Man charged in city assault

SCRANTON - A Wilkes-Barre man assaulted a friend of his ex-girlfriend Sunday at her apartment, police said.

Lewis Konze, 22, 19 Schoolhouse Lane, became angry when he saw another man - who was dropping off a cellphone - in her North Edwards Court apartment and challenged him to a fight.

The woman tried to break up the fight, but she was punched in the face, police said. Her television, valued at just under $600, was also damaged.

Mr. Konze was charged with attempted simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. He was sent to Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is slated for Monday.

Former state Sen. Raphael Musto is again trying to delay his criminal trial on public corruption charges, citing dire health concerns.

Attorneys for the 84-year-old ex-lawmaker claim the stress of a trial could kill Mr. Musto, who they say suffers from cirrhosis of the liver and a thoracic aneurysm.

"Musto's medical condition has worsened over the last year and will continue to worsen," Mr. Musto's Chester County-based attorneys John E. Riley and William J. Murray wrote in court papers filed Friday.

The attorneys are asking Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo to indefinitely delay Mr. Musto's trial and hold a hearing to determine if Mr. Musto is competent to stand trial.

Last month, Judge Caputo scheduled Mr. Musto's trial to begin in federal court on Jan. 6.

Mr. Musto, a longtime Democratic state senator from Pittston Twp., was indicted shortly after his retirement in November 2010 on three counts of fraud, two counts of bribery and two counts of making false statements to investigators.

A grand jury alleged that Mr. Musto, while a senator, accepted $40,000 in cash and free construction services in exchange for supporting state funding for development projects.

The trial has been delayed for years due to claims by Mr. Musto and his defense team that his deteriorating health prevents him from helping with his defense.

Judge Caputo previously denied Mr. Musto's attempt to indefinitely delay the trial.

The delay in Mr. Musto's case continues to delay another case related to the Luzerne County public corruption scandal. Sentencing for wealthy real estate developer Robert Mericle is on hold because he's expected to testify as a prosecution witness at Mr. Musto's trial.

Prosecutors say Mr. Mericle paid $2.1 million to former county judges Michael T. Conahan and Mark A. Ciavarella Jr., who placed juveniles in two for-profit detention centers built by Mr. Mericle's construction firm. Mr. Mericle pleaded guilty in September 2009 to failing to report a felony in the case and is expected to serve federal prison time after he testifies in the Musto case.

Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

ABENT, GERTRUDE, Duryea, today, 9 a.m., Bernard J. Piontek Funeral Home Inc., Duryea. Mass, 9:30, Holy Rosary Church, Duryea.

BERNATOWICZ, JOSEPH, Tuesday, Mass, St. Mary's Visitation Church, Dickson City, by Monsignor Patrick Pratico and Deacon Jan Mroz. Pallbearers: John Olshefski III, Gregory DeRoma, Robert and Marc Vanston; Michael Papp and Don Cannon. Interment, St. Mary's Visitation Cemetery, Dickson City.

CHISAR, STANLEY S., Blakely, Thursday, 9 a.m., Frank T. Mazur Funeral Home, 601 Dundaff St., Dickson City. Mass, 9:30, St. Mary's Visitation Church. Interment, St. Mary's Cemetery, Dickson City. Calling hours, today, 5 to 7 p.m. Contributions: VNA Hospice and Home Health.

COLARUSSO, ANN MARIE DELVECCHIO, Old Forge, today, 9:15 a.m., Kniffen O'Malley Funeral Home, 728 Main St., Avoca. Mass, 10, St. Mary's Assumption Church, West Grace Street, Old Forge, by the Rev. August A. Ricciardi. Interment, Old Forge Cemetery. Donations: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 2151, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38101-2151.

DEE, WILLIAM A., Archbald, memorial Mass, later date. Inurnment, Calvary Cemetery, Mayfield. Contributions: Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. Arrangements: Louis J. Rapoch Funeral Home, Archbald.

GALLAGHER, SISTER M. JEANNE, I.H.M., Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, today, 11 a.m., Mass, Our Lady of Peace Residence, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton. Interment, St. Catherine's Cemetery, Moscow. Contributions: IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.

GEORGE, MARY ANN, Throop, Thursday, 9 a.m., John F. Glinsky Funeral Home, 445 Sanderson St., Throop. Mass, 9:30, St. Anthony's Church, 215 Rebecca St., Throop. Burial, Cathedral Cemetery, Scranton. Calling hours, today, 4 to 7 p.m. Contributions: St. Joseph's Center.

HALLINAN, KELCEY ALICIA, Dunmore, Thursday, Carlucci-Golden-DeSantis Funeral Home Inc., 318 E. Drinker St., Dunmore. Mass, 9:30 a.m., St. Mary's Church, Chestnut Street, Dunmore. Go directly to church. Interment, Dunmore Cemetery. Calling hours, today, 4 to 8 p.m., funeral home. Contributions: KelceyStrong Scholarship Fund, c/o Fidelity Bank, 101 N. Blakely St., Dunmore, PA 18512.

HOSIE, LEONARD E., Archbald, Tuesday, Mass, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Archbald, by the Rev. Christopher Sahd, by the Rev. Michael Kirwin and Deacon Edward Kelly. Pallbearers: Ryan and Christopher Harrison; Nathan Hosie, Harrison Weinberger and Noah Sirianni, grandsons; Ron Jackson, Michael Surace and Dr. Richard Weinberger, sons-in-law. Interment, St. Thomas Cemetery, Archbald.

JOHNSON, KATHERINE, Taylor, today, 10 a.m., Semian Funeral Home, 704 Union St., Taylor, by the Rev. Norm Demming. Interment, Milwaukee Cemetery. Contributions: St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 401 W. Grove St., Taylor.

JONES, BARBARA RACHAEL, Exeter, Friday, 11 a.m., St. Barbara's Parish, 28 Memorial Ave., Exeter, by the Rev. Louis Grippi. Arrangements: Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., Old Forge.

KUNDRATIC, GENNA M. KOVAL, Wilkes-Barre, today, Mass, 10 a.m., St. Nicholas Church, South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre. Interment, St. Mary's Cemetery, Hanover Twp. Arrangements: Kopicki Funeral Home. Contributions: Lucy Fund, nfcr.org/support-lucy-fund.

LOCH, HILDA, Springville, Thursday, 11 a.m., Harding-Litwin Funeral Home, 123 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, by Pastor Murray Brindle of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Tunkhannock. Interment, Sunnyside Cemetery, Tunkhannock. Calling hours, today, 5 to 8 p.m. and Thursday, 10 until service. Contributions: Springville Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 107, Springville, PA 18844 or St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 7652 Route 6 West, Tunkhannock, PA 18657.

McGEE, TIMOTHY, Gouldsboro, Thursday, 7 p.m., Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, 3 First St., Spring Brook Twp., by the Rev. Eric Luczak, pastor of Daleville/Maple Lake United Methodist churches. Interment, private. Visitation, Thursday, 4 until service. Contributions: animal shelter or rescue group of the donor's choice.

MOLINSKI, LILLIAN DROUSE, formerly of Avoca, Mass, Thursday, 11 a.m., Queen of the Apostles Parish, Avoca. Viewing, 10 to Mass, church. Arrangements: Kniffen O'Malley Funeral Home, Avoca.

NARCAVAGE, LENA, Eynon, today, Mass, St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, Eynon, 10 a.m. Go directly to church. Interment, private. Contributions: St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, 500 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503; St. Joseph's Center, 2010 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509; or donor's favorite charity.

OPRISKO, STEVE, Dickson City, today, 9 a.m., Frank T. Mazur Funeral Home Inc., 601 Dundaff St., Dickson City. Liturgy, 9:30, SS. Cyril & Methodius Church, Olyphant. Interment, parish cemetery.

PATEL, MAGANBHAI H., Scranton, today, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Chipak Funeral Home, 343 Madison Ave., Scranton. Cremation services, Maple Hill Crematory, Archbald.

RICHARDS, DANIEL, formerly of Montrose, Saturday, 10 a.m., Holy Name of Mary Church, Montrose. Interment, private. Contributions: True Friends Animal Welfare, 16332 Route 706, Montrose, PA 18801; American Diabetes Association, 501 N. 17 St., Allentown, PA 18104.

RIVIELLO, BETTY A., Old Forge, Tuesday, Mass, St. Mary's Church, Old Forge, by the Rev. August A. Ricciardi. Pallbearers: Robert and Richard Evans; David and Frank Riviello; Joseph Mullarkey, Sharif and Kyle Sams. Interment, Old Forge Cemetery.

SAYER, ELEANOR I. "BONNIE," South Abington Twp., services private. Contributions: Meals on Wheels, 541 Wyoming Ave., Suite 2, Scranton, PA 18509. Arrangements: Robert E. Decker Funeral Home, Peckville.

SHAFFER, COL. ROBERT W., Honolulu, Saturday, 3 p.m., James Wilson Funeral Home, 143 Gravity Road, Lake Ariel. Calling hours, 1 until service. Contributions: American Diabetes Association, diabetes.org or donor's favorite charity.

SHAUGHNESSY, ANN MARIE, Honesdale, Mass, Friday, 10 a.m., St. John the Evangelist Church, Honesdale. Interment, St. Mary's Cemetery, Honesdale. Calling hours Thursday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., Hessling Funeral Home Inc., 428 Main St., Honesdale. Contributions: American Cancer Society.

SPOTT, FREDERICK CHARLES, Clarks Summit, Tuesday, Countryside Community Church, Clarks Summit, by the Rev. Dr. Jean-Pierre Duncan, pastor. Pallbearers: Frederick Lidle, Dominick Curmaci, Jerry Coyne, Mike Manley, Matt Spott, Jay and Jamie Rosenstein; and Kenny Cossack. Entombment with military honors, Cathedral Cemetery, Scranton.

ZALESKI, MARIE PISANO, Scranton, formerly of Pittston, Memorial Shrine Cemetery, Eighth Street, Wyoming, today. 11 a.m. Arrangements: Kiesinger Funeral Services Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Duryea.

A Montrose-area man told police he shot his brother in the head in a "mercy killing."

Forest Webster, 52, faces one count of criminal homicide in connection with the Sunday death of his brother, John Webster, 55, of Jessup Twp. in Susquehanna County.

Police found John Webster's body in the yard of the Route 706 residence with a gunshot wound to his head and one to his upper back.

Mr. Webster went to the Montrose Police Department about 10 a.m. Sunday and told the officer on duty he needed a coroner. Mr. Webster told Montrose Patrolwoman Laura Watson he shot his brother at about 9:30. "because he was cutting the phone lines."

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper John Oliver, along with Susquehanna County Sheriff Lance Benedict, interviewed Mr. Webster at the Montrose police department.

"It was a mercy killing, my brother is not rational," Mr. Webster told police.

Mr. Webster told authorities that John Webster had been cutting wires and damaging locks and vehicles.

He went on to tell police he shot his brother with a .22-caliber long rifle, "a bolt action with a clip." Mr. Webster then ended the interview and invoked his right to speak with an attorney.

Police were already at the scene and discovered John Webster laying face down in the yard with an apparent gunshot wound to his head.

Two empty .22-caliber long rifle casings were found just outside the door to the residence.

A search warrant was executed on the home and the weapon was discovered on the bed, where Mr. Webster told police it would be.

Mr. Webster is being held at the Susquehanna County Correctional Facility with no bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled to be held Monday, Nov. 25.

Contact the writer: swilson@tsweeklygroup.com

OLD FORGE - Borough residents can expect no increase in taxes next year, according to the tentative budget approved Tuesday.

The $5.74 million budget includes no increase to the 20.25-mill rate. For a home with the average residential assessed property value of $12,704, yearly property taxes would be $257.26. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The budget will include the purchase of a new police vehicle. The council will vote to approve the final budget next month.

Also at the meeting, Michael Keslosky, a former borough police officer, addressed the council to ask for his health care benefits to be reinstated. Mr. Keslosky was suspended in 2005 because his Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission certification was expired.

Mr. Keslosky explained that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed the coverage to seek treatment.

"There have been officers in this department who have been suspended and kept their health care," he said, noting criminal charges against some officers. "I'm beseeching you folks to consider my situation."

Although Mr. Keslosky did not name any of the officers. But in September 2012, The Times-Tribune discovered Chief Larry Semenza and Capt. Jamie Krenitsky were still covered by taxpayer-funded family health, dental and vision plans despite being suspended four months prior after their arrest on charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Mr. Semenza was found guilty on charges of corruption of a minor and failure to report child abuse and resigned from the department in October. Mr. Krenitsky pleaded guilty to indecent assault prior to Mr. Semenza's trial. Both are awaiting sentencing.

Council President Brian Rinaldi told Mr. Keslosky the board was sympathetic but referred him to a written response sent to his lawyer. After the meeting, Mr. Rinaldi declined to comment on potential restoration of benefits, because it is a personnel issue.

In other business, the board accepted the resignation letter of Department of Public Works employee Anthony Bruno.

Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter

Abingtons

Tree tour: Willowbrook Senior Living Community holiday tree tour, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m., 150 Edella Road, Clarks Summit; unique themed holiday trees, local carolers, free refreshments; 570-586-6028.

Archbald

Reunion meeting: Archbald High School classes of 1963-1964 50th anniversary reunion planning meeting, Thursday, 7 p.m., Fran's Cafe, 139 S. Main St.; 570-876-3603.

Thanksgiving dinner: Eynon-Archbald Lions Club Thanksgiving dinners prepared and delivered to the residents of Eynon, Archbald, Sturges and Nebraska, Thanksgiving Day, 10-11 a.m.; Phyllis, 570-876-3087 or Patti, 570-489-2371, by Sunday.

Carbondale

Women meet: Carbondale Business and Professional Women's Club meeting, Thursday, 6 p.m., Manhattan Manor; Michael Liuzzo, speaker.

Lackawanna County

Celebrity bartending: Christmas Holiday Bureau Celebrity Bartender Event benefiting the gift card program, Sunday, 5-8 p.m., Gubbio's Restaurant, 411 Chestnut St., Dunmore; raffles, prizes.

Madisonville

Breakfast buffer: Madisonville Fire Company breakfast buffet, Sunday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., hall, 3131 Madisonville Road; hotcakes, French toast, eggs, homefries, bacon, sausage and homemade sausage gravy and biscuits; $6/adults, $5/seniors, $3/children; 570-842-7711.

Pie sale: Madisonville Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary homemade Thanksgiving pie sale pickup, Nov. 27, 9 a.m.-noon; advance orders, call 570-241-2518, 570-842-2906 or 570-877-8952; day of, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.: 570-842-7711; $9/10-inch, apple, apple crumb, pumpkin, lemon meringue, coconut custard, plain custard or coconut cream.

Mountain View

School play: Mountain View Elementary School performance of "Can I Be a Kid Again?", Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., gym; actors and actresses of grades 3-6; $5/adults, $3/students.

Old Forge

Pierogi sale: St. Michael's Church pierogi sale, Dec. 4, 2-5 p.m., Church and Winter streets; $6/dozen; Sandra, 570-457-9280, or church hall, 570-457-2875, by Nov. 30.

Regional

Volunteer training: Delaware Highlands Conservancy Eagle Watch volunteer training day, Dec. 7, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Lackawaxen Inn, wear waterproof boots, hats, gloves, bring bagged lunch; volunteer@delawarehighlands.org, or call 570-226-3164.

Scranton

Pierogi sale: St. Nicholas Ortho­dox Church fresh pierogi sale, Friday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 505 Jefferson Ave.; $7/dozen; 570-344-1522.

South Scranton

Seniors meet: South Side After 50 Club meets Thursday, 1:30 p.m., St. Paul of the Cross Parish Hall, Prospect Avenue; final reservations for Christmas party accepted.

Susquehanna County

Community event: Community Neighbors Connecting, Dec. 17, noon-2 p.m., St. Mark's Community Center, Main Street, New Milford; Christmas party/cookie exchange, bring three dozen cookies, container, $5 wrapped gift to exchange, non-perishable food for local food bank; lunch provided; free.

Throop

Collection change: Throop Borough Nov. 28 garbage collection for Nov. 28 changed to Nov. 26, curbside by 7 a.m.

West Scranton

Crime watch: West Scranton Hyde Park Neighborhood Watch meeting Thursday, 7 p.m., All Saints Auditorium, 1403 Jackson St.; executive board, committee meetings 6-6:50 p.m.; crime and blight issues update; Lackawanna Recycling Center rep.

Cookie sale: St. Michael's Orthodox Church Christmas cookie sale, Dec. 13, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., North Main Avenue and Howell Street, $7/pound.

Pierogi sale: St. Vladi­mir Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church fresh pierogi sale pickup, Dec. 7, 2 p.m., parish center, 428 N. Seventh Ave.; orders: $7/dozen by Dec. 2, Leslie Izak, 570 342-3749.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be sent to yesdesk@timesshamrock.com; Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503; 570-348-9121.

Man arrested for threats, attack

SCRANTON - Police accused a city man of beating, threatening to kill and ripping off the clothes of the mother of his daughter the same day she filed a protection-from- abuse order against him.

In an affidavit, Patrolwoman Melissa Forsette said a woman "wearing only an undergarment" was screaming and a child was crying when she arrived at 35 Crown Circle Drive at 10:37 p.m. Monday.

Karen Torres told police Argely Aquino-Encarnacion, 26, of 1160 Luzerne St., assaulted her and ripped off her clothes. He tried to break the phone when she called 911 and said he would kill her.

Mr. Aquino-Encarnacion was being held at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $25,000 on charges of simple assault, harassment and terroristic threats.

Police charged a Taylor man over the weekend after he rammed his pickup into a ladder, toppling a man working on top of it.

Thomas Hufford, 40, 127 E. Taylor St., argued with Dave Woloszyn on Saturday afternoon as Mr. Woloszyn worked on a detached garage at Cooper Street and a small alley, said Taylor police. Mr. Hufford wanted to drive down the alley, but Mr. Woloszyn's extension ladder jutted into the road. Mr. Woloszyn suggested Mr. Hufford find an alternate route.

"No, I'm going through this way," Mr. Hufford told Mr. Woloszyn, who was about 6 feet off the ground, according to a police report.

Mr. Woloszyn replied by calling Mr. Hufford a vulgar name.

"You don't know who you're dealing with; I'll get my gun and put it in your mouth and shoot you," retorted Mr. Hufford.

"Go ahead," Mr. Woloszyn replied.

Mr. Hufford put his Ford pickup in gear and rammed the ladder, police said. Mr. Woloszyn fell onto the hood and held on as Mr. Hufford backed up about 50 feet, at which point Mr. Woloszyn jumped off, landing on his hands and knees, police said.

Jake Gillern, 16, was on his porch, police said, when his stepfather, Mr. Hufford, pulled up and said, "If you want to beat someone up, go out to the corner because I just hit a guy with my truck and also threatened to shoot him."

Jake told police he wanted to see if his stepfather was telling the truth, but also to check that Mr. Woloszyn was not harmed. When the teenager reached the scene, Mr. Woloszyn had already called police and was waiting for them to arrive.

Police charged Mr. Hufford with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment.

He is free after posting 10 percent of $20,000 bail, pending a preliminary hearing on Monday.

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

A preliminary list of tax-delinquent properties that will be offered for sale during Lackawanna County's 2014 judicial sale is now available for review on the county website.

The list includes more than 500 properties owing $4.7 million in delinquent real estate taxes dating as far back as 1999, that will be auctioned at the Feb. 24 sale at the courthouse, said Ron Koldjeski, deputy director of the county Tax Claim Bureau.

The list can be accessed from the Tax Claim Bureau page at the county website, www.lackawannacounty.org.

Owners whose properties appear on the list have only until the end of November to pay their overdue taxes and avoid additional fees related to preparing the properties for the judicial sale, Mr. Koldjeski said.

After that, an owner can still keep a property out of the sale by paying or making arrangements to pay the delinquent taxes and any accumulated fees by Feb. 21, he said.

There will be "ample opportunity" for people to pay and avoid losing a property at the sale, he said.

"That's our objective," Mr. Koldjeski said. "Our objective is to collect money, not sell properties."

During a judicial sale, tax-delinquent properties are sold free and clear of all past encumbrances, including mortgages, judgments, liens and taxes, with the objective of getting them back into tax-paying status.

Mr. Koldjeski said he expects between 400 and 450 properties will be the final judicial sale list, which will be published in The Times-Tribune early next year.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

The way Lackawanna County's citizens govern themselves is expected to move closer to changing tonight.

After 2½ months of hearings and testimony, the county government study commission is set to vote on whether to recommend doing away with the present three-commissioner form of government and replacing it with a county council-county executive form.

The commission will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. in Scranton in the auditorium at Lackawanna College, 501 Vine St.

A vote in favor of change to elect a county executive overseen by an elected county council would surprise no one because five of the seven commission members campaigned on the belief that change is necessary and most indicated they leaned toward the elected council-executive form.

No change will officially happen until voters weigh in during an election next year.

Commission Chairman Chuck Volpe, the leader of the five who favor change and who has long been convinced the elected council-executive form is the way to go, said the commission plans to hear comments from the public tonight before voting. The other commission members are: Mary Jo Sheridan; David Wenzel; Robert Weber; Marilyn Ruane; Michael Giannetta; and Jerry Notarianni.

"This meeting, the opinion and comment comes first before the vote," Mr. Volpe said. "I have no feel for how many will be there or what those comments will be and obviously everybody will be permitted to speak freely. Once we're done with that, we'll move to the agenda."

The commission will take several change-related votes.

First, it will vote on whether to keep the recorder of deeds, the register of wills, the sheriff and the clerk of judicial records as elected county row offices. Voters in May defeated a proposal to eliminate electing the four offices. Mr. Volpe said he wants to commission to vote on whether to ratify the will of the voters. He expects the commission will do that.

"We wanted to make that a formal vote to talk about the ratification of what clearly was the will of the voters," Mr. Volpe said. "It's my understanding that everybody is going to be in agreement on that point."

Secondly, the commission will vote on whether to recommend change.

Next, the commission will vote on whether to recommend a strong council-appointed executive form. In 2010, Luzerne County voters decided they should elect a part-time county council and let the council appoint a county executive who manages day-to-day county operations.

"Thirdly, we're going to specifically vote on the strong executive, elected executive, (part-time elected) legislative council form where both are elected," Mr. Volpe said. "That will be the votes tomorrow, which are obviously going to be landmark."

If the commission recommends an elected executive/elected council form, the commission will discuss three alternative forms of that - one that includes a county manager appointed by the elected executive, another that includes a director of administration and another that has neither and relies solely on the county executive.

A vote on that would likely take place at the commission's next meeting, tentatively set for Dec. 4 at a still undetermined location. The commission would also vote at that meeting on whether to elect council members by district or countywide. In Luzerne County, council candidates must run countywide.

Two weeks ago, the commission again invited the county commissioners to weigh in, asking them to defend the present form in a letter from Ms. Sheridan, also a deputy county controller. Commissioner Corey O'Brien, who has defended the present form as more efficient and less costly, said they won't go to the commission because he's convinced the commission made up its mind on moving ahead with an elected executive-elected council form long ago.

"It is fait accompli is what I've been told by detective Volpe in the newspaper," Mr. O'Brien said.

In August, Mr. Volpe said the elected executive-council model was "a fait accompli," though other commission members never said that or denied they had decided. Calling Mr. Volpe "detective Volpe" refers to the commission's decision last week to investigate a county day-care contract, a move the commission said is appropriate, but one labeled "ridiculous" by the county solicitor.

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

Man accused of assaulting officer

TAYLOR - A Moosic man faces several charges, including felony assault, after fighting and wrestling with a Taylor police officer during a 1:05 a.m. Tuesday traffic stop.

In an affidavit, Patrolman Brian Holland said he stopped Ryan Hunisch, 20, of 34 Railroad St., when Mr. Hunisch turned a Dodge Neon into Stauffer Industrial Park without signaling. Patrolman Holland said he saw a large metal pipe at the passenger's feet and several cigar wrappers and smelled "an odor of raw and burnt marijuana."

The patrolman said Mr. Hunisch became combative and uncooperative - behavior that escalated into a physical confrontation.

Mr. Hunisch is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $10,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Ceremony to mark JFK anniversary

SCRANTON - The 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination will be marked with a public ceremony Friday evening outside the city school that bears his name.

The community commemoration at John F. Kennedy Elementary School, 2230 Prospect Ave., will begin at 5:30 p.m., said Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick O'Malley, who is coordinating the event.

The ceremony will include patriotic music, remarks from several speakers and a wreath-laying.

Public safety and transportation officials spent a blustery Tuesday morning teaching college students how to cross the street.

On Tuesday, University of Scranton mascot, Iggy, high-fived passing students at Mulberry Street and Monroe Avenue while representatives from the school, the state Department of Transportation, university police and city police handed out cards with 15 tips for staying safe while crossing the street.

Whenever they could, officials handed out cards to passing drivers to reinforce the basic traffic laws that apply to pedestrians at crosswalks.

"These are the rules, this is what should be happening at crosswalks that are not signaled," said April Hannon, bicycles and pedestrians coordinator for PennDOT District 4 in Dunmore.

Under the law, a pedestrian has the right-of-way when crossing the street, but only if they are in a crosswalk. However, just because a pedestrian is crossing at a crosswalk does not mean he or she should just walk out into the middle of the street.

"Look left, right then left again and keep looking," reads one tip on the card.

University of Scranton Police Chief Donald Bergmann said students were receptive to the tips when they received the cards.

Speeding and jaywalking on Mulberry Street are public safety concerns, officials said. There are two major residence halls, a busy fitness center, Hill Section off-campus apartments and a cafeteria on one side of Mulberry Street. Across the street is the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center, freshman and sophomore residence halls, the Weinberg Memorial Library and many of the buildings in which students attend classes. Heavy pedestrian traffic on Mulberry Street is not uncommon.

Along Mulberry Street are alternating sections of single chain-link fences and trees in large planters, which attempt to deter jaywalking. The only areas near the main areas of the pedestrian traffic without them are curb-cuts leading to crosswalks, which light up from a series of in-ground bulbs at the push of a button.

Because of the fences and trees, junior Erik Schab said he has noticed a drop in the frequency of jaywalking. He, too, joined in the effort in educating students and drivers.

"Be safe when you're out there," said Mr. Schab, 20, a Taylor resident who is active in student government. "Get the word out to be careful."

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT on Twitter

New McDonald's offering specials

SCRANTON - A new McDonald's restaurant will mark its opening with Black Friday specials on Nov. 29.

The store, at Wyoming Avenue and Larch Street, opened Monday. It will offer Black Friday promotions and giveaways, including 1970s prices, such as 60-cent Big Mac sandwiches.

The store is the 17th operated in the region by the Mueller family, which has held a Clarks Summit-based McDonald's franchise since the 1970s.

It has 24-hour and drive-through service and is expected to employ up to 75 full- and part-time workers.

YATESVILLE - More than 1,200 new computers will soon travel the halls and fill the labs of Pittston Area schools.

Meanwhile, the Ben Franklin Kindergarten Center property for sale by the district has not received a bid.

At a meeting Tuesday night, the Pittston Area School Board unanimously approved taking out a $575,000 loan to finance 1,250 new computers, mainly laptops, to be distributed throughout the district's schools.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Garzella, Ed.D., said the district was in need of a technological upgrade.

"Everything we currently own is at its end of life," Dr. Garzella said. "In order to provide students with technology in the classroom, we had to start rebuilding our infrastructure."

Dr. Garzella said the $575,000 loan is budgeted to be paid off within four years.

Also at the meeting, board member Dr. Anthony Guariglia, Ph.D., revealed that the district's former kindergarten center, put up for sale on Oct. 15, has not received any bids.

Dupont Borough Council President Stanley Knick Jr. offered on behalf of the borough to purchase the building, located in Dupont, for $2. He said he hopes to turn it into a senior center.

Pittston Area School Board President Charles Sciandra said now that the kindergarten center's bidding period has closed, the board will decide what to do with the building.

"It would make sense to have Dupont borough have it," Mr. Sciandra said.

Contact the writer: sscinto@timesshamrock.com, @sscintoTT on Twitter

COLTS getting three new buses

SCRANTON - The County of Lackawanna Transit System board on Tuesday approved the purchase of three new buses from California-based manufacturer Gillig.

The three clean-diesel buses, which will cost approximately $380,000, are expected to be delivered in December 2014, COLTS executive director Robert Fiume said.

Mr. Fiume said COLTS needs to replace about 18 buses over the next couple of years.

Sentence upheld for fraud charge

SCRANTON - A federal appellate court has upheld the 65-month prison sentence of a former Pocono Lake man who defrauded investors out of $2.8 million, U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith said Tuesday.

Jeffrey Olson, 51, was sentenced in February for his guilty plea to wire fraud in connection with soliciting investments in a business called Northco Investments between 2008 and 2011.

In his appeal, Mr. Olson challenged the validity of his guilty plea and claimed that the government promised him a lesser sentence. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday rejected each of those claims.

City man accused of assaulting woman

SCRANTON - A 39-year-old city man was in Lackawanna County Prison on charges he punched his girlfriend in the face, shoved her head into the wall and smashed her cellphone.

In an affidavit, Scranton Patrolman Eric Jordan said Ronilee Kochinski told him she had been arguing with Latta DeParris while on her cellphone before the 6:29 p.m. Monday incident.

Mr. DeParris, 1517 Division St., told Patrolman Jordan he only threw the phone against the wall.

Mr. DeParris was being held in lieu of $2,500 bail on charges of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief. His preliminary hearing is Tuesday.

Schools honored for AP offerings

NEW YORK CITY - The College Board recognized the North Pocono and Abington Heights school districts among 477 North American districts for Advanced Placement course participation.

The College Board's recognition was for increased access to AP classes while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students passing the exams.

North Pocono Superintendent Bryan McGraw said the award marks the third consecutive year his district made the AP District Honor Roll. Abington Heights Superintendent Michael Mahon, Ph.D., said he was pleased his district's rigor was being recognized.

Gerrity's, Rock 107 collecting food

SCRANTON - Rock 107 and Gerrity's Supermarkets are collecting food and monetary donations for local food banks on Thursday and Friday during "Prospector's Pantry Raid."

Rock 107's morning show host "The Prospector" will ride to each Gerrity's location, with stops at other businesses along the way, on a motorized shopping cart for the event. People can donate money for non-perishable food items. Gerrity's is also offering pre-packed grocery bags valued at $16.72 people can donate for $9.99 and get a 5 percent coupon for a future grocery order.

Prospector's complete schedule is posted at www.rock107.com and www.gerritys.com.

Duryea to vote on 2014 budget

DURYEA - The borough's proposed budget will not raise taxes for the 2014 fiscal year.

Borough manager Lois Morreale said the borough's balanced budget of $1.3 million includes the same millage rate of 1.1 mills. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

Borough council will vote on the proposed budget at their Dec. 10 meeting.

Nuclear reactor sees downgrade

SALEM TWP. - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has lowered the performance rating of one of the two nuclear reactors at the PPL Susquehanna Steam power plant.

The Unit 2 reactor at the facility, already under scrutiny by the federal agency for three previous unplanned shutdowns in the past year, had a fourth on Sept. 14, moving it into the "degraded cornerstone" category.

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the agency does not believe there is a safety risk to the public or employees.

Only six other nuclear reactors are in the "degraded cornerstone" category.

Thallium killer denied parole

WILKES-BARRE - Infamous Luzerne County killer Joann Curley is staying behind bars.

The state Board of Probation and Parole has again denied parole for the 50-year-old who poisoned her husband to death in 1991 in one of the most notorious crimes in county history.

Parole board members believe Mrs. Curley remains a risk to the community, minimizes her crime and lacks remorse, according to a copy of the board decision obtained Tuesday by The Citizens' Voice, a sister paper of The Times-Tribune.

Mrs. Curley systematically poisoned her husband Robert Curley, 32, by slipping thallium - a colorless, odorless and tasteless poison - in his drinks during their 13-month marriage.

Employees protest potential layoffs

WILKES-BARRE - More than 20 county employees wielding signs and wearing green union T-shirts over coats braved the near freezing temperatures to march against potential layoffs outside the Luzerne County Courthouse prior to the third of four public county council budget meetings Tuesday.

County Manager Robert Lawton has proposed an 8 percent increase in property taxes for his 2014 budget, which includes a $2.4 million deficit. He has said he hopes to fill it mostly with union concessions on health insurance.

Without the increase and concessions, Mr. Lawton has threatened mass layoffs - more than 200 jobs, or more 10 percent of the county workforce.

Changes to forest habitat and the migration of soil into streams and rivers are two immediate threats fish and wildlife face from Marcellus Shale development, one sportsman's group says.

Paula Piatt, eastern sportsmen organizer with Trout Unlimited, spoke to a handful of members of the Lackawanna Valley chapter at its meeting Tuesday. She told the group that erosion and sedimentation is the single largest threat to trout habitat from energy development in Pennsylvania.

As gas production and pipeline companies clear strips and patches of forest and agricultural land, replacing them with roads, well pads and pipeline right-of-ways, the disturbed earth can run off into streams. This suspended sediment can bury trout eggs and smother the aquatic insects the fish feed on, she said.

"With the right erosion and sedimentation procedures, we can get ahead of it," she said. "It's very difficult to get it back once you've lost it."

Habitat fragmentation, in this case the break-up of contiguous pieces of forest land, could also likely drive changes in the composition of species that live in Pennsylvania's gas country, Ms. Piatt said.

To put it simply, carving a swath of road through a forest creates a new kind of habitat in what could have once been forest interior: forest edge.

"There are winners and there are losers," she said of how species respond to an increase in forest edge. She mentioned species such as white-tailed deer and wild turkeys, which thrive on forest edges, as potential winners. But edges can make species vulnerable to predators, such as coyotes. Invasive species can also colonize these disturbed ecosystems.

Overall, the public needs more evidence of how energy production is affecting the environment, Ms. Piatt said.

"They really haven't been doing it long enough to get a lot of those long-term studies," she said.

Still, Trout Unlimited has a list of policy recommendations based on what it has learned, including:

n Inspection of vehicles and equipment for invasive species and training for energy employees on how to identify them and stop their spread.

n Limiting or halting water withdrawals from streams and rivers during fish spawning season and during the heat of the summer.

n Posting of information on state websites detailing active drilling and pipeline sites on public lands.

Trout Unlimited has joined with more than a dozen other fish, wildlife, hunting and fishing groups to form the Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation. She said the goal is to make policy recommendations in sportsmen's best interest. These can be viewed in detail at sportsmenalliance.org.

Gary Smith, president of the Lackawanna chapter, said these issues have been on members' radar for a few years. Mr. Smith said he had heard members threaten to leave the group if it came out against gas drilling.

"There's no middle ground," Mr. Smith said. "You're either for or against it."

Contact the writer at bgibbons@timesshamrock.com, @bgibbonsTT on Twitter

I-81 ramp closing in Dickson City

DICKSON CITY - A paving project will close the ramp from Main Avenue to Interstate 81 north from 6 to 11 p.m. today, according to the state Department of Transportation.

PennDOT officials said the project will also cause a single lane closure on I-81 north at Exit 190, Dickson City/Main Avenue.

The project will focus on paving the on-ramp to the driving lane of I-81 North.

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane put a spotlight Tuesday on a new command center to track and apprehend child predators, the result of a $3 million funding boost for one of her top priorities.

"We're making arrests almost every day at this point," said Ms. Kane, about efforts by the newly created Child Predator Section in the attorney general's office to combat what one agent calls an epidemic.

The guided tour was done in part to show what a state budget appropriation can do.

State funding for the program is now at $4.3 million. That enabled Ms. Kane to create the child predator section, hire additional agents and attorneys, upgrade the software and purchase two mobile forensic trucks to do on-the-scene analysis.

The increased enforcement shows up in arrest statistics - 105 so far this year compared to 19 arrests in 2012, officials said.

More sophisticated computer software is one of the tools agents use to nab child predators who commit crimes such as sexually abusing children, enticing them to meet for sex, and manufacturing, distributing or possessing child pornography.

The software allows agents to monitor file-sharing Internet networks associated with child pornography. It also lets them chat and text with suspects who think they are communicating with children, and then apprehend them using image-tracking devices and search warrants, officials said.

The nerve center for these operations is a converted room in the attorney general's downtown office where a group of lawmakers and reporters toured. Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Nanticoke, was among the group.

With more than 2,800 identified child predators in Pennsylvania, agents said they are busy keeping up with the underground trafficking in child pornography.

"We can do this 24 hours, sevens days a week and there are still people out there," said David Peifer, special agent-in-charge.

Ms. Kane described an agent's job in graphic terms.

"The Child Predator Section views thousands upon thousands of photos and videos that child predators download and distribute," she said. "These images are difficult to remove from the brain, and, as a mother, I commend my agents for their strength and commitment to identifying would-be abusers."

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com