1. How much prison time did former Commissioners Robert C. Cordaro and A.J. Munchak get for extortion and related public corruption charges?
A. None. They both got probation.
B. 100 years for Cordaro, 70 years for Munchak.
C. 11 years for Cordaro, seven years for Munchak.
D. 11 months for Cordaro, seven months for Munchak.
2. After being sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo, what did Mr. Munchak say to reporters?
A. "I think that the sentence was longer than necessary."
B. "I didn't do it."
C. The sentence was "very significant and very substantial."
D. "I don't have anything to say to you."
3. Why was a Wyoming County man freed from prison after serving more than 34 years of a life sentence for participating in a murder/ robbery?
A. The judge who handed down the sentence was convicted of public corruption.
B. The state parole board decided he was sufficiently reformed.
C. The state could not afford to continue to hold him.
D. He filed an appeal arguing he had an unlawfully induced guilty plea and ineffective counsel.
4. What sanctions did NCAA impose on Penn State in light of the cover-up of child-sex abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky?
A. A suspension of the football program for 10 years.
B. A $60 million fine.
C. The reversal of more than 100 victories.
D. Both B and C.
5. In November, who became the first woman and the first Democrat ever elected to serve as Pennsylvania attorney general?
A. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has family ties to Scranton.
B. Waverly Twp. resident and former county assistant district attorney Kathleen Kane.
C. Former Lackawanna County Chief of Staff Liz Randol.
D. City Council President Janet Evans.
6. As the city grappled with dwindling funds, Chris Doherty decided to temporarily ...
A. slash the pay of nearly 400 city employees to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
B. forward to Dunmore Borough all bills addressed to the city.
C. place donation boxes at all the city's major thoroughfares.
D. redirect all library fines to city coffers.
7. Why has a West Scranton couple posted signs at their home and erected video cameras?
A. They have been the victims of near-constant burglaries.
B. They are protecting their on-street parking spaces.
C. They are trying to combat what they claim is drug activity on their street.
D. They are catching litters in the act.
8. Who made special appearances at Scranton City Council twice this year as the city grappled with financial challenges?
A. Morgan Freeman, who offered to narrate past meeting minutes.
B. Scranton resident Ray Lyman.
C. Financial adviser, author, motivational speaker and television host Suze Orman.
D. Mayor Chris Doherty, who almost never attends the weekly meetings.
9. During a spoof of the vice presidential debate, Saturday Night Live writers called Scranton ...
A. "a burning coal heap."
B. "the single worst place on Earth."
C. forty-five minutes outside "the lowest circle of hell."
D. All of the above.
10. In that sketch, who played Vice President and Scranton native Joe Biden?
A. Joe Biden played himself.
B. Jason Sudeikis.
C. Chevy Chase.
D. Tina Fey.
11. How will Scott Twp. pay for roads damaged during the township's sewer project?
A. They are taking out a $1 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
B. Township supervisors went door-to-door asking for donations.
C. They are adding a 2-mill tax to raise enough funds.
D. They will hold a bake sale.
12. What other problem are Scott Twp. officials struggling with related to the sewer project?
A. Malfunctioning grinder pumps.
B. Connecting sewer lines to homes.
C. Lingering odors at pump stations.
D. Crocodiles in sewer lines.
13. Why will former state Senate Democratic Leader Robert J. Mellow serve 16 months in a federal prison?
A. He admitted to misusing taxpayer dollars for political purposes while he was a senator.
B. A jury found him guilty of taking kickbacks in exchange for steering state dollars to local projects.
C. He pleaded guilty to election fraud charges.
D. Federal judges decided to throw all local politicians in jail for possible corruption.
14. Who were among the 200 people who wrote letters attesting to Mr. Mellow's character before he was sentenced?
A. Actor Paul Dano, who has ties to the region.
B. former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
C. former President Bill Clinton.
D. Diocese of Scranton Bishop Emeritus James Timlin.
15. Felix Baumgartner made history in October when he ...
A. became the youngest person to ever become a United States senator.
B. became the first man to reach supersonic speed without traveling in a jet or a spacecraft after jumping from 128,100 feet above the Earth.
C. cooked the world's largest chocolate-chip pancake using only the power of his mind.
D. was nominated for an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony in the same year.
16. Why did a panel of judges reject Scranton's proposed 1 percent commuter tax?
A. They thought the burden on taxpayers outside the city was too great.
B. They are commuters and didn't want to pay the tax.
C. They doubted the city's estimates on the number of commuters.
D. They ruled that the tax would have gone beyond a legal threshold of balancing the 2013 budget by generating a surplus.
17. Parts of the 2013 county budget call for ...
A. a property tax increase of 4 percent.
B. the elimination of dozens of county jobs.
C. severe cutbacks to county-funded haircare products used by commissioners Corey O'Brien and Jim Wansacz.
D. Both A and B.
18. Who pleaded guilty this year to misusing taxpayer funds?
A. former county commissioner Robert C. Cordaro, in a separate indictment returned in April.
B. former Pittsburgh Republican Sen. Jane Orie.
C. Fred Rosetti, former executive director of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit.
D. Around here, who hasn't?
19. Who finished first at this year's Steamtown Marathon?
A. Matt Byrne, in 2 hours, 29 minutes, 6 seconds.
B. Mayor Chris Doherty, in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 24 seconds.
C. Times-Tribune editor Chad Sebring, in 1 hour, 1 minute and 59 seconds.
D. Jamaican sprinter and Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt in 1 hour, 2 minutes flat.
20. Why did people flock to St. George's Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Taylor in the early part of the year?
A. They were giving out vouchers to help people pay climbing utility costs.
B. They were serving authentic Greek food each weekend as a fundraiser for the church.
C. The church hosted an envoy of religious leaders from Greece.
D. The faithful believed two icons of the Blessed Mother of the Theotokos were seeping myrrh.
Answers: 1. C; 2. A; 3. D; 4. D; 5. B; 6. A; 7. C; 8. D; 9. D; 10. B; 11. A; 12. C; 13. A; 14. D; 15. B; 16. D; 17. D; 18. C; 19. A; 20. D.