn’t stop, Hope, who seemed confused while being questioned, said he saw the kid get up.
Police said the Blazer had scuff marks on its hood and driver’s side bumper where Longo said the student was hit.
Hope also admitted to having “spice” — synthetic marijuana — in his vehicle but said he did not smoke it, police said. He was taken to Regional Hospital for a blood sample to be tested for drugs and alcohol.
He is charged with driving under the influence, meeting or overtaking a school bus, failing to stop and render aid, careless driving and possession of drug paraphernalia, among other charges.
He was unable to post $50,000 in bail and remains in Lackawanna County Prison. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Feb. 6.
Contact the writer: kbolus@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5114; @kbolusTT on Twitter.
A longtime superintendent from Susquehanna County will become a principal at Riverside Junior-Senior High School.
Bronson Stone, who became superintendent of Susquehanna Community at the age of 30 and has led the district for 17 years, will become a Riverside Viking on July 1.
“Being superintendent is a 24-7, 365 job,” said Stone, 47, of Ararat Twp. “I need to take a step back. I truly have the best time in my profession working with teachers and students. That’s how I want to finish my career.”
Riverside Superintendent Paul Brennan made the announcement to faculty and staff today, with the school board scheduled to officially approve the hiring next month. Stone will make $100,000 a year at Riverside, about $30,000 less than he made as superintendent. Stone — one of the longest serving superintendents in Northeast Pennsylvania — has notified the Susquehanna Community School Board, which he said plans to discuss the replacement process during its February meeting.
“I’m excited for our district and the experience and energy that Bronson will bring coming in,” Brennan said.
Stone will serve as principal of seventh through ninth grades, replacing Robert Presley in that role. Presley will serve as principal for 10th through 12th grades. In an effort to improve academics, the district moved from a principal and vice principal to a two-principal system at the junior-senior building last year.
Presley replaces principal Joseph Moceyunas, who will retire in June after 31 years in the district. The former math teacher became vice principal in 1997 and principal in 2005.
“This has been my life for 31 years,” Moceyunas, 55, said. “I’ve been blessed to be at Riverside with a great faculty and a great bunch of students. ... they are the reasons I came to work every day.”
As leader of the 800-student district in northeast Susquehanna County, Stone dealt with financial pressures, including increased charter school costs, and finding ways to improve achievement. For four years, the Susquehanna Community graduate acted as both superintendent and elementary school principal. For several years, he also handled discipline at the high school. With three children — a freshman in college, an eighth grader and a fourth grader — Stone said his job as superintendent often pulled him away from his family.
“I don’t want to miss out on anything of theirs again,” Stone said. “It’s an exciting time for me and my family. I can’t wait to go to a sporting event where I’m not the superintendent, but just a dad.”
Stone will continue to live in Ararat Twp., with his children remaining at Susquehanna Community. He called Riverside a “progressive district” with a lot to offer.
“I want to help support their mission and provide something great for each and every student,” Stone said. “They want the best for their kids.”
Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter
Annie Heyen said she never felt as empowered as she did Friday afternoon, surrounded by tens of thousands of pro-life advocates who gathered in Washington D.C. for the 47th annual March for Life.
Attending the annual anti-abortion rally for the first time, Heyen, a 20-year-old junior at Marywood University, said the National Mall was overflowing with people eager to add to a chorus of pro-life voices. The march is held each year on or around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
“Life is precious and every person is valuable,” said Heyen, who along with her friends travelled to the march on a bus trip organized by the Diocese of Scranton. “Every person is a gift to this world.”
The large crowd kept Heyen from getting close to the stage where President Donald Trump spoke, becoming the first president to address March for Life demonstrators in person in the event’s history. Heyen said she heard echoes of Trump’s speech and applause erupted when he delivered certain lines.
“Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House,” said Trump, touting his record of conservative judicial nominations and reiterating his commitment to veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policies.
Heyen said what she could hear of the president’s speech was simple and to the point.
“It comes down to the meaning of why we were all created,” she said. “I believe that all people were created with a purpose ... and nobody should be denied that purpose.”
Contact the writer:
jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141;
@jhorvathTT on Twitter
A man awaiting trial on charges of stealing almost $17,000 from an American Legion post in Scranton now stands accused of a different kind of theft.
The Lackawanna County district attorney’s office filed stolen valor charges Friday against Christopher Crawford, 31, accusing the West Scranton man of misrepresenting his military service and his status as a veteran.
Although Crawford portrayed himself to American Legion officers and others as a combat veteran, including displaying a Combat Infantry Badge, the Army discharged him under “other than honorable conditions” after he went absent without leave during boot camp in 2007, investigators said.
Crawford was not immediately arraigned on the new charges, which include one count each of misrepresentation of military service or honors and misrepresentation of decoration.
Crawford was originally arrested last summer and accused of stealing more than $16,700 from American Legion Post 568 in Minooka by using post debit cards to make unauthorized cash withdrawals and purchases between March and August.
At the time, Crawford served as Post 568’s executive officer in charge of memberships and recruitment after transferring from a post in Pittsburgh.
District Attorney Mark Powell described the conduct in the case — masquerading as a combat veteran to infiltrate and steal funds from an American Legion post — as “breathtakingly brazen and unprecedented in my almost 30 years of practicing criminal law in Lackawanna County.”
“It’s an affront to every veteran who has defended our great nation,” he said.
The district attorney’s office obtained Crawford’s complete military record after American Legion officials told investigators no documentation could be found in their files to substantiate Crawford’s status as a veteran or his eligibility for membership in the organization.
The record indicates Crawford enlisted in the Army in March 2007, but served only two months and 25 days in boot camp before going AWOL from Fort Benning, Georgia, in July 2007, Detective Lisa Bauer wrote in the arrest affidavit. The Army issued a warrant for his arrest the following month.
Crawford surrendered at Fort Drum, New York, in November 2007, and was transferred to Fort Knox, Kentucky, to face possible court-martial. In December 2007, he received a discharge under other than honorable conditions in lieu of a trial by court-martial, the affidavit said.
American Legion officers said Crawford joined Post 568 under he guise of a combat veteran, Bauer wrote in arrest papers. He wore a hat displaying a Combat Infantry Badge, which is awarded only to infantrymen who have engaged in active ground combat, and held himself out to be a veteran of war.
In addition, Crawford declared veterans status on his application to the state Department of Transportation for a non-driver’s photo identification card, the affidavit said.
David Eisele, of the county Office of Veterans Affairs, told investigators that, based on the circumstances of his discharge, Crawford is not considered a military veteran and cannot claim veterans status.
Crawford remains jailed in Lackawanna County Prison on $95,000 bail.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9132
MARRIAGE LICENSES
• Glenn Michael Anderson and Nora Isabel Anderson, both of Scranton.
• Richard Garcia and Migdalia Rodriguez, both of Gouldsboro.
• Mary Elizabeth Northrip, Blairstown, N.J., and Jamison Benzeleski, Dickson City.
• Patrick Richard Mitchell and Ashley Marie Boyanowski, both of Scranton.
• Gaetano Joseph Calabro IV and Kylie Nichole Borick, both of Archbald.
• Christina Oprishko and Aaron Christian Beyer, both of Archbald.
PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS
• Michael T. and Heather A. Schroeder to Bhim P. Gajmer, Scranton; a property at 103 Mount Laurel Lane, Olyphant, for $275,000.
• Thomas I. Sweeney, Jermyn, James P. and Tracy A. Sweeney, South Abington Twp., tenants in common, to Michael J. Carrera, Olyphant; a property at 110 Hill St., Jessup, for $175,000.
• ServiceLink, attorney-in-fact for Fannie Mae, also known as Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, Texas, to Jeffrey and Diane Canevari, Dunmore; a property at 6 Baldassari Drive, Dunmore, for $164,500.
• Brenda Lopez to Laurencio V. and Nohemi Prieto; two parcels at 419 Genet St., Scranton, for $80,000.
• Victoria A. Gambo to Jia Long Chen and Feng Qing Liang; a property at 1508 N. Sumner Ave., Scranton, for $46,000.
• Craig A. Simko, Falls Twp., to Lauralee Cramer, Spring Brook Twp.; a property at 7 Lily Lane, Thornhurst Twp., for $93,000.
• Wing Ho Yeung, New York, to Jason and Catherine Heimrich, Pennsylvania; a property at 617 Green Ridge St., Scranton, for $25,000.
• Carol A. Walsh, executrix of the estate of Charles P. Marsala, to Tiffany L. Murphy, Pennsylvania; a property at 334 N. Garfield Ave., Scranton, for $98,244.
• 3015 N Main LLC, Hazleton, to MGS Properties LLC, Swoyersville; two parcels at 3015 N. Main Ave., Scranton, for $1,850,000.
• Pa. Property Advisors LLC, Dunmore, to Adam T. Bisignani, Scranton; a property at 910 Orchard St., Scranton, for $97,000.
• Victor Caputo, Scott Twp., to Clark Country LLC, Lackawanna County; a property at 429 Brook St., Blakely, for $35,000.
• Sandra Majorino, Scranton, to Michael and Mary Ann Rukse, Dickson City; a property at 542-544 Morgan St., Dickson City, for $26,000.
• Wyoming & Spruce Associates General Partnership to Mellon Building Apartments LLC; four parcels on Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, for $1,350,000.
• Erin Butler, now by marriage Erin Conner, and Christopher C. Conner, Harrisburg, to Michael and Patricia Catalano; a property at 220 Linden St., Unit 802, Scranton, for $71,000.
• Nicholas and Audra Gillette, Dunmore, to Grady and Michelle Jones, Dunmore; a property on Smith Street, Dunmore, for $30,000.
• Kwesi T. Dunston and Kathryn E. Obert, Silver Spring, Md., to Frederick III and Katherine Cashman, Endicott, N.Y.; a property at 108 Lake St., Dalton, for $195,000.
• Robert and Patricia M. Naro, Pennsylvania, to Kyle George Beatty, Pennsylvania; a property at 1122 Reynolds Ave., Taylor, for $58,000.
• Daniel S. Gardner, also known as Daniel S. Gardner III, Lackawanna County, to Prestige Properties Management LLC, South Ozone Park, N.Y.; four parcels in Scranton for $280,000.
• Diversified Trust Co. Inc., trustee of the Darryll M. Ceccoli Residuary Trust, sole member of Abington Enterprises LLC, formerly known as Abington Enterprises Inc., formerly known as DMC Service Corp., Atlanta, to David and Corey Harrington, Dalton; a property at 114 W. Main St., Dalton, for $50,000.
• Robert N. and Abbey Judge, Dunmore, to Rachel Kester and Ryan Joseph Kozich, Scranton, as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 126 Potter St., Dunmore, for $139,900.
• Go America LLC, Carlsbad, Calif., to Joel Cardenas and Neri Teo, Springfield, Mass., as joint tenants with rights of survivorship; a property at 2204 S. Webster Ave., Scranton, for $30,000.
DIVORCES SOUGHT
• Robert Richard Lyons, Scranton, v. Patricia Lynch, Dunmore; married April 17, 1978, in Scranton; Donald W. Jensen, attorney.
• Rachel Decker Baldino, Wilkes-Barre, v. John Baldino, South Abington Twp.; married Oct. 17, 2015, in Dunmore; William E. Vinsko Jr., attorney.
LAWSUITS
• Nelta Svetlovics, 37 Cole Village, Clarks Summit, v. Clarks Summit Beverage Center Inc., also known as Summit Beverage, 100 Old Lackawanna Trail #1, Clarks Summit, seeking in excess of $50,000, for injuries suffered Oct. 13, 2018, in a fall on the defendant’s premises; Joseph S. Toczydlowski Jr., attorney.
• James Booth, Lackawanna County, v. Mary Griffin, 109 Everhart St., Dupont, and Depositors Insurance Co., 1100 Locust St., Des Moines, Iowa, seeking in excess of $50,000, together with compensatory damages, interest, costs of suit, attorneys’ fees and any such relief deemed equitable, just and proper on one count for negligence, and in excess of $50,000, together with compensatory damages, interest, costs of suit, attorneys’ fees and any such relief deemed equitable, just and proper on one count, for breach of contract, for injuries suffered Sept. 14, 2018, in an automobile accident on North Main Avenue, Scranton; Michael J. Pisanchyn Jr. and Thomas J. Carroll Jr., attorneys.
ESTATES FILED
• Matilda (Tillie) Nemerovich, 46 Emerald Drive, Throop, letters of administration to Robert Nemerovich, same address.
• John Brier, also known as John J. Brier, 50 Mary’s Lane, Spring Brook Twp., letters of administration to Mary Ann Brier, same address.
• Mildred Madsen, also known as Mildred E. Madsen, 1300 Morgan Highway, Clarks Summit, letters testamentary to Patricia Gannon, 406 Haven Lane, Clarks Summit.
• Donna R. Weil, 603 Dean St., Scranton, letters of administration to Robert A. Winslow, 4988 Ridge Road, Lockport, N.Y.
• David Bentler, also known as David H. Bentler, 585 Old River Road, Thornhurst, letters of administration to Nadine Anne Bentler, same address.
• Ileana Fernanda Szymanski Rivera, also known as Ileana Fernanda Szymanski, 902 Columbia St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Tara Hamilton-Fay, 1702 Olive St., Scranton.
• Esther Rosengrant, also known as Esther F. Ciccone Rosengrant and Esther F. Rosengrant, 11 Terrace Drive, Scranton, letters testamentary to Louise Rosengrant Leonori, 11 Waldorf Lane, Scranton.
• Marilyn Watkins, also known as Marilyn L. Watkins, 309 Bear Brook Acres Drive, Madison Twp., letters of administration to Ray Watkins, also known as Ray Howard Watkins III, same address.
BENCH WARRANTS
Judge Thomas Munley has issued the following bench warrants for failure to appear on fines and costs:
• Richard Sciarrone, 4300 Lincoln Ave., Feasterville-Trevose; $958.50.
• Laurie Timlin, 715 E. Pine St., Olyphant; $2,812.50.
• Miguel Angel Valentin-Gonzalez, 1514 Cedar Ave., first floor, Scranton; $2,660.44.
• Sandra Lee Usher, Rear 718 Main St., Simpson; $647.25.
• Nicole Marie Stygar, 204 Lori Drive, Archbald; $643.
• Dale Lewis Sorak, 133 Carroll St., Pittston; $2,580.
• Leann Richards, 1421 Sanderson Ave., Scranton; $1,819.20.
• Elijah A. Price, 525 Main St., Richmondale; $865.25.
• Clifford Theodoro Schwanke, 11805 21st St., Vero Beach, Fla.; $2,157.
• Michael Montafia, 7 Laurel St., Carbondale; $1,401.
• Christopher Magalong, 39 Lakeshore Drive, Apt. 1, Montrose; $855.25.
• Sandra Jean Mackaliunas, 1210 Ash St., second floor, Scranton; $1,731.
• Daniel Crecca, 2310 E. Letterly St., Philadelphia; $531.
• Christa Lynn Clemo, P.O. Box 201, Waymart; $584.
• Sasha Chwasciewski, 502 Main St., Apt. 1, Peckville; $940.
• Lisa Atwell, 420 St. Frances Cabrini Ave., Scranton; $2,369.88.
• Cheyenne K. Archangle-Weist, 1709 Wyoming Ave., Scranton; $787.25.
• Isreal Millard Anthony Jr., 346 Chester St., Kingston; $952.50.
ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/court
HAZLE TWP. — After working on campaigns across the country, Jim Bognet came home to Hazleton to run his own campaign for Congress.
To enter the crowded race for the Republican nomination in Pennsylvania’s 8th District, Bognet quit his most recent job as senior vice president for communications of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
President Donald Trump appointed Bognet to the job, and Bognet is running to support Trump.
“I think this election is going to be about defending President Trump from the out-of-control witch hunt the liberal Democrats ... have launched against him,” Bognet said Thursday when announcing his candidacy.
While the impeachment trial underway in the Senate now is expected to end this month, well before the primary election April 28, Bognet said Republicans have to send a message or else Democrats in the House will continue trying to oust Trump during a second term.
During Trump’s administration, the stock market has climbed and unemployment fallen, and Bognet wants to bring the benefits of a rising economy to the district, which stretches from Hazleton to Scranton.
“Good jobs at good wages are very important. We have to help the job creators,” Bognet said.
After graduating from Hazleton Area High School Bognet went to Penn State University and interned for then-U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum before heading to UCLA, where he earned a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration.
He volunteered on the campaign for governor of Arnold Schwarzenegger, for whom he became deputy economic adviser. Later, he assisted around the country on campaigns for president of Mitt Romney and candidates for governor, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Most recently, he was chief executive officer for the campaign of Martha McSally, a fighter pilot who won a Senate seat in Arizona two years ago.
Bognet, 44, based his political consulting business, JRB Strategies, in Hazleton and pays taxes there, which is where he started in politics.
In 2002, he came back from law school to help Lou Barletta in an unsuccessful run for the House seat that Barletta later captured.
“I got to see him interacting with people, got to see how much he cared about improving the lives of citizens,” Bognet said.
Matt Cartwright, a Democrat who voted to impeach Trump, holds the 8th District seat that Republicans think they can win.
Five other Republicans — Harry Haas, a Luzerne County councilman; Earl Granville, who lost a leg serving in the military in Afghanistan; Teddy Daniels, a decorated veteran and former police officer; Michael Marsicano, a former Hazleton mayor who switched parties; and Mike Cammisa, manager of Bottlenecks Saloon in West Hazleton — also are seeking the nomination.
Contact the writer:
kjackson
@standardspeaker.com;
570-501-3587
SCRANTON
A screening of a documentary on the Knox Mine Disaster will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College, 501 Vine St.
Twelve men were killed during the disaster in January 1959 in Port Griffith, Luzerne County, when the Susquehanna River crashed through the River Slope Mine.
Filmmaker Albert Brocca, a Kingston native who lives in California, worked on the documentary with his cousin, David Brocca.
Tickets may be purchased for $10 at www.knoxminedisaster.com.
— STAFF REPORT