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2 GOLackawanna Sunday, March 25, 2012

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Issue No. 2012-085

3 NEWS

Page 4 SPD officer wont face criminal charges

Page 5 Council approves rental registration

Page 8 Tobyhanna celebrating a century

Page 12 County records system updated

16 ARTSPage 16 Matthews Mission Easter egg hunt set

Page 17 Grease the one West Side wants

Page 21 Slam poet headlines literary event

25 SPORTSPage 25 AH volleyball moves to Lack. League

Page 27 Holy Cross falls short in semis

Page 28 ROBINSON: Celebrate top athletes

Page 37 Youth hockey team in national playoffs

GO Lackawanna EditorChristopher J. Hughes [email protected]/PhotographerRich Howells [email protected] RepresentativeKaren Fiscus [email protected]

News [email protected] Paper 829-5000Classified1-800-273-7130Advertising 829-7101Subscriptions 1-800-252-5603Hours of Operation9a.m. 6p.m.; M-F; 210 WyomingAvenue, Scranton 18503

OUR TEAM

Our respitecame in themail.

Last week,my wifes auntsent an adora-ble invitation

to the house. The special greet-ing was to request our daugh-

ters presence at her home fromFriday night into Sunday after-noon.

Bring your brother and hisstuff, she added at the end.

Im not sure who was moreexcited about being away forthe weekend the kids or thegrown-ups.

Being a parent is consuming.Any good one will tell you that.

With both parents working in

most households today, ours isno different. My days are filled with headlines and deadlines,my nights with clean dishes

and playtime. Swap the hours

around and youve got my wifes schedule.

So the opportunity to havethe kids away for a bit was wel-come. Lynz and I rarely getout, and when we do its eitherto the grocery store or with ourrespective friends on solonights away from home.

Friday and Saturday were dif-ferent.

We kicked off the weekend

with a few drinks and some ex-cellent music from our goodfriend, Mat Burke. The Abing-ton Heights grad and I have

been close since he was one ofmy most reliable photogra-phers at The Abington Journal.Now, a musician with a fewdiscs under his belt, Mat wasone of the opening acts for aheadliner comprised of his bud-dies playing at The Keys.

Catching up with Mat over a

few brews as the missus sippedher Captain and coke was agreat change. It was fun to seehow Mats style and stage per-sona have evolved.

His set list, built on originalmaterial and fantastic covers ofhits by Alkaline Trio andBouncing Souls, helped fuel aplaylist that made deadlinemore bearable.

On Saturday, we were set to

travel to Wilkes-Barre for a pro-duction of Chicago starringanother dear friend, Dane Bow-er.

Dane and I trace our roots toa college improv group as theonly two members withenough knowledge of the al-phabet to perform the Alpha-Line skit forward and back-ward.

Without seeing the show atthe time of this writing, Im

sure were in for another treat.Dane knows how to commandan audience, and this will beone of the few times I haventshared the stage with him.

It is odd not having the kidsaround, though, and old habitsdie hard. I still found myselftip-toeing past their doors Sat-urday morning on my way tothe bathroom, only to realizethat there was no one to sneak

past. This weekend provided anice break, but it will be goodto have them back home again.

Nights on the town well-deservedCHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES needs

more date nights. Email him at

[email protected]

BEHIND THEBYLINESC H R I S T O P H E R J .H U G H E S

COVER PHOTOS BY

BILL BOOCK

AND JASON RIEDMILLER

JASON RIEDMILLER PHOTO

Josh Kosin attemptsto dunk over ImhotepCharters Nigel Granton Wednesday.STORY: Page 27

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Sunday, March 25, 2012 GOLackawanna 3

SCRANTON Fire fil-

led a North Scranton

neighborhood as

smoke billowed across the

city late Tuesday night in a

blaze that inspectors deter-

mined was deliberately set.

Four homes on Langstaff

Place, off Providence Road,

were hit by the fire that As-

sistant Fire Chief Jeff Whitesaid began in 604-06 Lang-

staff Pl.

Three out of the four struc-tures, theyre gone, White saidat about 1:50 a.m. Wednesdaymorningas fire crews continuedto pour water onto the structur-es to eliminate hot spots thatcontinued to erupt.

The first call came in at 11:06p.m. and the blaze occupied fire

fightersfor hours. The last com-pany didnt clear the scene until8:04 a.m., according to theScranton Fire Department web-site, www.scrantonfire.com.Crews spent parts of the day

Wednesday and Thursday de-molishing those structures.

White estimated that 50 menfrom Scranton and Dunmore re-sponded to the fire. Twenty-sixmen initially responded fromthe city.

Chief Tom Davis said Thurs-daythat thefire was ruled arsonthrough a joint investigation bythe Scranton and PennsylvaniaState police departments.

Fire crews were able to re-spond quickly after Engine 7

wasclearedfrom an initialinves-tigationcalledin at10:54 p.m.to1019 Albright Ave. for reports ofa trash can on fire, according to

www.scrantonfire.com. Crewsspotted the fire on Langstaff, al-

lowing them to respond in justovertwo minutes after the11:06

Providence

infernowas arsonTuesday firedisplaced 19.

CHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

[email protected]

See ARSON, Page10

Last weeks decision from City Hall to re-

hire 12 men to the Scranton Fire Depart-

ment was an easy one.

We still dont have any money, but Im not

going to have somebody die, Mayor Chris Do-

herty said Thursday.

The March 16 decision came after 13 people

were displaced from a fire on Swetland Streeton March 12 that met appropriate response

times. A second fire on March 16 was different,

however.

It took crews 10 minutes almost twice the

proper response time to reach last weeks

structure fire at 1125 Froude Ave. in the East

Mountain section of the city. The engine com-

pany that would have responded first, Engine

10, had been permanently closed since Januaryafter council did not revise Dohertys proposal

to eliminate 29 fire fighters in the 2012 budget.

Word quickly came down fromCity Hall later that day authorizingtherehiringof 12men,who were putinto service on Saturday, March 17.

The mayor met with the unions.The biggest problem was staffing,explained Fire Chief Tom Davis on

Thursday.We rode with two men for the

past 10 years. When they went tocourt, they were handed down afour-man staffing (requirement perapparatus). The mayor asked themifthey wouldgo to threefor thesim-plereason thatwe could openanoth-er company. If they agreed, he saidhe would bring back the 12 men.

Thats exactly what happened.Theyweredarnrelieved andhap-

py to come back. While fire fighters stationed at

the reopened Engine 10 on EastMountain Road on Friday after-noon could not comment on being

rehired by the city, two of the menwho were among the dozen firsthired in Feb. 2003 couldnthelpbutsmile.

Plan was in place

Doherty had directed Deputy FireChief Al Lucas to build a plan in Ja-nuary on how the city could rehiremen through savings from a retireeprescription savings grant approvedby council in Dec. 2011. The plan

was projected by council to save$600,000, but officials questioned ifand whenthat money would materi-alize.Itsnow believe thecity shouldreceive those funds in June.

There were 13 positions in thebudget based on councils funding ofthe prescription rebate plan, LucassaidFriday.I wasasking theadmin-istration,If this is goingto be real, Ireally need those 13 men to reopenEngine 10.

TheOct. 2011 SupremeCourt rul-ing concerning past arbitration andthe citys status as a distressed mu-nicipality included the languagethat required fourfire fighters work-

ing on each apparatus.On Mayor Dohertys direction, I


Slow response time to an East Mountain fire prompted the rehiring of 12 men back to the Scranton Fire Department. Returning

men to the fire service helped reopen Engine 10.

FIRE REHIRES ANNOUNCEDUnion, City Hall relax safety standards to better cover cityCHRISTOPHERJ.HUGHES

[email protected]

See REHIRES, Page 10

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SCRANTON The LackawannaCounty District Attorneys Office willnot file criminal charges against aScranton policeofficer that wasplacedunder investigation in late February.

The Pennsylvania State Police con-firmedon Feb.22 thattheywereinves-

tigating the officer.District Attorney Andy Jarbola said

Friday, March 23 that the allegationsthatcameto uswerethoroughlyinves-tigated by the state police, and we areof the opinion that the conduct doesnot rise to the level of crime that canbe proven beyond a reasonabledoubt.

Police Chief Dan Duffy said he wasinformed by the district attorneys of-fice that the officer would not becharged at about 3 p.m.The personnel

matter, he added, would be under in-ternal investigation.

The officer in question, who bothJarbola and Duffy declined to identify,will be placed on administrative leavepending the completionof the depart-ments investigation. Duffy did notclarify if the officer would be paid orunpaid and estimated that an investi-gation could be completed in as littleas two weeks.

Internal department violations cango anywhere from a verbal reprimandon up to termination, Duffy said ofpossible repercussions for violatingpolicy, procedure, rules, and regula-tions. Findings in personnel mattersare not made public, he added.

If the conduct rises to the level oftermination, the suggestion would behanded over to Mayor Chris Doherty.

The only person that can hire andfire is the mayor, Duffy said.

The case has offered a complexproblem to the department, the chiefacknowledged.

Its not routine for one of our ownto be investigated for criminal mat-ters. When we receive internal com-plaints, its not uncommon for us as apolice agency to police our own to en-sure that were doing whats appropri-ate, he said.

We havea tremendous departmentwith a phenomenal group of people,and this is a rarity.

Duffy said he was pleased that thestate police and district attorneys of-

fice found no criminal conduct. Hesaid no officers have been reassignedto other duties after the beginning ofthe investigation.

No charges inlocal officerinvestigationCHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

[email protected]

The following criminal complaintswere filed in Lackawanna CountyCourt between Feb. 9 and March 19.

All information is derivative of policeaffidavits, all charges are pendingfollowing preliminary hearings, and allsuspects are presumed innocent untilproven guilty.

State worker allegedly bilked

businesses

The Attorney Generals Public Cor-ruption Unit arrested James McDon-nell, 53, of Sanderson Ave., Scranton,an auditing supervisor with the StateWorkmans Insurance Fund, on six

counts of filing false statements offinancial interest, five counts of brib-ery, three counts of restricted activ-ities, and two counts each of conspir-acy and dealing in proceeds of un-lawful activity.

McDonnells wife, Michelle, 44, isalso charged with two counts of con-spiracy.

Authorities allege Mr. McDonnellsolicited and accepted bribes frombusinesses between 1999 and 2011 inexchange for reductions in workerscompensation insurance premiums.Further, Mrs. McDonnell was allegedlyplaced on the payroll of some affect-ed businesses as a ghost employeeto arrange the payments.

The McDonnells allegedly receivedmore than $80,000 through thescheme.

Both were arraigned March 19 andpreliminary hearings are set forMarch 26. Mr. McDonnell was releasedon $50,000 unsecured bail, and Mrs.

McDonnell was released on $10,000unsecured bail.

Thief eyed dental hygiene

Police allege Francis Robert Lom-bardo, 49, of South Webster Ave.,Scranton, attempted to steal twopacks of Crest whitening strips fromthe K-Mart store in Moosic on March16. In an interview with police, Lom-bardo allegedly said he stole theitems worth $54.99 each to sell for$30 because he needed the money

for rent. The retail theft was Lombar-dos second, according to the com-plaint.

He was arraigned March 16 on onecount of retail theft and released on$5,000 unsecured bail. A preliminaryhearing is set for March 26.

Man spit on doughnut shop

customers

Twenty-two-year-old Jeremy Owens,of South Main Street, Old Forge, alleg-

edly spit on two women inside theCurry Donuts on Wyoming Avenue onMarch 16 and yelled derogatory termsat bystanders waiting at nearby bus

stops before he was detained bypolice. Owens, who allegedly toldpolice his name was Jamie, alsoallegedly swore at and flipped offpolice during the incident.

He was arraigned March 16 on one

count each of providing false identi-fication, disorderly conduct, andharassment, and he was released on$2,500 unsecured bail. A preliminaryhearing is set for March 26.

Hotel guest touched worker

inappropriately

South Abington Police say Mah-moud Bakr Aqeel, 28, of JacksonStreet., Scranton, allegedly grabbedthe buttocks of a hotel employee atthe Inn at Nichols Village on March

17. Aqeel allegedly asked to womento come into a bathroom on the thirdfloor of the hotel and asked her tocome in to see something. Theemployee, believing something wasbroken, entered the bathroom andAqeel allegedly asked her to showhim her privates. She refused, andwhen she turned to replace a trashbag, he allegedly grabbed her but-tocks.

Aqeel was arraigned March 17 oncharges of indecent assault, dis-orderly conduct, and harassment. Hewas held for $5,000 bail, and a pre-liminary hearing is set for March 26.

Providence burglar wanted copper

pipes

Police arrested 24-year-old Chris-topher Burton, of Roach Court,Scranton, on March 17 after he wasdiscovered inside a condemned prop-erty at 1152-54 Providence Rd.,Scranton. Burton allegedly admitted

to police that he was trying to stealthe copper pipes and (was) goinginto the house because he neededmoney for food. He also told policethat he had smoked synthetic mari-

juana that morning.Burton was arraigned March 17 on

charges of theft by unlawful taking,receiving stolen property, criminaltrespassing, and criminal mischief.He was held for $10,000 bail, and apreliminary hearing is set for March26.

Kids clothes, intimates shoplifted

Holly Jill Huey, 36, of TedrickStreet, Pittston, allegedly attemptedto steal $177.88 in toddlers clothingand intimate apparel including brasand socks from the K-Mart on MoosicStreet on March 17. When she wasstopped by loss prevention officersin the parking lot, she refused toreturn to the store and fled withanother woman in a blue Pontiac G6.

When police stopped the vehicle at anearby Fidelity Deposit and TrustBank on Birney Avenue, Huey was inthe passenger seat and the alleged

stolen items were in plain sight in-side the car.

Huey was arraigned on March 17on two counts each of retail theft,receiving stolen property, and driv-ing with a suspended license. She

was released on $2,000 unsecuredbail, and a preliminary hearing is setfor March 26.

Driver waived handgun at woman

Anthony J. Allen, 31, of Royal OaksDrive, South Abington Township,allegedly waived a hand gun at awoman driving along SandersonAvenue on Feb. 9. The victim, MaryEllen Walsh, told police that the driv-er of an older model Mercedes Benzhonked his horn at her while she was

stopped at a stop sign and beganwaving a black hand gun at her.She told police that he wasnt point-ing the hand gun at her but that theincident caused extreme fear. Po-lice seized two weapons from Allensvehicle following a traffic stop withpermission from Allen and his girl-friend, Rebecca Segall.

Allen was arraigned Feb. 9 oncharges of terroristic threats. Thepreliminary hearing has been contin-ued twice, and the current hearing isset for April 23. Allen posted $5,000bail on Feb. 10.

Woman waives lip-biting hearing

Talisa Nicole Collins, 24, of Staf-ford Ave., Scranton, waived a March6 preliminary hearing on allegationsthat she bit her boyfriends lip fol-lowing an argument. Police said Co-rey Curetons lip was only attachedby a small piece of skin. Collinsallegedly told police that she bit his

lip in self defense. Police said theinjury would likely require plasticsurgery.

Collins was arraigned March 1 andwaived all charges of aggravatedassault, simple assault, harassment,and disorderly conduct on March 6.She was released on $5,000 un-secured bail.

Stabbing case moves forward

A man accused of stabbing a wom-an outside the St. Francis of Assisi

soup kitchen on March 3 waived hishearing on March 21. Bruce TimothyWild, 39, of Luzerne Street, Scran-ton, allegedly stabbed Donna Fullerearlier this month because he wasaccusing her of seeing anotherman. Wild was located by policenear the railroad tracks on the 300block of Olive Street.

He was arraigned March 12 andwaived all charges of aggravatedassault, simple assault, and reckless

endangerment at a March 21 prelimi-nary hearing. He was held for$5,000 bail.

- CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES

POLICE BLOTTER

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SCRANTON City Councilunanimously repealed an old or-dinance and gave final approvalto a new rental registration pro-gram on March 22 that will addfeesand stronger provisions to a

previously ineffective law.Council believes the previous

rental program dissolved in2008 due to employment cuts

within the city, and penalties fornoncompliance lacked weightand enforcement. It took over a

year for the legislation to mate-rialize before its passage on

Thursday.Property owners will now

owe an annual rental registra-tionfeeof $15 perrentalunit and

an annual permit fee of $50 persite. The ordinance lists the du-ties of owners and requires allowners to obtain a minimum of$50,000 in fire legal liability in-suranceand casualtyinsurancein an amount sufficient to eitherrestore or remove the building.

Several city officials are au-thorizedto enforcethe program,and the Licensing, Inspections,and Permits department mayclose a rentalunit ifmultiple vio-

lations of the ordinance occur,among other provisions.

Councilman Bob McGoff met with Councilman Pat Roganduring the week to decide onamendments based on feedbackfrom council and the GreaterScranton Board of REALTORS.

Thesafety inspection was in-cluded so that it would not hin-der property owners and en-force unnecessary inspectionsfor properties that were up to

code and operating with of thesafety of the tenants in mind,McGoff explained.

While he said some thingsmaybe have been left out,amendments canbe madein thefuture to address thoseissuesasthey arise, including the possi-ble hiring of a program coordi-nator.

Rogan said it was a goodfirststep that will hopefully cutdown on some of the blight in

our neighborhoods.

Insurance services approved,but questioned

In other business, councilunanimously approved the firstreadingof a contractwith Know-les Associates, LLC for insur-ance brokerage services fromApril 1 through March 31, 2013,a contract which was put out tobid at the request of council,

through Knowles was the lonebidder, Councilman Jack Los-combe said.

Examining the coverage, hesaidthe buildings, not includingthe content of the Albright Me-morial Library, 500VineSt., andtheNancy K.HolmesBranch Li-brary, 1032 Green Ridge St., areinsured for well over $4 mil-lion, but he questioned thecitysinsurable interest in the librar-ies.

Since the deeds are in thehands of the Library Authority,that has taken the insurable in-terest away from the city, as wedo nothavethe deeds. I was just

wondering if we could check with them, if the Library Au-thority could be billed for thatpart of the insurance policy.

Thatwas oneof thereasons theywanted to form an authority, sothey could properly insure theirbuildings. It just doesnt seem

right when all the other author-ities handle their own insur-ance, Loscombe said.

Firemen reinstated

Councilexpressed approval ofMayor Chris Dohertys rein-statement of 12 firefighters laidoff in the 2012 budget. CouncilPresident Janet Evans empha-sized that the mayor had tomake the reinstatements, butcouncilwill provide and approve

legislation for their funding,which iscurrentlybeingdrafted.She said the union had to

agree to reduce the number ofpersonnel per apparatus fromfour to three in order to provideincreased fire protection. Thepositions will be paid for withUrban Development ActionGrant funds, contingency funds,and funds set aside for unem-ployment, street salting andsnow removal, and overtime. A

prescription health care savingsgrant worth $600,000 will beusedto reimbursethe budgetaryaccounts.

Revised rentalregistration plan approvedRICHHOWELLS

[email protected]

SCRANTON City Councildiscussed granting a New York-based developer tax abatementon a planned senior housing de-

velopment in the Green Ridgesection during a public caucusheld before councils March 15

meeting.According to Christopher Tre-visani, director of developmentfor Affordable Senior HousingOpportunities of NewYork, Inc.,the $8 to $10 million project

would contain121one- and two-bedroom apartment units at$700 to 800 a month includingheatand hot water. The115,000-square-foot, three-story building

wouldbelocatedonalotonDela-wareStreetandDicksonAvenue,

a portion of the former DaronNortheast site.

This proposed use is kind ofan ideal situation. Its surround-edbyanexistingresidentialcom-munity and its in need of sometype of development. I think in-dustrial use is inappropriatethere, Trevisani said of the zon-ingof theproposedbuildingsite.

The self-sustaining buildingwould contain exercise rooms, aprivate post office, and otheramenities to cater to (the)needs of seniorsand would em-ploy three to five full-time staff

members. Theventure would bethe companys second in Penn-sylvania, the first locatedin Erie.

Itisonanoldcoalmine,sowedo have some very extensivefoundation costs, Trevisanipointed out. The cost of devel-oping the facilityconstructionisin the $10 to $15 million dollar

range.Tohelppaydownthiscost,thecompanyis seekingapproval of aLocal Economic Revitalization

Tax Act program, which provid-ers developers with a real estatetaxfreezeas opposedto taxelim-inationofferedthrough theKeys-tone Opportunity Zone pro-gram. The Scranton SchoolBoard of Directors approved theLERTA last September, but theprogram mustbe approved by at

least two taxing bodies, leavingeither the city or LackawannaCounty.

Affordable Senior Housing isobligated under the statute topay the current real estate taxes.If it wereto acquire this site anddevelop thissite,the currentrealestates on the land portion

would be paid. Its the improve-ment portionthat would bepost-poned in accordance with theLERTA statute, Atty. FrankHoegan explained, adding thatthe LERTA would give a one-

yearyeartaxabatementforevery

$1 million in improvements in-vested witha cap at $10 million.

Council agreed with Trevisanithatthe project would bea signif-icant improvement to a troubledarea.

When I condemned this forthe Scranton RedevelopmentAuthority, therewere a lotof de-

linquent taxes on the buildingthat was there. The neighbors were complaining at that timebecause of drug addicts, fires inthe building, council solicitorBoyd Hughesrecalled.

While Trevisani presentedcouncil witha petition signed byneighbors saying that they

wouldbein favorof such a devel-opment, several citizens whospoke during councils subse-quent meeting were opposed to

granting theLERTA, saying thattaxpayersweremorein needof abreak thana large developer.

Council has yet to introducelegislation to approve the LER-

TAbut seemed largely infavorofit.

It seems like a very notewor-thyproject from first glance.The$700-800 a month range for rentdoes seem affordable, and thecreation of some green space isdefinitely something that I be-lieve would benefit that neigh-borhood, Councilman FrankJoycesaid.

RICH HOWELLS PHOTO

Christopher Trevisani speaks to council about the proposed senior housing development in the

citys Green Ridge section on March 15.

LERTA decision still outstandingRICHHOWELLS

[email protected]

SCRANTON CITYCOUNCIL

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SCRANTON With the dead-line to file federal and state taxesquicklyapproaching,a coregroupof studentsand volunteerscontin-ue to gain valuable experience

while helping residents of Lacka-wanna and Waynecounties.

TheUniversityofScrantoncon-tinued its Volunteer Income TaxAssistanceprogram thisyearwitha kick-off in February. Since thattime, accounting majors and vol-

unteers have traveled the area tohelp senior citizens and those

with low-to-moderate incomeswith free assistance in filing theirlocal, state, and federal tax re-turns.

We do taxreturns pretty muchalloverthecounty,saidJoeHam-mond, University of Scranton ad-

junctprofessorof accounting andcoordinator of VITA, noting thatthe program began in the1970s.

VITA served more than 1,500

people in 2011, returning more

than$1.3million to thecommuni-ty, according to the University ofScranton.

Were at 1,300 and changenow, Hammond said this week.More than likely, well go over1,500 again.

The program reaches many

moreresidentsfrom Taylorto Ho-nesdale with the help of volun-teers and interpreters trainedthroughthe United Way of Lacka-

wanna and WayneCounties.United Way President Gary

Drapek said the Scranton-based

program has been recognized by

the Internal Revenue Service asone of the best programs in thestate.

University accounting majorswho work on the program walkaway with priceless perspectiveson how to filetax returns.

Senior accounting major MarkMcNally, a native of PoconoPines, firstvolunteered in 2011.

Ive learned tons of skills for

doingtaxreturns.Itsgoodexperi-ence, McNally saidthis week be-tween returnshe filed at BrennanHall on the universitys campus.

The work, McNally admitted,can be stressful, especially on bu-sy days.

You get a return, finish it, andyoure immediately on to anotherreturn.

People, however, arealmost al-ways appreciative of the serviceprovided.

We get a lot ofpeople thatsay

its a great service.This saves mea lot. If feels great to hear that,McNallysaid,addingthatareturnprepared by a commercialorgani-zation can costabout $200.

Its a really great marriage of aneed in thecommunity and qual-ified peopleto addressthat need,Drapek said.

Astax time approaches, thesys-tem is still in high demand. VITAserved42 peopleon Monday. Theservice ends with an appoint-

ment-only session on April 1.

Universitys free tax service going strongCHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

[email protected]


Accounting majors Rory Lynch and Mark McNally review docu-

ments inside Brennan Hall as part of the University of Scran-

tons Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assist-ance program enters its finalweek Monday.University of Scranton, Bren-nan Hall, Room 111 no appoint-ment necessaryMon., March 26 and Wed., March28, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tues. March27, noon to 6 p.m.; and Fri., March30, 9 a.m. to noon.University of Scranton, Bren-nan Hall, Room 111 appoint-ments requiredSun., April1, 9 a.m. to1 p.m.Make appointments by calling the

United Way at (570) 343-1267, ext.222.

LEARN MORE

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743797


Regional Hospital namesemployees of year

Three employees of Regional

Hospital of Scranton are beinghonored as top employees of theyear.

Employee of the Year PatriciaSlusser, RN, intensive care unit(ICU), has worked at Regionalsince 1997. She was nominated byICU Nurse Manager MaureenKane who says that she is astrong resource for the depart-ment and the hospital.

Slusser lives in Yatesville withher husband, Shawn, and theirinfant daughter, Mia.

Clinical Manager of the Year

Gordon Travis, RNFA, BSN,director of surgical services, hasworked at Regional since 1986. Hewas nominated by Patricia DeiTos, chief nursing officer, whonotes that since Gordon began tomanage surgical services in 2008he has created an atmosphere ofmutual respect and developed afirst-rate staff where clinicalcompetency and compassion arehighly valued.

Travis serves as a youth soccercoach in Archbald. He and his

wife, Rosemary, have three chil-dren - Kristin, Erin, and Daniel.Non-Clinical Manager of the

Year Gerald J. Korea, executive

director of information tech-nology, worked for Regional from1997 to 2008 and was rehired in2010 as executive director ofinformation technology. He man-ages the day-to-day operations ofthe information technology de-partment and the telecommunica-tions department.

Korea was tasked with complet-ing multiple information tech-

nology conversions with thehospital ownership change in 2011.He completed the IT cutover infour months while also maintain-ing daily operations. His technicalknowledge, experience and pro-fessionalism have been describedas exceptional.

Korea lives in Duryea with hiswife, Kelly, and their children,Marissa and Mark.

Three join NHS boardJohn W. Cosgrove, president of

the Board of Directors of Neigh-borhood Housing Services ofLackawanna County, announcedthe recent appointment of Kurt

Bauman, Laurie Cadden, andJason Morrison to the Board ofDirectors.

Bauman serves as the executivedirector of the Nonprofit & Commu-nity Assistance Center (NCAC) andGovernment Services Manager forthe Northeastern PennsylvaniaAlliance (NEPA). He hasover15years experience providingprofes-sional project and contract manage-

ment services and program devel-opment for private, non-profit andgovernment entities. He serves ontheboard of directors of theGreaterScranton YMCA and the Associationof Fundraising Professionals (AFP)NEPA Chapter, as wellas severalother nonprofit advisoryboards.Bauman is also an adjunct facultymember at MarywoodUniversity.

Cadden is owner of LaurieCadden Enterprises and a realestate agent at ERA Real Estate inScranton. At Laurie Cadden En-

terprises, she is responsible forsecuring sponsorships, workingwith media partners, planning andorganizing special events, and

finding andmeeting withpotential spon-sors. Caddenholds profes-sional member-ship in the

Greater Scran-ton Board ofRealtors and is

a local radio and television hostwith WILK radio and Electric CityTelevision. She also volunteers onvarious community boards, in-cluding Scranton Tomorrow,Friendship House, the CommunityIntervention Center, YMCA, andthe Society of Irish Women,among others.

Morrison is currently the secre-tary for development at the Dio-cese of Scranton where he assists

Diocesan parishes, departments,and ministries in their devel-opment efforts. He was previouslyexecutive director of the Lacka-wanna Bar Association and has awide range of experience in theareas of stewardship, donor rela-tions, and Catholic school devel-opment. He serves on the boardof directors of St. Josephs Centerand is involved in various othercommunity activities.

CORPORATE LADDER

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Northeast Broadcast Employ-ment Fair, Mon., March 26,4-6 p.m., WVIA Studios, 100WVIA Way, Pittston.

Women and Health Dispar-ities, Fri., March 30, noon,Medical Sciences Building ofThe Commonwealth MedicalCollege, 525 Pine St., Scran-ton. Cost: Free. Info: www.the-commonwealthmedical.com.

Alley-Oop for Autism, 3-on-3charity basketball tourna-ment to benefit the North-east Regional Autism Center,hosted by The Common-wealth Medical College, Sat.,March 31, Lackawanna Col-lege Student Union, 500

Jefferson Ave., Scranton.Registration from 8-8:45a.m., games begin at 9 a.m.Cost: $40 per team beforeMarch 29. Info: www.thecom-monwealthmedical.com/basketball.

Marleys Mission Hoops forHope Tournament, Sat. andSun., March 31 and April1,Scranton High School, 63Munchak Way, Scranton.3-on-3 format with one al-ternate player. Cost: Sixth toeight grade or high schooldivision, $80 per team; adultteams, $120. RSVP by March24.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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NEWS

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The Tobyhanna Army Depot will celebrate 100 years of

military presencein the Poconos this summer-- a mile-

stone that was uncertain17 years ago.

In 1995, the depot found itself on a short list of U.S. military

installationsidentified by anindependentreviewpanel charged

with deciding which facilities to close.

Residents and leadersthrough-

out northeastern Pennsylvaniarallied around the regions largestemployer and staved off closure.

It was an emotional time,said James Antonelli, 54, of Sug-arloaf Township,who has workedat the depot since 1985.

Robert Katulka, 48, of Moun-tain Top, started a year after An-tonelli and recalled the fight tosave his workplace.

Therewasa lot of activity anda lot of interest both in the depotand with local officials. In some

ways it wasvery exciting; in someways stressful, Katulka said. Itwas a display ofwhat thearea candowhentheyfocuson a commontask. It was an example of a shin-ing moment.

While thousands of theirneighbors work at the facility, it

wasnt until they almost lost thedepot that area residents reallyunderstood what it meantfor the

regions economy.That (1995) was the first timethe community realized what

was here, said Antonelli.

Large regional footprint

Sue Rudat, 50, of Duryea, saidthe depots footprint is so large drawing employees from an 11county area thatrallyingaroundit is unusual.

It took the BRAC (Base Re-alignment and Closure Commis-

sion) to pull it together, said Ru-dat, whohas worked atthe instal-lation for seven years.

While Tobyhanna was sparedin the 1995 and more BRAC clo-sures in 2005, other regions we-rent so lucky. But their loss wasnortheasternPennsylvaniasgain.

More than 100 workers weretransferred from CaliforniasMcClellan Air Force Base to To-byhanna.As depots andworkper-formed at bases nationwide werecut,Tobyhanna continuedto pickup new contracts, which in themilitary world means survival

sincethere areDepartment ofDe-

fense line items specific to de-pots.

Depots operate on revenuegenerated from contracts withthe armed forces, not dedicatedallocations.

We operate as a business. De-pots are the closest thing in gov-ernment to the privatesector. Itsour corporate philosophy thathas made the organization suc-cessful,said Col. CharlesC. Gib-son, commander of the Tobyhan-na Army Depot.

That business philosophy alsodictates that theres always a bet-ter, more efficient way to dothings and employees are urgedto come up with ideas and meth-ods that could achieve that goal.

Tobyhanna has survived andgrownbecauseofthequalityofitsproductsand services, and the ef-ficiency and productivity of our

workforce. We constantly stress

to our managers and employeesthat we must continually im-prove in all areas of our oper-ationsif weareto remain thebest

value for our customers, Gibsonsaid.

Emphasis on quality

Thinkingbackto 1985,Katulkarecalled it was a different world there were manymoredepots.

But as technology has evolvedand conflicts have raged in Iraq,

Afghanistan, Somalia and Bos-nia, the depot has continuallymet the challenges and steppedup production.

Our employees take pride when repairing equipment forour war fighters, Gibson said.Best quality, lowest cost, on-time delivery. Our foremost mis-sionis providing thehighestqual-ity support to our armed forces,but we also believe we have anobligation to thepeople of north-eastern Pennsylvania to maintain

Tobyhannaas a keycomponentofthe regional economy.

Katulka,a MeyersHigh Schoolgraduate, said the regions workethic is partly to credit for thede-pots success.

Ill stackour peopleup againstany installation in the country,Katulka said.

When the discussion turns tothe potential loss of Tobyhannaand its impact on the region, the

word multiple people inter- viewed for this story used wasdevastating.

Antonelli said that what a ma-jor downsizing or closing woulddo to the local unemploymentrate, the local tax base, the valueof peoples homes, I would thinkit would be a significant negativeimpact. Devastating wouldprobably be a good word.

Steve Zaricki, with the NEPAAlliance, an economic develop-mentorganization serving the re-gion,said Tobyhannais unique inthat it impacts people and busi-nessesin such a large geographicarea.

Imnotfamiliarwithanyother

industry that comes close tothese numbers, Zaricki said af-ter reeling off the economic im-pact associated with the depot.More than 5,500 people are em-ployed by theMonroe Countyfa-cility and some estimates showthatit generates$4.4 billion in re-gional economic activity.

Other than Wyoming County-based Procter and Gamble, Zar-icki said nothing even comesclose.

Four point four billion dol-lars,Zarickisaid,isa lotofmon-ey.

Unique position now

Even with the challenges anduncertainties the depot has facedover its history, those workingthere believe its future is safe.

Theres reallyno other facilitythatcan duplicatewhat Tobyhan-na has, Rudat said. So thats an

advantage we have within the(Department of Defense).

The depot has become so es-sential that shutting it down

would not only hurt the regionbut could hurt the military, too.

This is an enduring installa-tion, said Katulka. Thats notme saying that. Thats the Army

thats said that. Weregoing to bearound in some shape or form.Like everything else were goingto continue to evolve. Well bearound. We think we have abright future not withstandingthe challenges that weve gotahead of us.

Those challenges, Antonellisaid, include declining defensebudgets,the changes to theArmyforce structure. As they go downthere will be less need for ourequipment. Disposable technolo-gy means big changes. Moneysdriving most of it.

Milestone for army depot

COURTESY PHOTO

The Tobyhanna Army Depot employs more than 5,500 people.

A helicopter is on display at theTobyhanna Army Depot.

The Tobyhanna Army Depot willopen its gates to the public onSat., June 23, from 9 a.m. to 4p.m. for a celebration of thearmys century long affiliationwith Tobyhanna. Guided tours ofthe depot, a car show, Humveerides, historic military equipmentand vehicles will be on display, achildrens carnival and drop-insfrom the Armys Golden Knightsparachute team will be part ofthe celebration. There will also bea 5K run and parade at the depot.

PUBLIC INVITED

ANDREWM. SEDER

[email protected]

DON CAREY PHOTO

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GOLACKAWANNA, SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 PAGE 9

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NEWS

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SCRANTON With a hearty

hooah at the request of Maj.Gen. Wesley E. Craig, mem-bers of the Pennsylvania Na-tionalGuardand UnitedStatesArmy Reserve filled a brandnew assembly hall with thebattle cry on Thursday, March22,duringa ribbon cuttingcer-emony forthe ScrantonArmedForces Reserve Center.

The new $25 million,125,000-square foot complexwill be the home of multipleNational Guard and Army Re-serve units.

Together, the soldiers ofthese diverseunits willuse thestate-of-the-art facility to en-sure that the Army continuesto provide ready and trainedtroops to support our nation,said master of ceremoniesNickTaylorof the99thRegion-al Support Command

The construction of the newcenter at 3401 Olyphant Ave.,Scranton, was the result of a

base realignment and closureact approved in 2005 that re-placed reserve and guard cen-ters with consolidated armedforcescentersacrossthe county.

In Scranton, the Watres Ar-mory an Adams Avenue andSerrenti Memorial Army Re-serve Centeron Colfax Avenue

were closed, along with an ad-ditional Army Reserve centerin Wilkes-Barre.

In doing this, were tryingto make sure we have the bestpossible facilities in the 21stcentury for our soldiers who

will be using these buildings,

explained Maj. Gen. WilliamD. Razz Waff, commandinggeneral of the 99th RSC.

Waff lauded the beautiful,historic Watres Armory, com-monlyreferred to as The Cas-tle on Wednesday.

You great soldiers come to-getherand make thisyour newmilitary home,he said. Bringthat same spirit of the Castle

with you and use this wonder-ful facility to continue to keepthose skills honed that youhave so well polished.

I have spent many times intheCastle, andit is indeed his-toric. Its a beautiful, but veryold, facility. We will miss thehistory, Craig,adjutant gener-al of Pennsylvania and com-mander of the PennsylvaniaNational Guard, added.Guard and reserve soldiershave served together on thebattlefield, from World War IIto the current day, and nowthey have a place to work to-gether and train together inthe same environment.

While the ribbon cutting was just held Thursday, thecenter played a critical role asthe site of the states emergen-cy active duty mission in re-sponse to flooding caused bytropical storms in Sept. 2011.

The center was built on thesite ofa former culm dump,ac-cording to Scranton MayorChris Doherty.

We are thrilled with the investment the military hasmade in this site, he said. It

will change the neighborhood,and it has changed the neigh-borhood.

JASONRIEDMILLERPHOTO

Maj. Gen. William D. Razz Waff; John Belcher, military affairs

constituent adviser to U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta; Scranton May-

or Chris Doherty; and Maj. Gen. Wesley E. Craig cut the cere-

monial ribbon outside the Scranton Armed Forces Reserve

Center on March 22.

Battle cry welcomesnew military centerCHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

[email protected]

p.m. call.Its unclear if thetrashfire andarson are connected in any way.

The fire spread quickly, Davissaid.

Unfortunately, when youhavea fire thats coming outwin-dows and doors, its so hot thatthe exposures are going to go,and thats exactly what hap-pened, he said.

No lives were lost and no in-juries were reported from Tues-

days blaze.Among the 19 people dis-placed by the blaze were fouradult consumers, two supportedliving tenants, and two staffmembers from Keystone Com-munity Resources at a home at608 Langstaff Pl. The agencyserves both children and adults

withintellectual disabilities, de-velopmental disabilities, and au-tism.

Were really happy for the

first responders who got thereand did such a great job, saidDon Barney, director of clinicalservices at KCR. The goodnews from out point of view isthat everyone came out safely

Were really proud of our staffand their response.

KCR operates about 50homes around Scranton thataredesigned to provide residentconsumers and tenants various

levels of assistance with dailyliving skills. Those displaced

Tuesday will soon be transi-

tioned into a permanent homeafter leaving temporary hous-ing.

ARSONContinued from page 3

PHOTOCOURTESY BILLBOOCK/ SCRANTON FIREDEPT.

Crews battle the massive fire along Langstaff Place late Tuesday

night.

Unfortunately, when you have a fire thats coming out windows and doors, itsso hot that the exposures are going to go, and thats exactly what happened.

Chief Tom Davis

puttogether whatcouldbe done

tokeep threemenon a pieceandwhatthat would do,Lucas said.

The safety language is veryimportant and will come backinto play oncewe financially getback on ourfeet. We havent giv-en up on thesafety language. Atthis point, we said if we couldget these 12 guys back that we

would relax the standards thathave been put forth by the Su-preme Court.

Baptism by fire

Themenwereneeded soonaf-terbeing put back into firecom-

panies across the city on Tues-daynight when Davis said an ar-sonist torched one home onLangstaff Place in the Providen-ce section that spread to threeneighboring homes.

Additional men on duty, cou-pled with the agreed-uponthreemenper piece of fire equipment,puttwo other engine companiesin serviceto fight the11p.m.fireuntil 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Money talks

Thetotally unacceptable re-sponse timeon March16 causedby company closures waskey tolast weeks action by Doherty.

A mild winter and savingsfrom the retiree prescriptionplan didnt hurt the cash-strapped city either.

Through (Urban Develop-ment Action Grant) money, Ihad $95,000. Weve had a good

winter and saved almost$200,000 in plowing and salt,Doherty explained.

Both Doherty and Davis saidthey hope a Staffing for Ade-quate Fire & Emergency Re-sponse grant from the FederalEmergency Management Agen-cy will bring more men back.

We put in for the SAFERgrant, and I was in Washing-ton Tuesday where I met withSen. (Bob) Casey, went to the

vice presidents residence,and made our plea, Dohertysaid.

Davis said last week that thecity has applied for $12 millionin SAFER grants.

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SCRANTON When Lacka- wanna County leaders intro-duced their online database ofrecords ranging from marriagelicensesand wills to judicial re-cords in Oct. 2011, it was laud-ed as a giant leap forward inopen government.

The system, officials soonlearned, was rather more of asmall step as it was not acces-sible to many users, primarilythose using Apple products.

That changed Tuesday,March 20, when officials un-

veiled improvements to thesystemthat make it compatible

with a number of Internetbrowsers and no longer requireusers to downloada program togain access.

We had a couple of tele-phone calls from some peoplethat werent happy, Register of

Willsand Clerk of theOrphansCourt Linda Munley ex-plained. When the publicspoke, we answered.

In cooperation with Clerk ofJudicial Records Mary Rinaldiand Lackawanna County ChiefInformation Officer Jeff Man-do, the new searchable data-base hasbeenembedded into apage accessible through thecountys website, www.lacka-

wannacounty.org. There is a 24-hour turn-

around time for new docu-

ments from the Clerk of Courtsand other affiliated offices.

Its an amazing amount ofinformation out there, Mun-ley said. Millions of docu-ments have been scanned.

We have piles and piles ofdocumentation that is nowavailable on your computer, in

your home, in your office, Ri-naldi said. I think what wehavedone withthis online, freeservice to the public is some-thing that will change thecourse of history in Lackawan-na County.

Mando said the system willalso work with the iPad,iPhone, and other mobile

browsers without any unneces-

sary downloads.TheLackawannaCounty Re-

cords Improvement Commit-tee funded the system throughstate-mandated fees set asidefor records improvement.County leaders said last fallthat INFOCON was contractedto provide the service for amonthly fee of $3,225.

Commissioners Jim Wan-sacz and Pat OMalley laudedthe collaborative effort thatbrings more government ac-cess to the general public.

Now, its about providing ac-cess to everyone who lives inLackawanna County, Com-missioner Corey OBrien add-ed in addressing some of thepitfalls of the previous system.Today is a great dayfor accessin Lackawanna County.

Its a great gift, I think, tothe taxpayers.

County leaders said they be-lieved the Lackawanna system

was the only free one in thecommonwealth.

Users should allow pop-upson the records website and areencouraged to report any er-rors they see in the course oftheir research.

Online records system improvedCHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

[email protected] have piles andpiles of documentationthat is now availableon your computer, inyour home, in your of-fice. I think what wehave done with thisonline, free service tothe public is somethingthat will change the

course of history inLackawanna County.

Mary Rinaldi

Clerk of Judicial Records

DICKSON CITY Planning commission, worksession, Tues., March 27, 5:30 p.m.,

administration building, 801 Boule-vard Ave., Dickson City.

DUNMORE Conditional use hearing, Mon.,March 26, 6:30 p.m., DunmoreCommunity Center,1414 MonroeAve., on the application of NEPASMSA to construct a stealth tele-communications antenna tower atthe rear of the borough propertylocated at 1414 Monroe Ave. Borough council, Mon., March 26,7 p.m., Dunmore Community Cen-ter, 1414 Monroe Ave., Dunmore.

Zoning hearing board, Thurs.,March 29, 7 p.m., municipal build-ing, 400 S. Blakely St. Businessincludes construction of an ad-vertising sign at 620 N. Blakely St.for Joes Kwik Mart, work by LamarAdvertising, Scranton.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY Commissioners meeting, Wed.,March 28, 10 a.m., sixth floor, 200Adams Ave., Scranton. Prison board, Wed., March 28,noon, county prison, 1371 N. Wash-ington Ave., Scranton.

SCRANTON School board, Mon., March 26,730 p.m., administration building,425 N. Washington Ave. City council, Thursdays, 6:30

p.m., City Hall, 340 N. Washing-ton Ave.

THROOP Council work session, Mon.,March 26, 6:30 p.m., municipal

building, 436 Sanderson St.,Throop. Meeting immediatelyfollows.

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Toddler killed in fall

SCRANTON - Authorities say a toddler

died after falling from the window of a

fifth-floor Scranton apartment on Monday

Officials in Scranton said 2-year-old

Brian Kochis fell more than 60 feet from an

open window of a relatives apartment at

about10:40 a.m. Monday.

Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Row-

land said following an autopsy performed

Tuesday that Kochis died as a result of

multiple traumatic injuries from the fall,

and the manner of death was accidental.

Police Lt. Martin Crofton said the child

was visiting his great-grandfather, Charles

Williams, at his apartment in the Washing-

ton West complex, 537 N. Washington Ave.

Williams told police his great-grandson likedto look out the window at cars traveling on

Wyoming Avenue behind the building, which

is operated by the Scranton Housing Au-

thority.

The boy was pronounced dead at 11:01

a.m. in the emergency department of Com-

munity Medical Center in Scranton.

STEVE MOCARSKY /[email protected]

Mellow departs boards, plea set

Former state Sen. Robert J. Mellow has

resigned from his positions as director ofPenseco Financial Services Corp. and its

subsidiary, Penn Security Bank and Trust

Co., according to a Securities and Exchange

Commission filing made public Tuesday.

Mellow, 70, of Peckville, had served on

the board of Penseco since the bank

merged with Old Forge Bank in 2009. The

resignation, according to the form 8-K

filing, was effective March 15.

Last week Mellow, the former Democratic

leader of the state Senate, signed paper-

work agreeing to plead guilty to two federal

corruption charges. His guilty plea has been

scheduled for April 27 before U.S. DistrictJudge Joel H. Slomsky in federal court in

Philadelphia.

Mellow also resigned from his position as

a board member of Blue Cross of North-

eastern Pennsylvania, based in Wilkes-

Barre, this week.

ANDREW M. SEDER /[email protected]

Host families sought for Peace

Program

North West Services Peace Program is

looking for families to host internationalexchange students from various countries

in the 2012-13 school year.

The students would stay for a 5- or 10-

month cultural and educational exchange.

Anyone who is interested in learning

about other cultures but who cant afford

the world tour can discover how their fam-

ily can share traditions, develop a life-long

relationship and promote world peace one

teenager at a time. Traditional families,

single parents, empty-nesters and single

individuals are all welcome to host.

Contact local NWS Coordinator Dianne

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NEWS BRIEFS

SCRANTON Blinded by the

desire to help theirfriends at-

tainwealth,board membersof

First National Community Bancorp

grantedmillionsofdollarsinquestion-ableloanstofellowbankdirectorsand

other insiders who later defaulted,

saidtwo attorneyswhofileda lawsuit

on behalfof shareholdersWednesday.

The unsoundlending practices, whichincludedloanstoformerLuzerneCountyJudge Michael Conahan, helpedfuel sig-nificant lossesat thebankand cost share-holdersmorethan $50million, saidattor-

neys Joseph Solfanelli and Todd OMal-leyof theOMalley andLangan lawfirm.

The lawsuit seeks to force the bank toturn over all records related to loansmade to board members and persons orbusinessesrelated to them,knownas in-siderloans by federal regulators.

Thesuit,filed onbehalf ofshareholderLori Gray of Pottstown, seeks to recoverlossesthe attorneyscontend werethe re-sult of egregious conduct by boardmembers, whom they allege breachedtheir fiduciary duty to protect the inter-ests of shareholders by making unsoundloansthatledthe bank to lose$44.3 mil-lion in2009.

Thebanks stock fell from $18.95 in De-cember2007to just $3.85per share as ofMonday.

Some of thoselossesareattributedto alarge volume of insider loans made to di-rectors and/ortheirfamilymembers,Sol-fanellisaid.

The most plausible explanation is, intheir desireto help friends,theirvision be-came blurred and they approved loanstheyotherwisewouldnothaveapproved,Solfanelli said. If this was the directorsown money and they desired to help afriend acquire wealth, I would applaudthem.But they didnt risktheir ownmon-ey.Seventypercentofthemoneytheyrisk-ed belonged to shareholders.

The bad loans include $4.5 million indebtguaranteed by Conahan,who servedonthebankboarduntilhewasindictedon

corruptionchargesin2009,andrealestatedeveloper Michael G. Cestone, who alsoserved on FNCBs board until 2009.

That money was usedby W-Cat, a cor-poration owned by Conahan, formerJudge Mark Ciavarella, attorney RobertPowelland others,to fundthe failedSanc-tuary townhouseproject in Wright Town-ship. Cestones construction company

wasthe builderfor theproject.First National Community Bancorp is

the parent company of First NationalCommunityBankofDunmore,whichwasoncecontrolled by area businessmagnateLouis DeNaples.

DeNaples, the former owner of Mount

Airy Casino Resort, served on the banksboardfordecadesbeforesteppingdownaschairman in 2008 after he was charged

withperjury forallegedlylyingto state of-ficialsinvestigatinghissuitabilitytoholdagaminglicense.Thechargewaslaterwith-drawn, but federalregulators have barred

DeNaples return to the board. His broth-er, Dominick, nowchairsthe board.Steve Tokach, president and CEO of

FNCB, did not return a phone messageThursday seeking comment on the law-suit.

Ina letterto Solfanelli,attorneysfor thebanksaida committeehas been formedtoinvestigate questions raised by the attor-neys.Thatcommitteehasnotyetcomplet-ed itsreport.

The suit, filed in Lackawanna CountyCourt,isbasedpartlyontheannualreport

FNCB, which is publiclytraded,filedwiththe Securities and ExchangeCommissionin Dec.2011.The reportshowedthe bankhadmade $105.7 million worth of loans toinsiders asof theendof 2009, a figure thatequaled128 percentof itsnet assets.

More troubling, Solfanelli said, is that$8.9 million worth of the loans FNCBmadeto insidersarein defaultand are un-collectible.Another $7.5millionin insiderloanshave beendeemedto beat high riskfor default.

Solfanelli said the amount of insiderloans FNCB madeis way out of linewith

Shareholders: Bank lost $44.3M in 2009 by making unsound loans

BILL TARUTIS

Attorney Joseph R. Solfanelli, left, explains a lawsuit against First National Community Bancorp., Inc., Dunmore, forunsafe and unsound business practices as Atty. Todd J. O"Malley looks on.

FNCB ACCUSED OF DUBIOUS LOANSTERRIEMORGAN-BESECKER

[email protected]

See FNCB, Page15

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SPRING BREAK FOR AUTISM SET

The new Susquehanna Brewing Company, 635 S. Main St., Pittston, will host SpringBreak for Autism on Friday, March 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. The event benefits the NortheastRegional Autism Center at Friendship House and the autism services it provides. Beer,wine, light fair, and music will be provided. Tickets are $25 or $250 for a table of ten, or$30 at the door. For more information, call (570) 342-8305, ext. 2063 or visitwww.friendshiphousepa.org. Committee members planning the event include, from left,seated, Deb Dudley, director of development at Friendship House; and Peter Sabia.Standing, Sue Keating and Patti Duguay.

Who knew otters snore?Poor Bernard is just trying toget some shut eye, but all ofhis otter friends are yelling

Stop Snoring, Bernard!Stop Snoring, Bernard!

has been chosen as Penn-sylvanias One Book, EveryYoung Child selection for2012. It was written and il-lustrated by Zachariah OHo-ra for children ages 3 to 6.Published in 2011, this engag-ing book follows the loveablesea otter Bernard as he triesto find a place in the zoo

where his loud snoring wont

disturb the other animals.Stop Snoring, Bernard!encourages young readers toappreciate what makes eachof us different. The book isOHoras first for children andis the recipient of the 2011Society of Illustrators Foun-ders Award.

This is the seventh year ofOne Book, Every YoungChild, a valuable programthat highlights the impor-

tance of early literacy devel-opment in preschoolers. In itsinaugural year, One Book,Every Young Child won thecoveted, national John CottonDana Library Public RelationsAward.

The statewide programofficially kicks off on Tuesday,March 27 and emphasizes theimportance of reading earlyand often to children, as wellas engaging them in conversa-

tion and other activitiesaround books. The goal is toincrease awareness amongparents, other family mem-bers, and the early childhoodcommunity of the need forpractices that promote earlyliteracy development. Activ-ities include

Reading with childrendaily,

engaging children in the

story, discussing new words to

build vocabulary, asking open-ended ques-

tions, and visiting your local

library to find other booksand materials.

Throughout the year, manylocal events will be held in-cluding author visits; libraryand museum programmingfor families; and activities for

parents, early child care pro-viders, and educators.

OHora will be touringLackawanna County LibrarySystem libraries on Thursday,April 26. He will speak at theAbington Community Libraryat 10 a.m., the CarbondalePublic Library at 1 p.m., andLackawanna County Chil-drens Library at 6 p.m. He

will present a slide show, readfrom his books, and draw

characters from Stop Snor-ing, B ernard!

Registration is required andcan be made by contactingindividual libraries. Reach theAbington Community Libraryat (570) 587-3440, the Car-bondale Public Library at(570) 282-4281and the Lacka-

wanna County ChildrensLibrary at (570) 348-3000,ext. 3015.

For further information, goto www.lclshome.org or

www.paonebook.org.These programs are avail-

able to the community, free ofcharge. If you dont have alibrary card, come in and signup for one today!

Literacy development celebrated500 VINE

500 VINE focuses on libraryevents and services. Find it bi-weekly in Go Lackawanna.

otherbanks.HepointedtoFirstFi-delity Bancorp of Scranton as anexample. That bank has just $2.5

millionin loans to insiders, whichequates to about 5 percent of itsnetworth,he said.

A banking consultant contact-ed by The Times Leader con-curred with Solfanellis assess-ment.

Stuart Greenberg, a banking

consultant based in Baltimore,Md., said insider loans typicallyshould not exceed 20 to 30 per-centof a banks networth.

One hundred plus percent?Thats way too high, Greenbergsaid. It doesnt pass the smelltest.

The lawsuit targets directorswhowereon theboardduringthetime frames in which the insiderloans were made and the losses

weresustained.Ina letterto thebank,Solfanelli

identifiedthosedirectorsasCona-han,Michael G.Cestone, Michael

J. Cestone Jr., Joseph Coccia, Do-minick DeNaples, Louis DeNa-ples, Joseph Gentile, and J.DavidLombardi.

Solfanelli and OMalley saidthey dont know yet what roleeach director played in causingtheproblemsat thebank. Thatin-

formation will come out as theyobtaindocumentation, they said.

The attorneys say their investi-gation into FNCBs banking prac-tices wasspurredby thebanks re-fusal to provide documents. Thelawsuit asks a judge to order thebanktoturnovertheinformation.

FNCBContinued from page 14

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NEWS

ARTS

SPORTS


VISUAL ARTSAFA Gallery, 514 Lackawan-

na Ave., Scranton. Info:

(570) 969-1040, www.ar-tistsforart.org.Paintings by Heather Mar-

tyak and Annmarie Cicca-relli.

ArtWorks Gallery and Stu-dio, 503 LackawannaAve., Scranton. Info:(570) 207-1815, www.art-worksnepa.com.

Works of David Bender,through March 29.

Beko Sushi and Grill, 414Spruce St., Scranton.Info: (570) 341-0205,

www.bekosushi.com.Paint the Town, paintings by

Sheila Sankar.The Bog, 341 Adams Ave.,

Scranton. Info: (570)341-6761, www.thebog-scranton.com.

Coal Country, photographsof Moira Hauer.

Camerawork Gallery, 515Center Street, Scranton,(570) 344-3313,www.cameraworkgalle-ry.org.

Factorium: A Pictorial Essayof American Factories,photographs of RebeccaBattle, continues to April2.

The Fanciful Fox, 342Adams Ave., Scranton.Info: (570) 558-3001,www.fancifulfox.com.

Personal Works of DerekZielinski, charcoal andoils.

Laura Craig Gallery, 307Linden St., Scranton,(570) 963-7995.

Open Your Heart, smallworks to benefit the Amer-ican Heart Association.

Marquis Art & Frame,Scranton, 515 Center St.,Scranton, (570) 344-3313, www.marquisart-frame.com.

Shine, paintings by LeighPawling.

New Visions Studio andGallery, 201 Vine St.,Scranton. Info: (570)878-3970, w ww.new-visionsstudio.com.

Adult figure drawing, four-week class, Wed., March28-April 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Cost: $100.

Natures Finest Art, worksof Dana Gabel, Mark Char-les Rooney, Amy LynnWyman, and Bethel Wy-man, continues to March30.

THEATERF.M. Kirby Center for the

Performing Arts, 32

Public Square, Wilkes-

ARTS CALENDAR

See CALENDAR, Page 20

SCRANTON Event

organizers at Mat-

thews Mission ex-

pected about 100 children

and families to attend their

first Easter EGGstravagan-

za in 2011.

We did it last year, and

over 2,000 people showedup, recalled Scranton resi-

dent Kathleen Haikes.

Needless to say, the group isprepared for a crowd when theEaster egghunt filled withotheractivities returns to HarmonField in South Scranton on Sat-urday, March 31. The event be-gins at 11:30 a.m. and ends atabout 2 p.m.

Matthews Mission is named

for Haikes brother, MatthewJames Newell, who passed awayat age 24on Aug.19, 2010,while

vacationing with family in Ava-lon,N.J. Haikes saidher brother,

wholivedwithDown syndrome,

died inhis sleepafter sufferinga

grand mal seizure.My two sisters, my brother,and I felt that we should dosomething to keep his namealive. He always donated hisown money to St. Josephs Cen-

ter or the autism center (atFriendship House). We wanted

to do that work for him, shesaid.

Their work quickly beganwith a Breakfast with Santa inDec. 2010 and expanded withthe egg hunt last April.

The organization has foundsuccess through word-of-mouthand social networking.

The support from the com-munity is absolutely amazing,Haikes said.

This year, the Easter EGG-

stravaganza will welcome for-mer television star Chris Burke,who portrayed Charles CorkyThatcher on the1990s ABC pro-gram Life Goes On. Burke, agoodwill ambassador forthe Na-

tional Down Syndrome Society,will perform with John DeMasion Saturday.

In addition, the March 31event will offer face painting,kids crafts, juggler Rob Smith,music from DJ Pat Dougher, araffle for special prizes, andmore.

Its a great day, anditsa greatway to celebrate Matts life. Ev-erything about the day has mybrother Matthew in mind,

Haikes said.Past proceeds raised by Mat-

thews Mission have aided St. Jo-sephs Center, Friendship House,families of children with specialneeds, and the Scranton PoliceDepartments K9 Division.

Easter egg hunt setCHRISTOPHER J. [email protected]

PHOTO COURTESY MATTHEWS MISSION

Juggler Rob Smith performs

during the 2011Easter EGG-

stravaganza for Matthews

Mission. The event returns onMarch 31.

The Weston Field/Bulls HeadResidents Group will present anEaster egg hunt on March 31 atnoon at the Weston Field House.The event is free for childrenfrom 2 to 12. For more informa-tion, call (570) 348-4186.

BULLS HEADNEIGHBORS SPONSOR

ANOTHER HUNT

The Matthews Mission Easter EGG-stravaganza is Sat., March 31, from11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harmon Fieldon Meadow Avenue in South Scran-

ton. There is a $2 charge for anyoneentering the field. For more in-formation on the organization,search for Matthews Mission onFacebook or email [email protected]

If you ask a fashion expert where to findthe best deal on brand name clothing or ac-cessories, they will probably respond withthe name of a consignment shop.

Faced with an economic meltdown, bar-gain hunters are tossing aside departmentstore coupons and heading to a local con-signmentstores. Shoppers canfind stealsonhigh end items by big brand designers likeCoach, Calvin Klein, Louis Vuiton, and Pra-da.

Consignment shopping is the new black

for retail shoppers. Years ago, people wouldbe embarrassed to shop second hand, butnowthey are bragging about their finds andthe money they are saving. It seems thatpeople aretryingto upstageeach other withfinding the best deals.

Not only will you be shocked by the pricetag but also by the quality of the item. Mostitems still have original price tags attached.Consignment stores are selective about theitems that they sell and make sure they arein good shape and carry authentic brand

names.Many stores specifically market women,

men, or children and sell mostly clothing

and accessories.Think aboutbuying a $300Coach pursefor only $40 that is in excellentcondition. Buying second hand is a terrific

way to save on kids clothing, since most ofthe clothing is still in great condition.

If youre looking to find a great gift, stopby a consignment shop where you can findsome great costume jewelry for under $5.

The advantage of buying in a consignmentshop is that there is something new almostevery day. The disadvantage, however, isthat items sell out very quickly and onlycome in one size.

Consignment sellingis a greatway to earnextra money. People who previously gaveaway clothing are looking for an opportuni-ty to cash in on their unwanted clothing. Aconsignment operates by splitting profits50/50 with the original owner. Its a great

way to earn moneyon itemsthat are just sit-

ting in a closet.Most consignment stores require an ap-

pointment to review items, butsome mayal-so be looking for specific items. I recom-mend calling ahead to make sure that theitems are in good shape.

With the rise in social media, many con-signment shops are posting and tweeting

whenhot itemscomeintostores. Checkoutsome of the Facebook pages for local con-signment shops to see some of the items instock.

Do you know of a great consignmentshop? Share withus at www.facebook.com/golackwanna.

Save money by shopping second handDEAL DETECTIVEJ E N N A U R B A N

Esthers Consignment Boutique, 419 S.Blakely St., Dunmore, (570) 243-1119.

Debs Consignment Shop, 2239 Pittston Ave.,Scranton, (570) 341-9885.

Two Ladies Consignment, 724 Pittston Ave.,Scranton, (570) 558-7216.

Consign It, 801 Wyoming Ave., West Pittston,

(570) 655-6055.Co Kids Quality Consignments, 126 DepotSt., Clarks Summit, (570) 586-4020.

Design 2 Consign Boutique, 213 LackawannaAve., Olyphant, (570) 383-7190.

Platos Closet, 1029 Commerce Blvd., DicksonCity, www.platoscloset.com.

NEPA CONSIGNMENT SHOPS

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NEWS

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ARTS

RICH HOWELLS PHOTOS

Members of the

West Scranton

High School pro-

duction of Grease

rehearse numbers

featuring The PinkLadies, above, and

The T-Birds, left.W

hen Director Angela Franek asked her WestScranton High School drama students what

play they wanted to perform this season,theyhad only one wordin mind Grease.Myseniorsareagreatgroup,andtheywantedtodothis

play for four years, and theyre such a good group of kidsthatI reallypickedit because theylike it, andits a popularshow. Everybody likesGrease, Franek explained.

Setin 1959,the popularmusical follows thestoryof twoteenagers, Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko, who un-wittinglymeetagainat thefictionalRydellHighSchool af-ter a summer romance. Zuko is a member of the greasergang the T-Birds, and Dumbrowski joins their femalecounterparts, the Pink Ladies. While they both pine for

By RICHHOWELLS [email protected].

See GREASE, Page 21

18

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739900

Anyfanboywilltellyou

lettheWoo-kieewin.Some inthe

entertainmentindustryhave

learned this valuable lesson thispastweek,whileothersstub-bornly fight against thewingmanthathashelpedthembecomewhat they aretoday.Myfirstexample istheseason

finaleof AMCs TheWalking

Dead.Formuchof thesecondseasonof theseries,whichfol-lowsa groupofsurvivorsduringthezombieapocalypse,I heardalotof thesamecriticismfromfellowfans:Theyneed lessdrama andmorezombies.Humanshavealways been the

more importantaspectofanyzombiemythos, butI couldconcedethata littlemoreaction,orat leastaccuracyto the comicseriesonwhichits based,could

havebeen added.Spoilersahead.Its great thatthecomics cre-

ator, RobertKirkman,approvedofmanytelevisionadaptationspersonally, buta fewdeviationsseemedunnecessary.Whydid they transformLori

froma sympatheticmotherwhomakesamistakein amomentofemotionalweakness toaLadyMacbeth-likemanipulator?WhykilloffDale somuchearlierin theshowandleaveuswith awfulcharacterslikeT-Dog?Intheend,theshowwonfans

likemeoverbecausethe finalegaveusallwhatwewanted.Zombiesattackeden masse,andcomic nerdsgottheirfirstglimpseof thekatana-wieldingMichonne anda partingshotoftheprisonwhere thecharacterswill seek shelternext,a majorplotpointin thesourcematerial.Reviewsthenextdaywere

overwhelmingpositive. If some-thingworkedthefirst time,after

all,whymesswithit toomuch?DirectorMichaelBayhasyet

to learn thislesson.Bay, responsible forthe big

action,noplotTransformersmoviesas wellasother lacklusterremakes,announcedrecently

thathisupcomingrebootof theTeenageMutantNinjaTurtleswouldmake thetitularcharac-ters aliensinsteadofmutants.This,bydefault,wouldnot

make themturtles, as those arecreaturesoriginatedfromEarth,orninjaseither, consideringthosecamefromJapan.It screwsupthetitleandmakestheprem-isethatmuchmoreoutrageous.Havingan entireplanetof

walking, talking,pizza-eating

turtlesdoesntmake these fourveryspecialanymore.Will theyhaveto stopbya ratplanettopickup theirwiseMasterSplin-ter?It raisesmorequestionsthanitanswers, themainbeing,Whychangewhathasbeenheld trueinadaptationafteradaptation?Whenyouonlyhavetwohours

totella storyabout thoseradreptiles fighting thearmor-cladShredderandhisFootClan,whywastetimewiththeoriginnooneaskedfor?Fans floodedthe In-ternetwith instantcriticism,butBayquicklyresponded.Fansneedtotake a breath,

andchill.Theyhavenot read thescript.Ourteamisworkingcloselywithone of theoriginalcreators ofNinjaTurtlesto helpexpandandgive amore complexbackstory.Relax,we arein-cludingeverythingthat madeyoubecome fansin thefirst

place.Wearejustbuildingaricherworld.

Aricherworld?Thisiscom-

ing fromtheguywhoput testi-cles ona robot.Theyvealready rebootedthis

franchiseso many times thatitsbecomemoreofa steel-toedstompingat this point,andwhileheassuminglyhas co-creatorKevinEastmanssupport,PeterLairddidntseemas opento theideaon hisblog:Ithinkaplanetofturtles is

not, inandof itself,a badidea forsomekindof sciencefiction/fantasy story. But asa way toexplainanyaspectof thebacksto-ryof TMNT, I think itis awfulandunnecessary.Heencouraged fanstowait

andsee, though,unlike actorRobbyRist,whovoicedMiche-langeloin theoriginal live actionfilms.Ristcalledit therapeofourchildhoodmemories.WhileIwouldntexactlyuse thattermi-nology, I understandtheemo-

tional investment,similarto theoutragegamers feltwhencom-

pleting MassEffect3.

Thebest-selling videogamehasmadenationalnewssinceitsMarch6 releasebecauseitsdevelopers promisedan endingto thepopular seriesthatwouldgive closure to fansandanswertheirburningquestions,not aconfusing,plothole-ladencon-clusion.One fanevenfiled a falsead-

vertisingcomplaintwiththeFederalTradeCommission,whichbringsupa validpointWhyaresalesmenallowedto lieaboutentertainmentbut notabout cars andotherproductsthat suckup ourhard-earnedmoney?Maybeitsbecauseentertain-

ment issubjective,butwith theinventionof theInternet, theresjustnoexcuse thesecreatorshave fornot knowingwhat themajorityofpeoplewant.BioWareco-founderRayMu-

zykahas backpedaled,sayingthatthe team isworkingona

numberof gamecontentinitia-

tivesthatwill attempt to fixwhat theyhavebroken,butguyslikeBayhavean attitude like theyknowwhats best,which, inthelong run, justdoesnt panout.Thereason thatmost film

franchises only lastthreeor fourmoviesis becausetheypaintthemselvesinto cornerswithsloppywritingthatgoes againstwhat fansexpect.Youmakeyourmoneyon namerecognitionalone,butwhenthesubstancedoesnt live upto itstitle, theseentertainment know-it-alls havetogo back tothedrawing boardwhen thewritingwason theFacebookwall theentire time.Takea cuefromTheWalking

Deadandjustgive fanswhattheywant. Themasses arentexactlyrightabouta lotof things,butwhenitcomes toourmovies,games,comics,books,and televi-sionshows, letthatbighairy

beast havehisway. Ifyoudo,hellalwayshaveyourback intheend.

INFINITEIMPROBABILITYR I C H H O W E L L S

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The second season finale of The Walking Dead reportedly had nine million viewers, the highest

ratings yet for the series and an episode that gave fans more of what they wanted.

Give the people what they want


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, , ,

20 GOLackawanna Sunday March 25 2012

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Barre. Info: (570) 826-1100,www.kirbycenter.org.

Cirque DOr, Sun., March 25, 3p.m. Cost: $21.50, $31.50,$41.50, $61.50.

Fish Face: The Kids of PolkStreet School, Tues., March27, 10 a.m. Cost: $6.50.

Scranton Cultural Center, 420N. Washington Ave., Scran-ton. Info: (570) 344-1111,www.scrantonculturalcente-r.org.

South Pacific, Sun., March 25, 1and 6 p.m. Cost: $37, $47, $57.

F.M. Kirby Center for the Per-forming Arts.

The Goonies, Sat., March 31, 2and 6:30 p.m. Cost: Free.

CONCERTSF.M. Kirby Center for the Per-

forming Arts.Malt Shop Memories, Fri., March

30, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $29.50,$39.50, $49.50.

Scranton Cultural Center, 420N. Washington Ave., Scran-ton. Info: (570) 344-1111,www.scrantonculturalcente-

r.org.Listen Local series, featuring

Red, Blue, Green and AAYU,Fri., March 30, 6 p.m. cocktailhour, 7 p.m. show. Cost: $10.

LITERARY ARTS

New Visions Studio and Gallery.Writers Showcase, Sat., March 31,

7 p.m., with national SLAMpoet William James, KeithGilman, Charlie ODonnell,Reena Renells, RachaelGoetzke, and Sandee GertzUmback.

CALENDARContinued from page 16

Sunday March 25 2012 GOLackawanna 21

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NEWS

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ARTS


each other, their social groups

and ensuing drama may keepthem apart.

I think they like the littlelove story in theshow. And they liketheir groups offriends and thedances. Theres a lit-tle bit of rivalry andgossip that highschool kids can re-late to. Its a little

different from themovie. Thats howhigh school kidsare, Franek contin-ued.

Seventeen-year-old seniors GalenHaggerty and JohnKearny, respective-ly playingSandy andDanny, notonly resem-

ble the iconicroles playedby OliviaNewton-Johnand John Tra-voltainthefa-mous 1978film adapta-tion, they agree thatthey also re-late to theircharacters.

Grease isone of thosethings thateveryonegrew up with, so when we hada chanceto pick whatwe want-ed to do, Grease was the firstthing that popped in all ourheads, Kearny enthused. Be-ing torn between wanting todo theright thing and wantingto fit in with your friends I

can definitely relate to that.Its one of my favorite mo- viesIts so lighthearted andfun. All the songs are usuallyupbeat and happy, Haggertyadded.

The rest of the cast had notrouble getting into their char-acters, either.

My boys, the T-Birds, theyact kind of goofy, and the PinkLadiesgirlsare cliquey andgettogether andhave theirpajama

parties and dances, Franekpointed out.

Withthe PinkLadies, were

a very tight-knit group offriends, and the T-Birds loveclowning around. Theyare theT-Birds, Haggerty concurred.

Thisdoesnt mean,however,that the West Scranton Playershavent had to practice hard.

Auditions and productionstarted in mid-January, withthe 44 actors in the show re-

hearsing Mondaythrough Thurs-day from 6 to 9p.m..

When Imhererehearsing 6 to 9p.m., Im in front,andthenonSatur-daysIcomeinand

work on the set,and then my prepperiods, Ill do theprogram. Andthen Im runningto the SalvationArmy looking forcostumes, I wentto AC Moore to-day looking for wire to hangsomething fromthe batons its

just a lot of littledetailsto make areally goodshow, Franeksaid.

Its hard forthe kids, too, be-cause some ofthem have track3 to 5 p.m. andthen they comehere 6 to 9 p.m.,or some are inbaseball. Its allday after theyvebeen in schoolall day, so its re-

ally a demanding schedule forthese couple of months.

She also acknowledged thededication of the stage andlighting crews, the live bandled by musical director KenMcGraw, dances led by chore-ographer Dave Ragnacci, stu-

dents and faculty selling tick-ets,ads,and refreshments,andthe schools textiles class, whohandmade the 50s poodleskirts.

Seeingeverything come to-gether is the fun part, she ad-mitted.

The players also foundthemselves coming closer to-getherlikeramalama lama kadinga da dinga dong through-out the production, resulting

in a show thats likely to standout from other versions of thecrowd-pleasing play.

GREASEContinued from page 17

WHAT: The WestScranton PlayersPresent GreaseWHERE: WestScranton HighSchool, 1201 LuzerneSt., ScrantonWHEN: March 30

and 31 at 7:30 p.m.,April1 at 2 p.m.COST: $8, adults; $5,students, military,and seniors; free,children under 5.Tickets are availablein the main office orat the door.

IF YOU GO

Galen Haggerty SandyNicole James Rizzo

Victoria Kusy FrenchyAryssara Bryndzia MartyRachel Fitz JanJohn Kearny DannyChris Galdieri KenickieChri

go lackawanna 03-25-2012

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