Dickson City

Car wash: Dickson City Boy Scout Troop 21 car wash, Satur­day, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., parking lot of LaSalle Academy, Dickson City campus, $5.

Diocese of Scranton

Women’s retreat: Scranton Diocesan Council of Catholic Women day of reflection, Aug. 5, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Villa of Our Lady Retreat House, 245 Meadow­side Road, Mount Poco­no, conducted by Monsignor Vincent Grimalia, chaplain, St. Luke’s Villa, topic: “Devotion to the Blessed Mother,” continental breakfast, luncheon, $35; reservations/payments by July 25, Helen Oravec, 814 Theresa St., Peckville, PA 18452, Mary Lloyd, 570-578-6720, or Nancy Addley, 570-357-1790.

Covington Twp.

Chicken barbecue: Daleville United Methodist Church chicken barbecue dinner, Aug. 15, 3-7 p.m., 423 Dorantown Road, near Routes 435/502 junction, $10/adults and $5/children; 570-842-6776.

Elmhurst

Kidz rally: Cross Road Assembly of God Family Kidz Rally, Aug. 2-5, 6:30-8 p.m., 803 Route 435, featuring the Lussier family of Hedgesville, W.Va., music, puppetry, quiz game, lessons and storytelling, ages 4-12; Pastor Ron, 570-842-1454.

Harford

Fair entries: Harford Fair accepting fair entries for 23 different departments, online entries: www.harfordfair.com, click on the icon for online entries down the left hand side of the home­page, follow the directions to set up an account, or print the correct entry blank, fill it out and then mail it to the fair office, 485 Fair Hill Road, New Milford, PA 18834, by Aug. 1; 570-434-4300, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; fair is taking place Aug. 17-22.

Jermyn

Historical presentation: Jermyn Historical Society historical presentation, Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. at the Jermyn Community Cen­ter, 440 Jefferson Ave., Tom Klopher speaking on “Anthracite Idioms,” free.

Lackawanna County

Benefit event: Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsyl­vania Wings at the Waterpark, Aug. 9, 1-4 p.m., Montage Moun­tain, sample wings/various vendors, $20/advance, $25/at door, $10/12 and under; $10/add a waterpark ticket; momtn.com/wings; Juli­anne Cucura, 570-342-8709, ext. 110, or

jcucura@bgcnepa.org.

South Scranton

Seniors meet: Young at Heart of South Scranton meeting, Tues­day, 1 p.m., St. Paul of the Cross Parish Hall, Prospect Avenue.

Wayne/Pike Counties

Legislative day/picnic: Wayne/Pike Farm Bureau legislative day/county picnic, Aug. 6, 10:30 a.m., Commissioner Brian Smith’s farm, 1207 Calkins Road, Milanville, tour of his new facility, built after barn fire in 2014, local representatives to answer questions about pending legislation and address concerns of those in attendance, Emily Montgomery offering a tour of Calkins Creamery after lunch, bagged lunch provided; to order lunch, Carole Gro­dack, 570-937-4162 by July 30.

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

SCRANTON — Time is winding down for area families to take the Sunday Dinner Pledge, which benefits Meals on Wheels.

Through July 31, the Home Instead Senior Care Foundation will donate $1 to Meals on Wheels, up to $20,000, for every pledge to sit down for family dinners with their senior loved ones on Sundays. People can make the pledge at Sunday

DinnerPledge.com.

Research shows that about 50 percent of families living near senior relatives believe they do not share enough meals with their older loved ones, according to the foundation.

— KYLE WIND

West Scranton resident Elaine Allegrucci has known Renee LaManna since childhood.

Minooka native Nancy Adams, who now lives in Erwinna in Bucks County, became Renee’s best friend in middle school.

Unlike the other two, Melissa Bradley, who is from South Williamsport, has never met Renee but manages a missing-persons page on Facebook.

They are three women from three different towns now united in a single mission: Find the long-missing Scranton native and bring her home.

On Thursday, the three gathered with Renee’s sister, Margaret LaManna, M.D., at Road Scholar Transport Inc. in Dunmore to compare notes and to thank Road Scholar President James Barrett for his company’s efforts in the search.

“We just need to find her,” Ms. Adams said.

Renee LaManna, now 57 and believed to have no memory of her past, disappeared in 1994 in Ocean City, New Jersey. Although her family never stopped looking for her, the trail had gone cold until several sightings beginning last fall in Virginia and North Carolina gave a new urgency to the search.

Since a 53-foot-long Road Scholar trailer featuring Renee’s photo and description hit the road in late April, a toll-free number established to report possible sightings — 888-RENEE-11 — has received 72 calls, Dr. LaManna said.

In the meantime, a social media campaign has produced more than 12 million views, likes or shares on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thousands of fliers have been distributed at truck stops, homeless shelters, thrift shops and other locations Renee may frequent.

Dr. LaManna, who lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, said the most recent confirmed sighting came within the past month in Danville, Virginia, where a sheriff’s deputy who gave Renee a ride later recognized her photo on a flier.

She believes it is only a matter of time until her sister is located.

“I have prayed that it would be sooner, but I’m very encouraged with the number of calls I’m getting and the quality of the sightings,” she said. “We are getting closer, and we are going to find her.”

The three women who met with Dr. LaManna on Thursday are part of a 10-member group dubbed “Team Renee” that is helping to spread the word about the missing woman.

The Road Scholar trailer, which has been operating mostly in Virginia and North Carolina, was brought back to the company’s Monahan Street facility for the occasion. The Rev. Sam J. Ferretti, pastor of St. Lucy’s Church in West Side, led the group in a prayer for Renee’s safe return before blessing the vehicle.

Ms. Allegrucci speaks of finding her childhood friend in terms of when, not if.

“You have to be positive,” she said. “I have seen two miracles in my life already. I’m putting this one as my third.”

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

A Wyoming County man who was jailed on a parole violation after a woman falsely accused him of rape has filed a federal lawsuit against the woman and the state Department of Probation and Parole.

David Davison of Nicholson claims probation department employees were negligent for arresting him before allegations made by Stacy Lynn Kennedy of Carbondale were fully investigated by police, causing him to be held for 13 days before he was released.

According to the lawsuit, Mr. Davison was taken into custody on March 25 at his approved parole residence at 705 Powell Ave., Clarks Summit, based on allegations Ms. Kennedy made to police that day.

Ms. Kennedy told police Mr. Davison forcibly entered her home at 76 S. Main St., Carbondale, and raped her on March 20. Mr. Davison denied the allegations. His criminal defense attorney, Paul Ackourey, attempted several times to provide evidence to support Mr. Davison’s innocence, but probation officers refused to meet with him.

A Carbondale police detective questioned Ms. Kennedy about the alleged assault and obtained surveillance video that showed Mr. Davison entered Ms. Kennedy’s apartment with her at 9:44 a.m. and that he left one minute later. The video showed Mr. Davison did not re-enter the apartment at any time that day, the suit says.

Based on the video and other evidence Mr. Davison supplied, police did not pursue charges against him and instead filed charges of false reports and unsworn falsification against Ms. Kennedy on May 20. The case remains pending.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Matthew Comerford of Scranton, faults the Department of Probation and Parole for having a policy of violating parolees based upon an accusation without conducting any further investigation. In addition to Ms. Kennedy, it names the department and parole officers Christopher Taylor, Michael Novak and Douglas Sheaffer as defendants.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Probation and parole said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com

SCRANTON — The Lackawanna College Police Academy’s latest graduating class will honor a fallen Philadelphia police officer who was shot to death while interrupting a robbery in March.

The 20 cadets are expected to graduate today at 6 p.m., the college said in a news release. The class will honor Officer Robert Wilson III, who died on March 5.

Graduating cadets include Matthew Batyko, Bernard Boyer and Jake Leonard, Scranton; Mike Corter and Zachary Geary, Williamsport; Josh Diddick, Nicholson; Ralph Dooley, Wyalusing; James Eastman Jr. and Samantha Mickavicz, Taylor; Josh Fehnel, Northampton; Derek Gill, Danville; Michael Jones, Kingston; Michael Kretchmer, Sweet Valley; John Lubeck Jr., Blakely; Kathleen Petti, Lake Ariel; James Richards, Throop; Robert Seprish and George Weitz, Dunmore; Shawn Yelland, Wilkes-Barre; and Kate Young, Bethlehem.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Airport unveils new lounge for military

PITTSTON TWP. — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Thursday unveiled the AVP Military Appreciation Room, designed to provide a comfortable and private place for military members and their families.

The room will provide members of the military with a place to relax before flights, according to Carl R. Beardsley Jr., the airport’s executive director.

The idea for the military-only room came from airport employees and was financed by donations from local businesses, Mr. Beardsley said in a news release.

The room, on the airport’s main level, is open to all active, returning and deploying military travelers and veterans, according to airport officials. Amenities include complimentary snacks and beverages, lounge chairs, free Wi-Fi access, magazines and games. The room will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

— ERIC MARK

Audit finds issues at judge’s office

WILKES-BARRE — A local magistrate is running a court using “inadequate arrest warrant procedures” that have allowed some traffic-law violators to go unpunished for failing to pay their fines, according to a new report by the state Department of the Auditor General.

The audit of District Court 11-1-02 in Luzerne County, headed by Magisterial District Judge Martin R. Kane, covered the period between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2013, and was conducted to ensure money collected by the court was correctly assessed, reported and turned over to the state. During the review, the auditor found that all $731,734 collected during the period was properly delivered to the Department of Revenue.

However, the auditor also discovered the court was not uniformly issuing arrest warrants for traffic and nontraffic cases in which defendants failed to pay their fines.

For instance, a review of 49 cases in which warrants should have been issued turned up nine cases where warrants were issued late and three cases where no warrant was ever issued, the report says. The time of issuance ranged from 64 days to 146 days.

If a defendant can’t be found to be served with a warrant, the manual calls for the warrant to be returned to the court within 60 days. But the auditor looked at 46 warrants that were required to be returned, finding seven had not been returned at all and 14 had not been returned on time, the report says.

— JAMES HALPIN

SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — A bridge in South Abington Twp. is slated to reopen today.

Temporary repairs on Edella Road over Interstate 81 are complete and the state Department of Transportation will open the bridge by noon, PennDOT said in a news release.

The bridge will be replaced between April and August in 2016 as part of a three year single contract initiative to replace 558 aging bridges across the state, PennDOT said.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

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Two Philadelphia men drove to Scranton on Thursday with heroin potentially worth $5,000, Lackawanna County Detectives said.

Naeem West, 32, and Vincent Carter, 31, arrived in Scranton to make a controlled sale of heroin at around 6 p.m., according to criminal complaints.

They parked at a Sunoco on Davis Street and detectives moved in to make an arrest. Mr. West, of 3234 N. Sydenham St., and Mr. Carter, 2255 Sydenham St., were taken into custody without incident.

Detectives said the two gave police fake identification. Inside the car, officers found 50 glassine bags filled with heroin, 7½ grams of raw heroin and 6½ grams of a cutting agent, detectives said. They also found nearly $1,000 in cash.

Detectives learned Mr. West was on state parole and the pair have lengthy arrest records in other counties. Mr. West’s arrest record includes other drug charges while Mr. Carter’s is for retail theft.

Both are charged with various drug felonies and for providing police with false identification. They were remanded to Lackawanna County Prison — Mr. West in lieu of $200,000 bail and Mr. Carter in lieu of $175,000 bail.

Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Aug. 6.

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

A 17-year-old boy suffered second degree burns when a man clad all in black threw lit firecrackers at him Thursday, he told Scranton police.

Kailon Adams awoke to a noise in his kitchen on the 200 block of Coar Place around 3:30 p.m. and went to investigate, Scranton Police Lt. Glenn Thomas said.

Kailon found a man in black sweatpants and sweater holding paper tubes filled with burning firecrackers, he told police. The man’s face was obscured by a bandana. The man threw them at Kailon’s leg then fled, Lt. Thomas said. Further description of the suspect was not available.

One explosive went off and the flying debris burned the teen’s leg. He tried to put out the rest of the firecrackers in a bathroom sink, but they continued to explode, shattering the sink, causing part of the ceiling to fall and damaging the walls and floor, Lt. Thomas said.

Eventually, the teen and his brother thew the rest of the fireworks outside of the house.

Kailon’s legs, stomach and arms were burned, police said.

Fire inspectors and detectives responded to investigate, which is ongoing, police said.

Kailon was taken to Geisinger Community Medical Center, where he was treated and released, said hospital spokeswoman Westyn Hinchey.

Anyone with information can contact detectives at 570-348-4139.

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

SCRANTON — A man reached over a counter at a city gas station while the clerk waited on a customer and stole hundreds in cash from the register Thursday, Scranton police said.

Police were called to the Valero gas station at 3021 N. Main Ave. at 1:38 p.m. Thursday for the reported theft, police Lt. Glenn Thomas said.

Surveillance footage showed the man fleeing the store and entering a gold mini van, Lt. Thomas said.

The van drove north to Dickson City.

The man wore a red hat, white jacket, gray jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information can contact detectives at 570-348-4139.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

A woman who accused a former Montrose Area School District teacher of sexually abusing her as a teenager has filed a lawsuit against the teacher, former high school principal James Tallarico and others.

The suit, filed this week in Lackawanna County Court, alleges Mr. Tallarico and other school officials knew the girl, then 14, was involved in a romantic relationship with teacher Jeffrey D. Norris in 2007, but they failed to take action to protect her or report it to police.

Mr. Norris was charged with statutory sexual assault and other offenses in February 2009 after the female student alleged she had sex with him several times. A Susquehanna County jury acquitted him of the sexual assault charges in October 2012, but found him guilty of charges he illegally taped conversations with district officials.

Jason Beardsley, Mr. Norris’ attorney, vehemently denied the claims in the civil lawsuit, saying his client has been “run through the wringer” by false allegations the teen has made against him. Mr. Norris was suspended after the charges were filed and never got his job back, despite his acquittal, he said.

“His position from the beginning is he was innocent of the allegations she made,” Mr. Beardsley said. “He looks forward to the opportunity to show that.”

Benjamin Andreozzi of Harrisburg, one of the woman’s attorneys, said the fact Mr. Norris was acquitted of the sexual assault charges in the criminal case does not mean the acts did not occur.

“We think the overwhelming evidence establishes he did in fact do these terrible things,” Mr. Andreozzi said.

The suit largely mirrors allegations that were filed against Mr. Norris in the criminal case except it lays blame for some of the trauma the student says she suffered on Mr. Tallarico. The lawsuit was filed one day after Mr. Tallarico was arraigned on charges he stole nearly $12,000 from the Mid Valley School District, where he was employed as superintendent after he left his position as principal in Montrose.

Attempts to reach Mr. Tallerico’s attorney in the theft case, Gerard Karam, for comment regarding the lawsuit were unsuccessful.

According to the lawsuit, two teachers overheard the student and Mr. Norris have a heated argument at school in the spring of 2007. The girl told the teachers she and Mr. Norris had a sexual relationship.

The teachers said they told Mr. Tallarico of the allegations, but he advised them he did not believe the girl, whom he said was a “loudmouth and troublemaker” who “just wanted to get out of the high school.”

The suit claims Mr. Tallarico and other district officials failed to report the allegations to police, child welfare agencies or the student’s parents because they were concerned about the district’s reputation. The lawsuit names as defendants Mr. Norris, Mr. Tallarico and the school district.

Carol Boyce, current superintendent at Montrose Area, referred comment to the district’s solicitors, the law firm of Sweet, Stevens, Katz and Williams in Pittston. Attempts to reach an attorney from the firm for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com

Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said Friday his office intends to file second-degree murder charges against three 17-year-old boys for the death of a Scranton police officer.

When those charges will be filed will be discussed next week when prosecutors and defense counsel meet with a judge to examine a push to have Isiah Edwards, Tanner Curtis and Nasiir Jones prosecuted as juveniles.

Lawrence Moran, Lackawanna County Chief Public Defender, filed three petitions in county court Friday to move the teenagers out of adult court.

“The expertise and extraordinary resources of the juvenile court are best suited to provide justice for these three teenage boys,” Mr. Moran said.

Mr. Jarbola’s office will dispute that.

“They’re not amenable to treatment in juvenile court,” Mr. Jarbola said. “That’s the standard. It’s (the defense’s) burden.”

State police charged the teens as adults with robbery, terroristic threats and related counts on allegations they pointed a shotgun at a man in West Scranton and robbed him on July 11.

Then, they led Scranton police on a chase. Patrolman John Wilding fell 15 feet near the 300 block of North Main Avenue assisting officers apprehending the teens. He died from head injuries a day later.

In his petition, Mr. Moran details the teens’ troubled childhoods.

Mr. Edwards, listed as homeless, has been diagnosed and treated for Bi-Polar disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and had been placed in a mental health facility for two weeks, according to the petition.

His mother is incarcerated at Lackawanna County Prison for undisclosed reasons and his father resides in Virginia. He lived with his aunt in Scranton at the time of his arrest.

He witnessed domestic violence at an early age and was placed in foster care after his father was incarcerated and his mother battled substance abuse and addiction. He’d also been mentally and physically abused, used drugs and still has no prior involvement with the justice system, the petition states. Mr. Edwards attended West Scranton High School but did not complete 11th grade.

Mr. Curtis, 442 N. Irving Ave., Scranton, is pursuing a GED through Marywood University and his involvement with the juvenile justice system is “not significant,” the petition states.

He has been treated for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD, as well as substance abuse. He also comes from a broken home. He has little contact with his mother and his father is incarcerated for drug-related offenses. He’d been living with his father’s girlfriend at the time of his arrest.

Mr. Jones, 68 Green Place, Apt. 2D, Scranton, is also studying to earn his GED and his involvement with the law enforcement is also “not significant,” according to the petition. He’s been treated for ADD, ADHD and substance abuse and also comes from an unstable household. The petition states he was a victim of sexual abuse as a 4-year-old.

Mr. Moran’s push to move the charges did not surprise Mr. Jarbola.

“It would be ineffective for defense lawyers if they didn’t do that,” Mr. Jarbola said.

The process to decide which court the teens should be tried in will likely take a few months, he said.

Mr. Moran said the teens should be handled in the juvenile court system, “whatever charge they face.”

The three teens remained in Lackawanna County Prison Monday — Mr. Jones and Mr. Edwards in lieu of $175,000 and Mr. Curtis in lieu of $150,000. Preliminary hearings are scheduled for Aug. 11, though Mr. Jarbola said that will likely be postponed as the court decides where to try them.

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

SCRANTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey has again introduced legislation to prohibit the detention of juveniles for minor offenses such as skipping school, breaking curfew and running away from home.

This time, the Democrat from Scranton has support from a Republican — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who is a presidential candidate.

In April 2014, Mr. Casey held a viewing of the “Kids for Cash” documentary and discussed introducing the reform measure. He first introduced the legislation in October.

The “Kids for Cash” documentary was about a scandal involving former Luzerne County Judges Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael T. Conahan, who both accepted a total of $2.8 million in kickbacks for promoting two for-profit juvenile detention centers. Mr. Casey has said detaining juveniles on so-called status offenses is using “a loophole to lock people up.”

The Prohibiting Detention of Youth Status Offenders Act would prohibit states from detaining juveniles for status offenses, in favor of responses that better address the causes of this behavior.

The measure is more likely to become law now because it has bipartisan support and is included as part of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act reauthorization, Mr. Casey’s spokesman John Rizzo said.

— STAFF REPORT

Cynthia Bellino’s hope to have a hospital reopen in Carbondale took a big step forward this week.

The city zoning board on Wednesday approved a variance to allow a hospital again at the former Marian Community Hospital.

The hospital closed in 2012 and the property lost its zoning as a health care facility after it had been closed for one year. Ms. Bellino, executive director of the Just Believe Recovery Center, purchased the property and went on to establish a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center there.

While there are numerous steps ahead to reopen a hospital — including securing a state license — the variance approval is a key step in her plan for a 25-bed acute care hospital with an emergency care unit, she said.

“I’m so thrilled to death for the people of Carbondale,” Ms. Bellino said Friday in a phone interview. “I want to put a hospital back into the hospital. We’re hoping that within the next six months, we’ll have a hospital there.”

Last year, the zoning board denied a variance for a rehabilition center at the former hospital, but Ms. Bellino has since won in court on appeal and opened the rehabilitation facility on May 18.

The variance to restore a hospital use was a separate matter. The zoning board on Wednesday voted 3-1 to allow the variance, with Joseph Kapalko, Jody Brenzel and Diane Kurlansky voting in favor, and Patricia McHale voting against, according to city clerk Michele Bannon. The variance approval triggered a 30-day period for appeals.

As for what a new hospital may be named, Ms. Bellino said she had not given that much thought but would want to get the community involved. At first blush, she suggested a possible title of Pioneer City Medical Center.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Burning banana peels for energy and coating wind-turbine blades with rust to avoid radar disturbances won two students first prize at an energy-themed science fair Friday.

The EnergyPath 2015 conference concluded at the University of Scranton with an awards ceremony for middle and high school students whose science projects reflected sophistication beyond their years.

“When I was in school, you were in college before you started doing something similar,” said John Costlow, president and CEO of the Sustainable Energy Fund, the Allentown nonprofit that sponsored the conference.

Kerri McBride, 16, of Medford Twp., New Jersey, won first place in the high school division with her project that identified a way to stop wind-turbine blades from interfering with Doppler radar.

Kerri said she has long been interested in sustainable energy projects. The idea for hers came from government reports stating wind turbines could be a national security threat because of the way they interfere with radar. Enemy planes could fly near turbines to avoid detection.

She wanted to find a material she could use to treat turbine blades to reduce this effect.

“I’ve always been more interested in the material science rather than computer science aspects,” she said.

She soon learned that iron oxide, akin to rust, absorbs microwave wavelengths, thereby reducing the radar-disrupting effect. She experimented with different quantities and found the radar interference was best eliminated with the highest amount of iron oxide she used.

Iron oxide’s low cost means an energy company could eliminate the effect with about $30 of materials per turbine, she said.

Kerri will be a junior this year and plans to study science in college, though she does not know where yet.

Prithvi Parthasarathy, 11, of Chester County, won the middle school category after he tested whether raw banana peels, banana peel briquettes, pure charcoal or a mix of banana peel and coal would produce energy most efficiently.

“The modern way of life is dependent on fossil fuels,” Prithvi explained, describing some of the harmful side effects of this dependence, including greenhouse gas emissions from coal burning and deforestation from charcoal manufacturing.

Noting the millions of tons of bananas produced each year while the peel largely goes to waste, Prithvi decided to create his own banana briquette by grinding up peels, adding sawdust and turning them into pellets.

Though he thought the briquettes would burn most efficiently, he observed that burning briquettes together with coal reached a high temperature with less smoke than the other fuels. The judges rewarded him with first prize.

“Feels great, I love it,” he said of his win.

Second- and third-place winners in the high school division were Braden Cody of Germantown Academy and Devon DePamphilis of Harrisburg Academy, respectively.

Michelle Surine of West Vincent Elementary School and home-school student Spencer Hoffman took second and third, respectively, in the middle school division.

No local students were involved this year. For information on how to participate in next year’s EnergyPath science fair, contact Sustainable Energy Fund program leader Kelly McCartney at kmccartney@thesef.org.

Contact the writer:

bgibbons@timesshamrock.com,

@bgibbonsTT on Twitter

NORTH ABINGTON TWP. — People need to venture outdoors and take in all the recreational opportunities Pennsylvania has to offer, but they also need to take precautions.

Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy, Ph.D., and other state officials brought that message Friday to Lackawanna State Park as part of a campaign to raise awareness about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

“We are encouraging all Pennsylvanians to get out and enjoy our beautiful country,” Dr. Murphy said during a press conference at the park’s Pine Pavilion. “As they do, we hope they are prepared.”

For the past five years, Pennsylvania has led the nation in reported Lyme disease cases, including 7,487 in 2014, and the state announced earlier this year the blacklegged ticks that carry the potentially debilitating disease have been found in all 67 counties for the first time.

And the number of cases is growing.

In Lackawanna County, only six cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2007, Dr. Murphy said. There were 68 cases reported in 2014. The change was even more stark in Luzerne County, where the number of cases grew from seven in 2007 to 216 last year.

Dr. Murphy said people can help protect themselves by applying an insect repellent containing DEET before heading into a wooded area and checking themselves and their children for ticks when they emerge.

Anyone who displays the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease — a red circular rash, fatigue, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain or swollen lymph nodes — should immediately seek medical attention, she said.

While Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics when detected early, there may be serious complications if it is left untreated.

“Late detection has a much more difficult recovery and can have lasting, particularly neurological impairment,” Dr. Murphy said.

Kevin Fazzini, regional manager of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said tick-borne illnesses are a serious concern not only for the 38 million people who visit Pennsylvania’s state parks each year, but also for DCNR’s more than 2,000 employees.

Tick bites are now the top cause of work-related injury reports within the department, he said.

“Our employees and our visitors both deserve our attention to this,” Mr. Fazzini said.

Dr. Murphy said the state’s first-ever Lyme Disease Task Force, which is developing recommendations for education and awareness, prevention and surveillance, is due to release its findings later this summer.

Contact the writer:

dsingleton@timesshamrock.com

Tips for preventing Lyme disease

■ Avoid tick-infested areas. This is especially important from May through July. If on a trail or path, walk in the center to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush and leaf litter at the edges.

■ Use insect repellent. Spray repellent containing 20 percent DEET on clothing and on exposed skin.

■ Perform tick checks. Always check for ticks after being outdoors. Because ticks must usually be attached for at least a day before they can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, early removal can reduce the risk of infection.

■ Bathe or shower. Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors to wash off and more easily find ticks crawling on you.

— CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

DeNaples tankers ousted from a Roaring Brook Twp. conservation zone were moved to an auto parts scrapyard in Covington Twp., where the vehicles are allowed and do not violate zoning, according to a representative of landowner Louis DeNaples and state and municipal officials.

Roaring Brook on July 17 ordered various trucks, tankers and equipment stored on land owned by a DeNaples firm on Smith Road, off Route 307, to be removed and the property cleaned. That action came in response to questions from The Times-Tribune about what kind of operation was taking place at that site, situated along Stafford Meadow Brook, which flows into the nearby Williams Bridge Reservoir. That body of water flows into Lake Scranton, both of which are owned by Pennsylvania American Water Co.

Lake Scranton is the main surface water supply for about 160,000 people.

In the days that followed, vehicles were moved from Roaring Brook to a DeNaples Auto Parts facility off Route 435 in Covington Twp., said Mr. DeNaples’ representative, Al Magnotta.

Earlier this week, the state Department of Environmental Protection received a complaint from a Covington Twp. resident who noticed tankers coming to DeNaples Auto Parts off Route 435, said DEP spokeswoman Colleen Connolly.

Based on complaints, DEP inspected both sites Thursday, Ms. Connolly said. The DEP discovered that the Roaring Brook site had been cleared out, and they found empty tanker trucks and nothing amiss at the Covington site, Ms. Connolly said. “We inspected the trucks and we found nothing,” she said.

The vehicles are allowed at DeNaples Auto Parts off Route 435, as that facility for many years has been a nonconforming use in a rural residential zone, Covington Twp. Zoning Enforcement Officer Bill Wright said Friday.

Mr. Wright said that facility, primarily a scrapyard, had trailers stored there years ago, but they had been removed in recent years. He said six nearly brand-new tankers — which contain water and “no other substance” — were moved there this week.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

TUNKHANNOCK — The Tunkhannock Area School Board approved Thursday night a teachers contract that guarantees a 3 percent annual raise with no increase in teachers’ contribution to health benefits.

The board voted 6-2 to OK the contract, which is similar to a contract the board rejected in a 5-4 vote in May. Jim Maria, a field representative for the Pennsylvania State Esucation Association, noted that the Tunkhannock Area Education Association members overwhelmingly voted for the new contract.

“It is a good feeling to get it done,” Mr. Maria said. “Both sides are excited with the way it went.”

Tunkhannock Area teachers have worked without a contract for three years, but the issue is a contentious one, with many taxpayers upset about the contract’s terms.

However, only resident Rick Huffsmith, a former school board member, spoke out against the new contract.

“Three percent raises and no increase in teacher contribution to health care will not level out, but will cost taxpayers, especially Social Security recipients, tax money that they cannot afford,” he said.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, Tunkhannock Area Superintendent Michael Healey submitted his resignation, and the school board voted unanimously to accept it, effective Aug. 31.

The move leaves the district in a precarious spot with a new term opening in just five weeks. Board President Philip Farr said the board would be having two searches — one for an interim superintendent to serve through the end of the 2015-16 school year, and another for a longer-term appointment.

The school board has been looking at the long-term implication of growing expenditures and declining enrollments and trying to come up with a solution that keeps the budget in the black, without continuing to have to raise property taxes year after year.

An ad hoc committee of the board was formed last winter that recommended the closure of two elementary schools starting with the school year 2016-17, and Mr. Healey had taken a major role in helping facilitate that discussion.

It was not clear whether his departure would have any impact on the closure proposal.

ROBERT BAKER, staff writer, also contributed to this story.