HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice was charged Tuesday with ethics violations that could lead to his removal after the state attorney general exposed lewd and offensive emails he swapped with friends and a state prosecutor through a private email account.

The state Judicial Conduct Board filed a 52-page complaint with the Court of Judicial Discipline that accuses Justice Michael Eakin of violating both judicial and constitutional codes of conduct.

The board said his actions gave the appearance of impropriety, that he didn't respect the court's nondiscrimination policy, that he detracted from the dignity of his office and that he sent emails that a person of reasonable sensitivity would find objectionable.

The board claims Eakin engaged in extreme conduct that brought his judicial office into disrepute through email content that included photos of nude women, sexually suggestive themes, gender and socioeconomics stereotypes, anti-gay content and violence toward women.

Eakin released a statement saying that having the Court of Judicial Discipline take up the matter "brings the opportunity for transparency of process, based on the actual facts and not speculation and mischaracterization. As such, I welcome it. I have cooperated with candor and openness, and will continue to do so."

Eakin's role in the email scandal became public a year ago, with reports that he received two emails in a private email account with pictures of topless or completely nude women, plus one allegedly racist email in 2010.

The board investigated him and another justice caught up in the scandal, Seamus McCaffery, who was suspended by his fellow justices and subsequently retired. Eakin was cleared, but Attorney General Kathleen Kane two months ago disclosed more than 1,000 of his emails to the board, triggering the investigation that resulted in the charges filed Tuesday.

The complaint describes dozens of emails, some sent by Eakin and a majority that were sent to him. They include many photos of nude or topless women, crude jokes and salacious Internet memes.

Among 18 emails the board said he sent to a group of golfing buddies were a joke about a woman being beaten by her husband, a promise to slap a woman's buttocks at a Christmas party and what the board described as "a sexually suggestive thread/conversation" with a lawyer at the attorney general's office about a woman who worked for Eakin at the time.

He also sent a link about a lawyer suspended for a year by his court for trading legal services for oral sex. Eakin's email asked whether another lawyer in the firm got "a partnership cut."

Kane argued the emails could violate court rules that require judges to act in a way that promotes public confidence in the judiciary and that prohibit them from acting in ways that would appear to undermine their independence, integrity and impartiality. Eakin's private emails were discovered on the servers of the attorney general's office because at least one of the office's employees was on the exchanges.

"The attorney general believes that this action should have been taken long ago, that it confirms her contention that the old boys' network protects itself at every turn," her spokesman, Chuck Ardo, said.

This weekend, after The Philadelphia Inquirer reported details about more emails linked to Eakin, Gov. Tom Wolf said Eakin should resign because of his conduct and "the real concern that he could not be impartial in presiding over cases involving the groups of people he disparaged in his emails."

The board noted he used state-issued computers and a pseudonym, John Smith, to send and receive objectionable emails from his Yahoo account.

Eakin, 67, a Republican and former Cumberland County district attorney, has been a member of the high court since 2002.

Kane exposed Eakin's emails along with a wider exchange of explicit and pornographic emails by state prosecutors and other members of law enforcement, prompting a wave of firings or disciplinary measures.

Kane's office discovered those emails during an internal review of how the office under her predecessors handled the case of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State assistant football coach now serving a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted in 2012 of 45 counts of child sexual abuse.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A sewer plant helped create a winter wonderland for a 3-square-mile area in central Pennsylvania.

The National Weather Service in State College says a layer of dense fog mixed with condensation from a local sewer plant overnight Monday, creating a dusting of light snow in a small section east of State College.

The snow fell over roughly 3 square miles near the Nittany Mall.

The weather service calls the process a "microscale event" — too isolated to be captured by local weather reporting stations.

The dusting was a rare, if brief, winterscape for a region in the midst of an unseasonably warm and snowless fall.

Silver project

benefits bats

Ruth Ann Deliman’s Girl Scout Silver Award project is batty.

Ruth Ann of Archbald is helping one of Pennsylvania’s most misunderstood mammals, a species whose population has plummeted in recent years, by building two wooden bat boxes. A member of Girl Scout Troop 50684 in Jessup, Ruth Ann delivered the boxes designed to provide female bats with an ideal place to roost and rear their young to the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Northeast Region headquarters in Dallas. From there, Food and Cover crews will place them in the Northeast region.

“Several species of Pennsylvania bats have been suffering from a disease called white-nose syndrome, which weakens and kills bats in their winter hibernacula,” said Game Commission Information and Education Supervisor William Williams in a release. “Little brown bats have suffered the most, experiencing a population decline of over 95 percent. Projects such as this provide bats with ideal locations to establish nursery colonies in the summer.”

Enlisting the help of her father to help build the boxes, Ruth Ann had each bat box stained black to absorb heat. They will be placed near a body of water that will provide food in the form of emerging insects.

“I heard about the declining population of bats caused by white-nose syndrome in Pennsylvania,” Ruth Ann is quoted as saying in the release. “Each of these boxes can hold over 200 nursery colony bats and will hopefully help increase the bat population.”

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn.

“Ruth Ann did an excellent job in visualizing this valuable project and seeing it to completion,” William said.

Super student

Mary Bocskocsky of Milford, a Mount St. Mary College student on the childhood education track, taught basic math and English skills to underprivileged children in South Africa. During a humanitarian journey to Gordon’s Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, Mary spent weeks teaching basic literacy and mathematics skills to a classroom of 3- to 5-year-olds at Ikalthemba children’s shelter.

High notes

Dr. Timothy Welby will serve a two-year term as president of the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple board. Serving with him are: Daniel Santaniello, first vice president; attorney Robert Ufberg, second vice president; and Nada Gilmartin, treasurer. Board members include Vince Crucian, John Murray and Pat Verrastro. The group presented Immediate Past President Paul Wendolowski with a plaque in appreciation of his dedicated years of service during a quarterly meeting.

DALTON — The 2016 budget that borough council adopted Thursday night will include a 22 percent tax increase to pay for a loan to fund road-paving projects.

Council also voted to apply to the state Department of Agriculture for the $800,000 loan Thursday night, with $263,000 of that to be used to pay off other loans and the remaining $537,000 to be used to pave streets in the borough in most need of repair.

The application requires the borough to pay that back in 15 years, but officials plan to pay it back in 10 years, Councilman Bill Montgomery said.

The 6-mill tax increase will bump the total property tax rate to 32.7 mills. A Dalton resident with the median residential assessment of $15,000 will see an increase from $400.50 this year to $490.50 for the typical homeowner’s annual borough tax bill. A mill is a $1 tax on each $1,000 of assessed value.

The loan and the budget were approved by margins of 6-1, with Councilman Jared Gard casting the lone dissenting votes to both. While he said he’s not against paving the roads, he is against the way the project is being funded, citing the almost $184,000 in interest payments over the 10-year period. That takes away from capital that could be saved or used for other projects, he said.

“I just feel that we keep kicking the can down the road,” Mr. Gard said. “We’re never going to get ahead if we keep taking loans.”

Other members of council defended the loan Thursday.

“We’re ahead because we’re getting paved,” Mr. Montgomery said. “You can’t do that without money. There is a cost.”

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cover@timesshamrock.com,

@ClaytonOver on Twitter

Former president jets into the area

PITTSTON TWP. — Former President Bill Clinton’s small jet touched down at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport about 4:17 p.m. Thursday.

Mr. Clinton disembarked about 20 minutes later and headed to the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel for a fundraising event for the presidential campaign of his wife, Hillary Clinton.

The former president shook a few hands on the tarmac before leaving in a five-car motorcade headed for the city.

Just over four hours later, that motorcade was back on the tarmac. Mr. Clinton appeared to wave to a man watching from behind an airport fence prior to boarding, and departed in his

jet at 8:27 p.m

— JEFF HORVATH

No Glider for Bill

SCRANTON — It was just after 5 p.m. when a reporter pulled into the Glider Diner in Scranton.

The diner was crowded, but for no special reason, much to the reporter’s chagrin.

Bill Clinton was in town, and the reporter lost track of his motorcade as it left the airport. Mr. Clinton stopped by the diner during an August 2010 visit to Scranton, and the reporter hoped he might drop in again before his 6 p.m. appearance at the Radisson.

A waitress looked puzzled, and then chuckled at the idea of a former president coming in for coffee on a normal Thursday night.

“I don’t think he’s coming, but if he is, no one told me,” she laughed.

— JEFF HORVATH

Hotel has two-party system

SCRANTON — While former President Bill Clinton headlined a fundraiser for his wife in the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel’s first-floor ballroom, another party went on as scheduled nearby.

A Spirit of Mercy event took place hundreds of feet away in the lobby, but participants were able to move about the hotel freely during the Clinton event without disruption from security.

Still, the presence of the one-time leader of the free world was of interest to some attendees, who occasionally went outside in an effort to catch a glimpse.

— KYLE WIND

‘It didn’t used to be this way’

PITTSTON TWP. — It’s not easy to get close to a former president these days, even as a reporter. But, according to the man who joined a reporter watching Bill Clinton through an airport fence, “It didn’t used to be this way.”

The man pulled into the parking lot, near where Mr. Clinton’s jet awaited his return from the fundraiser.

Separated from the former president, who arrived at 8:23 p.m., by a barbed wire fence, a five-car Secret Service detail and about 250 feet, the man said he had seen Mr. Clinton “Eight times, and it was never like this.”

“One time I was standing right here and he waved and said ‘Come on in,’ and I shook his hand,” the man said after Mr. Clinton’s jet took off.

— JEFF HORVATH

COLTS worker’s name misspelled

A story on Page A3 in Thursday’s editions misspelled the name of a County of Lackawanna Transit System dispatcher. His name is Ron Mascaro.

Abingtons

Christmas cantata: Countryside Community Church Christmas Cantata, “A Best of Countryside Christmas”; Saturday, 1:30 and 4 p.m. performances, 14011 Orchard Drive, Clarks Summit, 570-587-3206; www.countryside-church.org.

Archbald

Christmas celebration: “Christ­mas at the Plaza” event, Sun­day, 5-8 p.m., High School Plaza, Laurel Street and Salem Road, horsedrawn carriage rides, 5-8 p.m., caroling starting, 5:30, Santa arrives by firetruck, 6:30, refreshments served.

East Scranton

Bus trip: East Scranton Seniors bus trip to Sands Casino, Beth­le­­hem, Jan. 27, leaves 9 a.m. from Price Chopper parking lot, Monroe Avenue, Dunmore; re­­turns 4 p.m., $22/$20 rebate/

$5 food voucher; Isabelle, 570-347-7394, or Tom, 570-430-1441.

Lackawanna County

Santa/cookies: Allied Services Volunteer Cookie and Milk with Santa, Dec. 19, 10 a.m.; take your own photos; $3, free/2 and younger; reservations required: 570-348-1398.

Outreach visits: State Rep. Marty Flynn Medicare and health insurance coverage outreach visit with an APPRISE counselor, Tuesday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 409 N. Main Ave., Jay’s Commons, information on original Medicare, Medicare Advan­tage plans, Medigap plans, Med­i­care drug plans, PACE/PACENET, low-income assistance programs; appointments suggested; state-related issues outreach visit, Wednesday, 9 a.m.-noon, South Abington Twp. Build­ing, second floor meeting room, 104 Shady Lane Road, Chinchilla; 570-342-4348.

Holiday events: Greater Scran­ton YMCA holiday events, Satur­day, 706 N. Blakely St., Dun­more; free photos/breakfast with Santa, 9:30 a.m.-noon, light refreshments, children craft making frames for Santa photo; December Flick-N-Float featuring film, “Elf,” 5 p.m., free/family members, $10/nonmembers; limited number of floats/bring own; www.greaterscrantonymca.org or 570-342-8115.

Noxen

Bingo event: Noxen-Monroe Sportsmen’s Club 50/50 bingo, Saturday, 6-9 p.m., Noxen School, School Street, food and beverages available, pay per card; 570-298-2052.

Roaring Brook Twp.

Breakfast buffet: St. Eulalia’s Parish all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, Dec. 20, 8:30 a.m.-noon, hall, 214 Blue Shutters Road, $7/adults, $6/seniors, $3/6-11, free/5 and younger.

Scranton

Garbage collection: City of Scranton Department of Public Works picking up leaves/not newspapers, Dec. 14-18; commingle (blue container), Dec. 21-26.

West Scranton

Christmas party: Sloan Senior Citizens Christmas party, Tues­day, 1-4 p.m., Melting Pot, Wash­burn Street.

CLIPBOARD ITEMS may be emailed to yesdesk@timessham

rock.com or mailed to Clipboard, c/o YES!Desk, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. YES!Desk, 570-348-9121.

While a Scranton Sewer Authority proposal to sell the sewer system unveiled Tuesday would give the city a windfall of nearly $100 million, citizen watchdogs raised concerns with city council on Thursday about hidden costs and fees.

Marie Schumacher questioned whether a sewer sale to Pennsylvania American Water would be a “windfall or humongous liability” if the city is to inherit stormwater lines, management and maintenance. She wondered if property owners would be hit with stormwater fees.

“I watch everybody popping champagne bottles here and there, but I think, and many other people think, that the devil is going to be in the details on this,” Joan Hodowanitz added.

Dave Dobrzyn said a water company spreading costs among its ratepayers from a larger area would benefit city customers, but the sale seems like a “done deal” being “steamrolled” through. Doug Miller and Andy Sbaragalia likened a sale of the sewer authority to the city “looting” an asset for a bailout of financial problems.

Some council members said a sale appears to have many positives, including a windfall and lower sewer rates, but they agreed that details and the stormwater issue will have to be closely scrutinized.

Councilmen Wayne Evans and Joe Wechsler said pension reforms must be enacted before any proceeds go into the pension system.

“No one wants to sell assets. But it seems right now that a sale may be the only way for Scranton to work its way out of financial debt that a generation of leadership created,” Mr. Wechsler said. “It’s now up to us — council, administration and employees — to seize this opportunity and put Scranton back on a strong financial footing.”

Mr. Rogan expressed support for a sewer sale, as well as a parking-asset privatization that’s underway. He also again pitched a privatization of DPW trash pickup.

Mr. Gaughan did not comment during the meeting but afterward said he was not prepared to support a sale yet because the deal is not final and the city must be cautious.

In other matters, council on Thursday — in its final meeting of 2015 — also acted on several financial issues:

■ A council motion to override a mayoral veto of the council-amended budget of Dec. 3 failed in a 3-1 vote, with Mr. Rogan dissenting, because a supermajority of four votes was needed.

A council amendment made Dec. 3 removed $1.5 million in revenue from borrowing for repairs to fire facilities but did not have a corresponding reduction in expenses. That left the budget “unbalanced and illegal,” the mayor stated in his veto message issued Tuesday.

Some council members questioned that characterization and said corrective legislation could have been implemented. Noting the mayor’s 2015 budget containing a math error was not vetoed or corrected with extra legislation, Mr. Wechsler questioned what the difference was now.

■ Council adopted legislation authorizing the city to secure a routine tax-anticipation note loan for 2016, as well as companion legislation required by a bank to renew the city’s 2.4 percent wage tax on city residents.

■ Council tabled legislation to repeal last year’s increase in rental registration fees.

Contact the writer:

jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

The Scranton Public Library must borrow $100,000 to keep its services as a District Library Center running while the state budget impasse continues.

The library’s board of directors voted Thursday afternoon to dip into a $100,000 line of credit from Fidelity Bank to continue services in the absence of $277,000 in state funding while the budget remains in limbo in Harrisburg.

“It’s a very rare situation,” said Jim Henkelman, board secretary and treasurer.

The Scranton Public Library serves as one of 29 district library centers in Pennsylvania. As such, library Director Jack Finnerty said, the library provides services to libraries in five counties by facilitating inter-library loans, consulting on management and technology, and helping libraries apply for grants.

Mr. Finnerty said the library typically receives state aid for its District Library Center services in July, but the check never arrived due to the impasse. Since then, the library has used money from its operating budget to avoid slashing services.

“Each one of those months we thought, ‘This can’t go on much longer,’ ” he said. “We’re now six months into this and the library has no other funds of money that it can access.”

The state budget impasse has halted state funding since July, while school districts and nonprofit agencies have felt the pinch as their funding remains in limbo. In his 30 years as director of the library, Mr. Finnerty said he has never seen anything quite like this.

“This is a record setter,” he said. “I hope, also, a unique event never to be repeated.”

The Fidelity line of credit will keep the inter-library services afloat until April, and it will be free of interest and payments until then. Mr. Henkelman said the library has every intention of paying back the loan once state funding becomes available.

“We are conservative in nature,” he said.

The Scranton library serves about 400,000 people in Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna, Wyoming and Pike counties as the District Library Center.

“They access more than a million items a year,” Mr. Finnerty said. “They depend upon the services their local library provides, and in turn, we support those local libraries.”

For residents who want to support the library, Mr. Finnerty recommended picking up the phone.

“Continually contact their local representative and the governor’s office,” he said.

Contact the writer:

sscinto@timesshamrock.com, @sscintoTT on Twitter

DUNMORE — A woman is in custody on assault and related charges after authorities say she attacked her landlord and threatened police officers last month.

Lorraine Ambrosia, 63, 133 Franklin St., called Dunmore police to that address on Nov. 17 and said a mental health worker was harassing her. When officers arrived, she was uncooperative and screamed at them. Police had her landlord open her door. When he went inside, Ms. Ambrosia slammed the door shut and locked police outside.

Officers eventually got inside and found the landlord “bleeding from being struck in the head several times with a rock,” according to court documents.

Police said she then lunged at them with a butcher knife. Officers said they tried to get the knife out of her hands and had to use stun guns on Ms. Ambrosia twice to subdue her enough to handcuff her.

Ms. Ambrosia is in Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $15,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

— CLAYTON OVER

Former President Bill Clinton touched on many aspects of the policy platform of his wife, Hillary Clinton, during his Thursday visit to Scranton, but his personal reflections on who she is perhaps made more of an impression on supporters than anything else.

“He talked about his 40 years with Hillary,” Benton Twp. resident and Scranton business owner Helen Lavelle said. “She could have gone anywhere to work in New York as a lawyer when they graduated from law school, but she chose to work ... at legal defense funds and things like that. She always was working with the downtrodden, working on behalf of children, working on behalf of the elderly.

“He really focused on where her heart is.”

Mr. Clinton flew into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport after an appearance in Pittsburgh and headed to the evening fundraiser at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel in downtown Scranton for Mrs. Clinton, a Democratic presidential candidate. The event drew about 200 people.

Photos: Bill Clinton Campaigns for Hillary in Scranton

Speakers who introduced the 42nd president included Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey , Scranton resident Virginia McGregor — a longtime supporter of Mrs. Clinton who hosted a fundraiser the former first lady attended at her home in July — and Geisinger Chief Executive Officer David Feinberg, M.D.

Dr. Feinberg told an anecdote about a 15-year-old girl who was rushed to the hospital after soccer practice a couple months ago with symptoms that looked like dehydration, but because of Geisinger’s knowledge of her family’s DNA, he said doctors were able to diagnose a genetic heart problem.

He recalled Mr. Clinton’s focus on federal funding for research that helped map the human genome during the 2000 state of the union address, but said the girl and her family also owe Mrs. Clinton thanks for her advocacy for universal access to health care in the 1990s. That, he believes, laid the groundwork for Obamacare.

“Hillarycare really started this concept that everybody would have access to health care,” Dr. Feinberg said. “Of the 30 people in that family we saw (that created records that were invaluable to the teen’s diagnosis), many of them would not have access to health care if not for Hillary Clinton.”

Mr. Clinton spoke for nearly an hour, covering an array of topics including economics, health care, energy and education policies under a unifying theme of ensuring the American dream is accessible to everyone.

During his speech, he spoke of his stop in Pittsburgh earlier in the day and described the western Pennsylvania city as a different place than the one he visited when he first campaigned for president.

“They’re on their way to becoming the robotics capital of America by practicing what really works in the modern world: inclusive economics, inclusive social politics and inclusive governance,” Mr. Clinton told the crowd. “In other words, the very thing you don’t hear from the other party in the presidential debates.”

The former commander-in-chief spoke of the dwindling middle class and declining life expectancies. He saw a connection.

“A lot of these people, I would submit to you, are dying of a broken heart,” Mr. Clinton said. “I really applaud the fact that a lot of people — and Hillary was the first one to have a position on this — know we have to treat this like a public health problem and go after it. People need dignity. They need something to look forward to when they get up in the morning. We need all hands on deck. Human potential is really important.”

The event was closed to local media, though a The Times-Tribune reporter later saw limited video of some of Mr. Clinton’s remarks.

The event drew many Northeast Pennsylvania Democratic leaders in addition to Mr. Casey, such as state Rep. Marty Flynn, Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright, Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick O’Malley, Lackawanna County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Patrick and Scranton School Director Bob Sheridan.

Mr. Courtright described Mr. Clinton’s speech as impressive and expected his city to support Mrs. Clinton — whose father Hugh Rodham grew up in Scranton — for president next year.

The mayor said Mr. Clinton also expressed an affinity for the Electric City.

“He feels that we have old-time values and progressive thinking,” Mr. Courtright said. “He talked about how much he likes coming here. He said it feels like coming home.”

Contact the writer:

kwind@timesshamrock.com,

@kwindTT on Twitter

Chick-fil-A headed to Wilkes-Barre

WILKES-BARRE — Popular fast food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is coming to the King’s College King’s on the Square building on Public Square.

This will be the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Luzerne County. Its only other location in Northeast Pennsylvania is a Chick-fil-A Express in the student center at the University of Scranton.

The location at King’s on the Square, the remodeled former Ramada Hotel, will likely be a larger full-scale Chick-fil-A restaurant with a full menu, a King’s official said.

— DENISE ALLABAUGH

SCRANTON — An 18-year-old city man is accused of breaking into a car and stealing valuables, police said.

Jeffrey Locker, 1804 McDonough Ave., was spotted checking car door handles on the 900 block of Providence Road shortly after 4:30 a.m. Thursday, police said. He smelled of alcohol and had car phone chargers hanging out of his pockets.

Police arrested him, and he struggled as officers handcuffed him.

Police found jewelry, phone chargers, binoculars and an empty CD case on him.

He was jailed at Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $1,500 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Something wasn’t right.

Robert Shinal had been out on a run Wednesday for Williams Bus Lines, but he came back to the business on Blackman Street early, around 5:20 p.m.

“I just noticed a car out of place,” Mr. Shinal recalled Thursday afternoon.

His awareness likely saved the lives of two children.

“I jumped in my Jeep, went around the back of her car just to check it out, like, ‘What’s this car doing here?’ ” he said. “And I noticed a hose coming out of the exhaust pipe.”

Mr. Shinal said he went around and blocked the car in, then noticed the hose going in the driver’s side window. He told the woman to roll the window down. When she did, he pulled the garden hose out.

The bus driver saw the children buckled in the backseat and recognized them as students he drives every day.

All the occupants were still conscious, Mr. Shinal said.

“The car wasn’t running,” he said. “I think she shut it down when I pulled in because, like I said, the headlights hit her.”

He took the keys from the driver, who police identified as Melissa Ann Scholl, 32, of 547 Blackman St., then called 911.

Prosecutors have credited him for saving the children.

“I’m just glad the kids are all right,” Mr. Shinal said. He had heard they were with their grandmother.

Prosecutors have charged Ms. Scholl with attempted murder. She was being held under suicide watch Thursday at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, with bail set at $500,000.

Those who knew Ms. Scholl were shocked by the allegations.

Neighbor Shannon Guard, 33, said her children often play with Ms. Scholl’s kids and that Ms. Scholl, a nurses’ assistant, always seemed like a normal person.

“She seemed like a laid-back type of person,” Ms. Guard said.

But court records show some tumult in Ms. Scholl’s life behind the scenes.

While she has no criminal history — the only entry on her record is a speeding ticket — court documents indicate she has been involved in a tumultuous relationship for several years with her husband, Daniel Robert Scholl, 36.

In August, she took out a restraining order against Mr. Scholl, the father of her 5-year-old and 7-year-old children.

In her application, Ms. Scholl wrote that her husband had a history of abusing her and that she had been hiding gasoline and sleeping close to fire extinguishers after he threatened to burn down the house.

“In the past, I’ve been strangled, grabbed by my two arms and wrestled to the ground,” she wrote. “I do not want this for myself or my kids.”

Court records show a county judge issued a final protective order Sept. 8, effective until Aug. 25, 2016.

On Nov. 8, Mr. Scholl was arrested for violating the order after getting into an altercation with his wife at their home. He pleaded guilty to violating the order and was sentenced Nov. 19 to three months in county jail and a $300 fine.

Contact the writer:

,

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Judge Vito Geroulo sentenced the following defendants recently in Lackawanna County Court:

■ Aaron Kern, 21, Old Forge, to one to three years in state prison and $5,475.70 in restitution for criminal trespass — break into structure and conspiracy to commit burglary.

■ Edward David Cherundolo Jr., 38, Old Forge, to 90 days to five years in state prison and a $4,000 fine for DUI — combo drugs and alcohol, second of­­fense and DUI — third offense.

■ Daniel H. Lloyd, 39, 198 Belmont St., Carbondale, to 90 days’ probation and a $50 fine for harassment.

■ Katie Lorraine Milroy, 26, 208 Wilcrest Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., to three years’ probation for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Dakota Joe Kamysek, 24, 2708 North St., Endicott, New York, to two months to one year in county prison for possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Michael Joseph Bush, 20, 57 Shiber Lane, Wilkes-Barre, to one year of court supervision including time served (55 days) in county prison for possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Maurice L. Faulkner, 30, 905 Green Ridge St., Scranton, to three months to 1.5 years’ house arrest and two years’ probation for criminal use of a communication facility.

■ Peter Charles Povanda, 65, 107 Skyline Drive N, South Abington Twp., to one year of probation for disorderly conduct.

Judge Michael Barrasse

sentenced:

■ Ferdinand Derio Lucido, 23, 118 N. Rebecca Ave., Scranton, to 15 days to one month of house arrest for possession of a small amount of marijuana.

■ Jason Manning, 20, 323 Christ Court, Scranton, to two years of court supervision including two months’ house arrest for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Joshua Langston, 41, 221 Bridge St., Jessup, to time served (191 days) to two years of incarceration for tampering with evidence.

■ Stephen Donatelli, 45, 317 Madison Ave., Scranton, to one year of probation for theft by unlawful taking.

■ Henry Miller, 48, 1159 Luzerne St., Scranton, to one year of probation for disorderly conduct.

■ Bryan Neil Kinder Jr., 25, 1048 Pear St., Scranton, to time served (216 days) to 1.5 years of incarceration and three years’ probation for possession with intent to deliver.

■ Troy Jackson, 53, 1354 Sanderson Ave., Scranton, to three years of court supervision including three months’ house arrest for criminal use of a communication facility.

■ Eugene T. Jordan, 33, 532 Prospect Ave., Scranton, to two to six months in Lackawanna County Prison and $1,000 fine for DUI — first offense.

■ James Jordan, 36, 1129 Harding St., Clarks Summit, to one year of court supervision including two months’ house arrest and a $300 fine for harassment and possession of drug paraphernalia.

■ Dionne Knight, 31, 238 Parsonage St., Pittston, to four years of court supervision including 90 days in county prison and 90 days’ house arrest for possession with intent to deliver.

■ Jamie Walton, 39, 9 Thistle St., Pittston, to two years of court supervision including three months’ house arrest and $3,475.70 restitution for conspiracy — tampering with evidence.

■ Jessica Santerangelo, 34, 2507 N. Main Ave., Scranton, to two years of court supervision including two months’ house arrest, one year of probation and $100 restitution for theft by unlawful taking and possession of a controlled substance.

■ Scott Michael Wagner, 30, 331 Lane St., Jessup, to six months of court supervision including two months’ house arrest and a $750 fine for DUI.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Bernard G. Keisling Jr., trustee of the Keisling Family Trust, to Joseph M. Nealon, Scranton; a property at 924 Front St., Scranton, for $132,100.

■ Leo A. Latella, Moosic, to Amy M. Yando-Patel, Dunmore; a property at Glenmaura Commons, Moosic, for $260,000.

■ Thomas J. III and Elizabeth Joyce, both of Cinnaminson, N.J., to David F. Morris, Simpson; a property at Crystal Lake, Fell Twp., for $96,000.

■ Ricardo Nunes DeCarvalho Pereira, Clarks Summit, to Ryan L. Hauser and Megan Eckler, both of Clarks Summit; a property at Colburn Avenue, Clarks Summit, for $144,000.

LAWSUIT

■ Dorothy Jenkins, 26 Reigals Road, Spring Brook Twp., v. Schiff’s Restaurant Service Inc., 3410 N. Main Ave., Scranton, seeking in excess of $50,000 plus interest and costs for injuries suffered Dec. 29, in a slip and fall at the outdoor seafood market at Schiff’s Family Restaurant Service Inc., 3410 N. Main Ave., Scranton; Tullio DeLuca, attorney.

DIVORCE SOUGHT

■ Abby E. Giombetti, Scott Twp., v. Matthew C. Giombetti, Jessup; married Oct. 1, 2011, in Dunmore; Carrie A. Buscarini, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

HARRISBURG — The state Senate approved a budget-related bill Thursday that includes a provision to let Scranton use local services tax revenue to help shore up its distressed pension funds.

That means the tax on people who work in Scranton that increased this year from $52 to $156 would not have to be lowered back to $52 after the city eventually leaves the Act 47 program for financially distressed towns.

Instead, the provision would allow Scranton to earmark that increased portion of the local services tax for pension relief after exiting Act 47, should the city’s pension system remain in a severe or moderately distressed category at that stage.

The provision, inserted by Sen. John Blake, D-22, Archbald, is in a fiscal code bill sent to the House. It applies only to people who work in Scranton, Pennsylvania’s sole Class 2A city.

The fiscal bill is part of a package to resolve the state budget stalemate, now in its sixth month. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and the Republican-controlled Legislature have yet to agree on a budget for fiscal 2015-16.

Mr. Blake said this revenue earmark will help Scranton continue on the road to fiscal recovery and avoid falling back into distressed status.

Relief welcome

Scranton city Business Administrator David Bulzoni said the relief outlined in the bill would be welcome.

Scranton won court approval earlier this year to triple its local services tax from $52 to $156 a year for individuals who work in the city — including those who live elsewhere — and earn more than $15,000 a year. About 34,000 people are affected by that action. With the increase, the local services tax is estimated to generate about $5 million for the city this year, said Mr. Bulzoni.

Mr. Blake said any use of LST revenue for pension debt

would be several years down the road, if this bill becomes law.

State lawmakers rewrote Act 47 last year to address long-standing complaints that Scranton and other distressed towns have been stuck indefinitely in the program. The new law provides distressed towns with new local tax shift options, such as tripling the local services tax to help stabilize revenue as they exit Act 47.

Starting in 2017, Scranton’s Act 47 coordinator can recommend whether Scranton’s Act 47 status should end, be extended three years or whether more drastic action by state officials is needed.

Once Scranton leaves Act 47, it could use the LST revenue for pension debt without the need for court approval under this provision.

Mr. Blake had a similar provision for all Act 47 towns in the Senate version of the Act 47 rewrite legislation last year, but it was removed by the House.

Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com

When Col. Henry M. Boies organized the Scranton City Guard, he could not have forseen that his small unit would evolve into the Scranton-based 55th Brigade Combat Team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

A Civil War veteran, Col. Boies was also a successful businessman and inventor. He designed a revolutionary powder cartridge to cut down on fatal mining accidents and a new steel wheel for rail cars. Col. Boies helped organize many early Scranton institutions, including the Third National Bank, Hahneman Hospital and the YMCA.  

On August 1, 1877, some 5,000 striking miners poured into the city, attacking rail and ironworkers who had returned to work. Three miners were killed, and at least 25 people were seriously wounded. Col. Boies' Scranton City Guard later became the 13th Regiment of the National Guard and is now the 55th Brigade Combat Team, whose recent deployments include Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sinai Peninsula and Qatar.