CLIPBOARD

Abingtons

Reunion planning: Abington Heights class of 1972 reunion planning meeting, today, 7 p.m., JJ Bridjes.

Alumni weekend: Summit Christian Academy weekend, alumni dinner, today, 6-9 p.m., Inne of the Abingtons, 239 Kennedy Creek Road, North Abington Twp., dinner, 7, Alumni of the Year, 8; Saturday events, school, 660 Griffin Pond Road, South Abington Twp., ladies' alumni basketball game, 10 a.m.. men's alumni game, 11:30; John Antolick, 570-862-1984 or john@theinne.com.

Hawley

Authors festival: Hawley Silk Mill inaugural Authors Festival, Saturday, noon-5 p.m.; Heather Hoffman, 570-390-4747, artontheedgepa@gmail.com; Juan H. Espino, 570-226-0782, juanesp@ptd.net.

Honesdale

Game night: Cooperage family game night, Feb. 20, 6-9 p.m., 1030 Main St., donation appreciated.

Luzerne County

Meeting rescheduled: Shrine Club of Greater Wilkes-Barre midwinter business meeting, Wednesday, buffet dinner, 6:30 p.m., meeting follows; speaker: Jill Evans Kryston; Bill Ward, 570-675-2252; Emil Augustine, 570-735-4399; or Alex Barrows, 570-288-4847.

Mayfield

Pierogie sale: St. John's Russian Orthodox Cathedral homemade pierogie sale (deep fried or uncooked), March 5, noon-4 p.m., St. John's Center, Hill Street; $7/dozen; business deliveries by request, fax, 570-876-2534; 570-876-0730.

Old Forge School District

Committee meetings: Old Forge Board of Education budget committee meeting, Feb. 17, 6 p.m., personnel committee meeting, Feb. 17, 7 p.m., LGI room.

Olyphant

Pierogie sale: All Saints Ortho­dox Church sells frozen pierogie, Fridays, 9:30-11:30 a.m., and Sundays, 10:30-11:30 a.m., $6/dozen; 570-383-0785 or 570-489-5591.

Appreciation day: St. Nicholas Orthodox Church Senior Appre­ci­ation Day, Feb. 11, noon, 600 E. Lackawanna St.; attorney Robert T. Kelly on estate planning, wills, elder care, power of attorney; lunch, free; 570-489-3891 or 750-587-3510.

Spaghetti dinner: Eureka Hose Company 4 spaghetti dinner, March 8, 5-8 p.m., 717 E. Grant St., takeouts, 3-5 p.m.; $8, from members or contact Fred Hart­man or Mayor John Sedlak Jr.

Pittston

Unclaimed property: Pittston Memorial Library unclaimed property night, Feb. 17, 5-6:30 p.m., database search for possible unclaimed money.

Regional

Open house: The Common­wealth Medical College/Ameri­can Medical Student Associ­ation pre-medical open house, Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; advanced registration suggested; amsatcmc@gmail.com or call admissions office, 570-504-9068.

Klondike Derby: Boy Scouts from the Northeastern Pennsyl­vania Council Klondike Derby Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Goose Pond Reservation; themed, "Battle of the Bulge."

Seat certification: NEPA Child Passenger Safety Task Force course for those interested in becoming a certified car seat technician, Tuesday through Feb. 14, Sun Buick, Moosic, Route 11, Moosic; car seat check Feb. 14, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; course: $75; Cathy Connors at 570-472-3026 or at cconnors@ paaap.org.

Scranton

Dinner canceled: Dante Club chicken dinner scheduled for Saturday has been canceled.

Happy hour: Junior League of Scranton's Beyond the Pearls happy hour, Feb. 22, 6-9 p.m., Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St., $15; drink ticket/light appetizers; basket and 50/50 chan­ces, entertainment by DJ Cadil­lac, tickets in advance, 570-961-8120 or www.juniorleague ofscranton.org, and at door.

Sons meeting: Ezra S. Griffin Camp 8, Sons of Union Veter­ans, meeting Feb. 20, 6:45 p.m., basement of City Hall off Mulberry Street.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@times shamrock.com or mailed to Clip­board, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. For details, call the YES!Desk, 348-9121.

The County of Lackawanna Transit System plans to use eminent domain to acquire a downtown property needed for its long-delayed intermodal transportation center.

The parcel at 25 Lackawanna Ave., owned by Scranton Mall Partners LP and now occupied by Tom Hesser Nissan, would be used to replace parking at the State Office Building on the opposite side of Lackawanna Avenue.

COLTS solicitor Timothy Hinton filed a declaration of taking in county court Tuesday, seeking to condemn the property, which is just under an acre. The COLTS board authorized the use of eminent domain at its Jan. 21 meeting.

The $12.6 million intermodal center, in development since the 1990s, will be constructed on the south side of Lackawanna Avenue on what is now the parking lot for the State Office Building.

Under its agreement with the state, COLTS will replace the parking for state workers by acquiring the Scranton Mall Partners parcel and an adjacent property owned by F&M Realty Co. and home to the Martz bus terminal.

COLTS is negotiating with F&M for the purchase of its property, Mr. Hinton said.

COLTS Executive Director Robert Fiume said the agency hopes to advertise for bids for the intermodal project in the next six to eight weeks, with construction expected to start by summer. Sowinski Sullivan Architects is the project architect; Palumbo Group designed the center.

The center will be a hub for COLTS buses, commercial buses and taxis. It will also serve train riders if passenger rail service between Scranton and metropolitan New York is restored.

Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

More than 24 hours after a storm dumped 8 to 10 inches of snow on Scranton, ice-encrusted drifts made a large portion of the city's metered parking virtually inaccessible Thursday.

"Something should be done about this," said Adam Bixby, 26, of South Scranton, pointing to a row of cars parked on the 100 block of North Washington Avenue on Thursday. Snow piles jutted about 3 feet from the curb, forcing cars to park in a lane of traffic.

Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright said Department of Public Works employees worked from 1 a.m. Wednesday until 6 that night. They were sent home by that time because they were exhausted, he said. They planned to remove the snow from the city's parking spots beginning 11 p.m. Thursday.

"The main thing was getting the streets cleaned," Mr. Courtright said.

Argyrios Varonides, Ph.D., who teaches physics and engineering courses at the University of Scranton, said he parks downtown daily with general ease but on Thursday had to spend about 10 minutes looking for a parking space not blocked by snow.

Other municipalities also struggled with deep snow coating metered spaces. Tunkhannock enforced an ordinance prohibiting parking at the two-hour spots after 9 p.m., during which DPW cleared out the parking spots, Borough Manager Dawn Welch said.

Clarks Summit cleared the roads and the parking but faces the prospect of completely removing snow in preparation for next week's ice festival, Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said.

"The spots are plowed," Ms. Kehoe said. "But we want to knock down the piles."

Efforts to reach Scranton DPW Director Dennis Gallagher were unsuccessful. Mr. Courtright said Mr. Gallagher had been working for possibly 24 hours straight and may have gone home to get some sleep.

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

MOOSIC - Federal investigators seized boxes of documents and wheeled out hard-case briefcases Thursday from the Moosic office of PCM Construction Management.

Carrie Adamowski, public affairs specialist at the FBI office in Philadelphia, confirmed FBI agents searched PCM, formerly called Palumbo Construction, at 72 Glenmaura National Blvd., but would not say what they were looking for.

"We are unable to disclose the nature of the activity there," Ms. Adamowski said.

FBI agents, who were at the office from about 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., declined to comment on the nature of the search as well. Investigators declined to answer if the seized documents are part of a federal grand jury investigation or if PCM is the target of an investigation.

Amanda Endy, spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith, said the office had no comment on the search.

PCM president Vince Martino, who was in the office after the search, declined to comment.

PCM boasts several high-profile projects on its website including Mount Airy Casino and Resort, Memorial Stadium in Scranton, Dunmore Stadium, St. Hedwig's Apartment in Kingston and Mid Valley Elementary School.

St. Hedwig's Veterans' Village, a $2.2 million, 12-apartment development in a former Catholic elementary school on Zerbey Avenue, is a project of the Diocese of Scranton's Catholic Social Services.

"Any questions about the FBI investigation should be referred to the FBI," diocesan spokesman William Genello stated in an email when asked for comment.

The $15 million Mid Valley renovation and construction project, in which PCM oversaw the day-to-day operations, took several years to complete. In September 2011, the project was briefly suspended by the school board when members raised concerns about the project's cost and impact on taxpayers. Delays in work caused the start of the 2012-13 school to be pushed back 11 days until Sept. 17, 2012.

Throughout the course of the project, the school board withheld payments to contractors, including PCM. In December 2012, the board did not approve about $40,000 in payments requested by PCM because members questioned the billed work.

Mid Valley School Board Vice-President Paul Macknosky said he had no reason to believe the investigation related to the elementary school project and he had not been contacted by investigators.

"There were no federal dollars involved in our program," he said of the elementary school project. "Our quarrel with PCM was over the project not being completed on time and the execution of the building project."

Contact the writers: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, rbrown@timesshamrock.com, dsingleton@timesshamrock.com, @jkohutTT and @rbrownTT on Twitter

The Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County misspent taxpayer money when it allowed "excessive severance payments" for retiring administrators, according to a report by the state auditor general.

Mike Sporer, who retired as chief financial officer in 2012, received a payout of $129,782.95. Vincent Nallo, who retired as administrative director in December, received a payout of $203,215.93.

"The taxpayers have the right to expect that their hard-earned money will be spent on the education of the center's students and not on excess benefits to individuals," according to the report by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale.

The payments, including retirement incentives and payment for sick and vacation days, were called for in the contracts approved by the center's Joint Operating Committee - a board composed of one school board member from each of the districts in the CTC consortium.

Mr. Sporer's seven-year contract was approved in 2008, and he retired in 2012. Prior to his own contract, he received benefits in accordance with the Act 93 contract - the agreement that defines benefits for other administrators. Because his 2008 contract enhanced his benefits, he received an additional $22,896 for unused sick and vacation days, according to the report.

Mr. Nallo's seven-year contract ran from 2007 through last year. At the time the audit was conducted, he had not yet retired. His last contract also enhanced his benefits, and instead of receiving payment for 30 days of unused vacation days at his per diem rate, he received payment for all unused vacation days at his per diem rate upon retirement. And instead of receiving payment for sick days at one-third of his per diem rate, he received payment for all unused sick days at his per diem rate. Mr. Nallo's payout includes payment for 107 days of unused vacation and 285 unused sick days.

Efforts to reach Mr. Nallo were unsuccessful. Mr. Sporer declined to comment.

In the past few years, school board members have learned how much payouts for retiring administrators can cost, said board Chairman William Burke, North Pocono's representative.

"The contract was a valid contract. It was signed by people who were on the board before me," he said. "Boards have learned since then that those type of contracts are no longer affordable or feasible."

The contract of the center's new administrative director, Thomas Baileys, Ed.D., does not provide the same perks as Mr. Nallo's contract.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com, @hofiushallTT on Twitter

SCRANTON - A city man charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance waived his preliminary hearing Thursday.

Shaun Sealey, 24, no address available, appeared in Lackawanna County Central Court. He was arrested Jan. 17 after he threatened to kill a former girlfriend and crashed his car into her car. He also was charged with simple assault and simple assault of a victim under 12.

He was in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $100,000 bail late Thursday.

WILKES-BARRE - The infamous "Kids for Cash" scandal returned to the place it all began Thursday night. But this time, the victims had a voice and people listened.

Hundreds came to Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 for an invitation-only premiere of "Kids for Cash," a documentary featuring the Luzerne County judicial scandal that long ago adopted the same name after judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan were hit with corruption charges. The movie opens to the public today.

Related: 'Kids for Cash' reality show in production

Review:  'Kids for Cash' a hair-raising documentary

Column: The story behind the "Kids for Cash" documentary

"Kids for Cash" follows the life journey of five people who were sent away to juvenile detention by Mr. Ciavarella after terse, one-sided court hearings. They share their stories about appearing before an unforgiving judge without an attorney, being ripped from their families, and the stigma of being jailed for minor offenses.

"I feel like this helps everybody's voice be heard," said Amanda Lorah, 21, a Nanticoke native who said she was jailed for nearly three years after getting in a fight after school. "Because at one point, we weren't able to speak at all."

Nine months pregnant, Ms. Lorah flew from her new home in California for the premiere because the cause was so important to her.

The movie also follows Mr. Ciavarella and Mr. Conahan, who both gave the filmmaker, Robert May of Dallas, repeated interviews over several years prior to them going to federal prison. They did so secretly and without the knowledge of their attorneys, Mr. May said.

Mr. Ciavarella and Mr. Conahan were accused of accepting payments from the owner and builder of two for-profit juvenile detention centers while sending scores of juveniles to the facilities. They were accused of failing to report $2.1 million in "finder's fees" paid by Robert Mericle, whose construction company built the detention centers in Pittston Twp. and Butler County, and accused of taking $770,000 in kickbacks from attorney Robert Powell, who co-owned the facilities.

Luzerne County Judge Lesa Gelb, who was elected to the county bench in the wake of the scandal, was among the hundreds who came to watch the premiere.

"There is that saying, 'those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.' Every single person in this county has been affected by the events that occurred in this movie. It's important we know what happened, but its also important that we heal," she said.

"Kids for Cash" is showing today at R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 at 2, 4:15, 7 and 9:15 p.m. and at Cinemark 20 in Moosic at 11:50 a.m. and 2:25, 5, 7:35 and 10:40 p.m.

Contact the writer: bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com

DICKSON CITY - The man organizing opposition to changing the form of county government laid out the case Thursday in favor of keeping the present three-commissioner form, saying it produced tremendous progress while avoiding the "squabblemania" of local borough and city councils.

Former Lackawanna County solicitor Joseph A. O'Brien defended the present system at the Dickson City Borough Building during a public hearing on the county government study commission's recommended switch to an elected council executive balanced by an elected, part-time, seven-member county council.

The commission is expected to vote on adopting its plan at a meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. in the science building at the University of Scranton.

Mr. O'Brien said the three-commissioner form produced the ski resort, the region's Triple-A minor league baseball team, a concert venue, job-producing office parks and other development on Montage Mountain.

"Montage Mountain is a tribute to the county commissioner form of government," Mr. O'Brien told the commission.

The commissioner form also rescued the county railroad system and produced a fine county park system, airport, recycling center and social services system, he said.

"These great accomplishments of county government ... would not have been accomplished if you had the squabblemania that the council form of government has brought to Northeastern Pennsylvania," Mr. O'Brien said. "Not a day goes by that we don't read that some form of government is fighting with their chairman, having private meetings, threatening to resign. County government has never been that way."

He said the three-commissioner form guarantees each political party at least minority representation on the board of commissioners, an important consideration for Republicans in a county dominated by Democrats.

"It's a system that has worked very well," he said. "We've always had corruption. We've had it since original sin and it's not going to stop."

He asked the commission to keep in mind that it was a Democratic minority commissioner who uncovered the wrongdoing that led to the federal investigation of former Republican commissioners Robert C. Cordaro and A.J. Munchak. In its report recommending change, the commission cites Mr. Cordaro's and Mr. Munchak's convictions on corruption charges as a major reason change is necessary.

"This corruption was a very unfortunate thing in Lackawanna County and it's harmed us very much. It's harmed our reputation, it's harmed our ability to transact business," he said. "But it wasn't the system that caused it, it was the system that discovered it and it was the system that brought it down."

Others disagreed, saying the minority commissioner has little real power.

"The county commissioner form of government is something that should have been addressed eons ago," county resident Bob Hogan said. "The change is necessary for accountability if nothing else."

Joseph A. Himchak, a social studies teacher and former Jessup Borough councilman, praised the commission for its openness, thorough review of different forms and its recommendation.

"In my opinion, I believe this plan reflects the best form of government that exists," he said. "Not just at this level, but at any level. It mirrors our federal form of government, it mirrors our state form of government ... And that is what our founders sought.

"The current system served the county well, for its time, but the county needs to move forward. And I believe they need to move forward with a new form of government, one that reflects modern ways of thinking."

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON - The city extended its deadline for "special labor counsel" proposals from Wednesday to Feb. 14 because City Hall was closed Wednesday due to the snowstorm, city solicitor Jason Shrive said.

The city last month issued a public notice for proposals from lawyers to provide legal services for all of the city's labor and employment matters. Any bids received now will be opened Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. at City Hall, Mr. Shrive said.

SPRING BROOK TWP. - The township's window to replace a sinking culvert with federal disaster recovery money this year is tightening, engineer Lou LaFratte told the board of supervisors on Thursday.

At the absolute latest, the township needs to put the Swartz Valley Road culvert project out to bid by April to be ready in time to start work at the end of the school year - currently scheduled to be June 20 - Mr. LaFratte said.

Township officials want to finish the project over the summer to avoid disrupting North Pocono School District's bus routes.

After advertising for three to four weeks, supervisors need to open bids and award the contract. Getting bonds and insurance lined up will take another couple of weeks, and contractors need time to order materials, Mr. LaFratte explained.

The timeline for a decision on the funding has been moved back twice, and township Secretary Tami Gillette said she has not received replies to her latest inquiries on the grant's status.

"One way or the other, we'll get it done this year," said John Flyte, chairman of the board of supervisors.

Without federal funding, Mr. Flyte said the township would borrow the money to fix the culvert that has been slowly collapsing since it was damaged during Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.

Contact the writer: kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter

CARBONDALE - An audit of the Whites Crossing Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company and Firemen's Relief Association was released Thursday.

The audit said the fire company failed to report the correct amount of assets for insurance purposes.

From Jan. 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2012, the report found the company claimed $10,000 in assets but was found to have insured more than that.

Barry Ciccocioppo, spokesman for the auditor general, said the volunteer fire company agreed with the audit and indicated they would take remedial action.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — One of the worst judicial scandals in U.S. history has already spawned a documentary.

Up next: a reality show.

"Kids for Cash: The Reality" stars two brothers sent to juvenile detention by a corrupt judge in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Director Lorena Beniquez says the show follows her 20-something half-brothers, Nikita and Dana Shumway, as they get on with their lives in Wilkes-Barre.

The brothers were among thousands of kids sent to detention by former Luzerne County Judge Mark Ciavarella, whom prosecutors say took kickbacks from the owner and builder of a pair of youth detention centers. He and another judge are serving lengthy prison terms.

The show went into production last year.

A well-received film documentary on the scandal, called "Kids for Cash," opens in theaters Friday.

Related:

Review:  'Kids for Cash' a hair-raising documentary

Column: The story behind the "Kids for Cash" documentary

"THE HUNGER Games" is just sci-fi, set in a future we'll probably never see.

Right?

No decent society would allow its leaders to throw working-class teens into a deadly meat-grinder in order to create an authoritarian public spectacle designed to keep the rabble in line.

Keep telling yourself that as you watch the hair-raising documentary "Kids for Cash," based on the notorious case of Luzerne County judges convicted of sending juveniles to a new for-profit prison that they endorsed building and whose developer paid them under the table.

One of the judges, we see, was a local celebrity long before the case against him developed. Mark Ciavarella was a popular figure who spoke at county high schools, boasting of his zero-tolerance policy for campus mischief, which he justified as necessary post-Columbine toughness.

But his sentences had nothing to do with guns or homicidal conspiracies. Off to jail went a girl who started a fake Myspace page to mock an administrator, a picked-on girl who threw a punch in the cafeteria - hundreds and hundreds of children in all.

Enough children to fill the new Luzerne County juvenile facility that Ciavarella had sought, and from which he and another judge, Michael Conahan, secretly profited.

A facility where the juveniles languished, sometimes emerging as maladjusted, angry, suicidal young adults - one former star wrestler, sent away for possessing drug paraphernalia, killed himself after enduring a 30-day stint that turned into many months with hardened criminals.

You meet some of these individuals in the course of "Kids for Cash," footage (from TV interviews) before and during their ordeal, and hear their horrifying debriefings years later (some still damaged and adrift).

You meet the lawyers at Philadelphia's Juvenile Law Center who uncovered the abuse and exposed a system in which families were told to bring their children to court without legal counsel, on the false promise that they would be treated leniently.

And yet, these are not the movie's most compelling interviews. The most riveting words come from the judges themselves, who unbelievably (out of view of their attorneys) agreed to sit down for lengthy interviews with director Robert May throughout the course of their prosecution.

What you see is like some ugly perfect storm of modern cultural regression - the compulsive "sharing" as a queasy plea for sympathy, the lack of moral intelligence, the solipsism.

Ciavarella still claims that he did nothing wrong. But we see that his actions, uncovered by an FBI investigation, show a guilt and shame his interviews do not.

Ciavarella and Conahan created multiple shell companies to move the money around and hide it from the IRS. Ciavarella says that when it came to the offered money, he had two choices - hide it or report it. Here's another choice, judge: Don't accept the payoff, and don't stock your profiteers' prison with children who were guilty, in many cases, of routine schoolyard mischief.

"Kids for Cash" stays doggedly fixed on the facts of these cases and this county. But you can see the argument that May quietly lays out: When you put the right (or wrong) financial incentives in place, money will start to drive decision-making.

It's just before the closing credits that May throws up statistics that make his case explicit: For-profit prisons create powerful money-driven forces that exist apart from the considerations of jurisprudence. From prudence of any kind.

Blog: philly.com/KeepItReel

Online: ph.ly/Movies

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©2014 the Philadelphia Daily News

Visit the Philadelphia Daily News at www.philly.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

THE STORY BEHIND the "Kids for Cash" documentary is a great object lesson for young filmmakers: It never hurts to ask.

Director Robert May was reading about the notorious scandal - Luzerne County judges sending kids to a for-profit prison they'd secretly been paid to enable - and thought it would make a good documentary.

He would know - May produced Errol Morris' "Fog of War," an extended interview with Robert McNamara that gave the former secretary of state enough rhetorical rope to hang himself.

But May didn't want to undertake the project unless he could convince at least one of the two accused judges to talk on camera.

Hopes were low. We're talking about judges, lawyered-up judges, subjects of ongoing investigations.

"We honestly thought it would be impossible. There's no way they would agree to it. Not the subjects of state and federal investigations. But we figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

To his astonishment, he won consent from both men - Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella. And they agreed to talk outside the presence of their attorneys.

Ciavarella was a name that May, a Luzerne country resident, already knew. He was a well-known, get-tough judge who visited high schools and talked up his zero-tolerance policy for "violence" (often mischief), and promised to follow through by incarcerating juvenile offenders.

These appearances made Ciavarella a local law-and-order star. Now, with fortunes reversed, the judge was being excoriated in the press.

"What struck me was it had become a very one-sided story about an open-and-shut case. It struck me that there must have been more to it. How did a pillar of the community turn into someone so evil, if you believe the stories?"

So he contacted Ciavarella, and made his pitch.

"I said to [Ciavarella], I wanted to hear the story told from the side of the so-called villain, and, by the way, you know that's you, right?"

Ciavarella agreed, and presented himself for a series of lengthy interviews, growing visibly older (the process took a few years), if not visibly more apologetic.

Ciavarella never backed away from his consistent belief in zero-tolerance enforcement, even among juveniles - consistency, in fact, is the basis of his defense. He says he was a zero-tolerance advocate before, during, and after his under-the-table (out of view of the IRS) subsidies.

As for May, he's done an about face.

"I used to believe in zero tolerance, but I don't believe in zero tolerance anymore," May said. "How can you as a filmmaker? You have to have empathy, you have to try to see things from another point of view. It's really the basis of a good documentary."

May said he also became educated on the sinister dynamics created by for-profit prisons.

"If a hotel has an 80 percent occupancy rate, then that hotel's pretty happy. But what if the occupancy rate is only 50 percent. I think you're pretty motivated to get that rate higher, and I think that's fraught with potential problems. I think this case is pretty clear evidence of that."

Blog: philly.com/KeepItReel

Online: ph.ly/Movies

———

©2014 the Philadelphia Daily News

Visit the Philadelphia Daily News at www.philly.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

TOBYHANNA, Pa. (AP) — Officials said a school bus with children on board went off the road and crashed into a tree in northeastern Pennsylvania.

It happened around 8:45 a.m. Friday in Tobyhanna. Police said no one was hurt.

Pocono Mountain School District spokeswoman Wendy Frable said nine elementary students from three schools were on the bus at the time of the crash, along with a monitor and the bus driver.

Frable said the students were transported from the scene to their schools and checked by school nurses as a precaution.

Police said it appears the bus went off the road in order to avoid crashing into another vehicle. An investigation is ongoing.

ROARING BROOK TWP. - Both northbound and southbound lanes of Route 307 near Long Swamp Road reopened after a crash that injured three closed them earlier today, the state Department of Transportation said.

Two sedans were traveling toward Scranton shortly after 11 a.m. when a driver in the passing lane lost control and struck the second car, witnesses said. The driver who lost control was thrown from his vehicle. Three people have been taken to the hospital with injuries, police said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK - Alex Rodriguez accepted his season-long suspension from Major League Baseball on Friday, the longest penalty in the sport's history related to performance-enhancing drugs.

The decision came nearly four weeks after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz issued his decision largely upholding the penalty issued to the New York Yankees third baseman last summer by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig.

Rodriguez had repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and sued MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association in federal court to overturn the penalty.

But 27 days after Horowitz's decision, with the start of spring training a week away, the three-time AL MVP withdrew the lawsuit and a previous action filed last fall claiming MLB and Selig were engaged in a "witch hunt" against him.

MLB issued a statement calling the decision to end the litigation "prudent."

"We believe that Mr. Rodriguez's actions show his desire to return the focus to the play of our great game on the field and to all of the positive attributes and actions of his fellow major league players," the sport said. "We share that desire."

Rodriguez had angered many of his fellow players by suing his own union in an attempt to avoid a suspension.

"Alex Rodriguez has done the right thing by withdrawing his lawsuit," the union said in a statement. "His decision to move forward is in everyone's best interest."

After issuing a contentious statement on the day of the arbitration decision, Rodriguez folded quietly.

"We stand by the statements issued and have no further comment," Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowitz said.

A former Penn State Worthington Scranton basketball player was charged Thursday after selling a bag of marijuana to an undercover officer, Dunmore police said. Charges are pending for a current player and another former one.

Kwame Alexander Simmons, 20, 150 University Drive, Apt. W4, Dunmore, met with the undercover officer at 6 p.m. in his apartment 250 feet from campus. His apartment building, the Commons at University Drive, is privately owned and operated, said Penn State Worthington Scranton spokeswoman Amy Lynn Gruzesky.

In addition to the bag of marijuana Mr. Simmons sold, police said there was a larger bag of marijuana in the apartment.

Police executed a search warrant and took Mr. Simmons into custody. At first, he said there was more marijuana in his apartment, but then recanted when police actually began to search. They did not find more drugs, but they did find a cellphone belonging to Dequan Jackson, a forward on the basketball team, with a text message telling others police were about to come in and to hide Mr. Simmons' "(expletive)," police said.

Shane Letthand, another former player, sent the text message but, when questioned by police, denied the word referred to drugs in the apartment.

Mr. Jackson and Mr. Letthand were released pending charges.

No action has been taken against Mr. Jackson yet by the school, Ms. Gruzesky said.

"Our campus' administration is aware of this incident and we are cooperating with police," she said in a written statement. "At this point, we are awaiting more information from the police and the final results of their investigation before taking any official sanctions."

Mr. Simmons was arraigned on charges of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was sent to Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $40,000 straight bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

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

CVS/Caremark's decision to end tobacco sales in its stores will take a toll on a local business, Avanti Cigars, whose products were carried in most of the chain's 7,600 stores, where they shared shelves with global giants.

CVS was among the largest accounts for the privately owned company that recently relocated from North Scranton to Dunmore, said Dominic Keating, Avanti Cigars president.

Changes in how cigars are purchased and distributed will help Avanti close the gap, Mr. Keating said.

Avanti produces and markets machine-rolled, 100 percent tobacco cigars under brands including Parodi, De Nobili and Ram Rod.

"If this happened 25 years ago, I would have reacted by getting a bottle of Maker's Mark," joked Mr. Keating. "The Internet allows smaller companies to maintain a presence and serve people just as much, if not better, than a big company could."

With help from Scranton marketing firm Lavelle Strategy Group, Avanti is in the midst of revamping its website, AvantiCigar.com, gearing it toward direct-to-consumer sales. Eventually, Mr. Keating would like to include a retail locator that would direct customers to the nearest outlet for Avanti products.

The Avanti logo also got a makeover, borrowing the image of the trained seal long featured on Parodi cigar packaging. The story holds that Parodi's Italian founders, attempting to incorporate in the United States more than 100 years ago, misunderstood the requirement to have a "corporate seal," saying, "It's an odd tradition, but we'll do it."

Mr. Keating's grandfather and two uncles later bought Parodi out of bankruptcy in 1925 and moved it to Scranton. Avanti also added a new product called Estilo Cafe Mocha, an infused cigar.

Mr. Keating understands CVS's decision.

As the drug store chain expanded health care services available in stores, tobacco products seem more out of place. CVS was a small, New England drug store chain when it placed its first Avanti order in 1982. As CVS grew, the account grew, and CVS gave the small company's products space alongside global tobacco giants. Serving CVS greatly expanded Avanti's customer base, Mr. Keating said.

"I don't begrudge CVS," he said. "I appreciate the opportunity they have given our small company to reach more consumers."

CVS won't remove tobacco products until October, giving Avanti time to adjust. Some customers have contacted the company, asking for alternative outlets for Avanti.

"Our job is to make sure our customers can continue to buy our products - either through direct sales or other distributors," Mr. Keating said.

Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

Lackawanna County Judge Michael Barrasse recently sentenced the following:

- Dominck J. Martini, 52, 702 Delaware St., Mayfield, to seven days in county prison, three months and 23 days intermediate punishment and a $1,000 fine for driving under the influence.

- William F. Weller, 48, Scranton, to five to 10 years in state prison, five years' probation and $30,300 in fines for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and retail theft.

- Margaret A. Brazil, 33, Old Forge, to one to four years in state prison and 12 years' probation for theft by deception, identity theft and forgery.

- Anthony James Davis, 28, to three to eight years in state prison, six years' probation and $10,000 in fines for escape, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and resisting arrest.

- Dean Joseph Latorre, 49, 1904 ½ Price St., Scranton, to three months' house arrest and one year intermediate punishment for drug paraphernalia.

- Michael J. Moroz, 49, Hawley, to three months' house arrest and one year intermediate punishment for theft of property.

- Ramon Vega, 41, Scranton, to three to six years in state prison, two years' probation and $15,000 in fines for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

- Saul Santiago Jr., 30, Dickson City, to one to three years in state prison and two years' probation for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

- Aaron Antonio Moore, 28, Scranton, to 16 to 36 months in state prison for possession of a controlled substance.

- Abdul Ali Jamil, 53, Dunmore, to two to five years in state prison and four years' probation for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

- Kevin Michael Faiola, 38, Scranton, to one to three years in state prison and $1,500 in fines for driving under the influence.

- Earl Marvin Plotkin, 30, Scranton, to 18 to 36 months in state prison, two years' probation and $1,500 in fines for driving under the influence and drug paraphernalia.

Judge Vito Geroulo sentenced:

- John Armstrong, 32, Scranton, to one to four years in state prison, one year probation and $4,120.91 in restitution for disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and escape.

- Melanie Whitecavage, 35, 400 W. Chestnut St., Apt. 2, Lancaster, to six to 23 months in county jail, one year probation and $2,314 in restitution for criminal trespass.

- Cody Evans, 21, Scranton, to three to six years in state prison, four years' probation and $5,000 in fines for possession with intent to deliver and resisting arrest.

- William J. Frields Jr., 27, Shickshinny, to 23 to 47 ½ months in state prison for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

- Raymond Diaz, 28, Scranton, to 27 to 60 months in state prison, five years' probation and $300 in fines for disorderly conduct and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.