SCRANTON — A Scranton man was sentenced to more than two years in a federal prison for a string of local robberies.

U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani sentenced Frank McBride, 29, to 110 months in prison. He pleaded guilty in March to bank robbery, attempted bank robbery and a related charge.

An FBI investigation began in June 2014 after a series of attempted bank robberies in Lackawanna County. Using video surveillance and analysis of cellphone records, law enforcement identified Mr. McBride. They also discovered he was responsible for robberies at gas stations and convenience stores in Scranton and Moosic.

Judge Mariani also ordered Mr. McBride to pay $9,829 in restitution and serve three years of supervised probation after his release.

— KATHLEEN BOLUS

Valor Credit Union has selected a credit union veteran as interim chief executive after the abrupt departure last month of chief executive Sean E. Jelen.

With 3½ years on the job, Mr. Jelen left the $227 million-asset credit union formerly known as Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union, in the middle of one of its worst years in recent memory.

Edward J. Fox, former head of the Mid-Atlantic Corporate Federal Credit Union in Harrisburg, has been named interim chief executive at Valor. He was recently interim at Cross Valley Federal Credit Union.

The chairwoman of Valor’s board of directors, Kara Badyrka, declined to comment on Mr. Jelen’s departure, referring questions to Valor spokeswoman Amy Crain. Ms. Crain declined to comment on whether Mr. Jelen’s departure was his decision or that of the board or regulators.

“It is an internal, personnel matter and we won’t be commenting on it,” Ms. Crain said.

There was no answer when a reporter attempted to visit Mr. Jelen’s South Abington Twp. home Wednesday.

In an Aug. 28 letter to credit union members, Ms. Badyrka wrote, “Sean Jelen is no longer President and CEO at Valor Credit Union,” offering no explanation.

Under most circumstances, a CEO retires or find a different job, and is given a send off or a few kind words in a joint statement, said Keith Leggett, a North Carolina-based credit union observer and critic who operates Credit Union Watch. He called the announcement “cryptic.”

“If you read between the lines — it implies the departure was not a favorable parting,” Mr. Leggett said. “It could be he had a disagreement with the board or that the NCUA wasn’t happy about something, but it creates a mystery.”

Credit unions are regulated by the National Credit Union Administration. However, unlike their counterparts regulating commercial banks, credit unions operate behind a veil. NCUA reviews and enforcement actions are generally not public. Credit unions are not obliged to disclose financial audits or reviews to members or the public the way publicly-traded banking companies are.

Some financial information, however, is reported to the NCUA. That information shows Mr. Jelen’s departure comes as the credit union bleeds red ink. Valor’s financials swung from net income in excess of $1 million in 2014 to a year-to-date loss as of June 30 of nearly $300,000.

The turnabout came as Valor purchased loans from other credit unions at a torrid pace and increased the amount of money it was pouring into “participation loans” — pieces of action of loans made by other credit unions.

The credit union had $19,887,525 of participation loans on its books and $38.7 million of indirect loans — those made by other lenders, but now in Valor’s portfolio.

Mr. Leggett said a financial institution may take those steps if they have money and not much loan demand. Other credit unions selling loans or part of loans may want to distribute their risk or rebalance their loan portfolio.

“The NCUA requires that these loans meet the credit union’s own underwriting standards,” he said. “What unfortunately happens often is that once you get them in house, they don’t live up to the standards.”

Provisions for loan losses — money put aside to cover future soured loans — doubled year-over-year from $332,988 to $744,392. Valor officials did not respond to a request to discuss the financial results.

Viewed as a wunderkind in the credit union industry, the fresh-faced Mr. Jelen took the helm of the credit union in 2012 at the age of 29, having served as CEO of the $160 million-asset Palisades Federal Credit Union in Pearl River, N.Y. Before that he worked on Wall Street and as a controller for a mutual savings bank. He was hailed in a profile in Credit Union Times for “ignoring the status quo.”

Contact the writer:

dfalchek@timesshamrock.com

MOOSIC — The newly reconstructed Main Street bridge in the borough is scheduled to officially reopen today, Lackawanna County commissioners announced.

The county’s capital budget included $1.28 million for bringing back online a bridge that had been closed since April 2011. Lackawanna County replaced the span and is renaming it Moosic Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The state Department of Transportation delayed the start of work on the Lonesome Road bridge out of concern the two projects would isolate a Moosic neighborhood, but closed the bridge in April with plans the work would only overlap for six to eight weeks.

— KYLE WIND

The Midvalley’s oldest volunteer hose company celebrates its 125th anniversary this week with an enormous parade Saturday through Olyphant.

“We want the streets filled up. We’re 125 years old and it’s going to be big,” said Excelsior Hose Company No. 1 President David Tully.

Between 300 and 400 firefighters are expected to participate in the parade along with 85 to 100 rescue, ladder and pumper trucks and marching bands and floats.

The parade, which begins at 2 p.m. from the Olyphant Little League complex, will travel toward town on South Valley Avenue, continue on Lackawanna Avenue and onto Willow Avenue, where it will conclude.

The parade will feature trucks and first responders from across the seven-county region, because Excelsior is also hosting the Northeastern Pennsylvania Volunteer Firemen’s Federation’s annual convention Friday and Saturday.

Keynote speaker A.J. Gilgallon, an Excelsior volunteer and member of the Urban Search and Rescue Pennsylvania Task Force 1, was among the first emergency crews on the ground following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack in New York City.

He will be discussing his experiences with the task force and the camaraderie he has found among first responders around the country.

His talk, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Olyphant American Legion Post 327, 101 Willow Ave.

“My roots started in Olyphant and with the Federation and with the surrounding communities,” he said. “It’s actually an honor and a privilege to be able to speak with those men and women.”

For more information, visit www.excelsior261.com.

Contact the writer:

joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

The president of the Scranton School Board and district superintendent approached the board this summer in a closed-door meeting about building a restroom adjacent to her office, two directors said Wednesday.

When Director Mark McAndrew questioned board President Cy Douaihy about the plans during Tuesday night’s board meeting, Mr. Douaihy became outraged and told Mr. McAndrew that his questions were inappropriate and that there were no plans for the restroom.

The room, viewed by The Times-Tribune on Wednesday, is now being used to store files. A maintenance crew installed an exhaust fan to circulate air and drywall to cover up studs and wiring, said Jeff Brazil, the district’s director of facilities and grounds.

But that was not always the plan for that room, Mr. McAndrew said Wednesday.

“Why would I make this up?” he asked.

In June, Director Robert Casey started to hear rumors about a bathroom being installed. During an executive session in August, Superintendent Alexis Kirijan, Ed.D., and Mr. Douaihy asked the board to consider installing the restroom off of Dr. Kirijan’s office. There was no board consensus and it was not discussed with the whole board again, Mr. Casey said.

Both Mr. Casey and Mr. McAndrew acknowledged that the board should not have discussed the restroom during executive session, which is a private, closed-door meeting. Those sessions are reserved for discussions on legal matters, real estate, personnel or labor relations. Efforts to reach Dr. Kirijan were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Mr. McAndrew said that it seems when Mr. Douaihy realized the restroom would not be installed without the public learning about it, the district changed plans for the room.

On Wednesday, Mr. Douaihy said he proposed the restroom because there is only one toilet stall for women on the third floor of the Administration Building. About a dozen women work on the floor. The new restroom would have been open to all women, not just the superintendent, he said. Mr. Douaihy also said the conversation with the rest of the board was not during an executive session, but during a casual discussion.

After being instructed to look at the space, Mr. Brazil said he determined the project was not feasible because the room does not have easy access to water and sewer lines.

The district then decided that the space, which is part of a larger maintenance storage area, would be used to store files. A district crew installed the drywall, a locking door and the exhaust fan, Mr. Brazil said.

“Mr. McAndrew knows it’s not a bathroom,” Mr. Douaihy said. “When he said that (Tuesday) night, it was so disingenuous.”

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

The state Attorney General’s Office has filed an amended complaint against a chain of nursing homes accused of failing to provide basic care to elderly and vulnerable residents in more than two dozen of its facilities.

The amended complaint, filed Tuesday by state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane, lists 350 new first-hand accounts naming 11 additional Golden Living Center facilities across Pennsylvania owned by a for-profit Texas-based chain.

The original complaint, filed in July, named 14 centers.

The complaint alleges the facilities were understaffed to the point that nurses routinely neglected residents, leaving them hungry, thirsty, dirty and unkempt.

The original complaint had named Golden Living Center-Summit in Wilkes-Barre and Golden Living Center-Tunkhannock in Wyoming County.

The amended complaint added two other area facilities: Golden Living Center-East Mountain in Plains Twp. and Golden Living Center-Scranton.

One man, identified in the complaint as confidential witness number 30 had a wheelchair-bound mother living in the Scranton facility where she had lost 30 pounds between 2013 and this year, the complaint says. The man claims his mother was often unclean, with her wheelchair and clothes caked with food.

Most of the time during his visits a couple times a week his mother was sitting alone in the day room with no water available to her and sometimes was chewing on an empty plastic cup when he arrived.

His mother was also supposed to receive oxygen 24 hours a day, but the tanks were empty several times when he came to visit her. Inspectors with the state Department of Health also found the Scranton facility had violated state and federal nursing home regulations more than a dozen times since 2007, the complaint said.

A woman, identified as confidential witness number 23, said she visited her mother every day while she was at the Plains Twp. facility for one month in 2013. Although her mother needed help bathing, dressing and getting to the bathroom, she became ill shortly after arriving to the facility and could no longer do anything on her own, the complaint said. The woman asked that her mother be transferred to a hospital or be seen by a doctor, but nursing staff refused, saying the illness was all in the resident’s head, according to court papers. A psychiatrist prescribed the patient anti-depressants, the complaints said.

The resident had lost weight because she had trouble eating and keeping food down and staff didn’t help her eat, the complaint alleges. She also couldn’t get to the bathroom on her own and staff had to bring her a bedpan; however, she often had to wait upward of around 20 minutes until a nurse responded to the call bell to bring one and was sometimes left on the bedpan for as long as an hour.

The resident was transferred to a hospital once she started throwing up blood and was diagnosed with a stomach illness that could have been easily managed with proper treatment, court papers said. Her health never recovered and she remained bedridden until she died six months later, according to the complaint.

Inspectors with the state Department of Health also found the Plains Twp. facility had violated state and federal nursing home regulations, particularly for safety issues, 10 times since 2008, the complaint said.

The accounts from witnesses at the Scranton and Plains Twp. facilities showed company-wide trade practices that the attorney general’s office said were unfair and violated consumer protection law by deceiving consumers through its marketing practices. The company advertised it would keep its residents clean and comfortable while providing food and water at any time, but staffing issues prevented facilities from giving this basic level of care, according to the attorney general’s office.

The new allegations resulted in part from interviews with residents’ family members and former certified nursing assistants who worked at Golden Living facilities, the attorney general’s office said.

An administrator at the Scranton facility could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Gary Malia, executive director of the Plains Twp. facility, said all the Golden Living Centers are in compliance with the two overseeing agencies for the industry, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the state Department of Health, and are going to defend the company’s reputation and its caregivers.

“The attorney general, her claims are baseless. They really are without merit,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Golden Living Centers, which has more than 300 centers around the country, said she couldn’t speak to specific allegations in the complaint regarding inspection violations issued by the state Department of Health, citing the ongoing legal issues.

The amended legal action seeks permanent injunctive relief prohibiting Golden Living from engaging in the allegedly deceptive and unlawful business practices it is accused of. It also seeks $1,000 per violation of the law, or up to $3,000 for every violation involving a person age 60 or older. The action also seeks restitution for consumers and costs of litigation.

Those concerned about the safety or quality of care being delivered at a nursing home can call the Department of Health at 1-800-254-5164.

jseibel@citizensvoice.com

570-821-2110, @cvseibel

Portions of funding for pavilions along the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, a Vietnam veterans memorial at Courthouse Square in Scranton and a splash pad in Fell Twp. were among highlights of Community Re-Invest Program grants county commissioners approved Wednesday.

“This is an excellent collection of projects that touch upon so many different areas of our community,” Economic Development Director George Kelly told commissioners. “It helps the elderly. It helps the poor. It helps recreation and community service organizations. It honors our veterans for their service. It really embodies our program and summarizes what the program was intended to do.”

In total, commissioners approved 15 grants totaling $188,865 for the program designed to provide small amounts of funding to help community organizations and local governments get the last bit of cash they need to finish community projects.

The awards increase the number of grants to 86 since the program started and the total amount of funding to $1,294,475, Mr. Kelly said.

The projects drew $6 million in additional grants and donations, he added.

“It has had a material impact on our communities and quality of life,” Mr. Kelly said.

Jim Kuchwara of the Vietnam Memorial Committee said the group will pair the $1,500 Re-Invest grant with $3,000 in donations from area veterans groups to finish engraving a black granite panel memorial to recognize Vietnam veterans at Courthouse Square.

The project was two years in the making, and the committee now plans a ceremony on Sept. 26 from 1 to 2 p.m. to unveil the memorial to 52 residents of Lackawanna County killed in the Vietnam War.

“These are the ones who grew up in your own backyard,” Mr. Kuchwara said. “It’s an emotional thing for the committee.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

• $2,350 of a needed $49,950 for Dunmore Senior Center to buy an additional refrigerator in coordination with the Healthier Meals program.

• $20,000 for a $20,108 Jessup borough project to upgrade restroom plumbing and handicapped access at the youth sports complex.

• $1,500 for a $4,500 Vietnam Memorial Committee project to engrave a memorial to those who died in the war at Courthouse Square.

• $10,000 for a $30,148 Throop borough project to install safety netting and a new scoreboard at the softball field at the borough Little League complex.

• $6,300 for a $12,600 Eureka Hose Company project to upgrade the lighting inside the Olyphant firehouse to improve safety and energy efficiency.

• $6,000 for a $16,000 Benton Athletic Association project to build a picnic pavilion and repair damaged restrooms and the scoreboard at the ball field in Benton Twp.

• $10,000 for a $272,714 Friends of the Poor project to build handicapped-accessible restrooms and entrance ramp at the new facility for the Clothes Line for Men program.

• $7,995 for a $9,995 Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley Chapter NRHS project to paint the Moscow railroad station and build a handicap ramp.

• $10,000 for a $225,000 Olyphant borough project to install a new elevator and upgrade handicapped access at the Borough Building.

• $30,000 for a $40,575 Carbondale YMCA project to pay for pool regrouting and tile patch work, two treadmills, 10 touch tablets for the day care center, a carbondale monoxide detector, sports equipment and an electronic sport wall.

• $20,000 for a $67,880 Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority project to build pavilions at the Green Ridge trailhead in Scranton at the Nay Aug Avenue play area and at the trail site along the river in Blakely to complete a corporate donation of a community bocce ball court.

• $5,000 for a $40,500 Old Forge Athletic Association plumbing project associated with construction of the new storage facility.

• $4,720 for the $5,245 purchase of two automatic door openers and a defibrillator by Clarks Green borough.

• $30,000 for a $45,000 Old Forge Lions Little League project to renovate fields and repair dugouts.

• $25,000 for a $40,000 project to build a splash pad at the Fell Twp. community park.

ARCHBALD — Thirty-one and a half hours.

That’s how long residents of Valley View Estates had been without water when they pleaded with borough officials to help them have it restored to the trailer park.

Pennsylvania American Water suspended service about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday because property owner Eugene Egan had repeatedly failed to pay the bill.

Utility spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich said Mr. Egan paid part of the outstanding bill Wednesday morning, but it was not enough to have water restored.

A phone number listed for Mr. Egan is disconnected, and people outside a trailer that residents said belonged to the park manager declined to speak to a Times-Tribune reporter Wednesday.

Resident Travis Marshall, who lives with his mother and stepfather in the park, among about 50 other trailers, said residents have been receiving shut-off notices for several months. Water had been shut off a few times for a couple of hours at time, but “this is the first time it’s gotten this bad,” he said. “We ended up taking pool water to flush toilets.”

Pennsylvania American Water had placed a portable water tank near the front of the park. But by 7 p.m., when about two dozen residents showed up for Archbald Borough Council’s regular meeting, they said the tank was empty.

The utility made arrangements Wednesday to check the tank, but Ms. Turcmanovich did not immediately know whether it had been done.

Utility officials had been working with Mr. Egan over the last several months to devise a payment plan, and even sent representatives to check for leaks in the park’s water system to try cutting consumption.

They found the meter running eight to 10 gallons per minute, indicating somewhere, water is leaking.

“We did identify one (leak), but we’re sure there could be other ones out there,” Ms. Turcmanovich said.

Residents say they pay $280 per month for lot rent, and extra in rent-to-own agreements for mobile homes. They had always been told the manager was paying the water bill.

They received a 10-day notice last month indicating service would be shut off on or after Sept. 3, but gave them an option to pool together and pay the month’s $3,020.70 bill to prevent a shut-off. The letter said that, legally, residents could deduct the payment from their rent.

Ms. Turcmanovich could not disclose the total amount in arrears, and residents and borough officials offered slightly conflicting numbers; however, they agreed the total owed is significantly higher than the $3,020.70.

Council members sympathized with the residents, and many seemed to agree Mr. Egan has failed time and again as a landlord. But their hands are somewhat tied because this is a landlord/tenant dispute.

“We have no right to go on that man’s property,” council President Joseph Simon said. “We have to do it the legal way.”

Borough solicitor James O’Connor said he plans to file for relief in Lackawanna County Court this morning, though he did not detail just how he plans to do it.

Residents were concerned that, because no running water is a public safety matter, that the borough could condemn the park and residents — many of whom are elderly, sick or have young children — would be evicted.

Council is working to avoid condemning the park, Mr. Simon said.

Beyond the water issue, residents were notified with letters dated July 31 that their lots were going to a tax sale for unpaid taxes.

Mr. Marshall said his life was just starting to look up. He has a steady job and dutifully pays his bills every month.

He considered buying his lot outright, but would need about $13,028 to pay the delinquent taxes on the lot his family rents.

“Am I going to lose my house?” he said.

Contact the writer: joconnell@timesshamrock.com, @jon_oc on Twitter

A natural gas utility is threatening to sue Scranton if the city implements new rules and fees on pavement cuts in roads and streets.

The city enacted an ordinance in June that expanded requirements and fees for utilities to restore roads after tearing them up for various projects. The ordinance bans excavating city streets within five years of a paving project, except in emergency situations to be determined by the city’s Department of Public Works. It also allows for upgrades, improvements or maintenance. Inspection fees under the new ordinance range from $50 to more than $800, depending on how much road is disturbed.

However, in an Aug. 25 letter to City Solicitor Jason Shrive, UGI Penn Natural Gas views the ordinance as improper in several respects, including imposing unreasonable fees, onerous pavement restoration, repaving requirements and pave-cut moratorium, and requiring city permits for utility work on state roads.

UGI Penn Natural Gas asked the city to suspend implementation of the new rules while both sides work out a resolution. If the city won’t do so, the gas firm will sue, company attorney Mark Morrow said in the letter.

UGI Penn Natural Gas “has regretfully reached the conclusion that — in the absence of a prompt satisfactory resolution of the ordinance’s legal deficiencies — it will be obligated ... to initiate legal proceedings to challenge the ordinance,” Mr. Morrow said.

Efforts to reach Mr. Shrive were unsuccessful. City Business Administrator David Bulzoni said the intent of the new rules, which amended a prior ordinance on streets and sidewalks, were meant as an update on pave-cut and road restoration requirements. The new rules include restoring the road in a pave cut area from curb-to-curb and 10 feet beyond the pave cut edges in all directions, repainting disturbed road markings or lines, and an additional inspection fee based upon amount of work being done. The fees are not a significant revenue producer for the city, he said.

Mr. Bulzoni cited Dorothy and Farr streets in the Tripp Park section as roads riddled with numerous square and rectangle surface patches from utility work all along their lengths. While utilities already were required to patch pave cuts after underground work was done, the results often have been uneven, bumpy streets, he said.

“We felt it was very reasonable,” Mr. Bulzoni said of the new ordinance. “The whole purpose of the ordinance was to keep city streets in reasonable condition. When cuts are completed and paving is done, you want the restoration to have those roads as drivable as they had been. It’s not punitive. We’re looking to protect our interests.”

Mr. Morrow’s letter notes UGI already is governed by state Public Utility Commission regulations and is under mandate for long-term upgrades of old gas lines that require pave cuts.

The ordinance “represents an apparent effort by the city to interfere with and prevent or substantially impede” the gas company’s public service obligations, and it will sue if the ordinance is not completely or substantially repealed, Mr. Morrow’s letter said.

UGI spokesman Joe Swope in a phone interview said the firm tries to coordinate with municipalities so utility work occurs before municipal road paving projects. When that’s not possible, pave cuts are followed by temporary patches that are allowed to settle for a few weeks before a permanent restoration patch and sealing are installed, he said.

Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

WYOMING — More than 40 emergency responders spent the bulk of Wednesday searching the West Side for a man who hasn’t been seen since Monday night.

Charles “Chuck” Stark, 51, of Wyoming, allegedly left his home on Seventh Street about 8 p.m. on a new rust-colored bicycle without his keys, wallet or cellphone. He has not been seen since.

Mr. Stark is approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall, with brown hair and green eyes. When last seen, he was wearing a long-sleeved white T-shirt, blue and white checkered shorts and blue sneakers, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Wyoming Borough police at 570-693-2650, or dial 911.

PLYMOUTH — Borough council on Tuesday voted to join a class-action lawsuit against the former Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania that alleges a $90 million charitable donation made with ratepayers’ money amounts to “blatantly unlawful conduct.”

The lawsuit filed by Plains Twp. last month alleges the donation to the Wilkes-Barre-based AllOne Foundation and AllOne Charities, which was completed shortly before Highmark Inc. closed its merger with Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania on June 1, amounts to a breach of contract because the money should have been used to benefit policyholders who were subscribers between 2012 and 2014.

Plymouth solicitor Michael R. Kostelansky said Wednesday that council agreed the donated money should have gone to reduce rates for customers and that members decided to join the suit because there was no upfront cost to the borough, which has insured its employees through the provider for years.

Highmark has declined to comment on the latest lawsuit.

SCRANTON — After numerous incidents of vandalism along the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, officials are asking the community to report any destructive activity.

Within the last two weeks, damage to lamp posts at the Olive Street trailhead and the gates at the Elm Street trailhead was reported, according to a press release from Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, which manages the trail.

While the authority is taking measures to increase surveillance, anyone witnessing mischievous or destructive activity is asked to report it immediately by calling police or LHVA headquarters at 570-936-6730.

Water service will resume today at a trailer park in Archbald after it was shut off late Tuesday morning, said Pennsylvania American Water spokeswoman Susan Turcmanovich.

Residents of the roughly 50 trailers in Valley View Estates have gone without running water nearly two days after its owner, Eugene Egan, failed to pay his bill.

Mr. Egan owes roughly $65,000 to Pennsylvania American Water, the borough’s solicitor told a Lackawanna County Court judge Thursday morning.

After park residents asked for help at the borough council meeting Wednesday, Archbald solicitor James O’Conner appeared in court with borough manager Jack Giordano to file a motion compelling Mr. Egan to pay his bill.

“The borough is concerned, your honor, because we have potentially a very serious health problem,” Mr. O’Conner told Judge Robert Mazzoni.

Neither Mr. Egan nor his legal counsel showed up in court. When Mr. O’Conner called Mr. Egan to ask whether he or an attorney planned to appear, Mr. Egan told him water service would be returning soon after he paid $10,000 with plans to pay another $5,000 immediately.

Citing a policy against discussing customer accounts, Ms. Turcmanovich did not confirm the amounts owed and paid.

Judge Mazzoni declared the trailer park “uninhabitable” without water service but said he could not force residents to leave.

“I can’t direct somebody to go ahead and remove all the residents and not accommodate all the residents,” the judge said.

Mr. O’Connor also said Mr. Egan owes more than $30,000 in garbage fees, but Judge Mazzoni said the borough would have to handle that issue separately.

Mr. Egan does not have a listed phone number and Mr. O’Conner declined to share his contact information.

Park resident James McCrillis said Mr. Egan does not live at the park and has always avoided giving residents his phone number and address.

“He doesn’t seem to care,” he said.

A few years ago, Mr. McCrillis said he suggested to park management placing individual water meters at every trailer so residents could pay their own water bills. He said they were told meters would be too expensive.

After doing some research, he disputed the cost of separating meters.

“It’s not like it’s impossible for them to do it, it’s just they don’t want to,” he said.

Since Wednesday, residents have been relying on a water tank provided by Pennsylvania American Water. The tank was drained soon after it arrived Wednesday. Ms. Turcmanovich said it was refilled later that night, however, resident Travis Marshall said it was not filled last night and still empty as of 9:30 this morning.

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

Scranton Plan hosts festival

Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic was the setting for the annual summer festival of the Scranton Plan. More than 80 real estate brokers, consultants and site selection specialists from neighboring states joined in on the event.

“Summer Festival is one of our most successful marketing tools, allowing us to showcase the real estate and quality of life of Lackawanna County,” said Amy S. Luyster, assistant vice president for the Scranton Plan, an affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. “Real estate professionals, site selection consultants and corporate executives representing companies looking for corporate expansion were in attendance and able to see firsthand the many business opportunities available in the Greater Scranton area.”

Organizers say that the festival’s goal was to introduce the quality of life and business opportunities available in the Greater Scranton area.

Winners the golf tournament portion of the event recognized by Amy and Robert Durkin, president, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; included: Mike Adams, NAI Summit; Bob Besecker, Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services; Joe McDermott, CBRE group, and Ken Okrepkie, Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Sisters’ Dog Day

Nearly two dozen canine companions walked the runway during the Little Sisters of the Poor’s annual National Dog Day dog show at Holy Family Residence in Scranton.

The show, sponsored by local veterinarian Dr. Robert J. Noto of Memorial Veterinary Hospital, Dickson City, Throop and Old Forge, is hosted by Sister Maureen and the other Little Sisters of the Poor for the enjoyment of the residents entrusted to their care. Staff members Dee Ruby, activities assistant, and Lisa Blaker , activities director and volunteer coordinator, were among those joining in as dogs of all shapes and sizes belonging to employees and friends of the residence mingled with residents.

The annual summertime tradition included a pet blessing by the Rev. E. Francis Kelly , Holy Family chaplain; music by DJ Bill Roditski, treat bags and St. Francis of Assisi medal presentations to participants, a meet-and-greet with the residents, and an ice cream social.

High notes

The Women’s Golf Organization of the Scranton Canoe Club celebrated Lorraine Daniels’ upcoming 90th birthday with a reception. Lorraine, of Dalton, is active member of the WGO. ... A unique art display by Lucille Norella was shown at the Century Club of Scranton this summer. Lucille’s exhibit featured Giclées portraying her real flower artwork. Lucille’s works have been featured on the cover of Connections Magazine, the Wildflower Music Festival and Dorfinger program and at Woodmere Museum in Philadelphia.

Country looks good on Northeastern Pennsylvania.

A sea of flannel shirts, straw hats, boots and bandanas flooded into Pavilion at Montage Mountain Thursday night for Burn It Down tour starring Jason Aldean with Tyler Farr and Cole Swindell.

Badger Brown and Pip Wallace traveled from Lancaster in their best hats and button down shirts to see the show.

“There’s a little guy in here named Jason Aldean and we like his music,” Mr. Brown said, adding this was his first time at the venue and it looked “pretty cool.”

Some local fans had almost as long of a drive as the Lancaster residents to see the show, thanks to heavy traffic after an accident on Interstate 81 South left lanes at a standstill.

However, Kim Breslin and Liz Yatsko, both of Scranton, and Heather Ostrowski, Moscow, arrived at 4 p.m. for the parking lot tailgate and missed the traffic. They said they love all three musicians performing.

“It’s an awesome concert,” said Ms. Breslin of her first time seeing Mr. Aldean live. “We’re just having a lot of fun.”

Tyler Farr opened the show, his raspy, soulful voice filling the venue. The country crooner got great response from the crowd during the chilly, damp night, with hits including “Redneck Crazy” and “Guy Walks Into a Bar.”

Cole Swindell was up next, opening with “Hey Y’all.” Mr. Swindell spoke of writing songs for other artists before he signed his own record deal and performed “This is How We Roll,” a song he wrote for Florida Georgia Line.

“If you rollin’ with us make some noise!” Mr. Swindell yelled to the cheering crowd.

Dee Jay Silver played an eclectic mix of songs, including 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” Papa Roach’s “Last Resort” and “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big and Rich, to pump up the crowd before Mr. Aldean took the stage.

Pyrotechnic explosions and graphics of guitars lit up the stage as Mr. Aldean opened the show with “Hicktown” followed by “My Kinda Party” to the roaring crowd.

Contact the writer:

gmazur@timesshamrock.com, gmazurTT on Twitter

CARBONDALE — The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a meeting to discuss its plans to extinguish a long-burning mine fire near Russell Park.

The DEP will outline its proposal to put out the fire and reclaim about 82 acres on the border of the city and Carbondale Twp. Its efforts will include removing dangerous 130-foot walls made of coal waste, along with surrounding piles of debris.

The DEP awarded a contract of nearly $9 million to Earthmovers Unlimited Inc. of Kylertown. Work on the project is “getting underway,” the DEP said.

The agency will present its plan and answer questions at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 at Carbondale City Hall, 1 N. Main St.

— BRENDAN GIBBONS

NANTICOKE — On the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the supply of coveted pieces of World Trade Center steel for memorials is about to run out.

One piece is coming to Nanticoke.

City firefighters will unveil the piece of steel as part of a permanent Sept. 11 memorial outside fire headquarters on Ridge Street. With demand for the steel exceeding supply, they were able to obtain a piece as a thank you for the strong relationships built with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) over the years.

“It’s an honor, really, to be one of the few,” said former Nanticoke Fire Chief Mike Bohan, who took part in the process to obtain the steel before his retirement last year.

Earlier this week, the Associated Press reported that fewer than 30 pieces of World Trade Center steel remained in possession of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey at a hangar at the Kennedy Airport that was once crammed to the rafters with the metal.

The FDNY, which lost 343 members in the terror attacks, only has about 10 pieces left, said New York City firefighter Carl Scheetz, a member of the famed Rescue 1 unit in Manhattan and friend to many Nanticoke firefighters.

Mr. Scheetz has been FDNY’s steel request coordinator since the program began in 2003 and was the one who helped award Nanticoke its piece. He also helped craft it.

“We’re pretty much running out,” Mr. Scheetz said, noting he is cutting up smaller pieces as the supply dwindles. “We’ve been trying to get it out to as many places as possible for memorials so people don’t forget.”

FDNY friends

Many of Nanticoke’s firefighters got to know Mr. Scheetz through a Luzerne County native who is a member of Rescue 1 and the unit’s former leader, Capt. Robert Morris, who taught advanced fire training classes in Luzerne County.

Nanticoke Fire Chief Kevin Hazleton said that years ago they learned Mr. Scheetz was the FDNY’s “steel guy,” who crafted a steel cross he hand-delivered to former President George W. Bush.

They wanted a piece of steel, but didn’t think they had a chance to get one.

“Over the years, we were like, ‘Let’s not even bother him.’ He’s telling us about giving steel to the president and the pope and people like that,” Chief Hazleton recalled.

But at Capt. Morris’ retirement party, they approached Mr. Scheetz.

“So, you’re the steel guy? What would be the odds for a small fire department like ours to score a piece of steel?” Chief Hazleton recalled asking him.

Mr. Scheetz outlined the application process, which included a formal letter and plan be submitted to the city’s fire commissioner. He promised to put in a good word for Nanticoke, which had consistently sent crews to FDNY’s Medal Day ceremonies and other special events.

Nanticoke eventually was awarded a piece.

Many FDNY members plan to return the favor and will travel to Nanticoke for a Sept. 11 memorial dedication ceremony the fire department is hosting Sept. 19.

“Those pieces have been hard to get, and soon they’ll all be gone,” Chief Hazleton said. “At the end of it all, we wanted one so people never forget.”

Constant reminder

Nanticoke’s piece of World Trade Center steel has been set in a slab of granite, which has a plaque affixed to it honoring the bravery displayed by first responders on one of America’s darkest days.

According to the recent Associated Press report, steel from the World Trade Center anchors memorials and exhibits in all 50 states and eight countries. In all, about 1,500 individual nonprofit groups, governments or museums have been awarded a piece, the report said.

The piece must be in public view and not be used to make money. Of his remaining pieces, Mr. Scheetz said he’s making a steel cross he hopes to give to Pope

Francis.

After dealing with and handling World Trade Center steel for more than a decade, Scheetz said his duties are a constant reminder of Sept. 11.

“But it’s a good one, because you know it’s going out for memorials and hopefully people will never forget what happened,” Mr. Scheetz said.

Contact the writer:

bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, @cvbobkal on Twitter

DUNMORE — A cement truck rolled over on Interstate 81 South Thursday, closing a swath of the highway for nearly three hours, authorities said.

A surrounding segment of Interstate 81 was closed from 4 p.m. until about 6:30 p.m. The state Department of Transportation reported I-81 was closed between the Central Scranton Expressway exit and the exit to interstates 380 and 84.

State police at Dunmore could not provide details about the incident, but the Lackawanna County 911 Center dispatchers were not aware of anyone needing to be hospitalized in the aftermath of the crash.

—KYLE WIND

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ Michael Scott Wormuth and Lora Marie Zalepa, both of Carbondale.

■ Brendan Lee Kaczmarek, Rochester, N.Y., and Leila Marie Comerford, Moscow.

■ Tara Cortney Knapp and Michael Colin McVeigh, both of Blakely.

■ Scott Joseph Bauer and Rachel Anna Robacker, both of Carbondale.

■ Bruce Williamson and Thailane Ferreira Desouza, both of Chinchilla.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Edith M. Weiss, Cheryl Bou­selli, now by marriage, Cheryl Bouselli-Evans, and Robert Evans, to Wesley G. Fessenden, Spring Brook Twp.; a property at Shady Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., for $136,200.

■ Bertha L. Kalvaitis, Thomas Kalvaitis Jr. and Anne Kalvaitis, to Emily Carlock; a property at Birch Terrace, Covington Twp., for $25,000.

■ Steven and Tracy Diachyn­sky, to Michael A. and Janet L. Golla; a property at Buffer Area, Covington Twp., for $56,500.

■ Donna L., Sumner and Josephine Paitchel, to Paul Kenneth Bookman; a property at 198 Eagles View Drive, Clifton Twp., for $175,000.

■ Robert R. and Kaitlyn Clarke Flynn, to James and Deborah Page, Dunmore; a property at 223 Bear Brook Acres Drive, Madison Twp., for $218,500.

■ Mary Ellen Caviston Walsh and Myles Walsh, Scranton, to Nora I. Torres, Taylor; properties at Meadow Ave., Scranton, for $84,800.

■ Eugene D. and Marissa K. Curtin, to National Residential Nominee Services Inc.; a property at 817 Richmond St., Scranton, for $134,000.

■ Joyce and Ronald Thomas, Robyn and Gerard Mizanty and Sylvia Vladika, through her agents Joyce Thomas and Robyn Mizanty, to Joseph Calogero, Old Forge; a property at 135 Keyser Ave., Taylor, for $110,000.

■ S&R Real Estate Holdings LLC, Archbald, to Lisa Dougher, Tobyhanna; properties at Rear Main Street and Delaware Street, Archbald, for $205,000.

DIVORCE DECREES

■ Erin Stiltenpole v. Timothy Stiltenpole

■ Kelly Ann Opalka v. Gregory Opalka

■ Joseph Polkowski v. Judith Senkow Polkowski

■ Henry Fenner v. Joyce Conkin Fenner

ESTATE FILED

■ Mary J. Padeletti, 2108 Prospect Ave., Scranton, letters testamentary to Teresa Padeletti Purawic, 6 Overbrook Circle, Scranton.

LAWSUIT

■ Scott Murray, 826 Church St., Moscow, v. Scott Fuel Travel Plaza Inc., also known as Scott Fuel Inc., 203 Butternut Lane, Clarks Summit, seeking in excess of $50,000 for injuries suffered in a slip and fall at 203 Butternut Lane, Clarks Summit, on Feb. 6, 2014; Bruce S. Zero, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

PLAINS TWP. — Organizers of the PA Oktoberfest at Mohegan Sun Pocono are urging attendees to take advantage of several cab services available.

The three-day event, sponsored by Times-Tribune parent company Times-Shamrock, begins at 5 p.m. Friday at the Plains Twp. casino. In addition to featuring more than 60 types of beer and cider in four tents, the event boasts food, music, a 5K race and wiener dog races.

“Certainly with an event like this, we want to make it as easy as possible ... to stay safe,” said Tim Holmes, Times-Shamrock regional director of marketing and events.

Mr. Holmes said Mohegan Sun works with cab services Barhoppers and Burgits City Taxi to make sure cabs are available quickly for casino patrons. In addition, Mr. Holmes said, Oktoberfest revelers can use the promo code “OKTO” for a potential discount for a ride through Uber, which allows people to order a ride through a smartphone app