Crocheters hook for St. Joe’s

A group of ladies known as the Happy Hookers who meet weekly to crochet together have added their works to St. Joseph’s Baby Pantry. Hearing that the pantry was in need of clothing items for children, the residents of Clifton Twp. created more than 50 hats, booties and baby blankets for the Scranton pantry that provides items for new parents.

Nancy Lovaglio hosted an appreciation luncheon, Jane Casagrande, said in an email, “to recognize the love and generosity of these fine women,” who also include Joann Adderondo, Camille Albert, Anita Boeschen, Debbie Buchanan, Marie Calhoun, Vi Cinquino, Jeanne Dietz, Karen Forrest, Rosaline Godino, Karen Goodhart, Patti Harti, Eileen Hyl, Sue Hynes, Alice Jacobsen, Linda McAllister, Anne Miesch and Pauline Snyder.

Super students

Students in the Government, Law and National Security Program at Misericordia University including Adam Candelori of Clarks Summit and Joe Taylor of Harding, participated in Career Trick-or-Treating, an event organized by Rebecca Padot, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Government and History. The junior and senior GLNS majors dressed up and toured select MU offices to obtain candy and advice that will help them prepare for careers. ... Emily Pieshefski of Olyphant was among the third-year architecture students at Marywood University dressed as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs who competed against fellow architecture and interior architecture students in a Halloween costume competition. ... Joseph Gorgol of Scranton and Gabrielle Long of Dunmore, were among those who helped deliver toys to children in the pediatrics department at Moses Taylor Hospital collected/purchased by Marywood University’s Aviation

Club’s annual fundraisers on campus.

High notes

General Manager Jack DeLeo, Office Manager Jessica Kostiak and Scranton Label Inc., which has been collecting toys since 2012 for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, thanked employees and residents of surrounding communities, Newton Twp. and Ransom Twp. and the Clarks Summit area, with helping them break their record with this year’s donations.

NBT Bank robbed

in Wayne County

DREHER TWP. — A masked individual robbed a bank in Wayne County on Tuesday, state police at Honesdale said.

The robber walked into NBT Bank on Main Street at 9:15 a.m. and demanded money, state police said. A bank teller gave the robber an undisclosed amount of money, who fled through the front doors in an unknown direction.

The robber wore a ski mask and sunglasses. Further description was not available.

Anyone with information can contact state police at Honesdale at 570-253-7126.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

A story on page A2 in Wednesday’s editions had an incorrect name for a Scranton Times reporter awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The reporter was J. Harold Brislin.

SCRANTON — The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties announced Wednesday the availability of next year’s Mike Munchak Community Services Scholarship.

Recipients of the scholarship receive a one-year award of $6,300. Funding for the award comes from the proceeds of the Mike Munchak Charity Golf Classic.

Candidates for the scholarship must be actively involved in community service programs receiving funds from the United Way and be a full-time resident and/or student of a school district in Lackawanna or Wayne counties.

A complete listing of eligibility requirements and the application are available for download or online submission at www.uwlc.net or by calling Frank Kincel at the United way at 570-343-1267, ext. 233.

— STAFF REPORTS

Attorney eyes

reinstatement

SCRANTON — The Disciplinary Board of the state Supreme Court scheduled a Feb. 18 hearing for an area attorney who was suspended for her conviction on a tax evasion charge.

Danielle Ross is seeking to be reinstated to the practice of law.

Ms. Ross formerly worked for Lackawanna County representing the interests of children who are the subject of a custody dispute between their parents. Her law license was suspended after she pleaded guilty to attempted income tax evasion for failing to report income she received from parents. She completed a one-year prison sentence for that conviction in April.

Anyone wishing to be heard should contact the disciplinary board by Feb. 5 at Pennsylvania Judicial Center, 601 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 5800, PO Box 62675. Harrisburg, Pa. 17106.

—TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER

SCRANTON — UGI Utilities said Wednesday that a scam is circulating among its customers.

Customers are receiving phone calls where the caller states they owe money for an energy bill and instructs them to purchase a money order and send it within the hour to avoid shut-off.

UGI warned that the phone calls are not from the energy utility and that is not the normal process they would follow if a customer is not current on their account.

Most calls have been to residential or commercial customers who are up to date on their bills.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

HONESDALE — A 21-year-old man shot and killed by state police Monday carried a rifle in his arms and had two other rifles slung across his shoulders when he turned to face three state troopers who responded to his Canaan Twp. home, authorities said.

Derek DeGroat didn’t comply with the state troopers’ commands to drop his weapons and stop walking, said Wayne County District Attorney Janine Edwards at a Wednesday press conference. The state troopers yelled the command more than 10 times.

“He refused,” Ms. Edwards said in prepared remarks. “Over and over they yelled to him to stop walking. He continued to refuse.”

More details on the deadly incident emerged Wednesday during the press conference at the county courthouse in Honesdale. However, the names of the three state troopers who shot Mr. DeGroat were not released. The three have not been interviewed by investigators and won’t be interviewed until 72 hours after the incident, which is state police protocol, authorities said.

“They’ve been debriefed on what to expect physically and psychologically ... to put them in the best possible position to move the investigation forward,” said state police Capt. Christopher Paris, commander of Troop R, which oversees the barracks in Honesdale, among others in the region.

Several state troopers who were at the scene but not involved in the shooting were interviewed, Ms. Edwards said.

State police responded to 9 Volunteer Way on Monday after a 10:36 p.m. call to 911 placed by Mr. DeGroat’s sister, Breanna DeGroat. Ms. DeGroat said her brother had a gun and threatened to kill himself.

The call disconnected. A state police dispatcher reconnected the call and spoke with Mr. DeGroat’s mother, Sheila DeGroat. She reiterated what her daughter said and the phone moved to Mr. DeGroat’s girlfriend, Lindsey Erk.

Ms. Erk told the dispatcher her boyfriend armed himself with three guns and said “if you call 911 I’m going to shoot them,” implying the police, Ms. Edwards said.

Ms. Erk later told investigators she and her boyfriend had been at a party that night and Mr. DeGroat gets mean when he drinks. They argued throughout the night. He armed himself with a rifle when they arrived at the home on Volunteer Way.

Ms. Erk tried to take the gun from him and she cut her hand. When sirens were heard, Mr. DeGroat emerged from the home armed with three rifles, a machete and a hatchet, she told investigators. Ms. Erk went to a neighbor’s driveway and hid with Mr. DeGroat’s mother behind a parked vehicle.

State police vehicles arrived at the home. They flooded the area with light and watched as an armed Mr. DeGroat walked from a tree in the lawn toward the house, Ms. Edwards said.

The state troopers shouted at him to stop. He moved the rifle around the front of his body.

Gun in hand, he turned and faced the three state troopers. The three opened fire.

“Mr. DeGroat fell to the ground,” Ms. Edwards said.

The state troopers approached him, began CPR, applied pressure to his wounds and spoke with him until an ambulance arrived. County Coroner Edward Howell pronounced the 21-year-old dead at 11:53 p.m.

“I intend to do a thorough and professional investigation in this matter,” Ms. Edwards said.

It’s unknown how many times state police shot Mr. DeGroat or if the rifles he carried were loaded. The three state troopers involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol.

“We’re working very diligently,” Capt. Paris said. “Many of us up here have not slept and there are many others who have not slept very much over the last 36 hours. ... We want to bring this investigation to a close and wer’e doing everything we can to do that.”

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

J. Benjamin Dimmick's handling of a typhoid fever epidemic as the 13th mayor of Scranton gained him international attention, and may ultimately have led to his untimely death.   

A founder of Scranton Lace, Mr. Dimmick served as vice president of First National Bank, president of the Lackawanna Trust Co. and was instrumental in creating the Pennsylvania State Oral School for the Deaf. In his first year as mayor, Scranton saw 1,141 cases of typhoid fever and 108 deaths from the virus.

State health officials determined that the typhus bacteria had infected the city's water. Mayor Dimmick called a boil advisory and ordered the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad  to clean up the Elmhurst watershed, where it used a right-of-way.

Mr. Dimmick was a college friend of President William H. Taft. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson named Mr. Dimmick Commissioner of the American Red Cross in Switzerland. He fell ill there and returned home the next year. He died in January 1920, while visiting his daughter in Ontario, Canada. He was 62.

Lackawanna County

Christmas breakfast: University of Scranton sixth annual Com­munity Christmas Day Break­fast, today, doors open 8 a.m., Fresh Food Co., DeNaples Center; free; reservation not required, 570-941-7401, info@scranton.edu.

Free meal: St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen, free meal, today, 11 a.m. to noon, 500 Penn Ave., Scranton.

Annual dinner: 21st annual Bob Bolus Sr. Christmas day dinner, today, noon-6 p.m., St. Patrick’s Church, 1403 Jackson St., West Scranton, free buffet turkey dinner, 570-346-7659.

Montrose

Christmas dinner: Endless Mountains Health Systems physicians, employees, friends and volunteers Christmas Day dinner, today, noon, Montrose Senior Center, 145 Church St.; food/fellowship for all; raffle of centerpieces donated by Kathy Zalewski.

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.

Holiday weather

warmer than July 4

SCRANTON — A T-shirt and pair of shorts would be more comfortable for Santa Claus than his famous red suit.

The previous record high for Christmas Day was 62 degrees, set in 1933, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature Thursday morning reached 63 degrees at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport and continued to climb to near 70, shattering the 82-year-old record.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines joked about Christmas in July. The temperature at noon on July 4 was 65 degrees. The temperature at noon Thursday was 67.

Christmas Day will flirt with record warmth as well. The high today is expected to climb to 60 degrees, 2 degrees shy of the 62 degree Christmas in 1964, the National Weather Service said.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

MARRIAGE LICENSES

■ John Henry McAndrew and Mona Kristel Manese, both of Moosic.

■ Mark Roland Cianfichi and Meng Xie, both of Madison Twp.

■ Nicole Schlimmermeyer and Elisa O’Hara, both of Scranton.

■ Glenn Paul Smith, Dunmore, and Bonnie Lynn Guzzon, Scranton.

■ Joshua Aaron Nash, Aurora, Colo., and Dana Lynn Kearney, Scranton.

■ Jennifer Jarosh and Anthony Joseph Fagan, both of Throop.

■ Sonal Jayantibhai Patel and Sandipkumar Rameshbhai Patel, both of Old Forge.

PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS

■ Lawrence Smith Construc­tion Inc., Lake Ariel, to Indra Koerner, Bronx, N.Y.; a property at Wellington Drive, Roaring Brook Twp., for $660,000.

■ Donald Bray and Jason Boyle, to James and Rebecca Sibio, both of Clarks Summit; a property at 13023 Valley View Drive, Newton Twp., for $40,000.

■ Fannie Mae, by its attorney in fact Phelan Hallinan LLP, to Regina’s Estates LLC; a property at Jackson Street, Olyphant, for $40,500.

■ PA Property Advisors LLC, to London Seigle, Scranton; a property at 1346 St. Ann St., Scranton, for $34,000.

■ Joseph W. Rinaldi, Alexan­dria, Va., to Mario J. Leombruni, Jefferson Twp.; a property at Lake Spangenberg, Jefferson Twp., for $70,000.

■ Gary G. and Carolyn A. Ceccarelli, both of Jessup, to Eileen Elizabeth Biel, Jefferson Twp.; a property at Moosic Lake, Jefferson Twp., for $262,500.

■ Richard C. and Stephanie M. Van Winkle, to William J. and Elsa Reviello, both of Old Forge; a property at 121 Harrison Ave., Old Forge, for $58,500.

■ Tina and Stephen Young, both of Newton Twp., to Erin M. Barrett, Clarks Summit; a property at 605 Meadow Lane, Clarks Summit, for $125,000.

■ Kirk A. Merchel, as executor of the estate of Joan Merchel aka Joan A. Merchel, to Victor Villani, Scranton; a property at South Hyde Park Ave., Scranton, for $31,300.

■ James H. Jr. and Belina K. Cabets, both of Midland, Mich., to S6 Holdings, Scranton; a property in Scranton, for $63,000.

■ WBCMT 2003-C3 Glen­maura Office Limited Partner­ship, Miami Beach, Fla., to 53 Glenmaura, LLC, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a property at 53 Glenmaura National Blvd., Moosic, for $11,602,500.

■ Fannie Mae, by its attorney in fact Udren Law Offices, to Frank J. and Christopher M. Stone; a property at 95 Mackie Lane, Taylor, for $59,900.

DIVORCE SOUGHT

■ Sean O’Neill, Dickson City, v. Jessica Rutkowski, Spring Brook Twp.; married Sept. 3, 2010; Michael E. Brier, attorney.

ESTATES FILED

■ Regina Vollvitch aka Regina M. Vollvitch, 112 Holgate St., Chinchilla, letters testamentary to Ann C. Knight, 3892 Michi­gan Ave., N.E., Cleveland, Tenn.

■ Patrick J. McHale aka Patrick Jerome McHale, 1389 Watson St., Scranton, letters testamentary to Mary Catherine Aniska, 1318 S. Main Ave., Scranton.

LAWSUIT

■ Denise Frati Talarico, individually and as administratrix of the estate of James Joseph Talarico, 153 Casper St., Old Forge, v. Skyjack Inc., 201 Woodlawn Road, Guelph, Ontario, and United Rentals Inc., 100 First Stamford Place, Suite 700, Stamford, Conn., seeking in excess of jurisdictuinal limit requiring arbitration referral by local rule, together with costs, interests and all other damages on four counts, for wrongful death of James Joseph Talarico; Vincent S. Cimini, attorney.

ONLINE: thetimes-tribune.com/courts

Project Joy brings holiday happiness

Children learn about helping other children in need during the Jewish Community Center of Scranton’s Project Joy program, Executive Director Daniel J. Cardonick reports in an email.

Project Joy participants this year included Prisha Agrawal, Lucas Anelli, Thomas Baldini, Tripp Bishop, Axel Bosley, Caleb Campbell, Amanda Cardonick, Asher Carl, Lily Coviello, Luca Falzett, Leah Harkavy, Jaxon Hinkie, Eren Isil, Lakshmi Kottamasu, Julian Leon, Jackson Luchansky, Jack McClintock, Carsten McCollum, Thomas Morris, Cazlyn Oxley, Sawyer Pirillo, Jaden Solfanelli, Maya Solfanelli, Emma Stajkowski, Lydon Swan, Mari Wright and Justin Yazinski

Donations to Project Joy are designed to “ensure every child experiences a special holiday season,” Dan noted, adding, “Over 100 children benefit from gifts purchased from wish lists received from a variety of organizations such as Jewish Family Services, St. Joseph’s Center and Catherine McCauley Center.”

Stars in stripes

Cadets and senior members from the Civil Air Patrol Scranton Composite Squadron 201 visited the Gino J. Merli Veterans Center in Scranton. After a tour, the CAP visited with the veterans, who enjoyed meeting with the young people in uniform. The cadets in trun enjoyed hearing stories of the vets’ days in uniform. Among those visiting the center, where they donated snacks, personal items and supplies which they collected for the veterans, were Maj. Glenn Carman, First Lt. Maggie Clauss, Cadet Master Sergeant Kyle Hordyszynski, Capt. Daniel King, Cadet Airman First Class Darrian Lang, Cadet Airman Charles Levers, Lt. Barbara Pope, Cadet Capt. Michael Pope III, Cadet Senior Master Sergeant David Teeters, Capt. Kim Teeters, and Cadet Senior Airman Lee Weidow .

High notes

Members of the Lackawanna County Medical Society, including Ariane Conaboy, D.O.; John Diakiw, M.D.; John Farrell, M.D.; Chris Peters, M.D.; Gregg Severs, D.O.;Jamie Stallman, M.D.; Chad Walker, D.O.; Timothy Welby, M.D.; and Edward Zaloga, D.O. collected coats, hats, gloves and other cold-weather items to be donated to United Neighborhood Center’s Angel’s Attic during a general membership meeting — holiday networking social and coat drive.

Commission appeals ruling

SCRANTON — The defunct Lackawanna County Government Study Commission is asking the state Supreme Court to hear an appeal of a ruling that ordered a private investigator to turn over three emails to The Times-Tribune.

Frank Ruggiero, attorney for the commission, wants the court to review a Nov. 20 ruling by the state Commonwealth Court that directed James Seidel, a private investigator who worked for the commission, to provide emails the newspaper sought under the state’s Right to Know Law.

The emails related to information Mr. Seidel gathered during an investigation of alleged wrongdoing within county government. Mr. Ruggiero argued the emails are exempt from disclosure because they were part of a noncriminal investigation conducted by the commission.

The Commonwealth Court disagreed. The court found the commission exceeded its authority in ordering the investigation, therefore the records were not exempt from disclosure.

Mr. Ruggiero filed a petition for appeal with the Supreme Court last week. The court, which must grant permission to appeal, has not yet ruled on the petition.

— TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER

A correction on A3 Thursday mistakenly said journalist J. Harold Brislin worked for The Scranton Times when he was awarded a Pulitzer prize. The prize was awarded for work he did at The Tribune and Scrantonian.

Janice Walsh walked into Stately Pet Supply in Clarks Summit with what seemed like mission impossible: Find a chew toy that her 186-pound English mastiff, Lilly, and her 110-pound brother, Murphy, couldn’t destroy.

The North Scranton woman and her husband, Bob, have gone through countless stuffed toys, only to find them shredded beyond recognition in a matter of days or, sometimes, minutes. They couldn’t find anything that would last — until she discovered the “body parts” room at the South State Street store owned by Rebecca and Andy Martino.

The massive mastiffs finally met their match: genuine elk antlers that are so hard even their giant jaws couldn’t destroy them, at least not immediately.

“We’ve had one of them since last Christmas,” Mrs. Walsh said. It’s now showing signs of wear, so she recently returned to buy a larger size to stuff in the pups’ Christmas stockings this year.

The antlers are among dozens of unique items offered at the store. If elk isn’t to your pets’ tastes, they can gnaw on a giant bison femur bone or moose antlers. Canines that want a crunchier treat might try some cow windpipes, lungs or Achilles tendons, all of which are dehydrated and come neatly packaged in sealed plastic.

They’re tasty alternatives to traditional rawhide bones found at most mainstream pet stores, Mrs. Martino said. Dogs, particularly aggressive chewers, love them.

“You can give a dog a car tire or cinder block and with enough time and determination they can go through it,” she said. “Elk antlers will probably outlive the dog. ... They are not completely indestructible, but they put up the best fight.”

The Martinos of Falls both left full-time jobs, she as a registered nurse, he as an electronics technician at Tobyhanna Army Depot, to open the store in October 2014. The pet supply market is very competitive, so they concentrated on offering specialty items not readily available at most stores.

Some folks might find the body parts section of the shop, well, a little gross, Mrs. Martino acknowledges.

“We get people chasing each other around with turkey feet trying to gross each other out,” she said with a laugh.

Mrs. Walsh, 52, was looking for items to stuff in her prized pooches’ Christmas stockings on a recent afternoon. She is among several customers who unabashedly admit to spoiling their pets at Christmas.

“They’re like my kids,” Mrs. Walsh said. “I spoil them all the time, but when I come to this place they’re doubly spoiled.”

Cathy Spall of Hawley was also searching for some tooth-defying chews for her two 50-pound Airedales,Riley and Sadie.

“I’m going to have a very happy boy and girl,” she said as she showed off the bag full of toys and cookies that will await them Christmas morning.

The store also offers a wide variety of nutritionally balanced pet foods, treats and gourmet items located in a refrigerated section, including genuine pheasant, rabbit, duck, chicken and beef dinners.

Mrs. Martino said the couple decided to open the store after spending years trying to figure out why one of her dogs was so sickly. She finally learned it was allergic to ingredients in its food. Motivated to help other pet owners, she’s become a virtual encyclopedia of knowledge regarding pet nutrition, which she eagerly shares with customers.

“If you have a dog newly diagnosed with diabetes, I understand my products and can tell you what not to feed him as a treat,” she said.

Mrs. Walsh said she’s just happy to find something that will keep her “kids” occupied. She picked up a couple more elk antlers and some bison femurs.

“Once, we got them rubber chickens. The heads were popped off within 10 minutes,” she said. “This will keep them occupied for a little while when I’m trying to get stuff done.”

Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com

Pair charged with

endangering child

WEST PITTSTON — Two local parents are facing child endangerment charges after police say they found a 2-month-old baby living in deplorable conditions: surrounded by trash, dog feces and broken windows.

Kaitlyn Nicole Baird, 19, of 295 Birchwood Village Estates in Exeter, and Jesse Lee English, 21, of 728 Foundry St., West Pittston, are each charged with a felony count of endangering the welfare of children after police responding to a domestic disturbance at Mr. English’s house found the child living in filth a month after Luzerne County Children and Youth was tipped off about the situation.

Magisterial District Judge David A. Barilla arraigned the pair Wednesday evening and ordered them jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility with bail set at $30,000 each. Preliminary hearings were set for 9 a.m. Jan. 6.

— JAMES HALPIN

DEP accepting applications

SCRANTON — The state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting applications for the 2016 Governor’s Award for Environmental Protection, DEP said.

The award honors projects that have turned “environmental challenges into opportunities.”

Projects are selected on several criteria, including public service, pollution prevention, economic impact and climate change.

Projects must have been completed between Aug. 1, 2014, and July 31. Applications must be submitted to RA-EPgovenvi

roawards@pa.gov by 5 p.m. on Jan. 15.

The award is open to businesses, farms, government agencies, schools, nonprofits and individuals.

— JOSEPH KOHUT

Weekend leave pass in hand, Charles Bidwell caught a Greyhound bus home from Newark, New Jersey, on April 9, 1944.

A military police officer in the U.S. Army, Mr. Bidwell took his seat first, since the driver let GIs board ahead of the crowd. Looking out the window, he glanced at the line.

“And lo and behold I spotted ... the most beautiful girl in the world,” he said.

Sitting in the living room of the Lake Ariel home that has been in his family for generations he glanced at Janet Bidwell, who smiled. She was the beautiful girl waiting for the bus. They will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary today.

Photos and mementos of their long life together fill their home.

Unfolding a small slip of paper with a tattered edge on a recent afternoon, Mr. Bidwell, 93, revealed the still bold and bright text on the pass that granted him leave from his military base on Governor’s Island in New York from April 9 until April 12, 1944. He was traveling home to Lake Ariel and Mrs. Bidwell was headed home to Scranton. He remembered hoping she would sit next to him.

She was “pleased” her pre-assigned seat was next to him, Mrs. Bidwell said. “I thought he was a looker.”

The pair talked and exchanged numbers on the bus.

Mrs. Bidwell was back at her government job in Newark when Mr. Bidwell called a few weeks later. They soon started “going steady” and married the next year on a cold and snowy Christmas Day in 1945 while Mr. Bidwell had furlough from his new base in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“We decided that’s when we were going to get married,” he said.

They spent their honeymoon in the Poconos in the middle of a blizzard before they both went back to work — her to Newark, him to Governor’s Island.

While the Lake Ariel home on C. Bidwell Road has been in Mr. Bidwell’s family for generations, the Bidwells’ 70-year marriage has seen them move to nine different places, Mrs. Bidwell said.

“We traveled, we’ve met a lot of nice friends,” she said, but eventually returned to Lake Ariel after Mr. Bidwell retired from the dairy company he served for 40 years after World War II.

“We decided we wanted to come home,” she said.

Mr. and Mrs. Bidwell had three children: Robert, Barry and Pamela.

In their seven decades together the Bidwells found plenty of happiness, but experienced some tragedy as well.

They lost their oldest son, Barry, in the Vietnam War. “That was hard because we never got him back,” Mrs. Bidwell said.

A timeline of photos documents their life as a married couple and family. A photo from their first date, laughing and talking in Times Square, and photos of their children growing up sits on a bookshelf in the Lake Ariel home where they retired.

Mr. Bidwell said they have simply “enjoyed each other” over the past 70 years.

Mrs. Bidwell agreed, but said patience was key to getting through the more difficult times.

“Everything’s not roses and sunshine,” she said. “You’ve got to listen to one another ... have a little patience with one another.”

Standing next to a life-size photo from their wedding day that their son made for their 60th anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Bidwell wore the same radiant smiles they had on Christmas Day 70 years ago.

“I love this old boy here,” Mrs. Bidwell said. “I fell in love with him when I saw him.”

Contact the writer: sscinto@timesshamrock.com, @sscintoTT on Twitter

A man who claims he was fired after seeking treatment for alcohol abuse filed a federal lawsuit against a Dunmore candy manufacturer, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mark Strausser, 48, of Hamlin, filed suit against Gertrude Hawk Chocolate Inc.

According to the suit filed this week, Mr. Strassuer was employed as a machine operator at the company’s location in the Keystone Industrial Park from February 2014 until he was fired in January.

The suit says Mr. Strausser sought medical leave in December 2014 to enter an inpatient rehabilitation facility to treat alcoholism. The leave was approved and he entered a facility for 28 days, successfully completing the program.

Mr. Strausser returned to work and was handed a letter advising him he was being assessed attendance points for the time he was at the facility, despite the fact he had been approved for the leave, the suit says. He complained to a supervisor, who stated he didn’t care where Mr. Strausser had been. When Mr. Strausser advised the supervisor he was going to consult an attorney, he was immediately fired.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Ari Karpf of Bensalem, alleges the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide Mr. Strausser a reasonable accommodation to treat his disability. It seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com

The widow of an Old Forge man who died after he fell from a piece of construction equipment is suing the manufacturer and the company that rented the machine to him.

Denise Frati Talarico, 153 Casper St., Old Forge, filed suit against Skyjack Inc. of Ontario, Canada, and United Rentals Inc. of Stamford, Connecticut, relating to the July 26, 2014, death of her husband, James.

According to the lawsuit, Mr. Talarico, 52, was the owner of a construction business and rented a scissor lift — a machine used to lift and carry heavy objects — for a job in Old Forge.

On July 24, 2014, Mr. Talarico stepped onto a step of the equipment to retrieve a caulk gun located on its work platform. He slipped, catching his foot in the step, which caused him to fall backward six to 10 feet and strike his head on a concrete floor. The impact caused severe head trauma, which led to his death two days later.

The lawsuit alleges the design of the scissor lift was faulty because it had no hand holds and did not have any instructions on how to use the equipment safely.

The suit, filed in Lackawanna County court by attorney Vincent Cimini of Scranton Wednesday, seeks unspecified damages from Skyjack and United Rentals for each of four counts, including negligence, breach of warranty and wrongful death.

Contact the writer:

tbesecker@timesshamrock.com