KKK Monument on Public Square by Dave

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Happy 40th? The Happy Meal turns 40, but not everyone is happy about it. C1

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BaCk MOuntain natiOnaL, GReateR PittStOn aRea MOvinG On in LittLe LeaGue ChaMPiOnShiPS. B1

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HATE ON DISPLAY? W-B probing alleged hate group’s plaque on city monument BY STEVE MOCARSKY STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — City officials are investigating how a brick-like plaque inscribed with the name of an alleged hate group was quietly affixed to a monument on Public Square. The stone monolith, which has the city’s beehive symbol mounted to the top, has 48 such plaques affixed on each of its four sides. The names of people, families, businesses and organizations as well as phrases and questions are engraved on the 192 plaques. “East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire” is engraved into one of the plaques in the top row on one of the four sides of the monument, suggesting it was one of the last 12 plaques to be affixed. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. nonprofit organization that purports to monitor the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists, lists the East Coast Knights among more than 50 “Ku Klux Klan hate groups” operating in 2018. According to the East Coast Knights website, members “do not preach hate” and merely “wish to preserve the white, Christian ways … (t)he same way other races wish to preserve their race and beliefs.” The East Coast Knights did not return messages seeking comment.

Please see PLAQUE, Page A5

LUZERNE COUNTY

Four firms submit tax collection service bids A contract with Northeast Revenue Services expires at the end of the year. BY ERIC MARK STAFF WRITER

NAACP chief concerned Ronald Felton, president of the NAACP’s Wilkes-Barre branch, said the monument would be among the topics discussed at a branch meeting tonight, after which he believed the organization would release a statement. Personally, Felton said, he had concerns about the city agreeing to affix the name of a hate group to a monument on Public Square. While he has had no interaction with the East Coast Knights, Felton said he would trust the Southern Poverty Law Center’s classification of the organization as a hate group.

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the beehive monument on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre was first installed in 2006 as part of the city’s bicentennial celebration.

Body of Plains Twp. man found in NY lake ASSOCIATED PRESS Oneida Lake. LENOX, N.Y. — The body Gambini of a 51-year-old Plains Twp. was transman was recovered from a ported to the lake in central New York Onondaga three days after he went missMedi cal ing while swimming. Examiner’s GAMBINI The Oneida County SherOffice for furiff ’s Office said the body of ther investigation. James Gambini was recovGambini was reported missered around 6:15 a.m. Monday ing shortly after 6:30 p.m. Frifrom the South Bay area of day after he jumped off a boat

to swim and never resurfaced. The body of another missing swimmer was recovered from Oneida Lake on Sunday. The sheriff’s office says 62-yearold Richard Whitney of West Monroe, New York, went swimming from a boat at Lakeshore Yacht Club around 3 p.m. SatCOURTESY OF THE ONEIDA DAILY DISPATCH urday. His body was found about 24 hours later by state Crews search Oneida Lake on Saturday for police using sonar equipment. James Gambini, who vanished Friday evening.

Luzerne County officials on Monday released the names of the four firms that submitted proposals to collect delinquent real estate taxes for Luzerne County starting next year. Northeast Revenue Service has operated the county tax claim bureau and collected delinquent taxes for the county since 2010. The company submitted a proposal to continue its services after its contract expires at the end of this year, according to county chief solicitor Romilda Crocamo. Northeast Revenue, based in Plains Twp., has been connected to corruption cases involving the former mayors of Allentown and Scranton, though no charges have been filed against the company or any of its officers or employees. According to Crocamo, three other firms responded to the county’s recent request for proposals for delinquent tax collection services for 2020-22: ■ Jordan Tax Service Inc., a tax collection company based in Washington County in southwestern Pennsylvania. The company, founded in 1932, provides “comprehensive revenue collection services” to school districts, municipalities, counties and authorities, according to its website. ■ Linebarger Attorneys-atLaw, a national law firm “dedicated to the collection of delinquent government receivables,” according to the firm’s website. Linebarger provides “customized collection programs” for clients in the public sector, its website states. ■ Ability Recovery Services LLC, or ARS. The company is family-owned and operates in all 50 states, according to its website. It has an office in Dupont, according to online listings. A committee will consider the four proposals and will recommend one to county council, according to county Manager David Pedri. Council will decide which proposal to approve and is not bound by the committee’s recommendation. Please see BIDS, Page A5

Bible shortage? Publishers say tariffs could cause it Millions of Bibles are printed in China each year and tariffs could make them more expensive. BY TRAVIS LOLLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Religious publishers say President Donald Trump’s most recent proposed tariffs on Chinese imports could result in a Bible shortage. MARTA LAVANDIER / ASSOCIATED PRESS That’s because millions of Religious publishers say tariffs on Chinese Bibles — some estimates put it imports could hurt the evangelical efforts at 150 million or more — are of Christian organizations that give away printed in China each year. Bibles as part of their ministry. Critics of a proposed tariff say

it would make the Bible more expensive for consumers and hurt the evangelism efforts of Christian organizations that give away Bibles as part of their ministry. HarperCollins Christian Publishing President and CEO Mark Schoenwald recently told the U.S. Trade Representative that the company believes the Trump administration “never intended to impose a ‘Bible

Tax’ on consumers and religious organizations,” according to a transcript of his remarks provided by the publisher. The two largest Bible publishers in the United States, Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, are owned by HarperCollins, and they incur close to 75% of their Bible manufacturing expenses in China, Schoenwald said. Together, they command 38% of the American Bible market, he said. The full size of that market is

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difficult to gauge. A spokeswoman at HarperCollins said they believe around 20 million Bibles are sold in the U.S. each year. T he NDP g roup, which includes NPD BookScan and PubTrack Digital, captured 5.7 million print Bible sales in the U.S. in 2018. But that figure doesn’t capture all sales, including the large number of Bibles sold by publishers directly to congregations.

As anniversary nears, beware fake moon rocks. Page B7

Please see BIBLES, Page A5

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LocaL / NatioN

TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2019

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A5

PLaQUE: Engraved bricks available for $35 From page a1

Courtesy oF Wilkes-Barre City poliCe

Police said Monday a pit bull named Ace was stolen from Coal Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Wilkes-Barre police seek puppy thief BY BoB KaLiNoWSKi staFF Writer

has vision problems and will stand out to people who may see him. The vision problems cause the dog to be physically impaired, he said. City police posted the incident on its Facebook page with the headline, “Puppy Thief Alert!” Police asked anyone with information on Ace’s whereabouts to call Officer Dan Duffy at 570-208-4118. “Anonymous callers are welcome,” police wrote. “Let’s help get ‘Ace’ home.”

WILKES-BARRE — City police are trying to track down a puppy with vision problems that was stolen on Coal Street on Monday morning. Police said the owner of the dog — a pit bull named Ace — reported the animal was taken around 11 a.m. near 154 Coal St. A black Chevrolet Impala pulled up to the dog and a passenger snatched the animal before the car fled, the contact the writer: owner told police. bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com The owner told police Ace 570-821-2055; @cvbobkal

BiDS: Tax claims went private in 2010 From page a1

charging documents state. A Northeast Revenue spokesman said the company had been “fully cooperative with any and all inquiries and requests” from authorities in connection with the Courtright investigation. The county commissioners under the county’s previous form of government privatized the county’s tax claim bureau in 2010.

After Bill Courtright resigned as mayor of Scranton and pleaded guilty to felony corruption charges last week, charging documents stated that Courtright demanded Northeast Revenue pay him $4,000 to retain its contract collecting delinquent taxes and refuse fees for Scranton. Northeast Revenue paid contact the writer: Cour tright through an emark@citizensvoice.com intermediary in 2017, the 570-821-2117

City Administrator Rick Gazenski said he would check into the East Coast Knights organization and into the city’s process of selling the plaques. “Why would they engrave that without doing some research as to what they’re putting up?” Gazenski said. “If there’s a good reason to have it removed, I’ll strongly recommend it be removed and the donation returned.” But city Attorney Tim Henry said he doesn’t think the city can lawfully refuse to display the name of the organization when the names of other organizations are displayed on the monument. “We may not agree with what they stand for, but they have a right to advertise their organization, as distasteful as it is,” Henry said. “They have 1st Amendment rights like everybody else.” Henry noted that the city

‘We may not agree with what they stand for, but they have a right to advertise their organization, as distasteful as it is. They have 1st Amendment rights like everybody else.’ tiM HENRY City attorney

“took a lot of flack” when it allowed the Freedom From Religion Foundation to pay $50 to erect a banner on Public Square during the 2012 holiday season stating: “At this Season of the Winter Solstice, Let Reason Prevail.” “The city can’t regulate based on conscience,” Henry said. The ACLU of Pennsylvania did not immediately provide input requested Monday afternoon.

the monument base was covered with plaques after the initial fund drive. The city relaunched a drive in 2015 and The Citizens’ Voice provided advertising for it, inviting the public to “Help us celebrate Wilkes-Barre” and “Leave your mark on Wilkes-Barre by purchasing an engraved brick for only $35.” Gazenski said the city has collected about $2,300 from brick sales since the 2015 drive began. Sale proceeds are now deposited into the city’s general fund, and space remains on the monument for additional plaques, he said. Specifics on the sale of the plaque to the East Coast Knights weren’t available Monday because city Special Projects Coordinator Patty Hughes was out of the office.

Barre and raise money to celebrate the city’s bicentennial that began in 2006. The project was launched by the newly formed nonprofit Celebrate WilkesBarre Inc. Bill Vinsko, who was city attorney and a Celebrate Wilkes-Barre board member at the time, said on Monday he thought the nonprofit had since become defunct. While it was operating, the city accepted payments for brick plaques and aim was to beautify dropped the funds into the The beehive monument nonprofit’s account. contact the writer: was erected as part of a According to newspaper smocarsky@citizensvoice.com project to beautify Wilkes- archives, less than half of 570-821-2110, @mocarskyCV

BiBLES: Printing moved abroad decades ago From page a1

Regardless, it’s clear the Bible is the top-selling book in the U.S. By comparison, the next best seller in 2018 was Michelle Obama’s “Becoming,” which BookScan estimates sold 3.5 million copies. The proposed 25% tariff would apply to all books, but critics say it would disproportionately affect Bibles and children’s books. Both tend to have specialized printing requirements that Chinese printers are set up to meet while many domestic printers are not. “U.S. printers moved their Bible printing facilities abroad decades ago, leaving no substantial domestic manufacturing alternatives,” Schoenwald said. Stan Jantz, president and CEO of the Evangelical

‘U.S. printers moved their Bible printing facilities abroad decades ago, leaving no substantial domestic manufacturing alternatives.’

Christian Publishers Association, said in a phone interview that over half of worldwide Bible production takes place in China. The tariff would hurt organizations that give away Bibles and also make it difficult for publishers to sell the Bible at a price people can afford, he said. “Traditionally, historically books have been excluded from tariffs,” Jantz added. Biblica, the International Bible Society, is a charitable religious organization that gives away Bibles to people in 55 countries. China represents 72% of the group’s investment in Bible publishing, according to Biblica President and CEO Geof Morin. A Bible tariff would “dramatically affect the number of Bibles we are able to print and give away, impacting the

MaRK ScHoENWaLD HarperCollins Christian publishing

religious freedom of individuals in countries where Bible access is limited and often nonexistent,” Morin said in testimony to the Trade Representative, according to a transcript he provided. The critics also argue that a tariff on books would not advance the purported goals

of the tariff, to stop the Chinese from acquiring American technology, trade secrets and intellectual property. “The printing of books does not require significant technology or know-how that is at risk of theft or appropriation by China,” Tyndale House CEO Mark Taylor said in written comments on the tariffs. For now, the publishers and other Bible distributors must simply wait to see if their pleas will be answered. Trump and President Xi Jinping of China agreed at a recent meeting of the Group of 20 major economies to resume trade negotiations, a decision that puts all the proposed tariffs on hold. Forecasters warned, however, the two sides still face the same differences that caused talks to break down in earlier this year.

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New program helps Parkinson’s patients better manage the disease. Page A3

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WILKES-BARRE MONUMENT

3 JUVENILES CHARGED IN DEADLY FIRE

Marker bought with Texas address Money order from Okla. bank used to buy brick for alleged hate group. BY STEVE MOCARSKY Staff writer

for finding ways to work around the lack of database access. Also on Tuesday, citizen Walter Griffith and Councilman Stephen A. Urban questioned whether it would be proper for the county to continue its relationship with Northeast Revenue Service, the Plains Twp.-based company that has collected delinquent taxes for the county since 2010.

WILKES-BARRE — A plaque affixed to a monument on Public Square and advertising an alleged hate group was purchased in 2016 by someone using a Texas mailing address. The City of Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday provided a copy of the sales receipt for the brick plaque on which is engraved “East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire,” an organization the Southern Pove r t y L aw C e n t e r h a s labeled a “Ku Klux Klan hate group.” The East Coast Knights dispute that label on the organization website, claiming members “do not preach hate” and merely “wish to preserve the white, Christian ways. The same way other races wish to preserve their race and beliefs.” The receipt for the brick purchase was dated Sept. 9, 2016, and made out to Carl Williams, with a post office box address in Venus, Texas. The $35 purchase was paid for with a money order payable from a bank in Oklahoma. The city also kept photocopies of envelopes the city tried to send to the Texas post office box in Williams’ name. Both came back with U.S. Postal Service labels stating “Return to sender. Not deliverable as addressed. Unable to forward.” A Nanticoke address was scrawled on one of the returned envelopes, and a phone number with a 570 area code appeared on the receipt. A voice mail message left at that number by a reporter was not immediately returned.

Please see COUNTY, Page A6

Please see BRICK, Page A8

Dave ScherbeNco / Staff PhotograPher

Smoke billows from 18 Wood St. in Pittston on Tuesday morning as firefighters stage at the scene.

11-year-old boy became trapped in Pittston home; 5 others escaped blaze BY JAMES HALPIN AND BOB KALINOWSKI Staff writerS

PITTSTON — Investigators late Tuesday announced the arrest of three juveniles in connection with a fatal fire that killed an 11-year-old boy Tuesday morning in Pittston. In a press release, police said the juveniles were taken into custody on Tuesday under the state’s Juvenile Act, indicating they will be charged in juvenile court. The press release does not say what charges the minors will face, or what their ages are. No details about what the minors allegedly did were released. Since the minors are being

charged as juveniles, investigators say they can’t release more information. “Unfortunately, due to the Juvenile Act and Rule of Juvenile Court Procedure, law enforcement cannot give further comment at this time,” police wrote. Five people escaped the raging fire that broke out overnight at 18 Wood St. in Pittston, but one child who was trapped inside died of his injuries. County officials did not immediately release the 11-year-old boy’s name, saying they were still working to notify family members. Please see FIRE, Page A7

Dave ScherbeNco / Staff PhotograPher

A Pittston firefighter moves through the second floor of the home early Tuesday.

Pedri: School tax bills will go out by Aug. 1 County’s real estate database still has not been restored. BY ERIC MARK Staff writer

WILKES-BARRE — School districts in Luzerne County will be able to mail property tax bills by Aug. 1 despite lingering problems related to a cyber attack on the county computer network, according to county Manager David Pedri.

“We feel very strongly that school bills will be ready to go out,” Pedri told county council on Tuesday. The county’s real estate database has PEDRI not been restored since county officials shut down the computer network after the cyber attack was discovered in late May. County budget and finance

director Brian Swetz on June 27 advised school districts that the assessor’s office could not perform required certifications of tax bills without access to the database, which includes information about parcels throughout the county. The certifications ensure that the latest assessed values and other information about parcels is reflected in tax bills. The county advised districts that normally mail tax bills in July to push back the

mailing date to Aug. 1. Pedri on Tuesday said that date is still a realistic target, even though the database has yet to be restored. “All indications are that we will be able to certify the bills for Aug. 1 whether it be the (database) or a workaround,” Pedri wrote in a follow-up text message. In his remarks to council, Pedri praised county employees, especially in the recorder of deeds and assessor’s offices,

Perot rose from childhood poverty to self-made billionaire Former presidential candidate passed away Tuesday at 89. BY DAVID KOENIG aSSociateD PreSS

DALLAS — H. Ross Perot rose from a childhood of Depression-era poverty to become a self-made billionaire who twice ran for president with a mixture of folksy sayings and simple aSSociateD PreSS file solutions to America’s probThen-presidential hopeful H. Ross Perot speaks at a lems. His 19% of the vote in rally in Austin, Texas, in 1992. The Texas billionaire 1992 stands among the best showings by an independent would again run for the presidency in 1996.

FROM THE ARCHIVES h. ross Perot visited King’s college in wilkesbarre in april 1992. read our archived coverage on page A13. candidate in the last century. Perot died of leukemia Tuesday at his home in Dallas surrounded by his family, family spokesman James Fuller said. He was 89. As a boy in Texarkana,

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Texas, Perot delivered newspapers from the back of a pony. He earned his billions in a more modern way, however. After attending the U.S. Naval Academy and becoming a salesman for IBM, he set out on his own — creating and building Electronic Data Systems Corp., which helped other companies manage their computer networks. The most famous event in his storied business career didn’t involve sales or earnings. In 1979, Perot financed a private commando raid to free two EDS employees who

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Trump defends Acosta amid Epstein case. Page a10

were being held in a prison in Iran. The tale was turned into a book and a movie. “I always thought of him as stepping out of a Norman Rockwell painting and living the American dream,” said Tom Luce, who was a young lawyer when Perot hired him to handle his business and personal legal work. “A newspaper boy, a midshipman, shaking Dwight Eisenhower’s hand at his graduation, and he really built the computerservices industry at EDS.” Please see PEROT, Page A13

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NEWS

A8 THE CITIZENS' VOICE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019

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New Memory Pill Fights Forgetfulness Used In China For 23 Years Now Available In The U.S. Tested and approved by U.S. doctors; clinical studies show active ingredient reverses years of memory loss and works even in severe cases of mental decline; enhances the brain’s ability to remember events, people, names and faces with greater ease and clarity in days with no harmful side effects

By J.K. Wiley National Media Syndicate NMS—A pill that reverses years of memory loss and triggers enhance brain function without side effects has been used safely in China for 23 years. It is now available in the United States without a prescription. The remarkable pill contains an active ingredient, which was first developed by Chinese pharmaceutical scientists in 1995, not only reawaken mental function… but also… speed up thinking and reaction times in the brain. It also works to restore healthy brain cells within the brain’s neural network; this is what improves memory and learning functions. Now an improved version of this pill is being offered in America under the brand name Prixelin. “With daily use, the powerful compound in Prixelin is able to get inside your brain, and give the brain an invigoration energy boost by producing key chemicals that ‘wake up’ healthy brain cells, which improve concentration, enhance cognitive function and thinking power,” explains Jeremy Williams, President of the parent company behind the Prixelin. “This is what the clinical studies have shown and is why so many U.S. doctors are now recommending Prixelin to patients,” he added.

WHAT SCIENTISTS DISCOVERED Prixelin contains an amazing compound that has a known ability to improve memory and enhance brain function within days. The compound is not a drug. It is the active ingredient in Prixelin. Scientists believe that Prixelin’s active ingredient works by blocking the enzyme responsible for breaking down a neurotransmitter. The vital neurotransmitter, called acetylcholine (or AC), in the brain plays an important role for memory, thinking speed, reaction times and mental activities. AC helps our brain cells communicate. Transferring information from one area to another. Without it our thoughts become “stuck” and we can’t access information and memories. Research shows that as we age, the healthy levels of AC in our brain begins to break down, which causes the brain cells gradually die. The results can be delayed reactions, slower thinking, memory loss, and eventually a complete breakdown in brain function. Well, that’s where Prixelin comes in and why it seems to be so effective. “I took Prixelin and felt fabulous. My speech has improved, my hands are shaking less. I even notice that my “senior moments” are becoming few and far between,” said Loraine Sheldon from Austin, TX. All this positive feedback makes it easy to understand why there is so much excitement and optimism surrounding this amazing new memory pill.

IMPRESSIVE BENEFITS FOR MEMORY LOSS SUFFERERS The clinical studies were conducted by top scientists here in the United States. The results were published in the prestigious medical journal Neurology. The studies included both men and women who were suffering from age related memory loss. First, they had patients perform various memory tests. Then, they gave

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

MEMORY LOSS REVERSED: Doctors are now recommending new Prixelin to seniors suffering from symptoms of memory loss and mental decline. Initial users in U.S. report improvements in memory, speech, thinking and learning functions without side effects. half the patients Prixelin’s active ingredient. They gave the other half a placebo (dummy) pill. After 12 weeks they had the patients do the test again. The results were astonishing. The participants who took the pill as directed reversed their mental age by nearly 12 years according to researchers conducting the studies. They also saw a huge improvement in their memory, learning and thinking ability. They could remember the names and faces of people they met years ago… find misplaced objects quickly… and recall telephone numbers easily. Another study conducted in Italy produced similarity outstanding results, where user experienced a 44% improvement in mental function in just 90 days. Nothing like it has been seen before. In addition, a study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health in China produced similarity outstanding results. During the study, 202 patients suffering from age-related memory loss taking Prixelin’s active ingredient in just 4 weeks, 70 percent of those tested showed improvement in cognitive function and quality of life. Seven out of ten! In yet another study, patients with serious mental decline became less forgetful after taking the active ingredient in Prixelin. In another study, patients performed 280% better on mental tests than those taking a placebo! The findings are impressive, no doubt, but results may vary. But with results like these it’s easy to see why thousands of callers are jamming the phone line trying to get their hands on Prixelin. “All I did was take Prixelin daily like the instructions said and within days I noticed an improvement. Everything seems so much clearer now. It’s like a fog has been lifted from my mind,” said Robert P., from Sedona, AZ.

HOW IT REVERSES MEMORY LOSS Prixelin is a one-a-day pill that’s taken after breakfast. The pill is small. Easy to swallow. There are no harmful side effects. And it does not require a prescription. Actually, the only ‘side effect’ is that the active ingredients in Prixelin boost your mood and can even help you sleep better. Researchers believe the Prixelin’s active ingredient reduces cortisol, the brain’s stress hormone. Resulting in less stress, which leads to better sleep and a more positive mood. Scientists also believe the active ingredient in Prixelin works by inhibiting the enzyme destroys a vital neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, or AC. How important is AC? VERY. If you’re able to read this, you

can thank your healthy levels of AC. As we age, our AC levels go down naturally. But in people suffering from age-related memory loss, something goes horribly wrong, which causes our brain cells gradually die. If brain cells fail, so does memory. The results can be lapsed in concentration, forgetfulness, and mental decline; and that’s where Prixelin comes in and why it seems to be so effective. “I had severe memory problems,” said 69 year old David S., of Henderson, NV. “But I can already concentrate and remember details better after only one month with Prixelin. This pill is easing my fear of dementia,” he added.

RECOMMENDED BY U.S. MEDICAL DOCTORS “Prixelin is the first real solution to come along for mental decline that is both side-effect free and supported by clinical trials. If you suffer from an age related memory loss, try this product immediately,” said Dr. Peter Grossman, from Philadelphia, PA. “In all my years as a medical doctor, there is nothing else quite like Prixelin when it comes to supporting memory, concentration and healthy brain function. The product even relieves anxiety and stress without side effects,” said Dr. Kimberly Langdon, from Columbus, OH. “I recommend Prixelin to seniors who find it difficult to remember the events, people and names of their lives. The evidence shows it is especially effective for those who suffer from “brain fog” and “senior moments”,” said Dr. Jenny Reategui, from Los Angeles, CA.

WILKES BARRE CITIZENS’ VOICE READERS GET SPECIAL DISCOUNT SUPPLY This is the official nationwide release of Prixelin in Pennsylvania. And so, the company is offering a special discount supply to any memory loss suffers who calls within the next 48-hours. A Regional Order Hotline has been set up for local readers to call. This gives everyone an equal chance to try Prixelin. Starting at 7:00 AM today, the order hotline will be open for 48-hours. All you have to do is call TOLL-FREE 1-800-329-5491 and provide the operator with the special discount approval code: BB762. The company will do the rest. IMPORTANT: Due to Prixelin’s recent media exposure, phone lines are often busy. If you call and do not immediately get through, please be patient and call back. Current supplies of Prixelin are limited. So consumers that don’t get through the next 48-hours may have to pay more and wait until more inventory is produced. This could take as long as 6 weeks.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All doctors mentioned are remunerated for their services. All clinical studies on Prixelin’s active ingredients were independently conducted and were not sponsored by the Maker of Prixelin.

The brick bearing the name of the East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire was affixed to the monument on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre recently.

BRICK: Marker’s appearance a surprise for several city officials FROM PAGE A1

The monument was erected in 2008 with the intent that bricks purchased by individuals or organizations during the city’s bicentennial celebration in 2006 would be affixed to the sides. The city’s beehive symbol was eventually mounted on top. Bricks purchased at that time didn’t cover even half the monument, and the city ran another campaign to sell more bricks in 2015, encouraging people to “celebrate Wilkes-Barre” and “leave your mark on” the city by buying an engraved brick. The monument now has 192 bricks affixed, with space for a few dozen more. They are engraved with the names of individuals, families, businesses and local organizations, as well as a variety of words and phrases. The Citizens’ Voice reported Tuesday that the East Coast Knights’ brick apparently was affixed to the monument more recently. Its appearance came as a surprise to top city officials as well as to an original board member of the nonprof-

it that first sold the bricks and to the head of the local NAACP branch. City Attorney Tim Henry had said there was nothing the city could do about removing the brick because the East Coast Knights have the 1st Amendment right to advertise their organization. But city Administrator Rick Gazenski had said he would check into the possibility of vetting future sales of the bricks. Cambriae Bates, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said a staff attorney would need to know if the monument itself was publicly funded before issuing an opinion because, if it was not, that would “create some different variables” related to 1st Amendment rights and advertising. City officials could not determine for certain on Tuesday whether public funds or donations were used to pay for the purchase and installation of the monument. Ron Felton, president of the Wilkes-Barre branch of

the NAACP, expressed concern Monday that the city would affix a plaque for an alleged hate group on a monument on Public Square, but he said he couldn’t argue against an organization’s 1st Amendment rights. At a regular meeting of the NAACP local branch on Tuesday, members discussed the situation. Felton said the city was “on a progressive path,” demonstrated by a new multicultural parade and festival started during Mayor Tony George’s administration and the city’s recognition of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and he hated to see any steps backward. “I don’t have a problem with anybody having pride in their ethnic background, but it should not come at the expense of others,” Felton said, asking if his initial response was adequate. After some discussion, the executive committee voted to make no further statement on the matter. Contact the writer: smocarsky@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2110, @MocarskyCV

New law seems unlikely to alter Philadelphia gun law prosecutions BY MARK SCOLFORO ASSOCIATED PRESS

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top prosecutor said Tuesday he does not intend to use new unilateral authority to prosecute gun crimes in Philadelphia under a state law passed after criticism of the city district attorney’s handling of gun law violations. A spokesman for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said he sought the socalled “concurrent jurisdiction” with county district attorneys across the state but did not ask for it to be limited to the city, as provided in the version that passed the Legislature last month. Shapiro spokesman Joe Grace said the statewide authority could help agents track guns linked to crimes when they cross county lines, but the Legislature instead

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overwhelmingly approved the more narrow provision, and timed it to expire in about two years. That’s about when Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s current term will expire. Krasner’s spokeswoman, Jane Roh, said in an email that the Democrat “was elected by an overwhelming margin to push for badly needed criminal justice reforms in one of the most highly incarcerated big cities in the country, and he has serious concerns about what this law does, the potential precedent it sets, and what it signifies for the justice movement at large.” Roh called the bill a “targeted attack on his local authority.” The bill, which received only a small handful of “no” votes, was partially designed to respond to a May decision by the state Supreme Court by specifying that police and agents with the attorney general’s office can participate in task forces as long as their departments have given their consent.

It also gave Shapiro the independent power to prosecute straw purchases or sales, or felons who possess firearms. Separate legislation passed at about the same time provided $2.5 million for a gun violence task force working in Philadelphia. Krasner, who regularly sued the Philadelphia police as a civil lawyer before being elected district attorney on a platform to reverse “mass incarceration,” has been much more likely than his predecessor to allow defendants in gun cases to enter a diversion program designed for first-time, nonviolent offenders, according to an analysis by The Philadelphia Inquirer. “At a time when vulnerable communities are hurting from poverty, discriminatory policing, draconian incarceration policies and gun violence, the justice movement must clearly and forcefully reject political shots at reformers like Larry Krasner intended to maintain the status quo,” Roh said.

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TOO OO C CLEAN? Cleaning products can affect lung health. B7

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Opinions split on brick removal Some see need for screening process; others consider free speech issue. BY STEVE MOCARSKY STAFF WRITER

COMMunITY GET-TOGETHER

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Auctioneer Carol Sweeney, right, and state Rep. Karen Boback take bids for an item at the 73rd annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction in Dallas on Thursday.

Popular Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction gets underway BY BiLL WELLOCK STAFF WRITER

DALLAS — Ask Michelle and Duane Kersteen to name some of the memorable items they’ve acquired at the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction, and the list leads off with the piano. You have to say “acquired” at the fair, because they didn’t actually buy that one. While they were walking around, their children raised their auction placard and picked up the instrument/furniture for $5. They brought the truck the next day to pick it up. The plan, when it was purchased, was to give the piano to their daughter, Jill, who was studying music in college. But it stayed in the family garage for a while until an entrepreneurial spirit and instinct to declutter took over Duane. “I put an ad in the paper, and sold it for $75,” he said. Not a bad return. The Kersteens, of Forty Fort, have been coming to the annual event for three decades. They were there Thursday night at the 73rd annual edition with their daughter Jill Kersteen Michaels — the former music major, who picked up a bag full of

ONLiNE EXTRA Visit citizensvoice.com for video from the first night of the Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction. CDs — and their granddaughter, 2-year-old Winnie. They picked up some books and toys for her, including a Playskool toy guitar, a much more portable introduction to music. A few years after the piano, the Kersteens bought a trophy mount of a 10-point buck. They waited until their son was sleeping, and slipped it in the othersideof hisbed.Despitethe“Godfather” homage and the piano escapade, it was not a message to a man whohadcrossedhim,DuaneKersteen said — just a joke. Another time, they bought a wetsuit that all three of their kids ended up using. They’re still finding cool items. At the latest edition of theauction,Duanesuccessfullybidfor a digital clock in the shape of a golden SEAN McKEAg / STAFF PhoTogRAPhER windmill with a banner reading “Heineken” across the front. Winnie Michaels, 2, of Forty Fort, shares an umbrella with her Please see AuCTiON, Page A5

grandfather, Dwayne Kersteen, also of Forty Fort, as a light rain falls during the auction Thursday.

WILKES-BARRE — Memorializing an alleged hate group with an engraved brick on a Public Square monument remained a hotbutton issue Thursday, with disagreement even among those who have engraved bricks displayed near it. “I don’t think it ever should have made it up on the (monument). There should have been a screening process,” Councilman Mike Belusko said of the brickface plaque engraved with “East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire.” A brick placed in memory of Francis “Red” Belusko, the councilman’s father, was affixed to the monument to the left of the East Coast Knights brick. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a watchdog group for hate groups and other extremists, has labeled The East Coast Knights a Ku Klux Klanaffiliated hate group, an allegation the East Coast Knights deny on their website. City Attorney Tim Henry said earlier this week that refusing to sell an engraved brick bearing the name of the East Coast Knights would have infringed on their 1st Amendment rights. “If somebody wants to put a brick with curse words up there, what’s to stop them? But now that it’s up, it can’t be removed, given what Tim Henry said. I wouldn’t want to subject the city to a lawsuit,” Belusko said. The brick was one of several recently affixed to the monument, which is topped with a sculpture of the city’s beehive symbol. Please see BRiCK, Page A5

New Orleans area braces for season’s first hurricane Thousands filling sandbags or fleeing to higher ground as Barry approaches. BY KEViN MCGiLL AND REBECCA SANTANA ASSocIATEd PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — Thousands of Louisianans broke out sandbags or fled to higher ground Thursday as T ro p i c a l S t o r m B a r r y threatened to turn into the first hurricane of the season and blow ashore with torrential rains that could pose a severe test of New

State adds anxiety to qualifying conditions for medical marijuana ASSocIATEd PRESS

Orleans’ improved postKatrina flood defenses . National Guard troops and rescue crews in highwater vehicles took up positions around the state as Louisiana braced for the arrival of the storm Friday night or early Saturday. Barry could have winds of about 75 mph, just barely over the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, when it comes ashore, making it a MATThEW hINToN / ASSocIATEd PRESS Category 1 storm, forecasters said. St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office inmate workers Please see STORM, Page A6

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Health Department is adding anxiety disorders and Tourette’s syndrome to the list of conditions that can qualify people to obtain legal medical marijuana. The heath secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced Thursday she’ll be adding them as of July 20. Levine says her decision was based on the recommendation of the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board and her own review of medimove free sandbags for residents in Chalmette, La., on cal research literature. She says medical marijuaThursday.

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Trump abandons plans for citizenship question. Page A10

na shouldn’t be the first treatments for those conditions, bu t p hy s i cians can LEViNE recommend it to be used together with traditional therapeutic approaches. The list already includes cancer, epilepsy, intractable seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder, terminal illness and other conditions. Nearly 111,000 Pennsylvanians have been certified for participation in the state’s medical marijuana program.

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Allegations shadow race for GOP chair

open house spotlights Power scholars academy

More sexual harassment accusations surface ahead of meeting to pick leader. aSSoCIatIon preSS

HARRISBURG — More accusations about sexual harassment of women by Pennsylvania Republican Party officials are emerging in the days before party members will meet to elect a new chair. The acting chair, Bernadette Comfort, is being accused by GOP activists of knowing about and ignoring complaints of sexual harassment by state party officials. Through a party spokesman, Comfort declined an interview about the matter Thursday, but said in a statement that it is not true that anyone alerted her about inappropriate behavior and asked her for help. Comfort is running for chair with support from key figures close to President Donald Trump’s campaign, including Donald Trump Jr . She was expected to be opposed at Saturday’s meeting in Hershey by the state GOP’s former general counsel, Lawrence Tabas, who was backed by pro-Trump committee members in 2017 when he narrowly lost the chairman’s election to Val DiGiorgio. The fight for the party’s leadership comes as Democratic energy in the presidential battleground is raising questions about Trump’s ability to replicate his stunning 2016 win in a state Republicans hadn’t carried for nearly two decades. Democrats animated by an anti-Trump fervor have since scored big victories in Pennsylvania’s elections for governor, U.S. senator, Congress and the state Legislature.

Mark Moran / Staff photographer

The Wilkes-Barre YMCA hosted an open house Thursday to showcase its Power Scholars Academy, an award-winning program that helps students from low-income families in the Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Area school districts combat summer learning loss. The academy is an evidence-based, summer learning program that provides students in grades K-8 with a six-week, full-day summer learning experience. The goal is to increase students’ academic success and boost self-confidence by engaging them in three hours of academics every day that include math and reading, plus weekly field trips. This was the third year the Wilkes-Barre YMCA has partnered with the Hanover Area and Wilkes-Barre Area school districts to field the Power Scholars Academy. Above: Elizabeth Quinn, center, gets a high five from Noemi Avilla during a game of letter bingo Thursday at Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre.

auctioN: ‘Going strong for a long time’ froM page a1

The annual event brings a treasure trove of antiques and other items — including new donated prizes like one pizza a week for a year from Pizza Bella, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders tickets and a painting by local artist Sue Hand — to the library at 96 Huntsville Road, Dallas for four days of food, fun and deals. Profit from the auction and the items for sale in tents around the grounds go toward the library’s mission. The event is also a big community get-together that is a homecoming for some people, said auction co-chairman Pat Peiffer. “Some people plan their vacations around this to come back,” she said. “Its been going strong for a

duplicates what goes on here,” said co-chairman Bill Pfeiffer, her brother. ■ the Back Mountain Dallas residents Faythe Memorial Library auction and Charles Roberts and continues through Suntheir daughter Tawnya Eckday at the library, 96 ert were also in attendance huntsville road, Dallas. Thursday, sitting a few row Booths and the auction behind the Kersteens. 67-yearpreview open at 5 p.m., old Faythe has been coming and bidding begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday is a since she was 4 years old. rain date. That’s more than 85% of all ■ parking and a shutthe library auctions. Tawnya tle are available from started coming as a child as thomas’ Market, route well, and was there to add to a 309, 75 Country Club collection of dolls and dollShopping Center. the houses. shuttle is courtesy of g. She started collecting Davis Bus Company. when state Rep. Karen ■ Dogs are not Bobeck, R-117, Dallas — and allowed on the library a celebrity auctioneer at the grounds, with the excepevent — gave her a doll as a tion of service animals. child. Every year since, she has kept an eye out for items long time. We’ve found a that might be a good addiniche. No one else in the area tion. Her mom was mostly

eVeNt iNFo

Brick: Gilbert, Brooks believe group’s brick should be removed froM page a1

Celebrate Wilkes-Barre Inc., a nonprofit formed by city officials and others in 2006 to raise money for the city’s bicentennial, began the sale of bricks as a fundraiser and to provide a way for individuals and groups to show support. The city processed sales and continues to do so; the nonprofit is now defunct. Councilman Bill Barrett agrees with Belusko that “precautions should have been put in place allowing us to reserve the right to reject any application” for an engraved brick. But Barrett also thinks the city should remove the controversial brick and return the $35 purchase price to the buyer, identified on the sales receipt as Carl Williams. A b r i ck b e a ri n g t h e names of Barrett and his wife, Betty-Jane, was affixed directly to the right of the East Coast Knights brick. “It should be removed out of respect for the general public. The brick doesn’t represent … the beliefs of city residents as a whole, not saying there’s a very, very, very small minority” who would embrace the Ku Klux Klan-affiliated group, Barrett said. John Maday, president of the Wilkes-Barre Downtown B u s i n e s s A s s o c i at i o n , which has a brick two spots below the Knights brick, said the association would “reject any organization that would foster any type of negative views toward any members of our community.” But noting that he’s a U.S. Air Force veteran, Maday said members of the mili“Like” The Citizens’ Voice on Facebook for the latest local and sports news.

BeLusko

Barrett

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GiLBert

WHat Do You tHiNk? Should the east Coast knights of the Invisible empire’s brick should be removed? Visit the Citizens’ Voice’s facebook page and take our poll.

Gilbert posted on her Facebook page that the brick “does not belong on a city monument. As soon as it was discovered, it should have immediately been taken down.” “The fact that members of this administration are questioning whether or not to take it down is sickening. It’s time for the administration to take a stand against this and for public officials to start opening their mouths and standing u p a g a i n s t h a t e, ” s h e wrote. Councilman Mike Merritt, Mayor Tony George and George Brown, the apparent next city mayor given that he won both major party nominations in the primary election, did not return messages seeking comment. Activist and Wilkes-Barre native Gene Stilp said on Wednesday he planned to protest placement of the brick on the monument at 11 a.m. today and, if the city doesn’t remove it by then, he’ll do it himself with a hammer and chisel. Someone placed a “Nationalists not welcome” sticker over the brick Tuesday or Wednesday. City Administrator Rick Gazenski said Wednesday that the city would remove the sticker if possible. The sticker was gone as of Thursday afternoon.

tary fight to defend the right of free speech. “Do I like it being there? Absolutely not. But it gives us the opportunity to speak out against any group that’s hatred-based,” Maday said. “If you say, ‘No, we have to reject this because of their reputation,’ where do we stop? It’s a delicate balance.” Council members Tony Brooks and Beth Gilbert also weighed in on the issue. “I don’t think it should have been put up in the first place and I think it should be removed,” Brooks said of the Knights brick. “I think contact the writer: common sense should pre- smocarsky@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2110, @MocarskyCV vail.”

there for the entertainment, although she might be back Sunday to try to grab a bargain that didn’t get any bids the first time through. The family has another reason to love the auction: The library came to their aid two years ago after a family tragedy. Fireworks burned their home on July 4, 2017, Faythe Roberts said. As they rebuilt their lives, the auction organizers gave them furniture and other items from the event. “It was a lot of help for our family,” Eckert said. “I told my mom we had to come back every year. They gave so much to us, and we like to give it back to them.” contact the writer: bwellock@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2051, @CVBillW

DiGiorgio resigned from the chair manship last month after a Philadelphia City Council candidate accused him of sexually harassing her. DiGiorgio denied it and said their interaction amounted to “mutual consensual communications.” A fresh allegation emerged Thursday from the former chairwoman of the Young Republicans of Allegheny County. In a post on Facebook , the woman, Anissa Coury, said she was a victim of DiGiorgio’s “unwanted, wildly inappropriate sexual advances.” “To make matters worse, when I approached Bernie Comfort regarding the situation, it didn’t seem to be of particular interest to her,” Coury wrote. In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Coury said Comfort “couldn’t have cared less,” about her concerns. DiGiorgio did not return a telephone message about Coury’s comments. Separately, a GOP state committee member, Lynne Ryan, has circulated an email to state party members questioning what Comfort knew about complaints about DiGiorgio and another Republican Party staffer, WESA-FM reported . In an email reply to state committee members, Comfort said she advocated for DiGiorgio to resign “when he infor med me of his behavior.” DiGiorgio privately handled another allegation by an unidentified woman against an unidentified party staff aide without telling Comfort, she wrote.

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Fire victim was set to return home

Relative says Aiden Middlemiss was in foster care due to unfounded accusation. BY BOB KALINOWSKI STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — Aiden Middlemiss was all set to come home — and he was happy to hear the news. Hours before the 11-yearold was killed in a Pittston fire, an attorney representing the boy’s biological family told them his removal from foster care was imminent and he would be returning to live with his great-grandmother in Wilkes-Barre.

Evelyn Reese, 82, a retired garment workers u n i o n employee, said she cared MIDDLEMISS for Aiden since he was 7-months-old and he was taken away in May 2018 because of unfounded accusations made against her. The accusations, she said, were made while she was hospitalized with diverticulitis

and had no way to fight to keep custody. After her release, Aiden visited her every weekend — and recently spent 18 straight days with her, she said. “I told him Monday, ‘You’re coming home at the end of the month.’ He was like, ‘I can’t wait!,” Reese recalled Friday afternoon. It was a sad time, she said, because Aiden would normally be walking through the door at that time for his weekend visit. “Had he been alive, he’d be coming here today. He’d be

here already,” Reese said. At Reese’s home in the North End, Aiden had access to a computer room near the entrance. In his room, he shared a bunk bed with a cousin and had several video gaming systems he liked to play. “Inevergotachancetomake his bed yet. It’s still unmade,” Reese said, noting life had been a blur since getting the phone call from Luzerne County Children and Youth around 4 a.m. DAVE SCHERBENCO / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Tuesday that Aiden was involved in a fire. Evelyn Reese holds a photo of her great-grandson, Please see AIDEN, Page A7

Aiden Middlemiss. Aiden was killed Tuesday in a Pittston fire.

Trump’s plan will likely face hurdles

WILKES-BARRE MONUMENT CONTROVERSY

With citizenship question out, Trump says his plan will provide more accurate count. BY COLLEEN LONG, MARK SHERMAN AND RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR ASSOCIATED PRESS

to inflict the most damage on Louisiana and parts of Mississippi, with wind and rain affecting more than 3 million people. About 3,000 National Guard troops, along with other rescue crews, were posted around Louisiana with boats, high-water vehicles and helicopters. Drinking water was lined up, and utility crews with bucket trucks moved into position.

WASHINGTON — After failing to get his citizenship question on the census, President Donald Trump now says his fallback plan will provide an even more accurate count — determining the citizenship of 90 percent of the population “or more.” But his plan will likely be limited by logistical hurdles and legal restrictions. Trump wants to distill a massive trove of data across seven government agencies — and possibly across 50 states. It’s far from clear TRUMP how such varying sysANALYSIS: tems can be Trump’s patmined, com- tern is create b in e d a n d crisis, retreat, compared. move on. He directPage A15 ed the Commerce Department, which manages the census, to form a working group. “The logistical barriers are significant, if not insurmountable,” said Paul Light, a senior fellow of Governance Studies at New York University with a long history of research in government reform. “The federal government does not invest, and hasn’t been investing for a long time, in the kind of data systems and recruitment of experts that this kind of database construction would require.” Trump says he aims to answer how many people are here illegally, though there already are recent estimates , and possibly use such information to divvy up congressional seats based on citizenship. It’s also a way for Trump to show his base that he’s not backing down (even as he’s had to back down) from a battle over the question on his signature topic, immigration.

Please see STORM, Page A7

Please see TRUMP, Page A5

UNDER ARREST Activist taken into custody after attempting to deface KKK brick on Public Square BY JAMES HALPIN STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — City police on Friday arrested activist Gene Stilp after he tried to deface a Ku Klux Klan brick that was placed on a cityowned monument. Police and City Administrator Rick Gazenski repeatedly warned Stilp against taking his hammer and chisel to the East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire brick that was prominently placed on the monument, but Stilp persisted with his plan despite the threat of arrest. “We’re here today to help the city clean up a problem they have,” Stilp said before being handcuffed. “That problem is that the nice monument there has been defaced by the city by putting an abhorrent brick on there

VIDEO from Public Square can be found at citizensvoice.com. — the brick by the racist group the KKK and their affiliate. And so today, I’m going to take that brick down and clean up the monument for the city.” For $35, the public can purchase bricks and have them engraved and affixed to the sides of the monument, which was erected in 2008 and has the city’s beehive symbol mounted to the top. One of those tiles was placed three weeks ago under the name of the East Coast Knights group, the local chapter of the KKK that has a history of recruiting in the city. Please see BRICK, Page A5

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Top: After activist Gene Stilp had his hammer and chisel taken from him by Wilkes-Barre officers, he attempted to cover the Ku Klux Klan brick with a substance. Above: Stilp is placed into a police vehicle following his arrest Friday on Public Square.

Tropical storm starts lashing Louisiana Residents stock up on essentials, fill sandbags, prepare to hunker down.

BY KEVIN MCGILL AND JANET MCCONNAUGHEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — Homeowners sandbagged their doors and tourists trying to get out of town jammed the airport Friday DAVID J. PHILLIP / ASSOCIATED PRESS as Tropical Storm Barry Ashley Boudreaux ties sandbags Friday in Baton began rolling in, threatenRouge, La., ahead of Tropical Storm Barry’s arrival. ing an epic drenching that

could test how well New Orleans has strengthened its flood protections in the 14 years since Hurricane Katrina. With the storm expected to blow ashore early Saturday near Morgan City as the first hurricane of the season, authorities rushed to close floodgates and raise the barriers around the New Orleans metropolitan area of 1.3 million people for fear of disastrous flooding. The storm was expected

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Labor secretary Acosta resigns. Page A10

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SATURDAY, JULY 13, 2019

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A5

BRICK: Stilp faces a pair of citations FROM PAGE A1

As the crowd on Public Square grew larger late Friday morning, City Administrator Rick Gazenski arrived on scene and urged Stilp to reconsider his illegal plan, saying the KKK has a right to space on the city-owned monument just like everyone else. “This city was built on the bedrock of the United States. We have freedom of speech,” Gazenski told Stilp. “I wish you the best here today, and please consider not doing it.” Prior to ascending his wooden ladder, Stilp also informed several awaiting police officers about his intent. They informed him he would face criminal charges if he tried to remove the brick. “It’s not his job to take it down,” Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Kirk Merchel told an unhappy crowd of Stilp’s supporters. “I cannot stand here and allow Mr. Stilp to commit any kind of crime while our officers are standing here, because if I allow him to commit a crime in our presence, then maybe this gentleman wants to commit a crime in our presence.” After delivering a speech at the base of his ladder reiterating his belief that he was helping clean up the monument, Stilp climbed up and took a hammer and chisel to

TRUMP: His order requires detailed info

the brick. But before he could strike the chisel, Merchel grabbed it out of his hand. Stilp asked for someone to pass him another chisel as the crowd began booing. “You have to understand, there’s ways to do things, and this is not the right way to do things,” Merchel said. Stilp then descended the ladder and told police they would have to carry him away. Merchel, however, said he did not plan to arrest Stilp because Stilp had not yet committed a crime. “So I’m not being arrested?” Stilp asked in disbelief. “My intent is to take that down today, OK. So can I have my tools back?” Merchel said he would not return the tools and allow Stilp to commit a crime, but that he could retrieve them from headquarters. “This is insane,” Stilp said. “Let me figure this out.” Stilp then picked up a bucket of roofing cement, climbed back up the ladder and tried to smear the black substance over the face of the brick. “We have to at least cover the name,” Stilp said as officers pulled him down and placed him under arrest. Police said Stilp would be cited for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief, and that he was released after

cialist, has a history of conducting high-profile publicity stunts including placing a 25-foot inflatable pig in the Capitol Rotunda and burning a combined Nazi/Confederate flag outside the Luzerne County Courthouse.

WILKES-BARRE

MOUNTAINTOP

SHAVERTOWN

ST. NICHOLAS CATHOLIC

CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

NEW LIFE

Saint Therese’s Church

Phone 570-823-7736

FIRWOOD UNITED METHODIST

Old River Rd. & Dagobert Sts.

570-823-7721

Rev. Craig C. Gommer SUNDAY WORSHIP 11:15 AM Children’s Sunday school 11:15 AM Safe Sanctuary Policy Handicap Elevator Available. firwoodunitedmethodist.org

MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Activist Gene Stilp is led away in handcuffs Friday on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.

Weekend Masses

Saturday 5 PM Sunday 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 AM (English) 12 Noon (spanish)

St. Maria Goretti Church 42 Redwood Drive. Laflin, PA 18702 570-655-8956 www.stmariagoretti-laflin.org Weekday Mass 8:00AM Weekend Masses:

Saturday: 4:30PM Sunday: 8:30AM & 11:00AM Confessions: Sat. 3:30PM to 4:00PM

65 Academy St., W-B 570-822-7246 Pastor Eugene Sperazza SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11:00AM SUNDAY SCHOOL Adults 9:45 AM Children & Youth 6 PM Child Care provided for infants & toddlers

Independent...Fundamental...Friendly

SECOND WELSH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

475 HAZLE ST., WILKES-BARRE 570-829-3790 9:30 Sunday AM Service 10:45 AM Sunday School 6:00 PM Sunday PM Service 7:00 Wed. Bible Study & Prayer/Youth Groups

OUR LADY OF FATIMA PARISH

Saint Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception 134 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre

CONFESSIONS SATURDAY 3PM-3:45PM SATURDAY MASS - 4PM SUNDAY MASSES- 8:00AM,10:00AM,12:10PM& 7:00PM

Contact the writer: jhalpin@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2058

COMMUNITY CHURCH 570 South Main Rd. (570) 868-5155 SUNDAY SCHOOL – 9:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE – 10:30 AM Pastor David Elick ALL ARE WELCOME

WEST PITTSTON

FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH West Pittston, PA

570-609-5410

Worship 10:00 AM at The Wyoming Presbyterian Church Corner of Wyoming Ave. & Institute St.

SWOYERSVILLE

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish

105 Hill St., Wilkes-Barre Sunday Service 11 A.M. Childrens Church 11 A.M. Sunday School 9:30 A.M. Prayer Meeting-Wed. 7:00 P.M. Bible Study-Wed. 8:00 P.M. Rev. Michael E. Brewster

Masses:

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 97 S. Franklin & Northampton Sts. W-B

Saturday: 4:30 pm Sunday: 8:30 am, 11:00 am & 5:30 pm Daily: 8:00 am Confessions: Saturday 3:45 pm

116 Hughes St. Swoyersville

www.setonpa.com (570) 287-6624

10:00 AM WORSHIP 11:00AM SUNDAY SCHOOL Rev. Dr. Robert M. Zanicky, Minister Air Conditioned Sanctuary Nursery Provided Handicapped Access John Vaida - Minister of Music Pamela Kerns - Christian Education Director

A friendly, inclusive and welcoming church Audio Sermons available on the web at www.fpcwb.com

FREE SUNDAY PARKING AT PUBLIC LOT, NORTHAMPTON ST. ACROSS FROMYMCA.

ST. MATTHEW

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

667 NORTH MAIN STREET, W-B

PHONE: 570-822-8233

REV. PETER HAENFTLING WORSHIP SCHEDULE: SUNDAY - 9:30 A.M. SUNDAY SCHOOL - 10:45 A.M. AMPLE PARKING / NURSERY PROVIDED CHAIRLIFT AVAILABLE COME AND HEAR GOD’S WORD WITH US!

KINGSTON

WESTMOOR

CHURCH OF CHRIST 57 South Goodwin Avenue, KINGSTON

Worship Service 10:30 A.M.

The ChurCh Of ST. IgnaTIuS LOyOLa 339 N. Maple Ave., Kingston “Without Sunday We Cannot Live” Saturday Weekend Masses 4 pm & 5:30 pm - St. Ignatius Church Sunday Weekend Masses 7 & 8:30 am - St. Ann’s Chapel 10:30 am & 12 - St. Ignatius Church Daily Masses: 7:30am & 12:10pm (M-F); Saturday 7:30am

DORRANCETON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 549 WYOMING AVE., KINGSTON 570-288-1477 SUNDAY WORSHIP - 10:30 AM CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL NURSERY AVAILABLE REV. BRUCE GOWE, PASTOR LOOK FOR US ON FACEBOOK

Parish of St. Andre Bessette SCHEDULE OF MASSES SATURDAY VIGIL MASSES WILL BE AT 4:00P.M. AND 5:30P.M. SUNDAY MORNING MASSES WILL BE AT 8:00A.M. AND 11:00A.M. ALL MASSES WILL BE AT THE SAINT STANISLAUS WORSHIP SITE 668 NORTH MAIN STREET WILKES-BARRE ALL ARE WELCOME!

The administration faced challenges last year when it was tasked by a federal judge with quickly creating a system to track migrant families that had been separated by immigration officials. They found agency systems weren’t compatible. Trump’s plan is aimed at yet-again circumventing legal challenges on an immigration related matter, as courts have barred him from inquiring about citizenship on the 2020 census. But it could spark further legal action, depending on what his administration intends to do with the citizenship information. H i s e xe c u t ive o rd e r a n n o u n c e d T h u r s d ay requires highly detailed infor mation, including national-level files of all lawful permanent residents, Customs and Border arrival and departure data and Social Security Administration master beneficiary records. Plus information on Medicaid and children’s health systems and refugee and asylum visas. The order states that “generating accurate data concerning the total number of citizens, non-citizens and illegal aliens in the country has nothing to do with enforcing immigration laws against par-

being processed at police headquarters. Reached for comment later in the day, Stilp said the officers returned his tools “with the understanding I wouldn’t go back to the square and knock it off.” “They were very gracious,” Stilp said. Stilp, a public policy spe-

226 S. Washington St., W.-B.

WILKES-BARRE

FROM PAGE A1

Wyoming Avenue Christian Church 570-288-4855 881 Wyoming Ave., Kingston PASTOR: REV. DENNIS GRAY

SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:45 AM MORNING WORSHIP - 11:00 AM COMMUNION EVERY SUNDAY MORNING WED. BIBLE STUDY - 7:00 PM ELEVATOR ACCESSIBLE

EDWARDSVILLE BETHESDA

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 37 Zerby Ave., Edwardsville

Morning Worship 10:30AM Sunday School During Church Service Prayer Time Sundays 9:30am-10am Bible Study Wed. Night 6pm

PLAINS PLAINS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

133 North Main St., Plains 570-822-2730 SUNDAY SERVICE 9:00AM SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:00AM Rev. Tenny Rupnick, Pastor www.PlainsUMC.org

Saints Peter and Paul

Main St. at Center Ave. 570-779-1614 10 A.M. Morning Worship Church School For all Ages 11 A.M. David E. Quesenberry, Pastor HANDICAPPED ELEVATOR SERVICE

163 N. Pioneer Ave., Shavertown Office 570-675-3616 shavertownumc.com Pastor: Judy Walker

NANTICOKE FIRST PRIMITIVE METHODIST CHURCH OF NANTICOKE Corner Church @ Prospect Streets

Sunday Service: Worship Service at 10A.M.

Confessions Saturday 3:00pm-3:30pm

Both 155 Austin Ave., Worship Sites Parsons, PA Saturday 5:30pm

DALLAS Dallas United

Methodist Church

4 Parsonage St., Dallas

Rev. Craig Gommer Service at 9:30 A.M.

PHONE 570-675-0122

ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH 474 Yalick Road, Dallas (Rt. 118) SATURDAY WORSHIP 5:30 PM SUNDAY WORSHIP 9:30 AM www.stpaulsdallaspa.org

stpaul@epix.net Rev. Charles Grube, Pastor

(570) 675-3859

ALL ARE WELCOME

309 N. to 415, Left to 118,Then 1st Rt

BACK MOUNTAIN CROSS CREEK COMMUNITY CHURCH

Sunday Services 9am & 10:45am With Jr. Church & Nursery Available. Wednesday 6:30pm Family Night with College & Career, CrossRoads for Teens Deaf Ministry, Small Groups, Men’s & Women’s Ministry Groups Celebrate Recovery for Hurts, Habits, Hang-ups- Tuesday’s 6:30pm 370 Carverton Road, Trucksville , Pa. - 570-696-0399 www.crosscreekcc.org

FORTY FORT

FRIENDS & QUAKERS SUNDAY MORNING FIRST DAY SCHOOL AT 10:00AM SILENT WORSHIP AT 11:00AM

Pastor Joseph Roach Information y call 570-735-2726

Wyoming Seminary Lower School

ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

Visitors Welcome - northbranch.quaker.org

1560 Wyoming Avenue, Forty-Fort

231 State St., Nanticoke Holy Communion Sunday at 8am & 9:30am

Christian Education – 10:30am Office –570-735-8531 nanticokelutheran.org

NEBO

BAPTIST CHURCH

Rev. Tim Hall, Senior Pastor & Jacob Claypoole, Youth Pastor

Saint Benedict

PLYMOUTH CHRISTIAN CHURCH (DISCIPLES OF CHRIST)

WORSHIP Saturday at 5:30 PM; Sunday at 9:30 AM Christian Ed at 10:45 AM Prayer & Praise Worship 2nd Monday at 7 PM Phone A Prayer: 570-675-4666

YOUTH GROUPS - J.O.Y. GROUPS

13 Hudson Rd., Plains, PA 570-825-6663

PLYMOUTH

Rev. Jacek J. Bialkowski, Pastor

Shavertown United Methodist

SUNDAY WORSHIP 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m. SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:45 a.m.

570-288-0091

WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE Saturday 4:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am & 11:00 am Confessions Saturday at 3:00 pm

MASS SCHEDULE

MON,WED,THURS,FRI MONDAY thru FRIDAY 9 9AM A.M. SATURDAY: 4:30 5:00 P.M. SUNDAY: 7:30 A.M., 9:00 A.M., 11 A.M. SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION SATURDAY: P.M. 4:15 P.M. SATURDAY3:15 4PM TOto4:30PM

75 Prospect St., Nanticoke

Pastor Rocco DeMelfi

66 Willow Street Plymouth http://www.allsaintsplymouth.com

Rev. James J. Paisley

570-735-3932 • www.nebobaptist.org

Weekend Mass Saturday 4:00pm Sunday 8:00am & 10:30am

ALL SAINTS PARISH

Pioneer Ave. at Davis St., Shavertown

ticular individuals,” and that information would be used “solely to produce statistics” and would not be used to “bring immigration enforcement actions against particular individuals.” Dale Ho, the director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project who argued the citizenship question case at the Supreme Court, said the main privacy concern now would be disclosure of individuals’ citizenship status. Federal law bars the Census Bureau from disclosing an individual’s responses to the census. But Ho said that if the bureau can produce citizenship information in small geographical bites, it could inadvertently expose a person’s citizenship status. The bureau has methods in place that are designed to prevent such disclosures, but “we don’t know enough yet to know the answers,” Ho said. In March, the Associated Press reported that even before the outcome of the census question litigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which maintains some of the requested data, had been working on a datasharing agreement that would give census access to names, addresses, birth dates and places, as well as Social Security numbers and alien registration numbers.

570-824-5130

FORTY FORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1224 Wyoming Ave., Forty-Fort 287 7097 570-287-7097 Pastor, William N. Lukesh

Sunday School – 9:15 am Sunday Worship – 10:30 am Nursery Provided – Air Cond. Visitors Welcome

FORTY FORT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Corner Wyoming & Yeager Avenues

SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 10AM Rev. Dr. Michael Stine (570) 406-0836

Church Office (570) 287-3840

HANOVER TWP

ASKAM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

2811 S. Main St. (Middle Road) Hanover Twp.

SUNDAY SERVICE 9AM

OPEN HEART, OPEN MIND OPEN DOORS ALL ARE WELCOME! Pastor Craig Mark

LARKSVILLE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH 126 Nesbitt St. Larksville, Pa 18651 A Welcoming, Growing, Faith Community

Weekdays Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9AM Mass. Saturday 4PM • Sunday 8AM & 10:15AM Ample, Easy Parking Confessions: Saturday 3PM

LUZERNE

BENNETT PRESBYTERIAN

501 BENNETT ST., LUZERNE PASTOR JAMES QUINN

SUNDAY SCHOOL WORSHIP

9:45 AM 11 AM

2 NURSERIES AVAILABLE

Luzerne Assembly of God A Community Church

A Welcoming Church • No membership needed Communion 1st Sunday of every month Sunday Worship schedule: Personal worship & Prayer (10:00 am) Morning Worship (11:00 am)

649 Bennett Street, Luzerne, PA • (570) 709-0054 Parking Available • Visitors Welcome

Please Call 570-821-2034 For Information Or If You Would Like To Place An Ad.

WB_VOICE/PAGES [A01] | 07/18/19

voice

the citizens’

www.citizensvoice.com

23:13 | DONLINKEVI

ROUTE 118 ROUNDABOUT PLANS SCRAPPED. A3

‘I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS DAY’

Apollo 11 mission is deeply etched in the memories of many. B7

NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA’S LARGEST NEWS TEAM

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

MIDNIGHT MAKEOVER

W-B monument featuring KKK brick removed in middle of the night

Newsstand 50¢

WVW drops foster care threat

District’s approach to collecting unpaid lunch bills draws county’s attention. BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER STAFF WRITER

Brown, who likely will replace George as mayor in January given Brown’s win of both major party tickets in the May primary, asked four council members to hold off on appointments until he became mayor.

T he Wyoming Valley West School District is going with another approach to collect unpaid student lunch bills. The district will no longer warn parents that their children could end up in foster care if they don’t pay up. Around 1,000 students owed a total of $22,467, and the district recently mailed a batch of roughly 40 letters with the foster-care warning, Director of Federal Programs Joseph Muth said. The new approach came after Luzerne County officials insisted the district “cease and desist from making these representations” about potential foster-care placement. The Luzer ne County Children and Youth foster care system is used “when a child has been abused” or “a family has been struck by tragedy,” not “to scare families into paying school lunch bills,” County Manager David Pedri and Children and Youth Director Joanne Van Saun wrote Thursday in a letter to district Superintendent Irvin DeRemer. Future collection letters will not mention anything about foster care, and the district will send letters apologizing to parents who received letters with the foster-care warning, school board Vice President David Usavage said. Muth, who signed the letter with the foster-care warning, said the school board will send new letters. Muth also said he made a mistake by not having DeRemer review the letter with the foster-care warning.

Please see BOARDS, Page A5

Please see BILLS, Page A6

MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Patrons at the Farmers Market on Thursday walk by the former site of a monument on Public Square that included a KKK brick. BY JAMES HALPIN AND STEVE MOCARSKY STAFF WRITERS

Under cover of darkness Wednesday night, city employees demolished the Public Square monument featuring a Ku Klux Klan brick that had become the subject of intense controversy in recent days. The controversy reached a flashpoint last week when activist Gene Stilp attempt-

ed to chisel what he termed an “abhorrent brick” off the city-owned monument in a high-profile publicity stunt. Police charged Stilp with disorderly conduct, with city officials saying the KKK had a First Amendment right to place a brick on the monument just like everybody else. But on Thursday morning, Mayor Tony George announced he directed the

monument to be removed in its entirety. The monument is not part of the ongoing plans to renovate Public Square that the city is moving forward with in conjunction with Diamond City Pa r tn e r s hi p, h e s a i d, although he acknowledged the flare-up involving Stilp also played a role in his decision. Please see BRICK, Page A5

THE CITIZENS’ VOICE FILE

The brick bearing the name of the East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire was purchased in 2016 but was only recently affixed to the monument in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

W-B council OKs George’s board appointments BY STEVE MOCARSKY STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — Mayor Tony George’s request for council to approve his appointments to boards and authorities again proved to be contentious Tuesday night. Council voted 3-2 on one appointment and three reap-

pointments and 4-1 on two appointments. Councilw o m a n Beth GilGEORGE bert joined the majority in approving the appointments of Robin Shudak and Tony Thomas

to the Shade Tree Commission because the commission was recently “resurrected” and it was “important to fill the vacancies. She also said Shudak and Thomas are qualified to serve on the commission and have “no connections to the administration.” Counc i l me n Tony

Brooks and Bill Barrett and chairman Mike Belusko voted to approve all appointments and reappointments. Gilbert and Mike Merritt both voted against all of George’s appointments to boards and authorities at last month’s council meeting after George

Dangerous heat arrives in region today Temperatures today, Saturday will be in the 90s — and it will feel even warmer. BY BILL WELLOCK STAFF WRITER

Summer heat is reaching fever pitch. Today and Saturday will bring intense heat to Northeast Pennsylvania. High temSEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER peratures will be in the 90s, Kassidee Kapalka, 8, of Dallas, holds her nose after and it will feel even hotter. The sliding down the waterslide at Frances Slocum State National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warnPark pool in Kingston Twp. on Wednesday.

ing in place from this afternoon through Saturday night. The heat index — a measure of how hot the environment feels when relative humidity is considered with air temperature — could reach 108 degrees in the Wyoming Valley. And that’s in the shade. Heat index values refer to measurements in shady spots with light wind, so a walk in full sun could increase those numbers by up to 15 degrees. It’s potentially dangerous weather, especially for children and the elderly.

NATION

TODAY’S WEATHER BUSINESS. . . . . . . C1 CROSSWORD . . . C2 LOCAL . . . . . . . . . . . A3

High 95º Low 76º Very hot

CLASSIFIED . .C4-14 EDITORIAL. . . . . . . A9 LOTTERY . . . . . . . . A2 COMMUNITY . . . A12 HEALTH . . . . . . . . . B7 OBITUARIES A10-11

COURT NOTES . . A4 HOROSCOPE. . . . C3 WORLD/NATION A8

The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department will add a third advanced life support ambulance to its usual complement of two ALS ambulances over the weekend, from 7:30 a.m. Friday through 7:30 a.m. Sunday. “Our emergency ambulances run nonstop during weather events like this,” said fire chief Jay Delaney in an email. “Generally people with pre-existing medical conditions like Heart Disease and COPD have a difficult time with the heat as does the very young and the elderly.”

Subscribe to The Voice 570-821-2010

Trump claims he tried to stop ‘send her back’ chant. Page A8

Wilkes-Barre City has no plans for cooling stations or shelters, but will open them in the case of an emergency, such as a major power outage or loss of air conditioning in a nursing home, for example. Because high temperatures usually lead to a spike in electricity usage that can tax the power grid, the city fire department will check with nursing homes to make sure their backup generators are working in case of a power outage. Please see HEAT, Page A7

WB_VOICE/PAGES [A05] | 07/18/19

23:14 | DONLINKEVI

from page a1

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2019

THE CITIZENS' VOICE A5

BriCk: Placed three weeks ago from page a1

“I guess a lot of it had to do with that, but the thing was it was coming down anyway, so why should I let the controversy keep going on?” George said. The monument was erected in 2008 and featured the city’s beehive symbol mounted to the top. City officials allowed members of the public to purchase bricks for $35 and have them engraved and affixed to the sides of the monument. The controversial brick was placed three weeks ago under the name of the East Coast Knights of the True Invisible Empire, the local chapter of the KKK that has a history of recruiting in the city. George said that although the brick was only recently placed on the monument, it was in fact purchased back in 2016. City officials installed it recently because they were waiting for a batch of bricks to put up together, he said. Asked why city officials didn’t simply inform Stilp last week that the statue was coming down, George said city officials had still been working to track down the monument’s original owner, Celebrate Wilkes-Barre Inc. “We were still deliberating what we were going to do with it,” George said. “It took us a while to find out who was on that Celebrate Wilkes-Barre, and we contacted them. We’re not going to deface anything because it wasn’t ours. But they said they’re defunct and they have no interest in it at all.” George issued the demolition order Wednesday, and city Department of Public Works employees removed the monument after Public Square was closed Wednesday night “so nobody got hurt,” he said. Those who have placed bricks on the monument will be allowed to get them back, he said. The bricks will first have to be removed from the column and then the city will announce the procedure for collecting them, he said. Stilp, 69, is due in court to face a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge next month for his performance last week. After mounting a ladder in front of police, Stilp tried to chisel the KKK brick off the monument and then tried covering it with roofing cement before officers put him in handcuffs. Reached for comment Thursday, Stilp said he was glad city officials “have come to their senses.” “I’m happy that the city took the advice I gave them last Friday about removing the monument,” said Stilp, who called for city officials to drop the charges against him. “They should have listened to reason a while ago.” City Councilwoman Beth

Sean mCKeag / Staff photographer

Wilkes-Barre Council Chairman Mike Belusko, left, listens during Thursday night’s council meeting.

Visit citizensvoice.com for video from thursday night’s Wilkes-Barre City Council meeting. Gilbert, who also strongly opposed the KKK brick, welcomed the brick’s removal on her Facebook page. “While I don’t know that taking down the entire monum e nt w a s t h e b r ave s t approach, I am proud that the city chose to finally reject hate,” Gilbert said.

reaction mixed at council meeting Most members of the public who spoke about the monument removal at Thursday’s night’s city council meeting supported the action. City resident Jim Burns George said that rather than removing the monument, the city should have removed only the brick. Ronald Felton, president of the Wilkes-Barre chapter of the NAACP, said branch members are “delighted” that the monument was removed. Felton also said members were happy to see an editorial in The Citizens’ Voice calling for the removal of the brick, with Stilp’s efforts to remove it and with George “actually getting it done. This sends a clear message that hate and intolerance are not welcome in our city.” But Harry Hamilton, a former NFL safety and son of the late Stan Hamilton, who advocated for and ministered to the poor and disenfranchised in the Wilkes-Barre area for decades, had a different take. Hamilton said he was “somewhat saddened” to see that the brick had been removed. “There are those on this council who demanded that it be removed even if in the dark of night. While I can fully understand that reaction, it allows the hood to stay on the perpetrators. It allows their identity not to be demanded or commanded, but hidden,” Hamilton said. “Put the KKK plaque back up and let them be heard.” The receipt for the sale of the KKK brick bore the name of Carl Williams and an address of a post office box in Texas. A money order was used to pay for brick, so the

identity of the buyer could not be confirmed. Mailings the city sent to the post office box in Texas came back “undeliverable.” Hamilton, who identified himself only as “H” on a public speaking form, brought a poster with a collage of local newspaper clippings, photos and fliers about race and racism from the 1990s, with clippings about race and racism across America in 1965 on the other side. He said it shows “how active the Klan was in this area … at that time and how they firebombed or otherwise subjected Dr. Stan Hamilton to arson at his home because he spoke out about racism.” Hamilton said the poster spoke to council chairman Mike Belusko’s “demand or command” for Hamilton to identify himself before he began speaking. “I’m forced to give my address, I’m forced to be subjected to retribution for coming in here and having the audacity to speak out against racism — and talk about the dangerous times that we live in — that is dividing this nation,” while the buyer of the KKK brick is not, Hamilton said. Hamilton called for dialogue on race with the KKK and the community, as he said his father called for 25 years ago. He also took the local media to task for the “recruitment coverage that they have given the KKK by putting it and blasting it on the front page of the paper. … They have succeeded in recruitment efforts.” Community activist Angel Jireau criticized the local media for “always and mostly” failing to report issues of civil rights and diversity brought up at council meetings. Jireau also welcomed dialogue with members of the KKK and with members of the community and community leaders on those issues. Contact the writers: jhalpin@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2058 smocarsky@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2110

Boards: Contentious meeting from page a1

Gilbert said Brown was afraid George was trying to “stack” boards and authorities with supporters, and Merritt thought Brown should have input on people his administration will have to work with beginning next year. George has maintained that previous mayors filled empty board seats, and noted that Brown voted to approve previous mayor Tom Leighton’s appointments while Brown and George sat on council in 2015 even though they knew Leighton was not seeking reelection. Gilbert said she voted against appointing Belusko to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority because she thought it could pose a conflict of interest and didn’t see a need for a member of council to sit on the authority. She said council members could attend or review the minutes of authority meetings if they wanted to keep abreast of important issues. She voted against the reappointments of Robert Jabers and Paul Maher to the city parking authority because Jabers’ term doesn’t expire

until Dec. 31, Maher has been serving under an expired term, and she thought others should be given the opportunity to apply for the posts. She voted against city parking enforcement supervisor Tom Unvarsk y’s appointment to the city traffic committee because he was a George administration hire. During public comment, Bob Kadlubosky, who runs a towing business and is a frequent critic of the administration, had asked Belusko to recuse himself from voting on his own appointment and suggested George wanted someone on the board to help him get a job at the authority.

Resident Linda Joseph said it made sense to have a council member on the authority so council could keep abreast of upcoming issues that could affect city residents, such as a new stormwater fee. Council unanimously approved all other items on the agenda. Contact the reporter: smocarsky@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2110, @mocarskyCV

ALL JUNK CARS & TRUCKS WANTED

Highest Prices Paid In Cash!

570-574-1275 FREE Local Pickup!

Dymond’s Farm & Market

Sean mCKeag / Staff photographer

In addressing council Thursday night, Harry Hamilton said he was ‘somewhat saddened’ to see the brick had been removed because it ‘allows the hood to stay on the perpetrators.’

Sean mCKeag / Staff photographer

Ronald Felton, president of the Wilkes-Barre chapter of the NAACP, was delighted the monument had been removed, saying it ‘sends a clear message that hate and intolerance are not welcome in our city.’

A Lackawanna County Basketball Tradition

Presents

“PROMOTING ALCOHOL-FREE YOUTH”

Ofﬁce of Drug and Alcohol Programs

July 26-28, 2019 Friday - Saturday - Sunday

Friday and Saturday are slated for games (Sunday used for back-up)

Wyoming Avenue • Downtown Scranton

For more information, call 570-496-1701 or 1-800-22 WELCOME visitnepa.org

ADULT (POST HIGH SCHOOL) $110 per team

Pick your own BLUEBERRIES or stop in for fresh produce. Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat & Sun 9-5 352 Brace Road

570-675-1696 • 570-333-5011

A portion of the proceeds from this year’s 3 on 3 basketball tournament beneﬁts local high school basketball programs and Coaches vs. Cancer.

WB_VOICE/PAGES [A03] | 09/05/19

19:27 | BOONELAURA

tHE CItIzEns’ VOICE

Local FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

Activist Stilp pleads guilty to charges in statue incident BY JAMES HALPIN STAFF WRITER

WILKES-BARRE — The community activist arrested this summer for trying to remove a Ku Klux Klan brick from Public Square pleaded guilty Thursday to a disorderly conduct charge. Gene Stilp, 69, of Harrisburg, faced a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct for trying to deface a Public STILP Square monument featuring a Ku Klux Klan brick. Police on Thursday agreed to reduce the charge to a noncriminal summary violation, to which Stilp pleaded guilty. Magisterial District Judge Thomas F. Malloy Sr. then fined Stilp $10 plus court costs, for a total of $171.25. “No regrets at all, no,” Stilp said afterward. “I think it was a good thing to do. We have to remember what that brick stood for — an organization that believes in hate and racial prejudice, white supremacy and bigotry. So I think it’s very important to take those symbols down wherever we see them.”

During a highly publicized publicity stunt in July, Stilp pulled a ladder to the monument and attempted the chisel off the brick, which he termed “abhorrent.” City officials had declined to remove the brick, saying the KKK had a First Amendment right to place a brick on the monument just like everybody else. MARK MORAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER When police removed the Vietnam veteran Joe Petrikonis has his picture taken as he points to a name of a high school buddy that was chisel from Stilp’s hands, he killed in Vietnam while visiting the Wall That Heals in Plymouth on Thursday. grabbed a bucket of roofing cement and attempted to cover the brick before police finally arrested him. Days after the episode, city employees demolished the monument, with Mayor Tony George saying it did not than 58,300 U.S. troops killed The Wall That fit in with plans to renovate the Vietnam War are Heals is on display during Public Square. on the wall, a replica of the The monument was erectthrough Sunday. Vietnam Veterans Memorial ed in 2008 and featured the Wall in Washington, D.C. BY BOB KALINOWSKI city’s beehive symbol mountHundreds of people visitSTAFF WRITER ed to the top. City officials ed the wall Thursday on the PLYMOUTH — Brothers first day it was open to the allowed members of the puband Vietnam War veterans public. The wall remains lic to purchase bricks for $35 Richard and William Young open round the clock until 3 and have them engraved and visited The Wall That Heals p.m. Sunday at Wyoming Valaffixed to the sides of the on a mission to find the name ley West High School. monument. of a childhood friend who City officials have said The Young brothers grew was killed in the war. brick owners will be able to up with Glowiak in PlymThey walked up to the pan- outh. They all then served in retrieve their purchases. el that contained Frank the military during the war. Contact the writer: Glowiak’s name and paid jhalpin@citizensvoice.com Richard Young served in 570-821-2058 their respects Thursday. the Air Force. William “He was a friend we grew Young, 75, of Hunlock Creek, up with. He didn’t even make and their younger brother, 21 and he lost his life over John, of Edwardsville, there,” said Richard Young, served in the Army while in 74, of Forty Fort. Vietnam. Richard Young bent down “I’m glad they brought the near the wall and placed a wall here to Plymouth,” said flyer for the wall against William Young. “It’s a nice BOB KALINOWSKI / STAFF PHOTO Glowiak’s name. He then thing to do for the guys who Brothers and Vietnam War veterans William, left, and used a pencil to shade Glowi- didn’t come back.” Richard Young were at the Wall that Heals on ak’s name on the paper as a Contact the writer: volume service” category, Thursday looking for the name of a childhood friend souvenir. bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com meaning it was up against killed in the war. The names of the more 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal much larger providers from around the state. “We want to give people who live in our area access to the same emergency care as you’d get in a major metropolBY MICHAEL P. BUFFER school board voted Aug. 21 to Kuhl said he will be paid becoming Hanover Area itan area,” Lombardo said. STAFF WRITER appoint former Hanover $425 a day as interim super- superintendent in 2013, Kuhl Founded in 1952, the nonT he Nor thwest Area A r e a S u p e r i n t e n d e n t intendent. He will continue was director of secondary profit Greater Pittston Region- School District is looking for Andrew Kuhl as interim receiving his pension from education for the Wilkesal Ambulance is headquar- a new superintendent. superintendent. Kuhl said the Public School Employees Barre Area School District. tered in downtown Pittston Since 2015, Lake-Lehman Thursday he is not interested Retirement System because Kuhl also worked as an with a sub-station in Exeter. Superintendent James in applying for the job and he is working as an indepen- assistant and head principal It’s the primary provider of McGovern had been working will help with the search for dent contractor for North- at Coughlin High School in basic and advanced life sup- as Northwest Area’s superin- a new superintendent. Wilkes-Barre after starting west Area. port services in Pittston City, tendent of record in a partA help wanted ad was pubKuhl departed as Hanover as a social studies teacher in Jenkins Twp., Yatesville, time capacity with Elizabeth lished Thursday in The Citi- Area superintendent in 2017 the Wilkes-Bar re Area Exeter, Wyoming and West Ellis in charge of day-to-day zens’ Voice. The board hopes with two years left on his School District in 1984. Wyoming. affairs as director of district to have a new superintendent contract after the board Contact the writer: Additionally, it’s the prima- operations. start by November, Kuhl approved a separation agree- mbuffer@citizensvoice.com, ry advanced life support proEllis has retired, and the said. ment with him. Before 570-821-2073, @cvmikebuffer vider for most of the other surrounding towns that comprise the Pittston Area and Wyoming Area school districts. BY KENT JACKSON mation, such as personal idenTo buy items a la carte, Checks should be made to Lombardo said the memSTAFF WRITER tification numbers or account however, students will have to Crestwood Cafeteria Account. bers were grateful to be choStudents and parents at balances,accordingtoaposton pay cash. After the problems are sen. Parents who want to pay resolved, accounts will show “We don’t do it for awards, Crestwood School District the district’s website Thursday. T h e s y s t e m , c a l l e d into the account before the current balances, including but it’s nice to be recognized might notice a glitch for a few for our work,” Lombardo said. days in an online system that MySchoolBucks.com, should issues are resolved can have deposits made over the last their children deliver a check few days, the post said. “It’s just a big point of pride.” they use to pay for cafeteria be fixed within 48 hours. bills. Until then, affected students in an envelope with the stu- Contact the writer: Contact the writer: For some students, the sys- can receive “a reimbursable dent’s name and “Food Servic- kjackson@standardspeaker. bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal tem is showing incorrect infor- breakfast and/or lunch.” es” written on the front. com; 570-501-3587

Paying respects: Traveling Vietnam veterans memorial opens in Plymouth

Pittston ambulance company earns statewide honors BY BOB KALINOWSKI STAFF WRITER

The Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance was recognized as one of the best emergency health care responders in the state. Members of the association received the 2019 EMS Agency of the Year award at the 42nd annual Pennsylvania State EMS Conference on Thursday in Manheim. More than 20 members of Greater Pittston Regional Ambulance traveled to the conference on a bus. “We are excited about it. We have a lot of people who work very hard to keep the wheels running,” said Attorney Michael Lombardo, an EMT who is the group’s vice president and its lawyer. “We have a lot of people who take pride in the organization. To be recognized on a statewide level, it’s a point of pride for us.” The group was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council. Those agencies selected Greater Pittston in the “large

Northwest seeking new superintendent

Glitch causing lunch issues at Crestwood

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