Military and community organizations throughout the region will honor deceased veterans on Monday.

Services in Scranton include American Legion Koch Conley Post 121’s program scheduled for 11 a.m. at Cathedral Cemetery, Oram Street, where more than 13,500 veterans’ graves are decorated with markers and fresh American flags, courtesy of Post 121 and the Lackawanna County veterans’ affairs office.

The event will feature music by Paulette Costa, a keynote address by former Scranton Mayor David Wenzel, a Vietnam veteran and triple amputee, as well as rifle salute honors by the NEPA Detachment of the Marine Corps League and participation by Boy Scout Troop 42.

VFW Gen. Theodore J. Wint Post 25 services will take place at noon at Nay Aug Park with guest speaker Brig. Gen. Andrew P. Shaffer Jr., assistant division commander, 28th Infantry Division, state National Guard.

Downvalley services include a parade sponsored by West Pittston/Exeter American Legions, 11:30 a.m. on Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue in West Pittston. Old Forge VFW Post 4954 and American Legion Post 513’s parade steps off at 10 a.m., starting at the Borough Building and ending at Moosic Road cemetery. Villa Capri Cruisers will provide honor rides.

Services in the Upvalley include Carbondale Memorial Committee’sparade/ceremony, which kicks off at 10:40 a.m. in front of Ben Franklin Apartments and is followed by a memorial ceremony at 11:15 at Memorial Park on Main Street. Col. Michael A. Konzman will speak.

In the Midvalley, among the events is Jessup VFW Post 5544/American Legion Post 411 combined program at the First Presbyterian Church on Third Avenue, with services at 9:30 a.m. by Pastor Margaret Hartmann. A rifle salute by the Honor Guard for fallen comrades of both posts will be conducted at Holy Ghost Cemetery. Mayor Beverly Merkel will offer remarks when both organizations conduct services at Veterans Memorial Park on Hill Street.

The annual Abingtons Memorial Day Parade will step off at 11 a.m. and proceed from the Clarks Summit Elementary Center on Grove Street to South State Street to Winola Road ending at Abington Memorial Post 7069, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit, for a memorial service.

Among the events in the North Pocono area is the annual service at Fairview Memorial Park on Route 435 in Elmhurst Twp. at 11 a.m., with participation by John J. Michaels VFW Post 5207, which also will conduct a service at Mr. Michaels’ gravesite at 9:45.

Memorial Day services throughout the area on Monday include:

ABINGTONS

Abington Memorial VFW Post 7069, 402 Winola Road, Clarks Summit: Abington Hills Cemetery, 8:30 a.m.; South Abington Memorial Park, 9 a.m.; Clarks Green Cemetery, 9:30 a.m.; Hickory Grove Cemetery, 10 a.m., annual parade starts at 11 a.m. at Clarks Summit Elementary Center; 570-586-9821 or 570-563-2480.

CARBONDALE

Carbondale Memorial Committeeparade: Step off at 10:40 a.m., assemble in front of Ben Franklin Apartments, 10:15, memorial ceremony, 11:15, Memorial Park on Main Street, speaker: Col. Michael A. Konzman, refreshments follow.

COVINGTON TWP.

VFW Post 5207 ceremony: Covington Twp., post home, 9:15; ceremony, 9:45, John Michaels’ gravesite; Fairview Cemetery, 11; and Covington Twp., 1 p.m.

DALTON

Parade: 9 a.m., from Streamside park to the fire hall, with services starting at 9:20; veterans invited to participate, call John Holbert, 570-563-1268; interested choir members assemble, 8 a.m., fire hall.

DUNMORE

Annual onservance: GAR Memorial Association Post 139, Ezra S. Griffin Camp 8, Sons of Union Veterans of Civil War and Auxiliary 10, 115th Annual Observance of Memorial Day, 10:30 a.m., Dunmore Cemetery.

American Legion Victory Post 13: 10 am., St. Mary’s Cemetery, O’Neill Highway, Dunmore Legionaires assemble at 9:30.

DUPONT

Dupont VFW Post 4909/AMVETS Post 189: Meet 8 a.m. at VFW on Main Street, 8:30 at Polish National Cemetery, followed by service at Sacred Heart Cemetery on Lackawanna Avenue; parade marshal is Stanley Kivak, parade participants assemble 10 a.m., VFW parking lot on Grant Street, parade, 10:30; memorial service, Borough Building memorial lawn, 11, food/ refreshments follow, at VFW post home.

HOLLISTERVILLE

All Saints Slovak Cemetery Memorial Day services: Rosary recitation, 10:30 a.m.; veterans service, 11, by VFW Thomas Snook Post 6520.

Hollisterville Cemetery Memorial Day services: 11:30 a.m., Route 590, between Moscow and Hamlin, VFW Thomas A. Snook Post, lunch follows,Hollisterville Bible Church Fellowship Hall, covered dish appreciated; Regina Polley, 570-842-4394; Susan Ciscoe, 570-842-3268; or Elouise Wood, 570-689-7226.

JESSUP

Jessup VFW Post 5544/American Legion Post 411 combined services: 9:30 a.m., First Presbyterian Church, Third Avenue, by Pastor Margaret Hartmann, procession to Holy Ghost Cemetery for Honor Guard rifle salute for fallen comrades, then Veterans Memorial Park, Hill Street, for remarks service given by Mayor Beverly Merkel, VFW members assemble post home by 9, food/refreshments follow, VFW Post 5544, 205 Dolph St.

MAPLEWOOD

Maplewood Methodist Cemetery Memorial Day patriotic program: 9:30 a.m., including participation from Maplewood Fire & Rescue Company, prayers, music and remarks, flag ceremony by Boy Scout Troop 102 and VFW Thomas A. Snook Post 6520 ceremony, 10:15 a.m.

NEWFOUNDLAND

Services: Phillips-Zacharias-Phillips Post 859 American Legion, 11 a.m., Veteran’s Memorial in park, Main Street, speaker the Rev. Ronald R. Miller, Ph.D.

NORTH POCONO

VFW Thomas A. Snook Post 6520 Memorial Day cemetery services: South Canaan Methodist, 9 a.m.; Simontown, 9:30; Cortez, 10; Maplewood Methodist,10:15; Maplewood Evangelical,10:30; All Saints, 11; Hollisterville, 11:30; Mount Cobb, 1 p.m. and Elmdale, 1:30.

Fairview Memorial Park Memorial Day services: 11 a.m., Route 435, Elmhurst.

OLD FORGE

Old Forge VFW Post 4954 and American Legion Post 513 parade: 10 a.m. starting at Borough Building and ending at Moosic Road cemetery, Villa Capri Cruisers providing “honor ride” for veterans who cannot march.

PECKVILLE

VFW Shopa-Davey Post 6082 services: meet 8 a.m., post home, 123 Electric St.; parade starts 8:30, proceeds to Veterans Memorial on Main Street and Sergeant Argonish Memorial on Keystone Avenue, for services.

SCRANTON

American Legion Koch Conley Post 121 Memorial Day program: 11 a.m., Cathedral Cemetery, Oram Street, bring chairs.

VFW Gen. Theodore J. Wint Post 25 joint Memorial Day services: noon, Nay Aug Park.

Italian American Cemetery Memorial Day Mass: 10 a.m., cemetery, the Rev. David Cappelloni; inclement weather site, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Church, Prospect Avenue.

Keyser Valley Community Association Memorial Day ceremony: 11 a.m., Keyser Valley Community Center 101 N. Keyser Ave., West Scranton, speaker: Sen. John Blake.

VFW Rabiega-Gorgol Post 3451 Memorial Day service: 2 p.m., Connors Park, Orchard Street.

SIMPSON

Simpson VFW Post 4712 service: 9 a.m., post home, 500 Main St., guest speaker: Major General John Gronski, refreshments follow.

THROOP

Herbert Clark Post 180 Throop American Legion/Throop VFW Post 7251 Memorial Day services: Members meet Throop Civic Center parking lot, 8 a.m., proceed to cemeteries for services starting at St. Mary’s off Sanderson Street, 8:15, procession to Veterans’ Plaque at Municipal Building for 10 a.m., services, members then proceed to Post 7251 for 11 a.m. services.

WEST PITTSTON/EXETER

West Pittston/Exeter American Legions parade: 11:30 a.m., Linden Street and Wyoming Avenue, West Pittston.

Contact the writer:

lzaccagnino@timesshamrock.com

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security honored a Scranton native who pulled an injured crash victim from a burning vehicle.

Lt. William Uher, who is part of the Secret Service uniformed division in Washington, was among 12 individuals recognized with the Secretary‘s Award for Valor during a May 14 ceremony in Washington.

Lt. Uher, who at the time held the rank of sergeant-technician, was on his way to work Nov. 22 when he came upon a motor vehicle crash on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and was the first person to respond, the DHS said in announcing the award.

“After notifying 911, he went to the scene to offer assistance. When Sgt. Uher noticed flames originating underneath the hood of the vehicle, he removed the occupant, who was later determined to have a broken pelvis and unable to walk,” according to the department.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson presented the award, the highest honor bestowed by the department for acts of valor. This year’s honorees included 10 department employees and two citizens.

“Like so many others at the department who preserve our freedoms and protect the homeland with integrity and respect, the valor awardees performed well beyond what is expected, responding in extraordinary action to help another in need,” Mr. Johnson said in a press release.

Efforts to reach Lt. Uher were unsuccessful.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

DUNMORE — A 5K race Sunday is expected to cause some light traffic delays in Dunmore.

Drivers Sunday may encounter traffic on the O’Neill Highway toward the Keystone Industrial Park from 9:30 through 10:30 a.m., Lackawanna College said in a news release. The college’s police academy organized the 5K to benefit the state police’s Cpl. Bryon Dickson and Trooper Alex Douglass Funds.

The race starts at the Greater Scranton YMCA. Registration is $30 and opens at 8 a.m. The run begins at 9:30 a.m.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

When new mothers are unprepared or face unexpected burdens during or after their pregnancy, the St. Joseph’s Baby Pantry is there to help.

Lori Nozzi of Dunmore wanted to let the pantry know the community is there to help it, too.

Ms. Nozzi organized a two-week Facebook Baby Shower for the pantry. Even after the shower was over, she was still receiving donations.

The Facebook shower reached more than 500 people. Ms. Nozzi brought clothing, bottles, diapers, wipes and blankets to the pantry and also $1,070 in monetary donations. She had help from her friend, Michelle Verrastro, who owns Current Trendz Hair Studio in Dunmore and encouraged people to drop off items.

“It felt good,” she said. “My family and friends truly came through even more than I ever expected.”

The baby pantry began more than 11 years ago, after the St. Joseph’s Center’s shelter for women who are pregnant and homeless began receiving a large amount of donations. The idea of the pantry “kind of just blossomed from there,” said Joanne Stephens, director of maternity/family services. Housed in various St. Joseph’s locations, the baby pantry has since found a permanent home at the center’s Dunmore Campus, 320 S. Blakely St.

“We have people who have been here through multiple kids,” said Ms. Stephens. “We’ve done over 2,500 visits a year.”

New or expecting moms can call and place an order, and “we pack it up and we take it up to them,” said Ms. Stephens.

St. Joe’s also takes the pantry on the road. Monthly, it stops at the Honesdale Women’s Health Care Center, Carbondale YMCA, the Valley View Terrace in South Scranton, and recently started visiting Tunkhannock.

“It’s the only pantry of its kind in this area where you can get this many kinds of items, clothing, food and equipment, all in one place,” Ms. Stephens said.

A “blessing bag” complete with clothes, diapers, wipes, toiletries, bottles, bibs, pacifiers and blankets is also available for “women who are going to have a new baby,” she said. “It’s kind of like a starter pack.”

About 35 volunteers help package the items and schedule a time for the moms and families to stop by. They also hold clients’ choice days for families to sift through boxes of clothing, books and toys or browse racks stocked with seasonal items.

The pantry recycles unusable items for cash. With the funds, Ms. Stephens said the pantry will purchase certain things, like diapers, that might be in low supply.

A young professionals organization for ages 25 to 35 also started to help out the center and pantry, hosting a few happy hours and stopping by the center to volunteer.

“A lot ... had volunteered in high school and we wanted to give them a place to volunteer as adults,” said Tracy Farrell Bannon, assistant director of development for St. Joseph’s Center.

The pantry is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for anyone, regardless of income or situation, who needs baby clothes, formula, diapers or baby supplies. To make an appointment, place an order or drop off items for the pantry, call 570-963-1261.

Contact the writer:

kbolus@timesshamrock.com, @kbolusTT on Twitter

The estranged husband of a Scranton homicide victim is fighting a judge’s ruling that bars him from receiving any part of her estate based on claims he “deserted” her prior to her death.

Donald Talerico of Scranton argued that although he and the victim, Kathleen Talerico, were separated, their divorce was never finalized. That entitles him to a share of her estate, valued at about $165,000, according to court records.

Kathleen Talerico, 45, was found dead inside her Orchard Street home on Jan. 3, 2014,several days after police say her boyfriend, Ryan McNamara, assaulted her during a New Year’s Eve party. Police say the blows caused bleeding in Ms. Talerico’s brain, which led to her death. Mr. McNamara agreed to plead no contest in April to third-degree murder, but refused to sign a plea agreement and is awaiting trial.

Mr. Talerico is seeking to overturn a March 24 ruling by Lackawanna County Judge James Gibbons, who determined he was not entitled to any part of Ms. Talerico’s estate because of his conduct after she filed for divorce in May 2011. She never took any other action to finalize the divorce, so the couple remained legally married at the time of her death.

The dispute centers on a provision within state law that bars an estranged spouse from any interest in the estate of their deceased husband or wife if the spouse “wilfully neglected” or “maliciously deserted” that person for a year or more before the death. Mr. Talerico was appointed as the administrator of Ms. Talerico’s estate on Jan. 29. Michael Walker,attorney Ms. Talerico’s sister, Karen Cavanaugh, filed a claim against the estate on April 24, arguing Mr. Talerico forfeited his right to the estate because he admitted he had sexual relations with other women after the couple separated, which he contends equates to willful neglect.

Mr. Talerico’s attorney, David Ratchford, argued the affairs, by themselves, are not sufficient evidence to support a finding that Mr. Talerico deserted his wife.

Mr. Ratchford noted Mr. Talerico and Ms. Talerico each consented to their separation and to dating other people. In addition, Mr. Ratchford said Mr. Talerico remained friends with Ms. Talerico, helping her with lawn maintenance, repairs to cars and other daily activities. Mr. Talerico at one point even assisted Ms. Talerico in obtaining a protection from abuse order against Mr. McNamara, Mr. Ratchford said.

“Donald continued to be part of Kathleen’s every day life and to assist her in a myriad of significant ways. In no way could this conduct be construed as an abandonment or a willful or malicious desertion,” Mr. Ratchford said.

Judge Gibbons rejected the arguments, however. The judge noted that, although the couple remained friends, Mr. Talerico did not show he made any meaningful effort to reconcile with Ms. Talerico.

“While (Mr.) Talerico may have communicated regularly with decedent, he took no meaningful steps ... to revitalize the marriage and participated in three extramarital affairs,” the judge wrote. “We conclude that this lifestyle unequivocally demonstrated his attitude that no marriage existed.”

Mr. Talerico appealed the ruling to the state Superior Court on April 28. The appeal remains pending.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com

Scranton area native Paul Joseph “P.J.” Paparelli, co-author of the play “columbinus” and artistic director of the American Theater Company, died Thursday while on vacation in Scotland, following a car crash earlier in the week. He was 40.

Mr. Paparelli’s death was announced Thursday by David Katz, a member of the board of American Theater Company, a nonprofit, ensemble-based theater in Chicago. Mr. Paparelli was vacationing with his close friend, David Charles Goyette, an assistant professor of theater at Truman State University, although Mr. Goyette was not in the car at the time of the crash. A funeral is being planned for Scranton, and plans for a memorial are pending.

A 1993 graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, Mr. Paparelli was born Nov. 9, 1974, the son of Jean Marie Paparelli and the late Paolo Paparelli, according to The Times-Tribune archive reports. In addition to his mother, who lives in Peckville, Mr. Paparelli is survived by two brothers, Vince Possanza of Archbald and Gino Possanza of Desert Hot Springs, California.

His father, an Italian immigrant, died when Mr. Paparelli was just 14.

“He was a big dreamer,” Mr. Paparelli said in a 2007 Chicago Tribune interview. “I think I have inherited that.”

As a youth, Mr. Paparelli participated in theater locally, including teaching theater at a Boy Scout camp in Lake Ariel and founding the troupe 107 Miles Off-Broadway, according to The Times-Tribune archives.

“When he was in high school, he didn’t like the drama teacher, so he went and formed his own theater company called 107 Miles (Off-)Broadway, which was the distance from Scranton,” Vince Possanza said.

He spoke of his brother’s pride in his latest work, “The Project(s),” which Mr. Paparelli had hoped to take to Scotland.

“This was a joyful time, and he was in a very happy place,” Vince Possanza said.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University, Mr. Paparelli worked at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C., where he assisted directors and also directed pieces himself, and was assistant to the producer on “Mr. Wong” for Walt Disney Studios/Marty Katz Productions, according to The Times-Tribune archives. He also served for four years as artistic director of the Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska.

With fellow area native Stephen Karam, Mr. Paparelli wrote the play “columbinus,” about the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado. In 2009, the University of Scranton Players performed the piece, with a cast that included Scranton Shakespeare Festival founder Michael Bradshaw Flynn. Mr. Flynn said the pair found a way to tell a story “effectively and practically but not indulgently or sensationalized.”

“It was just a very classy telling of a really tragic and dark time in American history,” he said.

Mr. Flynn said he was shocked to learn of the death of Mr. Paparelli, who was one of the Shakespeare festival’s donors, came to a rehearsal last year and “gave a lot of really meaningful advice.”

“He really was invested in the area, and he wanted it to be a better place, and I think he believed theater was a way to do that,” Mr. Flynn said. “He was very generous with his wisdom and also with his funds.”

Mr. Paparelli had survived the “make-or-break years” in show business and was starting to make a name for himself in Chicago, Mr. Flynn noted.

“To see his success was inspiring, but I also have to say (what) was also really encouraging was he took time to talk to people, and he was never too busy, and he made time to answer any questions I may have,” he said.

A highly respected and nationally accomplished director of new plays, Mr. Paparelli also was co-author of the theatrical work “The Project(s)” and one of the Chicago theater’s most formidable and complicated talents.

During Mr. Paparelli’s seven-year tenure, ATC produced a slew of highly regarded world premieres, including that of Ayad Akhtar’s “Disgraced,” which moved to Broadway and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune just prior to Mr. Paparelli’s death, Mr. Akhtar spoke of his “deep gratitude” to Mr. Paparelli for his early sponsorship of the play that changed Mr. Akhtar’s life, and of his friend’s “incredible talent.”

Mr. Karam and Mr. Paparelli returned to “columbinus” in 2013, crafting a new third act that premiered at American Theater Company and only increased the power and timeliness of the show’s exploration of gun violence in America.

In 2014, Mr. Paparelli’s production of “The Humans,” a collaboration with his frequent creative partner Mr. Karam and a play about ordinary New Yorkers under great emotional stress, made the Chicago Tribune’s list of the best shows of the year. As with much of Mr. Paparelli’s best work, the show was at once warm, true, incisive and deeply compassionate.

“The more I saw PJ’s work, the harder it became to see other pieces of theater,” Mr. Katz said. “In comparison, it would all appear banal.”

Mr. Paparelli was regarded by many critics as one of America’s most exciting directors, and he consistently pursued his deep commitment to theater for young people and to sending artists into the Chicago public schools. His commitment to maintaining a diverse ensemble of actors, and producing the work of a diverse array of mostly American writers, was similarly unstinting.

Mr. Paparelli’s tenure was also notable not just for the quality of the work but for the high-profile projects he could tease out of the hyper-competitive national world of theater. Many times he snagged the rights to a work that should have been far outside the reach of American Theater Company.

“The Project(s),” the story of public housing in Chicago and Mr. Paparelli’s latest critical hit, is playing at the theater company Mr. Paparelli loved and nurtured to a level of artistic success that belied the size of its annual budget. In a conversation just a few days before he died, Mr. Paparelli said some people found him challenging because he was always trying to do the highest quality work “on a storefront budget.” No one who ever saw Mr. Paparelli’s work at American Theater Company, or who saw what happened to his work thereafter, could possibly contest that statement.

As the theater community dealt with yet another loss on Thursday, few could imagine any possible replacement. “We now have to focus on his legacy,” Mr. Katz said.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE WRITER CHRIS JONES and The Times-Tribune staff writer Caitlin Heaney West contributed to this report.

Danielle Priblo wasn’t around to witness her grandfather suffer through the crippling chest pains, but she’s seen the paperwork.

Longtime area sports broadcaster Paul Oles — Tata, as Ms. Priblo called him — was one of the first in Northeast Pennsylvania to receive open heart surgery in 1981. That allowed him to live another 27 years and meet his grandchildren, including Ms. Priblo, now 20.

After his death, Ms. Priblo’s grandmother gave her the cardiac charts documenting the struggles and recovery of Mr. Oles’ heart.

That information, and memories of Tata, came rushing back in the wave of an echo-cardiogram wand when she visited a cardiac technician lab at Lackawanna College and saw the beating organs on the monitor as a junior in high school.

That connection pushed Ms. Priblo to become a cardiac technician. On Saturday, she gave the valedictory address at the Lackawanna College commencement ceremony.

“The heart disease in my family runs in many other families, so I wanted to help them get the answers my grandfather had and get the help my grandfather had,” she said.

With graduation season upon us and another batch of young adults spilling out into the workforce, Ms. Priblo is one of many choosing career paths based on self-fulfillment rather than simply employability or earning potential, career counselors say.

While older generations may have thought of success as how far they could move up the corporate ladder and how much money could be grabbed along the way, the current generation of students is no longer sticking to that definition, said Chris Whitney, director of career services at the University of Scranton.

She has always promised prospective students that her university will help them find success, but she has had to tweak her pitch in the last decade.

“Now the caveat is whatever you deem success to be,” she said. “Because it’s just not about getting a job and making a lot of money.”

She attributed that change to the parenting of people like herself who have packed the social schedules of their children — “the generation of playdates” — with soccer practice, guitar lessons and dance recitals.

“Their experiences have been so rich, they expect that to continue,” she said. “It’s ingrained in them that all aspects of who they are can be filled.”

Carole Gustitus, Ph.D., the director of career services at Marywood University, attributes the most recent generation’s emphasis on finding happiness in a career to the information age.

“They’re more informed,” she said. “We have media and technology, and they get a lot of information that years and years ago, people didn’t have.”

The key to finding the right career, one that can be fulfilling, is to match up interests, motivation and skills to the job.

“It’s really a puzzle,” Ms. Whitney said. “What kind of skills do they have that they want to use on a regular basis?”

Dr. Gustitus stresses the importance of doing the research, including talking to people in prospective fields, in choosing the right path.

“Usually the people who go through the process of career coaching end up quite satisfied,” she said.

Contact the writer:

pcameron@timesshamrock.com, @pcameronTT on Twitter

Eighty-one years ago Saturday, the notorious bandit couple Bonnie & Clyde were killed by police who were trying to stop them in Sailes, Louisiana. In their time together, Bonnie and Clyde are believed to have committed 13 murders and numerous robberies and burglaries according to the FBI’s Famous Cases and Criminal website.

You can read the coverage of this event and how the Times help to settle an argument about the couple many years later by visiting PAGES FROM THE PAST at blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/pages and @ttpages

past on Twitter.

ABINGTON HEIGHTS HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

Tyra Abdalla, Richard J. Albright, Joseph Arcangelo, Alexandra T. Auriemma, Elizabeth Bamford, Matthew Barrett, Nicholas F. Beckish, Celeste Belknap, Bobbi S. Benson, Heather Berkmann, Isabella Bianchi, Samantha Bilardi, Zachary J. Bird, Christopher A. Blacker, Mallory Brayer, Nicole A. Campbell, Mia Caputo, Nora Caputo, Jessica M. Cerra, Shreyas Chandragiri, Andrew Chow, Amanda L. Colombo, Jasmin L. Colon, Hannah Conahan, Mara A. Connor, Jeremy Critchley, John R. Czubek, Salvatore F. DeSanto, Madison R. Dinger, Caitlin M. Dingler, Patrick Dougherty, Vanessa A. Duboski, Elizabeth Durdan, Brad Eckersley, Thomas J. Flowers, Melanie A. Fricchione, Alexander P. Fried, Jonathan Galaydick, Clare Gallagher, Paula Galvao, Laura Garcia-Silva, Catherine Gee, Olivia E. Gentilezza, Nicholas Gerardi, William Gerrity, Andrew J. Gibson, Katie Gilarde, Sean M. Gilhooley, Rachel B. Gilmore, Kaitlin Glidewell, Alex Gockley, Edward G. Goff, Harper A. Grenfell, Sydney Gualtieri, Brittany Harris, James T. Harris, Mariah Hawley, Matthew S. Hayner, Michaelina Holmes, Caroline E. Hopkins, George Houck, Terry L. Hurst, Kristopher Igoe, Briana Jaeger, Emily Jeschke, Alyssa A. Judson, Megan S. Kane, Julie M. Kester, Jonathan Kizer, Tucker Kizer, Samantha M. Klapatch, Matthew R. Klucher, Tyler M. Ksiazek, Kelly N. Kwolek, Kaitlyn A. Lacey, Robert Lancaster, Nathan R. Langan, Nathan L. Laubham, Calvin Lee, Patrick J. Lenahan, Sarah Lingle, Amber Loomis, Zachary M. Manasek, Kelly G. McHugh, Abigail L. McLane, Kathleen M. McMahon, Abigail J. McMinn, Alyssa McMinn, Elizabeth A. Melliand, Michael Mendola, Michelle Mensah, Sarah A. Mensah, Matthew Molinaro, Bianca C. Montes, Samuel J. Morano, Matthew R. Myers, Kelly M. Neff, Jerome M. Nidoh, Nicole Olver, Olivia A. Osborne, Lee Owens, Michelle J. Pacyna, Matthew W. Parry, Molly Pash, Shivani Patel, Raymond M. Pennachio, Olivia N. Peters, William B. Petty, Martha S. Phillips, Alexandra A. Pisano, Morgan F. Reiner, Jessica K. Rickwood, Jordan M. Rippon, William Roditski, Austin A. Rodriguez, Jacob Ross, Lauren Rzeszewski, Jessa Sablan, Eric Salerno, Taylor J. Schirra, Cassandra A. Schlosser, Jonathan A. Schmidt, Andrew C. Schoen, Phillip a. Schoen, Erin E. Schumacher, Taryn N. Scott, Daimen Seid, Joseph A. Sileo, Jaike Silverberg, Rachel Smertz, Maria Smith, Aaditya J. Solanki, David J. Sorokanich, Melissa A. Spencer, Kayla N. Srebro, Kessyde Stiles, Carla E. Stillwagon, Jordan M. Stranieri, Matthew Strein, Leah E. Stuenzi, Michael B. Sullivan, Anthony V. Sylvester, Eden M. Tinkelman, Leo C. Tully, Sarah E. Uhranowsky, MariKay VanFleet, Regina M. Volpe, James M. Voyce, Amelia L. Walker-Serrano, Perrine Wasser, Chase Wickenheiser, Anna C. Wildner, Michael J. Wynn, Brendan Yesil and Danielle Zeplin.

GRADE 11

Samuel E. Arnold, Fahad Ashraf, Melina Barry, Anna Baruffaldi, Meghan L. Beahan, Michael L. Beck, Holly A. Beppler, Taya Black-Kobrynich, Maanasa Boini, Emily Bonsick, Hannah Braid, Emilee G. Butler, Jaime Calvo-Barrio, Katie M. Carlin, Sahas C. Chandragiri, Ally E. Christman, Samantha Chrysler, Cameron J. Cleary, Thomas S. Clifton, Jared M. Cohen, Brendan Conahan, Angela S. D’Amato, Nikitha Dalavai, Carly J. Danoski, Mark DeSeta, Lauren M. Dempsey, Maura I. Dickinson, Clare I. Domenico, Jillian Doran, Dominique C. Emmett, Murray S. Fallk, Emily Fazio, Joseph C. Fazio, Corey H. Felski, Colin R. Florey, Cuinn T. Foley, Joseph D. Fulton, Matthew A. Galaydick, Alyssa M. Garbin, Philip T. Gattorna, Kailey S. Gearhart, Kyle Gerrity, Georden Gesford, Lindsay A. Getz, Catie S. Gilbride, Abby M. Gilman, Jeramie R. Glynn, Jacob S. Graziano, Adrianna L. Green, Kathryn A. Green, Kara A. Greskovic, Andrew Haggerty, Grace E. Hambrose, Paige E. Harris, Emma H. Henzes, Tait Hoffmeier, Jordan Hollander, Brooks Houck, Nicole Howells, Matthew K. Hughes, Nadeen M. Jafar, Andrew Jalowiec, Isabella Jones, Samuel P. Jubon, Faith Judson, Patrick G. Kelly, Colin Klingman, Abbey M. Knoepfel, Carly N. LaCoe, Nadiya A. Latif, Jared S. Levinson, Marissa G. Lewis, Richard M. Ling, Jacob A. Linker, Samuel D. Linker, Sondra G. Lionetti, Jamie L. Loughney, Samuel O. MacGregor, Anisha Mallik, Caroline Mattise, Anastasia McClendon, John P. McGarry, Robert McGarry, Matthew Mecca, Hannah Mendo, Olivia Mendo, Ashley M. Mercado, Dominick J. Miller, Tyler L. Milo, Debra A. Morris, Rachael V. Muir, Raeva Mulloth, Rishi Mulloth, Kellie M. Murphy, Enis Murtaj, Daniel F. Neary, Peter M. Nolan, Noah O’Donnell, Benjamin Oon, Brandon Ostrowski, Alexander Palumbo, Mia V. Paone, Shahil K. Patel, Vaishvee N. Patel, Elisabeth G. Phillips, Evan C. Phillips, Anastasiya Plotnikova, Ajna P. Prahalad, Manon S. Riley, Matthew C. Robinson, Lorran Rodrigues, Taylor E. Rose, Rachel A. Ross, Sean Salmon, Cayden M. Scarantino, Sydney E. Schilpp, Sloane V. Schubert, Alyssa M. Scoda, Julia M. Sebastian, Johanna G. Show, Sarah Sickler, Maaz Siddiqui, Catherine R. Simakaski, Noah Sirianni, Kyle Six-Napierala, Emily M. Smith, Stephen Sokalsky, Savannah Solan, Zachary S. Spangenberg, Ellie Sullum, Abigale E. Sutton, Robert M. Swift, Olivia Thornton, Jason J. Tinsley, Timothy Toro, Cassandra A. Toth, Claire Traweek, Mariah E. Tulaney, Sidney Tung, Tyler N. Walter, Colin White, Mariana Winters, Devyn Wylam, Chase C. Yarns, Rhys J. Yarns, Tiana E. Yarns and Shiqi Zhou.

GRADE 10

Jack Abdalla, Kevin B. Albright, Alexandra L. Altier, Kristin Altieri, Dylan T. Asay, Havisha Bache, Vihisha Bache, Olivia A. Baker, Emilee R. Barrett, Elaine R. Basalyga, Olivia M. Basalyga, Teresa E. Bates, Bradley Bauman, Virginia Blacker, David B. Boeth, Gregory M. Borgia, Matthew G. Borgia, Eric Brickel, Dylan P. Brown, Alessia J. Brunori, Leah E. Byman, Isabela Camayd, Alyson E. Campbell, Austin Catania, Dylan Caudullo, Yelena Cochrane, Jaclyn M. Cordaro, Emily Crowley, Shane Cummings, Michael J. Curran, Rahul Dalavai, Anjli Dalsania, Sydney R. Dana, Celia G. Davis, Ryan P. Davis, Kaylee B. DeMatteo, Isabella Demo, Allyson Derry, Marissa R. Doty, Anthony M. Duboski, Maxwell Earl, Ryan P. Eckersley, Nicholas Emmett, Nathaniel Engles, Grace M. Evans, Michael R. Farry, Yu Jin Feng, Jaycen M. Fick, Rachael Frutchey, Anthony Gabello, Amanda V. Gawel, Nicole Getz, Spencer M. Gilbert, Jason T. Giovagnoli, Charles D. Gromelski, John P. Habeeb, Timothy R. Habeeb, Brandon C. Hardy, Bailey M. Harris, Peter J. Heckman, Thomas Hildebrand, Kevin Q. Hu, Brittany K. Hughes, Kelsey L. Jackson, Jordan Jarocha, Madison Jarocha, Maura Jenkins, Sarah Jonsson, Alison M. Kane, Julia Khalil, Nathan J. Kizer, Natalie Kozar, George P. Kronick, Tyler Kusma, Heather L. Kwolek, Alyssa M. Lazar, Emily Leightcap, James C. Lenahan, Natalie J. Lepri, Sara L. Lesneski, Logan R. Lombardo, Carissa M. Lozinger, Mackenzie Machell, Garrett C. Mackay, Cara Mia Manasek, Emily Marquardt, Macy Marturano, Seth Maxwell, Colin McCreary, Neel S. Mehta, Callysta S. Messner, Phillip Misterman, Heather M. Mitchell, Anna G. Moher, Ashley N. Mulherin, Victoria Munley, Curt Murphy, Noah E. Musto, Samuel J. Myers, Sean Myers, Yaasat H. Nayeem, Victoria M. Nolan, Rohit Nuguri, Lauren A. Olevnik, Kyle S. Osterhout, Brian M. Ostrowski, Maria Pacyna, Dante U. Paniccia, Jasmin S. Patel, Christopher Peet, Jamie A. Pennachio, Brenna Phillips, Zachary Phillips, Catherine M. Pusateri, Natalie M. Reed, Brooke Reiner, Abigail L. Rhodes, Jonathan D. Rickwood, Dagny C. Rippon, Ethan Ross, Jonathan Ross, Kenndra K. Ross, Thomas A. Rothenberger, Andrew J. Rothka, Anthony J. Sallavanti, Danielle Sanok, Emily C. Scarfo, Alexandra K. Scheuermann, Kali A. Schirra, Lauren M. Sciabbarrasi, Samantha N. Sebring, Taylor E. Sebring, Wyatt K. Sebring, Olivia A. Sesso, Ryan A. Sheffler, Jessie E. Show, Zachary J. Smith, Ashleigh N. Solomon, Amanda L. Spencer, Mikayla M. Spott, Chris D. Suh, Jacob J. Swank, Kayla Thorpe, Kayleigh Tokash, Stavros Tsaklas, Jonathan A. Tumavitch, Benjamin M. Ulmer, Benjamin Vale, Katie Walsh, Ann A. Wesolowski, Karen Whitaker, Emily I. Williams, Nicholas A. Woronchuk, Kelsey Wynn and Thomas Yocum.

GRADE 9

Lacey M. Ammenhauser, Callie Anderson, Ashley Armbruster, Cassidy A Bartkowski, Erika R. Beahan, Joseph C. Beyrent, Alexander J. Bi, Sandon T. Birch, Maria R. Bordonaro, Alec Bradican, Abby F. Brown, Alayna Brown, Madelyn E. Brown, Arielle L. Burdett, Julia G. Burke, Kyle P. Burke, Ryan J. Burke, Lauren Carroll, Tricia R. Caucci, Timothy L. Christman, Emily E. Clauss, Cyler A. Cleary, Ross A. Cohen, Christian A. Coronel, Audrey E. Cottell, Cameron L. Craig, Sydney Crum, Katherine E. Dammer, Frank J. DeFazio, Ashley DeRiso, Aidan Demkowich, Mary S. Dempsey, Alexander Derry, Cecilia Donahoe, Mariah Dougherty, Lauren M. Durante, Kazimir J. Fantanarosa, Ashlynn M. Fitzgerald, Evan W. Florey, Matthew S. Franchetti, Trevor J. Gabura, Kaitlyn R. Gilhooley, Breanna Gillow, Cianna M. Giordano, Austin J. Glidewell, Kaleigh T. Greenish, Bristol S. Grenfell, Emilee E. Griggs, Nathan Gronsky, Luke M. Gualtieri, Gregory W. Guditus, Margaret P. Hall, Isaiah Hall-Grzybowski, Sarah L. Hankee, Joseph A. Harrington, Laura Hartman, Frederick L. Hickman, Chelsi Hoffmeier, Owen R. Holland, Victoria B. Hood, Sharon J. Houlihan, Arjun Iyengar, Hayley N. Jewett, Mats M. Jonsson, Mateen Kasim, James T. Kazmierski, Brandon Kelleher, Thomas A. Kerrigan, Alex M. Klucher, Benjamin D. Knox, Alexis Koczwara, Paris R. Koehler, Hannah Kowalski, Alyssa Kresge, Dawn N. Kroptavich, Cassandra L. Ksiazek, Jonah Lambert, Theodore Lambert, Jack A. Leightcap, Hannah Linker, Alexa A. Longcor, Kiera Lucash, Tara Lydon, Carolyn T. Lyon, Isabel K. MacGregor, Emily M. Mahoney, Emma G. Marion, Christian J. Matsell, Kento Matsui, William McDonald, Jasmine McDuffie, Molly C. McHale, Alexis L. Mercado, Gabrielle Michno, Antonia V. Milas, Mackenzie Milo, Haqique Mirza, Alexandria Moletsky, Abigail E. Molnar, Jaclyn Morgan, Paige E. Morgan, Daniel C. Muller, Grace J. Murphy, Sarah E. Murray, Andrew M. Myers, Sarah C. Nealon, Liam Neary, Meghan M. Noone, Halle O’Neil, Nadia Orr, Pariseema Pancholy, Mia Paris, Parth Patel, Bianca Pineiro, Jennifer Rabbe, Siena Rainey, John R. Rama, Claire H. Reed, Samuel Remus, Carina D. Salerno, Christian J. Schimelfenig, Phoebe M. Sebring, Kelly B. Seechock, Lauren E. Simakaski, Mia Smith, Schuyler Smith, April Sokalsky, Naudia Solan, Jordan D. Spatt, Nichole A. Spencer, Kaila R. Steenback, Samuel Stevens, Katelyn G. Stoppe, Brandon Strenkoski, Talia R. Sullum, Dima Sultan, Marissa C. Sunick, Maria R. Sutton, Maria G. Terrinoni, Courtney M. Toroni, Adam Traweek, Daniel J. Uhranowsky, Anna Van Wert, Anshul Verma, Brianna J. Wahlers, Kimberly A. Ward, Hannah White, Samantha E. Wilkerson, Ariana E. Wisenburn, Elizabeth P. Wright, Khira Wudarski, Jonathan R. Yocum and Alexandra M. Zolin.

HONESDALE

HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

Distinguished honor roll: Shannon Crum, Megan Gullone, Stacey Hart, Claire Harvey, Natasha Hessling, Michelle Krzemieniecki, Brittany Maronna, Donald McGinnis, Stephanie Ostrow, Jacqueline Sanchez, Mollie Semler, Shyanna Stoddard and Amber Watkins.

Honor roll: Owen Adams, Scott Bayly, Megan Benson, Amaris Bertot, Morgan Birmelin, Zoe Buckingham, Sam Burcher, Nicholas Casazza, Alec Cimahosky, Samuel Conley-Vaverchak, Cassandra Crisell, Brooke Dunn, Mackenzie Egan, Shonna Else, Erin Fowler, Jacqueline Gallik, Margaret Galloway, Gabrielle Gardas, Mark Grandinetti, Nicole Haliscak, Patrick Hart, Shea Hodder, Nicholas Jennings, Samantha Kielar, Taylor Knash, Kristina Koberlein, Daniel Koop, Lauren Krol, Vanessa Lukondi, Kaitlyn Mander, Evette Maritato, Sky Marte, Alison Martin, Bailey Martin, Woodrow Martin, Kyle McGraw, Reed McLaughlin, Justin McMillen, Olivia Meyer, Brielle Mohn, Mary O’Neill, Taylor Parenti, Alexis Pfeil, Julia Pucci, Ashlyne Quidley, Shauna Quinones, Thomas Rock, Kayla Roesemann, Ashley Romano, Sully Rutledge, Matthew Swendsen, John Visci, Owen Walsh and Thomas Wolfe

GRADE 11

Distinguished honor roll: Andrew Bochnovich, Lauren Bunnell, J. Duncan Cordaro, Kylee Freiermuth, Ryan Fritz, Jeneen Gallik, Natalie Tamblyn, Zoe Wasserlauf, Bradley Welsh and Michelle Yanakis.

Honor roll: Melanie Bekanich, Sadie Borsdam, John Brooks, Matthew Demers, Bonney Feher, Emma Firmstone, Cassandra Flynn, Cris Forelli, Jenna Franciosa, Olivia Frigoletto, Elizabeth Fritz, Max Goodwin, Spencer Goyette, Benjamin Griffis, Jill Marie Henderson, Clayton Hewlett, Julius Holbert, Mackenzie Jackson, Rebecca Kinzinger, Samuel Kraft, Denis Kuchta, Garth LaBar, Ian Langendoerfer, Shayna Lohmann, Emma Long, Kiah Lynch, Courtney Lyons, Brieann Mayers, Emily McVeigh, Nicholas Miller, Thomas Minella, Karli Minew, Caitlin Mohrmann, Elijah Nell, Michael Nouri, Kiera Oakley, Rylee Pahls, Mary Peck, Jakob Pepper, Tristan Protzman, Charles Pykus, Carley Riefler, Rex Schweighofer, Anna Semler, Hunter Sheard, Tanner Simon, Britney Smith, Kyle Strokes, Sarina Vandelinde, Amanda Wohlmaker, Sarina Wood and Dorothy Woods.

GRADE 10

Distinguished honor roll: Austin Adams, Nicole Billard, Christian Kowalczyk, Rachel Musetti, Parker Propst, Jordan Pugh, Elizabeth Ritter, Emily Ritter, Cheyenne Schneider, Hunter Stephens, Emily Theobald, John Walczyk, Michael Weidow, Benjamin Wilken and Rachel Windhorn.

Honor roll: Ashley Atcavage, Riley Barton, Paige Bidwell, McKenzie Blair, Annabelle Brinkerhoff, Christina Canfield, Anna Christiansen, Rachel DaSilva, Gabrielle D’Amore, Emily Decrotie, Samantha Dragos, Mackenzie Ehrhardt, Nichole Freiermuth, Taylor Frisch, Brett Fritz, Rebecca Gavin, Gracie Gombita, Elijah Harvey, Faith Howell, Emily Kulbaba, Emma Lawson, Faith Lawson, Hannah Luben, Karly Mander, Hannah Marin, Jaclyn Martin, Karli Martin, Kiara Mayers. Joshua McGinnis, Brenna McLaughlin, Autumn Mead, Emily Millon, Cody Novobilski, Lauren Odell, Jordan Peer, Liam Pietraszewski, Katie Ranner, Ryan Rose, Alec Rutledge, Sierra Rutledge, Damien Simpson, Brianna Smith, Clayre Smith, Caroline Tuman and Allison Werner.

GRADE 9

Distinguished honor roll: Emily Chee, Emma Dunsinger, Lacy Foster, James Holloway, Sarah Keast, Sara Kizer, Emily Klim, Tesa Marchesin, Stephanie Matlaga, Joseph Rutledge, Courtney Varcoe, Tessa Vendetti, Elizabeth Williams, James Wolfe and Audrey Zielinski.

Honors: Maxfield Alessi, William Bekanich, Hannah Burlein, Danielle Chee, Samuel Corcoran, Anthony DeGori, Briann Dexheimer, Serena Durdach, Erich Eifert, Melody Feustel, Julia Firmstone, Nathaniel Frigoletto, Kirsten Gager, Kalah Gries, Cassandra Griffis, Gavin Kelly, Michael Kirk, Calie Kraft, Lauren Kutch, Amber MacDougall, Kayla Mathews, Mariah Morgan, Alexandra Morris, Andrew Murphy, Emma Olver, Matthew O’Neill, Kally Pachuta, Madison Palmer, Abigail Panza, Kyle Peer, Julia Polt, Lora Protzman, William Rieger, Camille Stanton, Samuel Styer, Nicholas Theobald, Dominick Vender, Matthew Wehrmann, Heather Welsh and Alexa Yatwa.

RIVERSIDE JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

High honors: Michael Borowski, Kayla Buckley, Alexa Chomko, Lacee Collins, Dionna Defazio, Salvatore DeFrancesco, Mason Dennis, William Fezuk, Brianna Galonis, Kaleb Jones, Randy Kincel, Jenna Larnerd, Alyssa Mazzei, Andrew Panek, Cassandra Semyon, Tera Sheerin, Michael Spinelli, Abigail Sweeney and Anthony Vanchieri.

Honors: Diana Alers, Emily Bryk, Brittany Buck, Emily Bush, Keisha Buttaro, Kyle Davis, Ryan Erfman, Andrew Gallagher, Lauren Grzyboski, Nicole Gula, Matthew Hebden, Matthew Keegan, Ryan King, Adam Leasure, Alyssa Mendos, Morgan Mickavicz, Sarah Murphy, Jordan Nagle, Austin Naughton, Julia Osmolia, Joseph Pacholec, Dominique Pilosi, Allison Pinnell, Paige Pliss, Mallory Puchalski, Brian Roche, Daniele Saranchuk, Alysa Stone, Baley Sutton and Samantha Wigley.

GRADE 11

High honors: Matthew Amaral, Cyrena Erfman, Anna Klingler, Rachel Millan, Zachary Orloski, Aaron Oustrich, Emily Reber, Brittany Rose, Emily Wassel, Morgann Williams and Steven Williams.

Honors: Julianna Angerson, Rebecca Belotti, Ravyn Caputo, William Davies, Ivy Diaz, Vanessa Grzyboski, Devan Guzzy, McKenzie Haduck, Jaian Jackson, Abrianna Johnson, Kenneth Kielar, Maylynn Kish, Jordan Lewonczyk, Savannah Lloyd, Ronald Masewitz, Ryan Morgan, James Muth, Sazia Nowshin, Kacey Orlowski, Jordan Osmolia, Skye Rachko, Harley Rought, Jeffrey Segilia, Phillip Sottile, Samantha Theriault and Tyler Wolf.

GRADE 10

High honors: Emma Byrne, ArieAnne Coleman, Katharine DeFrancesco, Robert Gilroy, Atlee Houser, Katherine Howey, Kaitlyn Kimes, Jordyn Kudzinowski, Katarina Maikranz, Jessica Millan, Kristie Miller, Matthew Moran, William Nash, Kyra Pfeiffer, Kelsey Robinson, Abigail Rushefski, Shelby Slaboda, Nicholas Sottile and Vanessa Wolf.

Honors: Kaitlyn Boroska, Danielle Buntz, Greg Cron, Kayla Filingo, Riley Gaughan, Cody Glogowski, Alexis Kishel, Tyler Koytek, Gwynneth Lamberti, Brian Legora, Jesse Ogden, Regina Palermo, Morgan Perry, Gwendolyn Powell, Colin Quinn, Kayla Reagan, Samantha Santana, Jacinda Sartin, Madison Shrive, Mia Spinelli, James Stalbird and Zachary Weisenfluh.

GRADE 9

High honors: Sabrina Alvarez, Sierra Anderson, Anthony DeFrancesco, Jacob Frie, Kevin Kearney, Brooke Mickavicz, Mackenzie Mickavicz, Breana Olanovich, Kerilyn Pon, Hailey Samsell, Sierra Santarsiero, Christina Smith, Natalie Sottile and Shanece Williams.

Honors: Drew Calianno, Alyssa Chesek, Julia Chickeletti, Madeline Evans, Noah Jennings, Eric O’Malley, Nicholas Palonis, Yamira Ramirez, Natalie Schield, David Soriano, Alexander Torba, Sydney Wigley and Noah Zippittelli.

GRADE 8

High honors: Lauren Amaral, Olivia Fedor, Samuel Hartman, Marilyn Hoskins, Elizabeth Keegan, Olivia Lange, Hunter Lloyd, Morgan McGuire, Matthew Pendrak, Alexis Ralston, Katelyn Timms and Trinity Veaudry.

Honors: Conor Aglialoro, Julia Antoniacci, Carolina Beverage, Gabriella Chiavacci, Logan Cieless, Kevin Connor, Gabriella Costantino, Jillian Felczuk, Frank Genell, Thomas Hufford, Daniel Kleeman, Allyson Lipperini, Olivia Maikranz, Daniel Nenish, Kaylie Oustrich, Marren Pollack, Nicholas Ponas, Kori Posdon, Kiersten Royce, Samuel Rushefski, Haley Tilberry, Dylan Ward, Taylor White, Rachel Yackobowitz and Jared Yates.

GRADE 7

High honors: Michael Antoniacci, Gavin Beck, Danielle Byrne, Maria Castaldi, Elizabeth Giannone, Adriana Grillo, Sammi Hong, Madeline Klingler, Kristen Lello, Brandon London, Tyler Muskey, Todd Reedy and Brandon Soto.

Honors: Jessica Fernbach, Robert Grzyboski, Alexander Jaworski, Kaylee Johnson, Yuriy Kazysta, Collin Kneiss, Anthony Lima, Madison Mickavicz, Joshua Muth, Chase Orloski, Tyler Oustrich, Emily Padilla, Delaynie Peperno, Kaylee Ralston, Ryan Semyon, James Stanco, Abigail Walsh and Ryan Weitz.

SCRANTON

HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE 12

Eilyas Abdul-Latif, Abdul Qadir Abdul Quddus, Jonathan Altamirano, Livia Angelyn, Ashyia August, Farah Azizi, Mathhew Babinski, Jeremiah Baker, Alison Barrett, Jason Bentler, David Bradshaw, Nicholas Castagnaro, Alexis Caviston, Zahra Cepeda, Jessica Cerra, Liam Clark, Kari Condel, Brittany Creegan, Joshua DAnnunzio, Jinal Dave, Sadaf Delawar, Harsh Desai, Heena Dhakal, Hinkish Dhakal, Sianli Djakaseta, Christopher Doherty, Hugh Doherty, Calah Dougherty, Iiona Duverge, Brody Edsell, Atalyia Eisenhauer, Kevin Encarnacion Torres, Melissa Evan, Alvaro Fernandez, Jayleen Galeno, Clarence Gallagher, Brianna Galvin, Rutu Gandhi, Meaghan Gavin, Connor Gilbride, Ashley Gnall, Nathan Goberson, Sabrina Gray, Paul Gronski, Maria Guido, Narges GluMohammad, Regita Handijaya, Kayla Hineline, Kimberly Holleran, Lorraine Irizarry Gonzalez, Jean Marie Jenkins, Catherine Kelly, Robert Kirchner, Damani Kizer, Nicole Kmiec, Megan Kolata, Caitlin Kurey, Deja Lavango, Carray Leepier, Keyser Leepier, Kristopher Lepka, Kalei Loposky, Hailee Lovell, Tam Ly, Cory Lynch, Jayne Maconeghy, Paul Maglioli, Caleb Mandile, Rachel Marichak, Gretchen Mattern, Mackenzie McAndrew, Marcus McCarthy, Jamie McCormack, Catherine McDonnell, Robert McGowan, Jennifer Mehall, Eleanor Mikelatis, Jaleel Mora, Jordan Mullin, Corey Naughton, Christopher Pakutka, Jinal Patel, Kanan Patel, Kinjal Patel, Krina Patel, Niki Patel, Prerak Patel, Satyam Patel, Vaikal Patel, Victoria Polkowski, Chrisny Polynice, Dharti Ray, Shawn Reed, Mario Roani, Elana Roman, Emilia Rosas, Jordan Rowe, Emily Rudolph, Annie Russo, Bhumi Shah, Margi Shah, Crystal Shields, Matthew Spory, Brigitte Stuckart, Sean Tomlinson, Justin Wagar, Marcus Ward, Jemma Weibrecht, Austin Woyshna and Kevin Zaleski.

GRADE 11

Sureyya Ahmetbeh, Babak Alipour, Ashlee Bagg, Sofiya Bakradzi, Lisa Balendy, Nabindra Baniya, Aileen Barrett, Blaise Beebe, Natalie Bennington, Rain Best, Joshua Bozym, Kenyatta Brown Jr., Giaia Bryan, Jesse Burke, Najlene Burrus, Veronica Butler, Brenden Calpin, Erin Carlin, Gina Carro, Gloria Chavez, Checho Trevor, Jarrod Clark, Madeline Condon, Elena Corpenno, Miranda Craven, Madison Decker, Sajad Delawar, Robert Do, Henry Dominguez, Brandi Doyle, Monica Eckenrode, Haileigh Finnerty, Alexa Garcia, Greta Georgieva, Jamary Gil, Olivia Glogowski, Christiopher Grant, Ephraim Green, Masih GulMohammad, Caitlin Hamlin, Deena Haroun Mahdavi, Nicole Hartman, Quinn Hemphill, Jordan Hernandez, Hoang Ho, Christine Holland, Jamil Islam, Kalia Jefferson, Mary Joyce, Justin Kasper, Molly Kerber, Kelsey Killeen, Sara Kirchner, Sha-Kwon Knight, Zachary Kolander, Bansi Lalkiya, Niklas Lingott, Alicia Lipperini, Ryan Loftus, Alyssa Mackiw, Jack Malia, John Marichak, Maria McAndrew, Rontrell McCollough, Mairin McHale, Kyra Miles, Brooklyn Miller, Velcy Modi, Caitlin Moran, Arngeleia Mullen, Sarah Namiotka, Emily Nicastro, Rachel Nolan, Maura OHara, Hailey Owens, Meghan Padden, Kayla Paszek, Dhara Patel, Drashtiben Patel, Jaykumar Patel, Jimmesh Patel, Mansvi Patel, Mili Patel, Nikhil Patel, Purvilkumar Patel, Rutu Patel, Beth Patterson, Brittney Persaud, Maximillian Phillips, Suk Man Pradhan, Claudia Pregmon, Rosemarie Reed, Dylan Reese, Emily Sandy, Matthew Schreck, Genevieve Scott, Glenn Shafer, Shawn Sharp, Desiree Shields, Brianna Shulde, Dominic Smith, Robert Staples, Bertin Stuckart, Ragu Subedi, Nilang Suthar, Valerie Tassey, Akash Thapa, Drew Togher, Cyrus Torres, Paul Trombetta, Riya Vyas, Derica Walker, Ethan Wasalinko, Shanice Washington, Cynthia White, Joshua Williams and Qi Wei Zhou.

GRADE 10

Hailey Anderson, Shelby Anneman, Azizi Khojistha,Devon Berazate, Alec Bohn, Iesha Brent, Demarese Burley, Brittany Cadwalder, James Cawley, Michael Chekan, Dehjza Cherry, Austin Chickeletti, Christopher Cobley, Boa Dang, Brenna DAnnuzio, Paxton Davis, Morgan Decker, Juliana Deininger, Kataryna DeSanto, Seth Dolan, Alexandria Edwards, Maurrina Evans, Deven Fanning, Alonso Fernandez Maldonado, Morgan Fetsock, Cecillia Finnerty, Harley Frable, Marissa Gaglione, Ashley Garcia, Harrison Garner, Peter Gentile, Thomas Gingerlowski, Jocelyn Gonzalez, Ricardo Gonzalez, Oralee Grant, Kirstie Grosvenor, Matthew Grudzinski, Prakash Gurung, Gabrielle Hedden, Leiya Helbing, Kathisak Homesombath, Emily Howells, Evan Jones, Sanam Kadyrova, Emma Kaub, Charles Khamvongsa, Shade Knights, Abigail Kohut, Caitlyn Krucar, Samantha Krutulis, Jake Kurisko, Mitchell Lacerda, Stephanie Lepka, Alexandra Lewis, Raichle Lisak, Philip Lopez, Molly Lucas, Hansen Lukman, Megan Maguire, Alec Mallery, Erick Manchego, Gerardo, Mira Martin, Tyler Menicheillo, Kailey Miles, Gregory Miller, Jane Miller, Thomas Miller, Adriana Modesto, William Modesto, Gabrielle Molloy, Nicholas Montoro, Kiana Moore, Seamus Moran, Colin Mullen, Katherine Naughton, Colleen Needham, Michael Nunez, Shayla OHearn, Stephanie OMalley, Peyton Orzello, Dev Patel, Harsh Patel, Jay Patel, Keny Patel, Kirtesh Patel, Meet Patel, Niralben Patel, Parth Patel, Rutu Patel, Shivamkumar Patel, Zeel Patel, Jaycee Perez, Sydney Peterson, Jillian Petroski, Darren Pitts, Parita Ray, Tara Rinaldi, Nadiyah Rivera, Terese Roberts Loughman, Matthew Roman, Ryan Sandrowicz, Alexander Schaefer, Alyssa Shea, Prakriti Sitaula Sharma, Madison Smolsky, Timothy Stankowski, Asha Stewart, Megan Strachan, Dakota Svetlovics, Steven Villegas, Ulysses Warnero, Jacob Watts, Sahara Wharton, Kyle Williams, Rosemary Wilson, Ashley Winburn, Victoria Yatko, Kathleen Yaurincela, Gerald Zaltauskas and Ross Zanghi.

GRADE 9

Ethan Aceron, Debbie Acosta, Ethan Alvarado, Gabriel Araujo, Ryan Astleford, Nestor Ayala, Juan Ayala Rodriguez, Johnathan Bailer, Erin Barrett, Sergio Benavides, Damani Blackwell, Juliarys Boone, Claire Brier, Kristin Budney, Topaz Burgette, Tijahnea Burton, Ariana Campbell, Dylan Campbell, Noemi Carreto, Carly Carro, Colin Casey, Michelle Castello, Jaileen Castro, Jaena Cementina, Ciera Chandler, Bryant Cholula, Luis Corpeno, Abigail Coyle, Carolyn Cruz, Laxmi Dahal, Mykhanh Dang, Trupanshi Desai, Allison Duffy, Julianne Dunay, Yulissa Escarraman, Sierra Evans, Shirley Figueroa, Jared Floryshak, Trinity Gammaitoni, Miranda Garcia, Daniel Gavin, Meera Ghataney, Estrella Gonzalea, Peter Green, Mousal GulMohammad, Haley Hallock, Maryam Hamidi, Mustafa Hamidi, Emily Hamm, Nadia Haroun Mahdavi, Zaakirah Harrison, Stephanie Healey, Patricia Hemphill, Chelsea Hernandez, Shaun Hopkins, Noah Horn, Alex Inirio, Isabelle Jarrow, Ximena Jimenez-Zamora, John Jones, Telena Jones, John Joyce, Brigid Kennedy, Mary Kirchner, Anna Kmiec, Kelly Kraycer, Hayden Krewson, Alyssa Krisovitch, Mia Laboranti, Pauline Layton, Jason Lee, Ira Lewis, Samantha Lipperini, Jelytzanette Lopez, Leslie Major, Christian Maldonato, Skylar Marcen, Alexis Marichak, Natalie Marichak, Jerry Marin, Robert McAndrew, Alexander McCarthy, Kayleen McHale, Collin McHugh, Vaishaki Modi, Alan Moore, Edward Mower, Taahairah Muhammad, Ariella Mullen, Anthony Murria, Megan Musso, Tracy Nguyen, Mckenzie Ogden, Jenna O’Malley, Jamie Pakutka, Bansari Patel, Dazi Patel, Jaymin Patel, Kesha Patel, Krina Patel, Kuntal Patel, Neel Patel, Nidhi Patel, Ritun Patel, Riya Patel, Vrutti Patel, Courtney Peart, Roy Propes, Joshua Radford, Julie Ristics, Will Rivera, Annabelle Rogers, Donald Ruiz, Elianna Sabino, Paola Santa, Krystal Schipp, Samantha Schraner, Sato Seay, Ruslan Shakhsadinov, Kathryn Shea, Awnshea Smith, Summer Stevens, Jerusa Sunar, Mia Svetovich, Corey Walsh, Bradley Whymeyer and Elizabeth Winters.

SOUTH SCRANTON INTERMEDIATE

GRADE 8

Daniel Aguilar, Selvi Anggoni, Sita Bastola, Jennifer Bello Cardoso, Ferdinand Borges Diaz, Jasmine Carmella, Celia Condon, Grace Crowley, Kaitlyn Dolphin, Brisa Dominguez, Claire Dunleavy, Abigail Eckenrode, Luis Angel Estrella, Jade Fitzgerald, Juan Flores Caraballo, Victoria Grace Fotia, Emilie Gronski, Elizabeth Haikes, Gianna Hildebrand, Joseph Hopkins, Haley Jones, Caroline King, Robert Michael Lolli, Aden Lea Meeker, Shania Nelson, Camryn Orzello, Dayivette Pacheco, Ansh Patel, Brenda Posadas, Kayla Reed, Richard Rodriguez and Jonathon Wilga.

GRADE 7

Alyssa Baker Samuel Bond, Alexa Bonk, Louis Bui, Emily Burke, Andrew Chezik, Anna Cipriano, Kaelie Corby, Cera Crosland, Matilda Davis, Ranjeeta Dhungel, Brandon Everetts, John Finnerty, Juan Flores Barnes, America Fox, Sophia Glogowski, Nicole Golden, Amanda Guziewicz, Megan Guziewicz, David Haikes, Ryan Hartman, Brian Hobbs, Julia James, Vanessa Kostka, Nevin Langan, Jacob Loch, Falen Mason, Maury McLaughlin, Keegan Napolitano, Aiden Nicholas, Joshua Patterson, Kaitlyn Persaud, Audrey Phillips, Tariq Rivera, Edgard Santa, Jonathan Santiago, Farida Shakhsadinova, Lilian Smith, Chrystle Strasburger, Sandhya Subba, Bralyn Tagliaferri, Brian Michael Volz, Britney Walsh and Angela Williams.

GRADE 6

Brayan Ayala Rodriguez, Elliott Ballino, Mason Beebe, Yansel Blazquez Orengo, Sadie Bracey, Mia Burke, Martin Burke, Erika Callejas, Ayden Canfield, Madelyn Casey, Shaughn Casey, Jacob Cawley, Christopher Cerra, Olivia Clough,Nicholas Denig, Shubhat Dhungel, Charlene Dixon, Mianicole Duverge, Matthew Eckenrode, Zachary Edwards, Jaelyn Evans, Evan Familetti, Anthony Fantazier, Zackery Gray, Natasya Handijaya, Emma Jones, Samuel Jones, Luis Kepich, Kayli Kingsley, Laxuman Koirala, Kevin Lazdowsky, Inez Martinez, Nelly Martinez, Patrick McCormack, Matthew McNichols, Adriana Miguel, Camden Miller, Chloe Neureuter, Connor O’Neill, David Paramo, Jack Rafferty, Amisha Rai, Ashmita Rai, Ismriti Rai, Sujata Rai, Lexa Reed, Anthony Roberto, Aaliyah Rosado, Izabella Rose, Rylee Sandrowicz, Kwaja Sediqi, Jacob Stankowski, Charles Talapa III, Jerrick Tigre Dominguez, Alaysia Vernon, William Walsh and Alifia Wibowo.

Dunmore

The borough zoning board granted a variance for J.P. Bertocki Insurance Agency to convert a home at 608 N. Blakely St. into its new office. The business was located at 444 E. Drinker St.

While the house is in an area zoned as residential, the surrounding area is full of businesses and organizations, from Burger King to the Greater Scranton YMCA, surveyor Robert Mendola told the zoning board last week.

“We’re not just trying to come in and do a professional thing in a residential zone,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of activity already going on right now — not to minimize or take away from the character of those people ... who live there.”

The business volunteered several conditions for the variance, like erecting fences to shield surrounding homeowners from activity, not allowing people to turn left onto the busy Blakely Street and restricting its hours.

Any changes of the building’s use that are not consistent with the borough’s zoning ordinance would go back to the zoning board for review.

— KYLE WIND

kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter

Mayfield

A recent ladder truck purchase, a building expansion, and now $4,000 worth of new tires before it can pass inspection, means Whitmore Hose Company could use a successful barbecued chicken sale.

The hose company is selling tickets now for its annual chicken barbecue, scheduled to start at noon Sunday, June 14, in the company building at 305 Depew Ave.

Tickets cost $10 each and include half of a chicken breast, a baked potato, coleslaw, a bun and dessert.

Whitmore Chief Carm Carachilo said the department will order 875 pounds of chicken to whip up 700 dinners. The fundraiser is one of Whitmore’s largest each year, and money raised is used to cover operating expenses.

Tickets may be purchased from any Whitmore Hose Company member, or at the Mayfield Municipal Building on Penn Avenue. For home delivery, call 570-876-3776.

— JON O’CONNELL

joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

Moosic

The Moosic Lions Club will soon have a scholarship winner to announce.

Club secretary Tim Healey said the club will name this year’s winner of a $1,000 scholarship in the last week of May.

The club awards the scholarship to a Moosic senior attending Riverside High School, Holy Cross High School or Scranton Prep who is moving on to a post-secondary institution.

Mr. Healey said the ideal scholarship candidate has a good grade point average and has served the Moosic community during his or her high school years.

— SARAH SCINTO

sscinto@timesshamrock.com, @sscintoTT on Twitter

Scranton

Several key figures involved in Scranton’s financial recovery plans were part of the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s inaugural online class of the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services School of Municipal Government.

Gerald Cross, executive director of Pennsylvania Economy League, which is Scranton’s Act 47 coordinator, and fellow PEL officials Patricia Moorhead and Joseph Boyle, and Scranton Business Administrator David Bulzoni were among a group of 14 officials from throughout the state recognized in a ceremony Tuesday at the Capitol in Harrisburg.

DCED partnered with the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors and Lebanon Valley College to create the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services School of Municipal Government for elected and appointed municipal officials in Pennsylvania. The one-year, online training program included five six-week courses covering various public administration leadership concepts aimed at building better leaders and fostering healthy communities in Pennsylvania.

In congratulating the class, DCED Secretary Dennis Davin said its members “are committed to strengthening their leadership within their municipality.” He also called the event “a testament to the success we see when government works. Collaborative efforts are what will propel our municipalities forward, helping to build strong, stable communities.”

— JIM LOCKWOOD

jlockwood@timesstribune.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

South Abington Twp.

Although preregistration for the sixth annual Forever Young Kids Fishing Derby just began, organizer Linda Young has been hard at work for months to make sure everything is ready.

“I’m always thinking about sponsors, I’m always thinking about prizes,” she said.

The annual derby, scheduled for Hillside Park’s Lake Eston Wilson on Saturday, June 13, is a tribute to Mrs. Young’s late husband, Lawrence E. “Bud” Young. Last year’s event drew about 150 kids. Mrs. Young said she expected more, but “crummy weather” may have kept people away. She expects anywhere from 225 to 250 kids to participate this year, and is hoping for a sunny day.

Kids 15 and under can participate in the free derby. Participants should bring their own fishing poles, but bait will be provided. To preregister, visit the Abington Community Library. For information, email ForeverYoungKidsFishing

Derby@gmail.com.

— ERIN NISSLEY

Throop

A community yard sale/bake sale next month won’t just raise a little money to support the Throop Crime Watch. Group President Trudy Delawder hopes folks will come out and learn more about protecting their neighborhoods.

“It’s going to make a lot more people aware, even if we get them to watch their surroundings and their blocks,” Ms. Delawder said. “I always say we are the second eyes for the Police Department in our town.”

The event is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 13, at the Washington Street Playground. The event will be held on Sunday, June 14, if it rains.

Yard sale spaces cost $10 each, and arts and crafts vendors are welcome to set up shop for the day as well.

Money raised will be used to buy the few things the crime watch needs, like T-shirts, flashlights and police radio scanners. Money also is used to pay for community events like free hot dog days for the kids in town, Ms. Delawder said.

For more information, contact Ms. Delawder at 570-489-7076 or find Throop Crime Watch on Facebook.

Throop Crime Watch meets at 7 p.m. on the last Thursday of every month in the Community Civic Center on Sanderson Street.

— JON O’CONNELL

joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

AROUND THE TOWNS appears each Sunday, spotlighting the people and events in your neighborhoods. If you have an idea for an Around the Towns note, contact the writer for your town, or the Yes!Desk at 348-9121 or yesdesk@timesshamrock.com.

WEST CHESTER

UNIVERSITY

Clare G. Haggerty, Dunmore, bachelor’s degree in English, with minors in Spanish, information technology and business and technical writing, summa cum laude with honors.

MARYWOOD

UNIVERSITY

REAP COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Justine H. Pevec, Master of Arts, mental health counseling.

ASHLAND

UNIVERSITY

Jared Conklin, New Milford, Bachelor of Science, criminal justice, minor in psychology; and Kaylea Zick, Factoryville, Bachelor of Science, fashion merchandise, minor in business administration.

NORTHEASTERN

UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Sean P. Cuff, Dunmore, Bachelor of Science, political science, minor in urban affairs, magna cum laude.

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Gregory William Stewart, Scranton, Bachelor of Science, neuroscience.

BOB JONES

UNIVERSITY

Michael Goble, Plains, Bachelor of Science, biology; and Bethany Searfoss, Tunkhannock, Bachelor of Science, music education, cum laude.

EOTC goes

to Harrisburg

Employment Opportunity & Training Center of Northeastern PA staff and volunteers joined those of other family centers from Northeast Pennsylvania for a legislative event in Harrisburg designed to make state legislators and the public more familiar with the services it provides.

Among local EOTC representatives sharing information about services that help children and families become healthy, safe, educated and self-sufficient were Jennifer Gerardi of the Incredible Years program; Maria Gething and Tyson Joyner of the Parent Advisory Board; and Kathy Kutsop, Parents as Teachers program. Among those they met with were Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, and Luke Miron , his chief of staff.

“The experience was amazing,” Marie is quoted as saying in a release, “I wanted to let my legislators know how important Parents as Teachers is to parents of young children. The program can identify early concerns during infancy and can help children get ready for kindergarten. It’s wonderful.”

Super students

Brandon Jackson of Olyphant and Jennifer Nagy of Jessup were inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society at Susquehanna University. Brandon and Jennifer are business administration majors in the class of 2016 and 2012 graduates of Valley View High School. Brandon is the son of Alan Jackson and Marion Jackson . Jennifer is the daughter of Thomas and Victoria Nagy. ... Commonwealth Medical College Doctor of Medicine class of 2015 members inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society include Ashley Blanco of Newton and Nicholas Serniak of Mayfield. ... Katherine Mitchell of Springville received the William Prokasy Psychology Alumni Award at the honors award ceremony during Baldwin Wallace University’s “Ovation 2015: Unleashed Potential,” BW’s premier capstone celebration of student achievement. A graduate of Elk Lake High School, Katherine was honored for her excellent academic achievement, contributing to the department and showing great potential in the field of psychology.

High notes

St. Joseph’s Center is collecting new and gently used bikes through June 6. A committee including Laura Christina of the center therapy department; Sister Maryalice Jacquinot, I.H.M., president/CEO; Mike Kane, director of therapy; and Kim Kelly will conduct Bike Blessing bike sales Saturdays, June 6 and 13, from 9 a.m. to noon at 2019 Boulevard Ave. Proceeds from the sale will be used help purchase specially adaptive bikes for children with special needs. ... Members of the 911 Memorial Committee of Lackawanna County, including Frank DeAngelo, Joe DeAntona, Ashley Yando Deflice, President Judge Thomas Munley, Commissioner Patrick O’Malley and Chairle Spano, chairman, are planning their annual Flag Day/Army Day observance for Sunday, June 14, at 1 p.m. on Courthouse Square to mark the 238th anniversary of the flag and the 240th anniversary of the founding of the Army.

Marywood grads’ names omitted

The following students have graduated from Marywood University.

Reap College

of Education and Human Development

MASTER’S DEGREE

Justine H. Pevec, Clifford Twp.

BACHELOR’S DEGREES

Kelsey Marie Gallagher, Scott Twp.; Shauna Marie McGraw, Greenfield Twp.; and Christina Concetta Wolfe, Roaring Brook.

Munley College

of Liberal Arts

and Sciences

BACHELOR’S DEGREES

Matthew R. Buehring, Hamlin; Nicole Lynn Capp, Taylor; Joshua Drew Carey, Harding; and Lindsey Alicia Zlotucha, Fleetville.

The students’ names were not included on the list of degree recipients provided by Marywood that was published with a story on the university’s commencement Sunday, May 17, on Page A5.

Wallenpaupack hosts teen driving program

HAWLEY — Wallenpaupack Area High School on Saturday hosted a free teen driving program to teach youths to improve skills like vehicle handling, space and speed management, and how to avoid the dangers of distracted and impaired driving.

The event was part of the Ford Driving Skills for Life program developed in 2003 in conjunction with the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Wallenpaupack’s SADD program participated in a national safe-driving contest through Ford Motor Co. and won the chance for Saturday’s program.

—KYLE WIND

In 2007, Democrats Mike Washo and Corey O’Brien wiped out Republicans A.J. Munchak and Robert Cordaro in the Lackawanna County commissioner contest, winning all 163 voting precincts.

Three years later, federal prosecutors indicted Mr. Munchak, still a commissioner, and Mr. Cordaro, no longer one, on bribery and other corruption charges. Convicted by a jury, both received long federal prison sentences.

The party they left behind has struggled to recover in local politics ever since.

The 5-month-old convictions of Mr. Munchak and Mr. Cordaro haunted the 2011 election, which Mr. O’Brien and Democratic running mate Jim Wansacz won rather easily, keeping the commissioners’ office majority for the Democrats.

With the latest primary election complete, the Republicans have their next chance to win back the majority in the commissioners office, but they face long odds as they try to accomplish something that has happened only four times in 20 elections since 1935.

“I like our chances,” said Chris Patrick, chairman of the county Democratic Party.

Four years ago, Republican primary voters picked a ticket that featured a candidate barely out of college, Bill Jones, plus Patrick O’Malley. A Democrat until six years earlier, Mr. O’Malley did not even speak at the Republican Party’s dinner that fall, but he won the minority seat, probably because he was from the city and better known because of his years on the Scranton School Board.

Mr. O’Malley and Mr. Jones will again be on the commissioner ballot come Nov. 3, but this time on opposite sides because Mr. O’Malley switched back to the Democrats in late February.

This time, like 2011, two commissioner seats are open because Mr. Wansacz and fill-in Commissioner Ed Staback will not be on the ballot. However, there is another difference, too.

For perhaps the first time, there are two open seats and a lone incumbent running in a different party than his first time around.

That kind of shake-up can lead to strange events, which is exactly what Republicans are hoping.

“I believe the voters of Lackawanna County are going to come out and they’re going to cast a vote for people who are going to be fiscally responsible in the November election,” said Mr. Jones, 27, a South Abington Twp. auditor and public affairs associate for a Harrisburg political consulting firm. “And Laureen and I will take our message to the voters.”

Laureen is Laureen Cummings, 50, the home health nursing agency owner from Old Forge who teamed up with Mr. Jones as the Republicans’ endorsed ticket in Tuesday’s primary election. Together, they won the right to face Mr. O’Malley and Jerry Notarianni in November.

Beating they will be no easy task — Herculean, some might say.

First, Lackawanna County still has far more Democrats — 90,445 in the primary — than Republicans — 35,801 in the primary — a 2½ to 1 margin. In the last decade, local Democrats have stuck to their party, backing Democrats not only in local county elections but especially in statewide elections.

Every time but once since 2008, major Democratic statewide candidates garnered their second largest voting percentage among the state’s 67 counties in Lackawanna County with only Philadelphia larger.

Then there is Mr. Notarianni’s strong showing — he was the top Democratic vote-getter Tuesday — and his experience at campaigns, which seem to dovetail well with Mr. O’Malley’s innate ability to attract votes.

Mr. O’Malley finished second, well ahead of Mr. Wansacz, his running mate. He and Mr. Notarianni will have to unite, but the recent Democratic primary election campaign was nowhere near as rancorous as the one between Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Wansacz in 2011. Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Wansacz patched things up and won the majority and doing the same should be easy for Mr. Notarianni and Mr. O’Malley.

What the Republicans desperately need is a major issue as a battering ram against the Democrats. In 2003, the last time Republicans won the majority, Mr. Cordaro and Mr. Munchak rode a burgeoning county prison scandal to victory against longtime incumbent Democrat Joseph Corcoran, who still lost, only narrowly.

In 1971, Republicans Charles Luger and Robert Pettinato squeaked by and won the first of three terms as the majority commissioners, riding a wave of voter dissatisfaction with 36 years of Democratic rule and widespread resentment over a politically oriented reassessments of home and business values. Mr. Luger and Mr. Pettinato knocked out Democratic Commissioner Patrick Mellody, whose fellow Democratic majority incumbent, Edward Zipay, Mr. Staback’s uncle, survived that election and became minority commissioner for the next eight years.

“There were concrete issues associated with a politics of arrogance that had crept into the (Zipay-Mellody) administration,” Mr. Pettinato said.

What is unclear is the nature of the issue that carries Ms. Cummings and Mr. Jones into office.

Mr. Jones thinks it is fiscal responsibility. Since 2007, Democratic commissioners have raised taxes 43.5 percent. He and Ms. Cummings have ruled out future tax hikes.

“The current administration taxed individuals at a higher rate and the administration touted (an $8.4 million) surplus, which was inaccurate being that we’re $200 million in debt,” Mr. Jones said. “I think that left a very sour taste in people’s mouths.”

Their pledge to hold the lines on taxes and plans to attract new employment will win over the Democrats he and Ms. Cummings need to win, Mr. Jones said.

“People are tired of having to see their loved ones leave the area,” he said.

Trouble is, Mr. Notarianni ruled out tax hikes, too, and used the same enough-with-the-tax-hikes argument as part of his campaign. Beyond that, he expressed frustration that the jobs progress that Mr. Wansacz and Mr. O’Malley claimed was not really happening and nothing has changed since he last ran for public office in 1989.

Mr. O’Malley voted against the only tax increase that came before him, a 4.4 percent hike in 2013, but Ms. Cummings said Democrats raised the taxes, and Mr. O’Malley could have helped reversed them but never did.

“Look, the voters spoke during the primary. They are looking for a new direction in this county because they’re tired of the spend-and-tax policies that have been happening here for years,” Ms. Cummings said. “And Bill and I fit that bill.”

Efforts to reach Mr. O’Malley were unsuccessful and Mr. Notarianni declined to comment, saying he wanted some time away from campaigning. However, Mr. Patrick is not buying the argument. He said he thinks Mr. Cordaro’s ghost still haunts, making it “very difficult to trust the Republicans.”

“Bob Cordaro promised a 25 percent tax reduction and raised taxes 48 percent,” Mr. Patrick said.

“I guess you could never say never, but I like our chances,” he repeated.

Ms. Cummings scoffed, pointing to Mr. Cordaro’s days as a Democrat and Mr. O’Malley’s switch.

“We’re the new Republicans, the new Republican majority,” she said.

Contact the writer:

bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com

JESSUP — Celebrating St. Ubaldo Day always makes John Mancia feel close to his late father.

The elder Mr. Mancia, also named John, was president of the St. Ubaldo Society in 1976 when the borough revived the Festa dei Ceri tradition for Jessup’s 100th anniversary. Since his 1994 death, his son has come to see the festivities as a memorial to his father, along with others who helped bring it back.

But even more than that makes St. Ubaldo Day special to him.

“It’s a combination of three things,” said Mr. Mancia, who was wearing the yellow and red representing St. Ubaldo. “My faith: I’m of the Roman Catholic faith. We have the Mass in the morning and the reawakening of saints. It’s memories: my dad. … And just overall ancestry in and of itself: the people that brought it over.”

A large group of Italian immigrants brought the tradition — which culminates in three teams of 10 racing 400-plus-pound statues of St. Anthony, St. George and St. Ubaldo through the borough while thousands of people line the streets — to Jessup from their home city of Gubbio in 1909. Yet the event’s roots are even older.

“This is a thousand-year-old tradition,” explained Jessup resident Michael Arnoni, who got his chance to serve as his team’s capodieci, or captain, after carrying the St. George statue for 15 years prior.

In the 12th century, Frederick I, also known as Frederick Barbarossa, was set to invade the city when Ubaldo Baldassini performed a historic feat of diplomacy.

“Ubaldo, who was over 60 years old and bishop of Gubbio, rode out the many miles in his frail state to go to Barbarossa’s camp to try to convince him not to harm the city,” Mr. Arnoni said. “He was gone for a number of days, and the people of Gubbio started to panic. They assumed their beloved bishop had been killed by the barbarians, but in reality, Ubaldo succeeded in converting him from a pagan to a Catholic.”

To calm the public, people carried the man who would become a saint through the streets to show residents he was still alive, which the race now commemorates.

Festa dei Ceri veterans like Mr. Arnoni and Archbald resident Scott Zedar love to tell the story.

“The older guys, they teach about the day,” said Mr. Zedar — second-in-command for the team carrying St. Anthony. “Now that I’m looked at as one of those guys, it’s a huge honor. I love that responsibility of teaching these young guys what the day is about.”

Mr. Arnoni visited Gubbio for the city’s much larger-scale celebration for the fourth time just before this year’s festival in Jessup. Visiting with a contingent of Jessup residents as his team’s captain was a whole new experience, however, since being capodieci is considered a great honor there.

Each team has about 1,000 runners in Italy, meaning most people never get to be capodieci, Mr. Arnoni explained.

During a particularly special moment during the visit, Mr. Arnoni met a man named Andrea who wore a dog tag and a St. Ubaldo medal when he was in a horrific car crash in 2013.

“He said the dog tag got ripped off, but the medal of Ubaldo was still around his neck,” Mr. Arnoni recalled. “He’s convinced, being the sole survivor of the accident, that St. Ubaldo protected him.”

When Mr. Arnoni admired the medal, the man insisted on giving it to him and would not allow Mr. Arnoni to return it.

“He told me to wear it, and it would protect me,” Mr. Arnoni said. “ So I haven’t taken it off since he gave it to me.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

WYOMING — Diamond Manufacturing in Wyoming began 100 years ago by perforating heavy steel plates for the coal mining industry.

Today, the company has evolved into the largest and leading metal perforator in North America, processing more than 100 million pounds of steel annually. It has six facilities and 370 employees throughout North America and about 200 in Wyoming.

Charles “Rusty” Flack, who died in 2011, and Hal Flack, 56, a Dallas resident, took over Diamond Manufacturing when they were 23 and 19, respectively, and grew it to what it is today.

Their family owned the company for four generations. Hal Flack retired when California-based Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. acquired the company in 2010. Rusty Flack remained CEO until his death.

“We all knew if we were going to make this company grow, keep going and survive here, it would only be by being the very best in the industry,” Mr. Flack said. “When you’re the best, people want to do business with you.”

Mr. Flack said the company was started by his great-grandfather John Newton “Newt” Thomas of West Pittston in 1915. “It started with a building that my great-grandfather bought used in West Pittston and brought down the railroad tracks and reassembled here in 1900,” he said. “That building is still standing. It’s behind that metal facade.”

The company was later operated by his grandfather William Powell, Thomas’ son-in-law, and his father, Charlie Flack, Mr. Powell’s son-in-law, who died in 1979. Over the years, the markets have changed, Mr. Flack said.

“The company began servicing the mining business and then did a lot of architectural grilles in the 1930s and 1940s,” Mr. Flack said. “When you see heavy bronze and brass grates in old buildings, that was the market. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company went into lighter materials and created parts for manufacturers.”

The Flack brothers started working for the company when they were 15 years old, shoveling grease and scrap.

“My brother and I were always interested in the business,” Mr. Flack said. “It just always seemed like the natural thing for both of us. It was what we wanted to do. We were partners here for about 30 years and we had a really great time. We were really lucky to be surrounded by these incredible people.”

Today, Mr. Flack manages investments and is a member of the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania. He also has been the longtime campaign chairman for U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta.

Mr. Flack said he is not the only fourth-generation family member at Diamond Manufacturing; a number of employees worked there for 30 or 40 years.

David Simpson, current president of Diamond Manufacturing, said the longevity of employees at the company is incredible. He and Mr. Flack credited the employees for the company’s success over the years.

“A lot of grandfathers, sons and grandsons have worked there through the years,” Mr. Simpson said.

Longtime employees include Joe Artim, 61, of Swoyersville, who has worked in purchasing for 35 years. He buys materials for the company’s Wyoming plant and other locations.

In addition to Wyoming, Diamond Manufacturing has other locations in Michigan City, Indiana; Cedar Hill, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; New Berlin, Wisconsin, and Manchester, Tennessee.

“Why am I still here? When you see something that’s great, you stay with something that’s great,” Mr. Atrim said.

West Wyoming resident John Hiedcavage, 69, who worked for Diamond Manufacturing for nearly 40 years as a press operator until retiring three years ago, said “they treated us nice.” He returned for a luncheon earlier this month where company leaders and employees, many of whom have been with Diamond Manufacturing for decades, gathered outside its facilities in Wyoming to celebrate the company’s 100-year anniversary.

Some plant managers in Michigan City and Cedar Hill grew up in the Wyoming Valley and formerly worked for Diamond Manufacturing in Wyoming, Mr. Simpson said.

Mr. Simpson said the biggest problem for the company today is importing steel, but overall, he said the state of manufacturing is better.

“We ship products all over North America, past other plants and other competitors, because the work they do here, it can’t be done by anybody else,” Mr. Simpson said.

Contact the writer:

dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

Marywood University laid its cornerstones of knowledge and faith a century ago, but the actual cornerstone of their main building wasn’t put in place until 1923.

On Sept. 8, 1915, 34 women began classes at Marywood College. A little less than eight years later — May 24, 1923 — officials from across the region gathered on campus for a ceremony to lay the cornerstone “of the new Marywood College,” according to an article published the next day in The Scranton Times.

The Right Rev. M.J. Hoban, bishop of the diocese of Scranton, laid the cornerstone himself and “dedicated the new institution to the service of God and humanity,” the article reported. Sealed inside the cornerstone was a time capsule containing “a history of the community which dates back many years, the names of the nuns at the college” among other items.

At the time of the cornerstone ceremony, construction was progressing at a fast clip. The buildings were designed by Scranton architect John J. Howley and were erected by Roland Brothers, also of Scranton.

When construction on the buildings got underway, the school had grown considerably from its start eight years prior. Four years had passed since the first 12 students received their degrees. About 180 students attended Marywood, according to a May 25, 1923, Scranton Times article. Another 200 public school teachers took courses there as well.

The new buildings were designed to accommodate the expected growth. According to a May 23, 1923, article, the buildings “will have a frontage of 335 feet, running from Adams Avenue parallel to College Street, and facing the mother house from the south.” The article continued, “It is the intention of the sisters to build like structures on the north side of the mother house at some time in the future to care for the seminary. The buildings now underway and planned for the future are of classical design and conform architecturally with the mother house.”

Read articles from 1923 dealing with the cornerstone ceremony.

The “college building” at the center of the 1923 construction was “designed to meet needs of the institution for some years to come, having floor space to care for about 1,200 pupils,” according to the same article.

The building’s crown jewel, however, was and is the soaring rotunda — which the May 23, 1923, article reported had “attracted attention in architectural circles through­out the country. The diameter is 72 feet and the inside diameter from the balcony and promenade is 50 feet.”

The new buildings also featured space for a library “that has a ceiling height equivalent to two stories and capacity for thousands of volumes,” classrooms and meeting rooms. On the second floor, the buildings boasted an art exhibition space, art and drama studios, as well as classrooms, teachers offices and a medical exam room.

Along with Bishop Hoban, several of the church and state’s leading lights were on hand for the cornerstone ceremony. Several spoke, according to a May 25, 1923, Scranton Times article about the event, including the state’s Lt. Gov. David J. Davis and and Col. L.A. Watres.

In his speech, the colonel compared the building’s cornerstone to the bigger mission of Marywood College.

“A corner stone is a stone uniting two walls at the corner of a building. … No builder would erect a public or quasi-public building without it,” he said. “We are all builders and a corner stone is suggestive. We are builders of character, and the corner stone is faith in the Supreme Being.”

ERIN L. NISSLEY is an assistant metro editor at The Times-Tribune and has lived in Northeast Pennsylvania for nine years.

Contact the writer:

localhistory@timesshamrock.com

With Chicago firm Invenergy’s proposed 1,500-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant looming over Jessup, both sides have made strong claims about the plant’s air emissions.

Invenergy’s representatives and air-quality permit application say the plant will only nudge the region’s air pollution levels imperceptibly higher. The company’s recent advertisements claim the plant will even result in “healthier, cleaner air” by replacing coal-fired plants elsewhere.

Opponents, including the community group Citizens for a Healthy Jessup, seized on projected emissions numbers for nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, coarse and fine particles and volatile organic compounds to suggest the plant could harm residents’ health.

Interviews with atmospheric scientists and the region’s power grid operator indicate neither side is offering the complete set of facts.

Of most immediate concern to Midvalley residents are the effects of the plant’s air emissions on local health.

In advertisements in The Times-Tribune, Invenergy presented four bar graphs showing the proportion of existing nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and fine and coarse air particles in local air, compared to a tiny sliver of additional impact from the plant’s emissions.

Those air emissions will not push the region over clean air standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Invenergy claims in the ad and in its permit application with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Those claims are most likely true. Lackawanna County attains the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards, meant to protect public health on a regional level. To gain DEP approval, Invenergy must prove its operations will not push regional air pollution over the edge.

Because all of Pennsylvania lies within an “Ozone Transport Region” stretching from Maryland to Maine, Invenergy must also pass another EPA test to prove it will not cause a significant decline in air quality beyond existing conditions. Several other EPA standards will also apply.

Highway poses greater risks

The standards the EPA uses to safeguard regional air quality, along with separate standards used to protect an individual’s health, are not perfect. They may not protect someone living downwind from such a plant from unknown effects of decades of exposure, said Reto Gieré, Ph.D., a University of Pennsylvania Earth & Environmental Science department chairman who studies health impacts of atmospheric pollution.

“If you live in the plume for 20 years, nobody knows what these guideline values are. They are just made up,” he said. “You can’t make experiments that long. These guideline values or restrictions are basically best judgements but they’re not based on experiments or anything.”

However, other sources of local air pollution could carry greater risks, he said. A busy highway is a potent example, as diesel fumes contain known carcinogens, he said.

“I would consider that much more serious a problem than emissions from such a gas-fired power plant,” he said.

In general, new natural gas plants represent the cleanest of existing fossil fuel generation, said Carnegie Mellon University professor and air quality modeling expert Peter Adams, Ph.D.

“Those things are pretty damn clean,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, maybe nobody wants it next to them, but a brand new natural gas plant is sort of top of the line.”

For electricity generation, natural gas produces half as much carbon dioxide as coal, less than a third of coal’s nitrogen oxides and 1 percent its sulfur oxides, according to the EPA.

“The gas is a cleaner fuel, so obviously it ... emits pollution, but by no comparison to what a coal-fired power plant would emit,” Dr. Gieré said.

Healthier air?

Invenergy frequently has touted the comparison to coal and claimed the plant will improve the region’s air quality.

“A Jessup power plant will result in healthier, cleaner air locally by replacing generation from old, polluting coal plants elsewhere in the region,” its May 20 ad states. “The majority of health risks from coal pollution are experienced more than 60 miles from the source.”

That statement rings hollow to the opposition, which points out the closest coal power plants are at least 65 miles from Jessup.

“It’s kind of ironic they choose an area with no coal plants,” Citizens for a Healthy Jessup core member Jerry Crinella said in a recent Times-Tribune editorial board meeting. “To me, it would be a better idea to convert coal facilities. You need to replace a coal plant with a gas plant next door.”

As an example, the group held up PPL Martins Creek, a former coal plant on the New Jersey border converted to burn natural gas.

If Invenergy’s plant does end up displacing one or more coal plants downstream from Lackawanna County, it could realistically improve local air quality, Dr. Adams said.

About a decade ago, a study was done in Pittsburgh to examine fine particles, or PM 2.5, in the city’s air compared to the air upwind at the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, he said.

They found concentrations at the border were only about 10 to 15 percent lower than in Pittsburgh, he said. In other words, 90 percent of Pittsburgh’s fine particle pollution came from outside the area.

“It’s a sort of regional soup we live in,” he said.

To illustrate how fast the air can move across the country, he suggested imagining a weather radar map.

“Imagine looking at your weather forecast and you see the cold fronts, warm fronts, and the low and high pressure systems moving around,” he said. “You see in a few days, things move over multiple states.”

NEPA at heart

Yet, because of the way the power markets work, Invenergy will never be able to point to a specific upwind coal plant its operation would displace.

“Nobody can really make the claim that they themselves are displacing another power plant because it just doesn’t work that way,” said Paula DuPont-Kidd, spokeswoman for PJM Interconnection. PJM is regional transmission organization that coordinates electricity movement across 13 Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Upland South states.

The first step for a new generator like Invenergy would be to make their power available in an annual auction when local electric utilities purchase power availability three years into the future, she said. This year, they will bid through 2018 and 2019, she said.

Broadly, PJM is witnessing natural gas generation come online as coal wanes, she said.

“It’s an overall trend we’re seeing,” Ms. DuPont-Kidd said. “There has been such a tremendous growth with natural gas-fired generation with the more abundant supplies of natural gas right now ... We are seeing a lot of coal plants retire ... for multiple reasons, some of which being they are very, very old.”

Northeast Pennsylvania is at the heart of this paradigm shift. Invenergy’s plant is one of at least four large combined-cycle gas plants planned for the region. The others are in Bradford, Lycoming and Luzerne counties.

Climate affects

One serious caveat to the potential benefits of natural gas is its effect on climate. When burned, natural gas is still a source of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Natural gas has often been called a “bridge fuel,” a path away from higher-emitting sources. Borrowing a line from a colleague, Dr. Adams described the fear of being stuck with gas for too long.

“No one who builds a bridge walks across it once, turns around and blows it up,” he said.

To avoid catastrophic global warming, climate modelers predict carbon dioxide needs to be reduced by at least 90 percent in 50 years, Dr. Adams said.

“This is at best 50 percent lower, maybe only 30 percent lower,” he said. “If we converted everything to natural gas, we wouldn’t get there. We need to be thinking about stuff that is essentially zero.”

Another problem is methane leaks. Unburned, natural gas is primarily made up of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Unknown levels of methane leaks from pipes and other equipment also threaten to unravel any climate benefit the fuel has over coal. Over 100 years, one molecule of methane has 28 to 36 times the global warming potential as one molecule of carbon dioxide, according to the EPA.

Natural gas leakage rates must stay below 3.2 percent to provide climate benefit for power generation compared to coal, according to an influential 2012 study.

Studying methane leaks

A growing body of work is emerging on the how much methane is leaking from oil and gas operations. Levels observed and modeled have ranged from less than 1 percent to more than 17 percent.

“If someone is really concerned about slowing or stopping global warming right now or in the very near future, the warming effect of the methane from leakage is important,” said Richard Alley, Ph.D., a Penn State University climate scientist contributing author to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in an email.

After a decade or so, methane is converted to carbon dioxide in the air, he said, meaning it can be thought of as carbon dioxide to-be. Over many decades, “the extra carbon dioxide from leaking natural gas is small compared to the avoided (carbon dioxide) because natural gas gives more energy per (carbon dioxide) molecule than coal does,” Dr. Alley said.

If coupled with a move to zero-carbon dioxide sources like wind, solar and other renewables, gas can be a bridge to a sustainable future, he said. If gas is added to coal, it speeds warming, especially if leaks continue.

“Ultimately, a truly sustainable system cannot be based on fossil-fuel natural gas, which will be depleted and which contributes to warming,” Dr. Alley said.

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

HANOVER TWP. — Police arrested two people at a DUI checkpoint Friday night on narcotics and firearms charges.

Officers assigned to the checkpoint on the Sans Souci Parkway stopped a vehicle for a traffic code violation at about 11:05 p.m., according to township police. Officers recovered cocaine, heroin, a stolen handgun and cash from the vehicle, police said in a news release.

Joseph Williams, 23, of Philadelphia, the front-seat passenger, was charged with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, receiving stolen property, possession of a prohibited firearm and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle.

Cayla Betress, 27, of Scranton, the driver, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Both were taken to Luzerne County Correctional Facility to await arraignment, according to police.

— ERIC MARK