Archbald
The recent winter storm that hammered much of the East Coast contributed to a blood shortage, and a local group is helping to answer the call.
The Valley Blood Council, which regularly runs blood drives in the Midvalley, will hold its next drive on Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Eynon VFW, 284 Main St.
The blood drive is in honor of all veterans and will be one of six drives the council holds this year.
“Our drives used to have 100 people, but recently we’ve been dwindling down to 50 or 60,” said Valley Blood Council President Genevieve Lupini. “We are always looking for that first-time donor who might get in line to donate every two months.”
Donors must be at least 17 years of age and weigh at least 110 pounds. For those who can donate, the need for blood and regular donors is constant.
The Valley Blood Council has helped to meet this constant need for more than 40 years, Ms. Lupini said.
— JEFF HORVATH
jhorvath@timesshamrock.com, @jhorvathTT on Twitter
Glenburn Twp.
As it has done for many years, the Church of the Epiphany will host a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper at the church this week to benefit the food pantry at Dalton United Methodist Church.
The event runs Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church at 25 Church Hill. For a free-will offering, guests can enjoy pancakes, sausages and other food prepared by the male congregation of the church. Acolytes at the church serve as waiters and bring food to those in attendance. All are invited.
“This is an ongoing traditional event,” said Rachel Baildon, a member of the church who handles marketing. “It’s a nice event, and it’s been open to the public for years. People come, both church members and the members of the community.”
For more information, visit www.epiphanyglenburn.org or call 570-563-1564.
— CLAYTON OVER
cover@timesshamrock.com, @ClaytonOver on Twitter
Lackawanna County
County commissioners recently provided support for the Scranton Police Department to get new patrol cars, made arrangements to fix the Administration Building’s freight elevator and picked a vendor to provide deputy uniforms.
The commissioners:
■ Entered into a memorandum of understanding with city police to support the department’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant application totaling $19,390.
“As we all know, we’re all tasked in government with doing more with less,” Police Chief Carl Graziano told the commissioners. “Budgets can’t sustain capital improvements on many occasions, so we have to seek outside sources: grants, foundations and so forth. ... It’s very important we seek out these grants.”
■ Approved a $33,560 grant agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection to combat West Nile virus through mosquito control activities.
“This is the 16th year of a very successful program that protects public health from mosquito-borne disease,” program director Michael Chisdock said.
■ Approved Starr Uniform Center as the uniform vendor for deputies, including a list of agreed-upon prices.
■ Amended the county’s energy savings contract with McClure Co. to include an additional $51,552 for preventive maintenance on 54 new rooftop heating/ventilation/air-conditioning units at the county jail.
■ Accepted a proposal from Otis Elevator Co. to repair the Administration Building’s freight elevator — which has been out of commission since July 2014 — for $65,446.
Kevin Mitchell, deputy director for purchasing, told commissioners the initial round of bids for the project ranged between $300,000 and $500,000.
“I actually got the state inspector back down here and told him we just wanted the nuts-and-bolts price for this,” Mr. Mitchell said. “It doesn’t have to look pretty.”
Mr. Mitchell said the elevator would ideally be used 10 to 20 times per day to move pallets of water and supplies around the building without tying up the main elevators or creating other logistical problems.
■ Agreed to buy up to 13 stenography machines and microphones for the courthouse for $65,840.
■ Accepted a proposal from Geograph IT for on-demand geographic information system support services totaling six hours per week, split between the assessor’s office, the emergency services department, and the planning and economic development office. The deal is capped at $63,000.
— KYLE WIND
kwind@timesshamrock.com, @kwindTT on Twitter
La Plume Twp.
Supporting a good cause is a pretty sweet thing to do. So is eating cupcakes.
The opportunity to do both presents itself at the third annual Keystone College Cupcake Challenge on Tuesday.
More than a dozen local bakeries are set to square off at the event, with all proceeds going toward the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The event has been growing since it’s inception, said organizer Brenda Lidy, an associate professor at the college.
“The numbers are going up, and it’s the first time I had bakers contact me, which is a good thing,” Ms. Lidy said.
Alicia’s Sweet Treats in Factoryville, Antonio’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Tunkhannock, Creative Cookies by Jenny in Scott Twp., Creative Cakes and Desserts in Clarks Summit, Genetti’s in Dickson City, Glenburn Grill & Bakery in South Abington Twp., Keystone Konfections in Tunkhannock, Market Street Sweets in Scranton, Murt’s Desserts in Nanticoke, PersonNELLized Cakes and Café in Carbondale, Wegmans in Dickson City, Zummo’s Café in Scranton and Sodexo Dining Services from Keystone and King’s colleges will all field entries for the competition. Vendors compete for four prizes: most artistic, best taste, most original and people’s choice.
The cupcake challenge runs Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Evans Hall on the Keystone College campus. For a fee, those in attendance can purchase four cupcakes to sample and vote on. Cost is $4 for students if bought in advance or $5 at the door, and $10 for adults.
— CLAYTON OVER
cover@timesshamrock.com, @ClaytonOver on Twitter
Scranton
The Green Ridge Neighborhood Association on Tuesday will host two public health experts speaking about the recent foul-smelling discharge in a Scranton sewer line that caused some evacuations, the group announced on a Facebook page devoted to that neighborhood.
The association’s meeting Tuesday will be at 7 p.m. at the American Legion, 625 Deacon St.
Representatives from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the state Department of Health’s Bureau of Epidemiology will “address questions about health agency work and concerns regarding potential environmental exposure pathways in the Green Ridge area related to the malodor event that caused the evacuation of St. Joseph’s Center and the Sleep Inn,” the Facebook post said.
The neighborhood association has kept tabs on the issue of the sewer-line discharge detected Sept. 24, when a stench permeated parts of Green Ridge and Dunmore.
Last month, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced that its three-month investigation into the illegal discharge failed to identify the source of the petroleum-based fluid. The DEP concluded that the amount of discharge likely was a small, though undetermined, amount of highly concentrated fluid and the incident probably was a one-time event.
“It’s still a major concern. You can’t have these type of incidents without raising some serious questions,” Green Ridge neighborhood group President Jim Mulligan said.
■
A rejuvenated group of young Democrats from Lackawanna County will meet in Scranton on Saturday to discuss “politics, voting and why your vote matters.”
The Lackawanna County Young Democrats will meet Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Backyard Ale House, 523 Linden St.
The agenda includes the following topics and subject areas running the gamut of local, state and federal issues:
■ Education: student-loan interest, sinking test scores.
■ Community involvement: crime reduction, upkeep of public grounds.
■ Repairing infrastructure: bridge repair, pothole patching.
■ Privacy: data protection, mass surveillance.
■ Money: individual and corporate taxes.
The group had been dormant but revived last summer and has grown to about 20 members, said Vice President Steven Coyne.
The presidential election this year also has members engaged, and the group hopes to continue to grow, he said.
Drawing inspiration from Robert Kennedy, the group cites one of his beliefs: that youths are the clearest mirror of whether the nation lives up to its ideals.
— JIM LOCKWOOD
jlockwood@timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter