HARRISBURG - The base salary for state lawmakers will automatically increase 2.2 percent to $83,802 effective Dec. 1, and a number of lawmakers representing Lackawanna and Luzerne counties said they won't accept it.

Many have not taken the pay raise since the recession hit.

The hard economic times and high unemployment rates in Northeast Pennsylvania resulting from the national recession that started in 2008 are cited by several lawmakers as reason for forgoing a salary hike in 2013.

"Our area has the highest unemployment rate in the state," said Rep.-elect Kevin Haggerty, D-112, Dunmore, on Tuesday. He plans to return the amount to the state Treasury.

"In the midst of an ailing economy, families in the 117th Legislative District and across Pennsylvania have had their pay reduced or frozen," said Rep. Karen Boback, R-117, Harveys Lake. "I have always returned the money to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and this year is no exception."

Lawmakers will need to take a proactive step in the weeks ahead if they want to avoid the cost-of-living adjustment pay raise, either by writing a refund check to the state Treasury, sometimes on a monthly or quarterly basis, or by giving the amount to a charity. The annual automatic hike, pegged to a percentage increase of 2.2 percent in the U.S. Consumer Price Index in the Philadelphia metro region that reflects inflation, is provided under a 1995 state law.

This increases the base salary for the 203 House members and 50 senators from the current $82,026 to $83,802 during 2013. That amount will translate to $147 in extra pay a month and $1,775 for the year, said Stephen Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh.

Legislative leaders earn a range of $10,000 to $47,000 in additional salary above the base amount.

Among area lawmakers, Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, D-114, Taylor and Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Nanticoke, sponsored bills to repeal the COLA, but these saw no action this session.

Mr. Kavulich plans to refund the amount to Treasury keeping his salary at the same level when he took office.

Mr. Yudichak said he plans to donate the extra amount to public libraries and the United Ways in the Wyoming Valley, Greater Hazleton and Carbon County.

Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp. said she supports a suspension of legislative pay increases. She plans to contribute the amount to the United Way.

Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, plans to donate the amount to charity. Rep.-elect Frank Farina, D-115, Jessup, plans to donate it to the Lou Ruspi Jr. Foundation in Scranton which works to prevent suicides. Rep.-elect Marty Flynn, D-113, West Scranton, plans to donate it to Marley's Mission, which provides horse therapy to children who have experienced trauma.

Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-121, Wilkes-Barre, and Mike Carroll, D-118, Hughestown, plan to make refunds to Treasury. Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-119, Newport Twp., plans to make a refund to Treasury and keep his salary at the same level when he entered office.

Efforts to reach Reps. Tarah Toohil, R-116, Butler Twp. and Phyllis Mundy, D-120, Kingston, were unsuccessful.

Top state officials, including the governor, and state and county judges are also slated to receive the 2.2 percent increase effective Jan. 1. Gov. Tom Corbett plans to keep his salary at the $175,000 level set when he took office in 2011 instead of accepting an $187,000 salary, a spokesman said.

The 2013 salary levels for the judiciary will range from $86,639 for district magistrates; $173,271 for county judges; $188,000 for state Superior and Commonwealth Court judges; $199,606 for Supreme Court justices and $205,415 for the Supreme Court chief justice, said Art Heinz, spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

However, the legislative salary usually draws the greatest public attention because of lingering controversy over an abortive effort in 2005 to hike the base legislative salary while keeping the COLA.

Meanwhile, the House and Senate require members to pay 1 percent of their salary to cover the cost of health care. But this amount remains far below what most employees in the private sector pay - a percentage of their actual health premium costs.

A Capitol activist said the automatic pay increases come when the median household income of Pennsylvania families was $49,288 in 2010, a decline of three percent from the 2008 median income of $50,713.

"Raises throughout state government ought to be pegged to accountability, merit markers, and performance milestones," said Eric Epstein, co-founder of Rock the Capital.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

DUNMORE - Along with walking and driving borough streets, Dunmore police now patrol with smartphones, iPads and computers.

For about a month now, police and some business owners have checked on streets in four high-traffic areas and places targeted by burglars with cameras positioned throughout the borough. Officers use wireless Internet from businesses to view the cameras.

"It's a constant eye on a specific location that's getting police presence," Dunmore Police Chief Patrick Reese said. "But people aren't seeing the police presence."

Chief Reese said he decided to reach out to businesses after a string of burglaries earlier this year. Three of the cameras are located on property of private businesses and use their wireless Internet.

With cameras set up at Dunmore Corners, the intersection of Blakely and Green Ridge streets, in an alley near Spotless Cleaners on Fifth Street and behind Dempsey's Fashionable Laundry on Blakely Street, Chief Reese has plans to soon add another near the front of the Dunmore School District campus.

Police and business owners hope the cameras will discourage criminal behavior.

"For the hard-working people out there, this provides security," Chief Reese said. "But it lets criminals know that we're going to be watching."

Police using surveillance cameras in the region isn't new. Scranton police have had a dozen surveillance cameras for more than four years. However, Scranton police have received criticism for not checking the cameras enough and having unreliable service.

William "Billy" Nicolais Jr., president of Spotless Cleaners, said after one of his store locations was burglarized in September he and other business owners will collect money to help support maintenance of the cameras.

Bobby Dempsey, owner of Dempsey's Fashionable Laundry, said the cameras have added peace of mind and he plans to add more.

"We're going to buy two of them," he said. "We'll give the police their camera back, but still feed into the system."

While standing near the Borough Building recently, Chief Reese pulled out his iPhone and monitored locations. Long term, he said he would like to add about 20 more cameras.

"When they're sitting in their cars, you think they're doing nothing," Chief Reese said. "But they're watching five different locations."

Contact the writer: rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT on Twitter

GLENBURN TWP. - More than 12 years after federal officials halted operations at the Precision National Plating site, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency coordinators Tuesday introduced supervisors to a website that details the level of contamination near the site.

At the Township Building, a contingent of EPA officials led by on-site coordinator Ann DiDonato announced the release of the Precision Site Viewer - an online database that allows users to track and monitor the levels of hexavalent chromium in local public wells, shallow bedrock well locations and surface water locations.

Designed and monitored by the EPA, the site is a response to residents' concerns that the 40 years worth of sampling information was too hard to locate and decipher.

The website is the latest tool in a decades-old problem. Officials have been attempting to rid the site of hexavalent chromium that leaked into the ground at the Ackerly Road plant where chrome was once layered on locomotive parts.

"Supervisors asked us to develop a way for residents to be able to digest this information easier," Mrs. DiDonato said. "The graphs and tables allow residents to see the levels and specific trends."

Similar to Google Earth, the website allows viewers to zoom in on specific wells or surface water locations in the area. After doing so, users will be able to decipher whether a point is still contaminated, or how the levels of hexavalent chromium - a pollutant that can cause cancer - have fluctuated over the years.

"I think it's extremely beneficial to have this website because it makes the information more readily available for residents," said Supervisor David Jennings, who lives near the former Precision plant. "The problem for many is that they had no idea what the levels of contamination in wells around them were. This solves that."

To visit the site, go to: https://gis2.westonproject.net/EPA_Precision_Viewer

Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter

Celebrating U.N. Day in Scranton

Sister Deirdre Mullan, a Sister of Mercy from Northern Ireland, was the guest speaker when United Nations Day was celebrated at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel by the United Nations Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Introduced by Marywood University President Anne Munley, Sister Deidre spoke of her days at the U.N.

Lackawanna County Clerk of Judicial Records Mary Rinaldi and her mother-in-law, Rosebud, presented the William Rinaldi Award to Leo Vergnetti.

Among those on hand were Elizabeth Bonczar, president of UNA-NEPA; former Scranton Mayor David Wenzel, chairman; Joseph Severini, treasurer; Margaret lanetta, corresponding secretary; and Sondra Myers, founder of Interdependence Day.

Stars in stripes

Army Pvt. Justin A. Tedesco has graduated from the Basic Field Artillery Cannon Crewmember Advanced Individual Training course at Fort Sill, Okla. Pvt. Tedesco is the son of Lizbeth Tedesco of Riverdale Ga., and Jay Tedesco of Dalton. He is a 2007 graduate of Lackawanna Trail Junior-Senior High School. ... Marine Corps Pfc. Joseph L. Granville, son of Linda M. Gisinger of Avoca, and Joseph B. Granville, of Scranton, earned the title of Marine after graduating from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. Pfc. Granville is a 2012 graduate of West Scranton High School. ... Army Pvt. Gustavo W. Defreitas has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga. Pvt. Defreitas is the son of Rosagela Charlesworth and stepson of Charles Charlesworth of Clarks Summit. He is a 2008 graduate of Abington Heights High School. ... Air Force Airman Robert F. Purcell has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Airman Purcell is the son of Terry Purcell of Clarks Summit. He is a 2008 graduate of Abington Heights High School.

High notes

Following their mission statement, "To joyfully follow and share Jesus," members of the Waverly United Methodist Church, including, the Rev. Barbara Snyder, Georgia Bass, Kathy Craven, Dave and Holly Gilpin, Ron Hackman, Shirley Rosencrance and Evalyn Rudat prepared 80 Thanksgiving meals for the patrons of the Abington Ecumenical Food Pantry housed at the Dalton United Methodist Church. Each meal consisted of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce and cake.

Cops still seek driver in crash

SCRANTON - A man who survived crashing his sport utility vehicle into a car, guardrail and tree on the Central Scranton Expressway on Monday only to tumble 200 feet down a ravine then get up and walk away has yet to be located, police said.

Acting Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano said officers contacted the city's hospitals and the Fire Department searched the area where the 2001 Ford Explorer landed after the crash but the driver remains unaccounted for.

City police did locate the owner of the vehicle, Theresa Cantelmo of 140 Meridian Ave., who said she "gave" the car to a man in September but did not know his address or name.

Ms. Cantelmo did provide a cellphone number for the suspected driver, but efforts to contact him were not successful, Chief Graziano said.

Fugitive Scott Binsack was apprehended by U.S. marshals Tuesday night.

Mr. Binsack was arrested near Bath, N.Y., said James Cunfer, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Bath is about 100 miles west of Binghamton, N.Y. Mr. Binsack was wanted for a parole violation by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and had been on the run from authorities since late October, even taunting them on YouTube.

The former homebuilder from Clarks Summit got in trouble with the law again when the state Securities Commission became aware he pitched a plan to revamp the area with a $13.4 million stock offering at a Shamokin City Council meeting. Mr. Binsack is prohibited from engaging in most financial and business transactions, according to the terms of his release.

Mr. Binsack was accused of making shady dealings and accumulating unpaid bills as a homebuilder. He pleaded no contest in July 2010 to seven bad check charges stemming from his work in Lackawanna County as head of Mansions & Estates LLC. He was sentenced to time served and granted parole in April 2011.

Contact the writer: ksullivan@timesshamrock.com, @ksullivanTT on Twitter

West Side fire cause not known

SCRANTON - Fire inspectors could not determine the cause of a fire that tore through a West Side home late Monday but did not consider the blaze suspicious.

City Fire Chief Tom Davis said inspectors traced the origin of the fire to the rear patio at 1907-1909 Lafayette St.

The fire began just after 10 p.m. Monday and left the rear of the residence charred.

Chief Davis said investigators classified the fire as undetermined but did not suspect an intentional cause.

Man tied to murder jailed

SCRANTON - A city man involved in the murder of a Harrisburg man at a South Side bar last year was denied his attempt to get out of prison before he is sentenced.

At a hearing in Lackawanna County Court on Tuesday, Judge Margaret Bisignani Moyle rejected Kyle Mason's petition for home confinement while he awaits sentencing next month.

Mr. Mason, 24, who has been incarcerated at Lackawanna County Prison since May 2011, pleaded guilty in June to a felony firearm charge and conspiracy- aggravated assault for the fatal shooting of Malik Asad Carter, 28, at the now-shuttered Finn McCool's bar in South Scranton on May 16, 2011.

Mr. Mason handed his gun to the shooter, Derrick Phillips, 41, police said.

Mr. Phillips' murder trial is scheduled to begin on Dec. 10. He is claiming self- defense.

Fire temporarily closes market

OLD FORGE - An electrical fire Tuesday temporarily closed Ray's Shur Save Market and forced the grocer to throw out food.

Borough firefighters responded to the market at 431 Lawrence St. about 2:45 p.m., where they extinguished an electrical fire sparked in the building's electrical room, Chief Mark Tagliaterra said.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture also responded to evaluate the condition of the market's food. When Mr. Tagliaterra left at about 4 p.m., market officials had already thrown out all open produce.

No one was injured in the fire, Mr. Tagliaterra said.

Firefighters from Avoca, Taylor and Moosic also responded to the scene.

MOUNT POCONO - Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County was fined for conducting business with companies that were on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's Prohibited Gaming Service Provider List.

Mount Airy 1 LLC was fined $5,000 for doing business with Vision Solutions Inc., a software provider out of California, as well as an additional $5,000 for working with Maple Direct Inc., a direct mailing and advertising business based in New Jersey.

Both of those companies were subsequently removed from the Prohibited Gaming Service Providers List after producing addition information that permitted each to be licensed to provide goods and services to Pennsylvania casinos, according to a press release from the Gaming Control Board.

MOSCOW - Borough officials and other community leaders will hold an official street-lighting ceremony today at 5 p.m., recognizing the completion of the decorative downtown street light project.

Held at the gazebo on Main Street, the ceremony will include children of Moscow Borough switching on the lighting project and a ribbon cutting, said Marc Gaughan, borough councilman and chairman of the Department of Public Works.

The street lighting project, part of a larger downtown infrastructure project, includes sections fo Main and Church streets. After the ceremony, downtown businesses will offer snacks to visitors.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Two former high-ranking Penn State officials accused of covering up child sex-abuse by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky say an ex-university lawyer shouldn't testify at a hearing next month.

Attorneys for former Vice President Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley claim testimony by former Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin would violate attorney-client privilege.

Baldwin's grand jury testimony is a key piece of evidence to support allegations that Schultz, Curley and former school President Graham Spanier tried to cover up Sandusky's abuse.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg (http://bit.ly/SRqEVE) reports Tuesday's motion claims Schultz and Curley believed Baldwin was acting as their attorney, so prosecutors cannot call her to testify against them.

Sandusky is serving at least 30 years for abusing 10 boys, some on Penn State's campus.

NEW MILFORD - A 20-year-old New Jersey man crashed his 2009 Toyota Camry on Interstate 81 this morning, which briefly closed the northbound side of the highway.

Erick Montinard, 20, of Hainesport, N.J., suffered moderate injuries and his two passengers - Paul Noel, 79, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 17-year-old boy from Hainesport, N.J. - each suffered minor injuries.

The crash occurred at mile marker 224.6 on Interstate 81 north at about 7:30 a.m. when the Toyota veered into a guardrail and flipped onto its driver side, coming to rest in the left lane, state police said.

The three men were transported to hospitals for treatment and the highway's northbound side was closed for about an hour until one lane was opened. Both lanes were open within two hours of the crash, according to the state Department of Transportation.

WASHINGTON - Ross Waycaster designed the first of his four mobile applications as a high school senior in Tupelo, Miss., a game called "Super Marrio Jump" that's been downloaded from the Apple store more than 20,000 times, earning him more than $16,000.

"I have an entrepreneurial spirit, so we'll see where that takes me," said Mr. Waycaster, 21, who's now a junior at Mississippi State University in Starkville.

It could lead him to a top-paying job in a sizzling new industry, one that might provide the United States with a big opportunity to increase its exports in coming years.

While the overall economy still lags, the "app economy" has created nearly 500,000 jobs in the U.S. since 2007, when there were none.

Companies even worry that the nation isn't moving fast enough to produce new talent for thousands of unfilled jobs as consumers demand more and more gizmos and gadgets for their smartphones.

As a result, salaries are rising quickly: Mobile apps developers can expect pay increases of 9 percent next year, among the highest of any jobs, putting them in the range of $92,750 to $133,500 a year, according to a survey that the staffing and consulting firm Robert Half International released last month.

If the United States can maintain its dominance in the industry, many say the app economy could make a big dent in the country's federal trade deficit. Last year, for example, more than 20 percent of the apps downloaded in China were made by U.S. developers.

"There is unprecedented opportunity for America to capitalize on exploding international markets," Peter Farago, the vice president of marketing for Flurry, a high-tech startup company in San Francisco, testified in September before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

Mr. Farago said his company had more than 100 employees and 50 open positions and that "we literally cannot find the talent we need fast enough." He told members of the subcommittee that the app economy would become increasingly international and that the United States should do more to improve education and retraining programs and to make it easier for companies to bring and keep more talent from foreign countries.

"We're in a human capital crunch," added Rey Ramsey, the president and chief executive officer of TechNet, a network of technology executives that promotes the industry.

According to a TechNet study released earlier this year, the United States had created 460,000 jobs in the app economy since the iPhone was introduced. Those include programmers, designers, marketers, managers and support staff.

The TechNet study found California is by far the most dominant player in the industry, accounting for nearly one of every four jobs. New York ranks second, followed by Washington state, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Georgia, Virginia and Florida.

Among metropolitan regions, New York ranked first, followed by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.; San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.; and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.

Some universities have begun retooling their curricula. At Mississippi State, students are enrolled in such popular courses as Field Studies in iPhone Entrepreneurship.

Rodney Pearson, the head of the information systems department at Mississippi State, said most of the graduates from the business program made starting salaries of $45,000 to $50,000.

"But we have had six get jobs as app developers at $80,000," he said.

Your turkey could still be warm by the time you wrap up your Black Friday shopping this year - retailers have pushed the kickoff for the mammoth shopping day firmly into Thanksgiving Day itself.

Retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us and Sears, are starting their deals tonight. Consulting group BDO USA is forecasting a 3.1 percent increase in Black Friday sales compared with last year, based on the company's survey of retailers.

Black Friday, traditionally the year's single busiest shopping day, is also earlier than normal since Thanksgiving is on the next-to-last Thursday in November this year. With frenzied crowds and limited quantities of the most sought-after items, Black Friday can be a stressful day.

Here are five things that will help you survive the shopping rush:

1. Watch for limited quantities

Beware of limited quantities for door-buster sale items. There might be only a few of the most highly discounted items, such as electronics, actually in stores on Black Friday.

For example, Sears' Black Friday ad specifies there are "limited quantities" of most electronics, such as Xbox 360s and Asus laptops. Some of them have small numbers guaranteed in stock, such as the "at least 4 per store" specified for a $39.99 Nook Simple Touch, or the "at least 3 per store" for a $99.99 Garmin GPS unit. At Target, a $349, 50-inch LCD television is marked "quantities limited," as are most of the big-ticket items.

And consider what categories of goods you're standing in line to wait for: Black Friday might not be the best deal. On items such as brand-name televisions and winter apparel, experts say there are typically even better sales after the holidays, as retailers look to clear stock for the coming year.

2. Consider going online

Consider staying at home and skipping the lines. More retailers than ever are offering online-specific deals for Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, the Monday following Black Friday. They're responding to customer demand: Twenty-two percent of consumers shopped online during Thanksgiving last year, up from 15 percent in 2008, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation.

For example, Best Buy notes in its frequently asked questions that most of its Black Friday deals will be available online starting on Thanksgiving. Members of Sears' "Shop Your Way" loyalty club can purchase door-buster sale items online starting Sunday.

Many retailers also offer free shipping for purchases above a certain amount, or free delivery for in-store pickup. That means you can skip the late-night or early-morning trip to the mall and still reap the benefits.

3. Maximize savings

Time is limited to get the most deals, so if you're looking to save the maximum possible number of dollars, focus on big-ticket items.

This one is a matter of math.

If you're going to Wal-Mart for Black Friday, you'll save a lot more money on a 60-inch LED television from Vizio ($688, marked down by $310), than you will on several smaller items such as an Essentials 32-piece tool set ($14.88, marked down by $5), a Black & Decker cordless drill set ($49.88, marked down $29) and a Better Homes & Gardens plush blanket ($15, marked down by $14.88).

At the same time, don't blow your whole shopping budget: With the extra week of holiday shopping this year, the season is going to feel more like a marathon than usual.

4. Be careful in parking lots

The last thing you want on Black Friday is to get relieved of your recent shopping coups by an early-morning robber, or to cancel out your shopping gains with a car accident in the parking lot. Police recommend parking in well-lit areas, having your keys in hand as you approach your car so you don't fumble around while waiting to enter your car, and hiding packages in your trunk or under something on your rear seat.

And car insurance company Progressive says nearly 25 percent of auto insurance claims on Black Friday happen in parking situations. The most frequent Black Friday claims include striking a parked car or your parked car being struck (11.1 percent of claims) and backing into another car or being backed into (7.7 percent of claims).

5. Use those shopping apps

Use your smartphone. In addition to shopping applications from specific retailers, there are also hundreds of apps specifically geared toward compiling Black Friday deals. The Black Friday App from Dealnews.com allows you to save sale ads and compare in-store prices with online retailers, while TGI Black Friday, from Ecatcher Inc., lets you view and download ads, create shopping lists and compare prices. There are hundreds of other similar apps for iPhones and Android devices, most of them free.

CLIPBOARD

Archbald

Blood drive: Meeting for the blood drive in memory of Jim Pickard, Monday, 7 p.m., Old Towne Coffee, 452 Main St., blood drive, Nov. 30, noon-6 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas Church basement; 876-5539.

Santa visit: Santa arriving by train at the Pike Street Railroad Station, Dec. 1, 11:35 a.m., free hot dogs, hot chocolate, entertainment and a gift for every child, organization or invidividuals who want to help; Ken Propst, 876-2518, or Colleen, 876-1800.

Clifford Twp.

Annual breakfast: Clifford Twp. Volunteer Fire Company Christmas care breakfast, Dec. 2, 8 a.m.-noon, proceeds distributed to families in need.

Honesdale

Holiday fair: St. Nicholas Fair, Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 827 Church St.; kids' crafts, soups, baked goods, snack bar, holiday goods, attic treasures, inspirational items; Stourbridge Model Railroad Club show, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., lower level.

Benefit concert: Local Boys concert, Dec. 1, 7 p.m., Grace Episcopal Parish Hall, 827 Church St., tricky tray, 50/50 raffle, refreshments available for purchase, free-will donation, benefits Main Street holiday decorations; Jackie Murphy, 253-6864, or Michele Bonham, 251-8994.

Laceyville

Christmas tea: Christmas tea, Nov. 30, 4-8 p.m., Dec. 1-2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Oldest House, Main Street, free-will offering; 869-1679.

Old Forge

Committee meeting: Old Forge School Board policy committee meeting, Nov. 29, 7 p.m., high school LGI room.

Pierogie sale: St. Michael's Church pierogie sale, Dec. 5, 2-5 p.m., church hall, Church and Winter streets, $6/dozen, order by Nov. 30, Dorothy, 562-1434, Sandra, 457-9280, or church hall, 457-2875.

Senior meeting/party: Old Forge Retired Citizens meeting, Dec. 5, 2:30 p.m., Arcaro and Genell's, reservations for Dec. 9, 1 p.m.; Christmas party, 457-6124, payments collected at meeting.

Regional

Group meets: Frances Dorrance Chapter of Society for Pennsyl­vania Archaeology meeting, Tuesday, 7 p.m., Duryea Muni­cipal Building, 311 Main St., guest: Durland Siglin.

Scranton

Book signing: Book signing, "Green Ridge" Arcadia Images of America by Margo L. Azzarelli, Dec. 1, 2-4 p.m., Books-A-Million, 100 Viewmont Mall; 346-6179.

International dinner: St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church Inter­national Dinner Club Christmas Around the World, Dec. 13, St, Mary's Center, 320 Mifflin Ave., two sittings, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., $24.95; reservations only, Barbara, 342-5151, by Dec. 7.

Retirees meet: AARP Scranton Chapter 3731 meeting, Dec. 3, 1:30 p.m., Keyser Valley Com­munity Center, 101 N. Keyser Ave., refreshments and entertainment by Young at Heart, Christmas party, Dec. 8, noon-3 p.m., Genetti Manor, Dickson City, entertainment by Jim Cerminero, $22; Tony, 347-8157, by Dec. 3.

Valley View

Softball meeting: Valley View Softball Booster Club meeting, Wednesday, 7 p.m., high school library, 1 Columbus Drive, Archbald.

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.

Stretching from Thanksgiving to February with Super Bowl Sunday, the munching, snacking and eating holiday season has begun.

While Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays - official and unofficial - during this time of year often involve parties and other social events related to food, health experts say the season doesn't have to involve overindulgence.

Nutritionists and food experts offer tips to celebrate the holidays while staying healthy. They encourage people to put more fruits and vegetables on their plates while selecting just one or two of the less healthy, tempting foods.

Fun ways

The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests people find fun ways to burn off some of the extra food they eat during the holidays, such as dancing to Christmas music or going for walks.

Janet Milner, a registered dietician with Geisinger Health System, said people can avoid weight gain during the holiday season if they have a plan. She said those concerned about eating too much during the holidays should consider limiting indulging to single days instead of many days.

"If you're going to do it, do it on the holiday - not the holiday season," she said.

When people gather around, they should consider the types of snacks to munch on. Instead of chips and nuts, Ms. Milner said people could have raw fruits and veggies, or even low-calorie shrimp cocktails.

When it comes to holiday meals, people will have many choices - including rolls, breads, biscuits and cranberries. Ms. Milner suggests studying options at the table before putting large helpings of everything on a plate. Instead of picking the foods available throughout the year, she suggests picking a few unique items.

"Go with foods that are a little different and smaller helpings of it," she said.

Indulging isn't limited to food. Many drinks, especially egg nog and alcoholic beverages, can pile up calories.

Keep it off

For Tommy Snyder, 24, a Moscow resident who returned to a regular exercise routine in July and lost 20 pounds, he doesn't plan to allow any of the weight to return during the holiday season. However, he said he's not too stressed about having an extra piece of pie and other holiday treats.

Mr. Snyder said he plans to exercise a little longer. Also, he and friends have an annual tradition that helps burn calories before the Thanksgiving meal. They play flag football.

"We usually meet up at a park and play," he said. "We call it the turkey bowl."

Ms. Milner said people should think of ways to balance eating and activity. While people are out Christmas shopping, she suggested walking an extra lap around the mall or shopping area.

"Any kind of extra activity is helpful," she said.

Contact the writer: rward@timesshamrock.com, @rwardTT on Twitter

Hunter's tattooed bear aids game agency's study

On Tuesday, Bradley Everetts shot a tattooed bear.

Sitting in a tree stand on the third of the four-day gun hunting season for bears, the 50-year-old Forkston native heard a rustling in the underbrush and had to wait patiently for 20 minutes before he could get a clear shot.

When he brought the black bear to the check-in station at the game commission in Dallas, biologist Kevin Wenner noticed a faded five-digit tattoo on the inside of the bear's white lip.

Mr. Everetts hadn't shot a member of some sort of ursine gang, but rather the sow had been previously captured for research or for being a nuisance, Mr. Wenner explained. Because bears often tear out an ear tag, they also get a tattoo.

Tagged bears shot by hunters can give an idea of the health of the population, Mr. Wenner said. And conservation officers pull a tooth from each carcass to be analyzed. Like a tree, the tooth has rings that can be used to age the animal.

In 2011, hunters harvested 4,350 bears, the highest total in state history. After the first two days of the season this year, the number stood at 2,086. One of those kills was by an 86-year-old man, Mr. Wenner said, his first in 40 years of hunting. The season ended Wednesday. More than 160,000 hunters bought the $16.70 bear permit last year. In the best year, that's a success rate of less than 3 percent.

The largest animal brought down in the state so far this year was a 652-pound male taken in Middle Smithfield Twp., Monroe County.

Mr. Wenner, looking the part of a biologist perfectly in a bushy beard and dark green coveralls, said the animals can be difficult to hunt because of their acute sense of smell and preference to stick to dense cover.

"Bears are out there," Mr. Wenner said. "Guys just have to be at the right spot at the right time."

Charles Pantano certainly was. The 29-year-old Courtdale native only had to sit up in his Larksville tree stand for about two hours, a pittance of time by hunting standards, before his trophy presented itself.

"I didn't even have time to finish my coffee," said Mr. Pantano, who dropped the bear Tuesday morning with one well-placed shot.

Contact the writer: pcameron@citizensvoice.com

Shopping tips for your smartphone

Here are some free applications you might consider downloading to your smartphone or tablet before heading out to the stores on Black Friday.

- Black Friday App by DealNews.com: One of the most popular apps for Black Friday, it lets users browse ads from major retailers - including ads that have been "leaked," or not yet officially released. Users can also create shopping lists, compare prices and receive store alerts. Available for Apple iOS and Google Android-powered devices.

- Shopkick: This app operates like a rewards program. Shoppers can earn points just for walking into stores such as Target, Macy's, Best Buy and Old Navy and can redeem their points for free coffee at Starbucks and a variety of gift cards. Available for Apple and Android devices.

- The Coupons App: Shoppers can get digital coupons to stores, restaurants and gas stations as well as access to Black Friday deals and shopping tools such as price comparison. Users can text and email coupons to others. Available for Apple and Android devices.

- Black Friday Survival Guide: Users can get leaked ads in real time, check out store circulars and advertisements, search for deals by store or category, and view discounted products. Available for Apple devices.

- Daily Shopper: This app provides a roundup of online deals. Discounts from Target, Wal-Mart, Amazon and Best Buy are featured. Available for Apple devices.

Terri Avellone usually celebrates Thanksgiving before starting serious Christmas shopping. But this year, she couldn't resist the sales.

Stores such as Kohl's had "crazy racks of things on clearance," in October, said Mrs. Avellone, 50, a Longwood, Fla., homemaker who already has three-quarters of her holiday shopping done. "I just started thinking, 'Wait. A couple months away, it will be Christmas.' I decided to start then."

Earlier than ever

The holiday shopping season has started earlier than ever, as Americans take advantage of big discounts long before Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Almost 53 percent of consumers started stocking up for the holidays in early November, a National Retail Federation survey released last week showed.

Wal-Mart began offering layaway Sept. 16, a month earlier than last year. Target aired its first holiday ad of 2012 in October. Until then, a spokeswoman for the retail federation said the group doesn't remember ever seeing a Christmas-themed commercial before November.

Toys R Us even encouraged parents to start playing Santa early with a program requiring a 20 percent deposit by Halloween to reserve hot items.

Black Friday has traditionally been bargain-hunters' big day. But retail experts say a wave of promotions and trends have lessened its oomph.

Stores offered Black Friday discounts earlier as they compete for scarce dollars from consumers still anxious about spending. And smartphones have made it easier for people to tackle their Christmas lists piecemeal, said Craig LaRosa, a Boston-based retail consultant.

"I'm sitting in the dentist's office waiting; I'm shopping," he said. "I'm waiting for the kids at soccer practice; I'm shopping."

The same trend was evident earlier this year as children headed back to school.

Almost 48 percent of parents surveyed by the retail federation said they'd begin buying clothes and supplies several weeks in advance. Last year, only 42.4 percent planned to start that early.

Worth the risk?

Early birds face a major danger, warned Megan Donadio, a Kurt Salmon retail analyst. If people have more time to buy, chances are good they might overspend.

"If you start spending in October, it's very easy to get to December and forget about the purchases you made," she said.

Marla Martin of Casselberry, Fla., a longtime early Christmas shopper, said she sticks "to a pretty good budget" by paying cash.

Following her usual custom, Ms. Martin picked out presents throughout the year, then went on an afternoon-long shopping excursion this past weekend. She hopes to have all her gifts bought by Thanksgiving.

"I think it's less stressful," said Ms. Martin, 52.

Shoppers who keep their eyes open for discounts, she said, don't need to bother with Black Friday or down-to-the-wire sales.

And with retailers such as Toys R Us matching competitors' prices this year, she said, shaving the bill has become easier. For example, Ms. Martin saved $10 on an Inkoos glow-in-the-dark plush animal at Toys R Us by asking the retailer to meet Target's lower price.

Mrs. Avellone said she has spent $660 but saved more than $1,200 through a combination of sales and coupons. Even so, Mrs. Avellone enjoys the festive atmosphere of the mall at Christmas, so she saved a little bit of her shopping for December.

"I'm going to chill now and coast," she said.