ARTS
NEWS
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GOLackawanna
More blighted buildings set for demolition By CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES chughes@golackawanna.com
COMING DOWN
SCRANTON — A new month brings a new set of scheduled demolitions within the city of Scranton. Ten more blighted properties have been put out to bid by Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty. In February, the mayor put seven West Scranton properties out for bid, and he said Monday the proposal from Smart Recycling, Inc., of Dunmore, to eliminate those structures has been accepted. The new properties that will be set for bid beginning this week, according to a Feb. 28 release from the mayor’s office, predominantly target the city’s Plot Section, Hill Section and North Scranton. Last month, Doherty told Go Lackawanna that blight “is a cancer in our neighborhood.” He said the elimination of 50 blighted structures in
The properties set for demolition in the second planned phase of blight removal in Scranton for 2011 are: 1038 Capouse Ave. 845 Capouse Ave. 903 Sanderson Ave. 2217 Golden Ave. 1232 1/2 Philo St. 1713-15 McDonough Ave. 323-25 Prescott Ave. 1948 Myrtle St. 2603-05 Pittston Ave. 31 New York St.
WATER
“No threat to Pennsylvania drinking water should be taken lightly; especially one involving radioactive material. Alarming information has been raised that must be fully investigated.”
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SPORTS
Sunday, March 6, 2011
ous threat to public health and the environment than had been previously understood, writer Ian Urbana reported. Urbana also wrote that an EPA and a confidential drilling industry study report both concluded that all radioactivity in drilling waste cannot be fully diluted in waterways, that most sewage treatment plants are not required by state or federal regulators to test for radioactivity, and that most drinkingwater intake plants downstream from wastewater treatment plants in Pennsylvania have not been tested for radioactivity since 2006, before the state’s drilling boom began. “No threat to Pennsylvania drinking water should be taken lightly; especially one involving radioactive material,” Casey said. “Alarming information has been raised that must be fully investigated.” Casey asked DEP why inspections of drinking water intake sites have not taken place for several years, and called on the department to test them as soon as possible, continuing on a regular basis with full disclosure to the public. He also questioned the EPA about
the city’s South Side has helped stabilize neighborhoods and spur economic and community development. Planned demolitions, which could total about 40 structures by the end of this year, according to Doherty, are funded in part through federal dollars and Community Development Block Grants.
Piccolino entering City Council race again By RICH HOWELLS rhowells@golackawanna.com
SCRANTON – Giovanni Piccolino officially announced his intention to run for City Council as a Democrat last Friday. Piccolino, owner of Buona Pizza, 504 Lackawanna Ave., said he was motivated to run by an almost five year court battle with the city that ended in his favor in January. The city attempted to acquire the restaurant, in business for 45 years, under the provisions of eminent domain as part of a redevelopment project on the 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue, but Lackawanna County Judge Robert Mazzoni ruled in favor of Piccolino. “The city’s attempt to drive me out of business and to confiscate my property prompted me to enter the race for City Council. It’s time for the working man and the small business owner to have a say in the politics of Scranton. It has been a pattern to try to force the ‘little guy’ out in favor of developers and big business,” Piccolino wrote in a press release. “Scranton was founded by folks like me and the other small businesses and taxpayers who fought to build this city into a caring and progressive community. What the mayor and the city attempted to do was to force out a viable business which has been here for over 40 years in favor of ‘development’ of a project which is still void of any new business,” he continued. Piccolino, who has unsuccessfully ran
for council before, has formed a campaign committee called “Gio for Council” and has criticized previous councils for being “anti-small business.” While he has praised the work of the current council majority, which took office in 2010, he feels he “could be an asset to this city and would welcome the chance to serve in an official capacity.” “I believe I can help to make a difference and have been encouraged by my friends and customers to make this run for City Council,” he said. “I firmly believe that my business acumen and history will help bring stability to Scranton and its citizens and taxpayers.” Two seats on council will be open this election. Councilmen Bob McGoff and John Loscombe have both confirmed to Go Lackawanna that they will attempt to retain their seats.
— U.S. Sen. Bob Casey
why it did not disclose results of its studies to Pennsylvania regulators, and called on the federal agency to “strongly assert the authority that EPA has to more closely and frequently monitor what is in the wastewater delivered to the treatment plants, pollutants discharged into water sources and contaminants in drinking water.” DEP spokeswoman Katherine Gresh said Wednesday that her department is “evaluating the assertions made not just in the article but the additional comments and recommendations we’ve received,” including Casey’s letter and input from the public. Gresh added that DEP has more than doubled its Oil & Gas staff, which now employs 78. “DEP is committed to overseeing this industry in an environmentally conscious manner,” she said.
Rape accusations against Scranton man By CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES chughes@golackawanna.com
SCRANTON – The Attorney General’s office filed charges on Feb. 23 against a Scranton man on allegations of rape, according to court documents. Brian Scott, 38, of Scranton, faces two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and three counts of indecent assault stemming from an alleged incident from September 2010. According to an affidavit, Scott and the alleged victim met at a local bar for drinks on Sept. 16, 2010. While at the bar, Scott invited the victim to his residence and “told her that she could stay overnight at his resident with ‘no strings attached.’” While at the home, Scott alleged-
ly “repeatedly asked her to have a beer” and poured two glasses of win and was “insisting” that she have one. The pair went to bed, and the victim claims Scott covered her with a blanket and left the room, according to the complaint. When she woke up, she claims Scott was on top of her “having sexual intercourse without her consent.” According to an affidavit, the victim went into the bathroom, then ran out of the house and called 911. Police and an ambulance arrived a short time later and she was transported to Community Medial Center. Scott posted $30,000 bail on Feb. 28, the day of his arraignment, and a preliminary hearing is set for March 7.