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WILKES-BARRE, PA

SPORTS SHOWCASE

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

Social media websites, such as Edmodo, are used by instructors to keep in touch with students in and out of class

Teachers like it A bruised and battered

By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins came up just short of advancing in the Calder Cup playoffs Saturday night following a 3-2 setback to the St. John’s IceCaps. The IceCaps took the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal 4-3 and will now face the Norfolk Admirals in the American Hockey League’s version of the Final Four. 1C

NBA PLAYOFFS

CELTICS 92 76ERS 91

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

IL BASEBALL

Pittston Area High School teacher Sal Carroll shows his psychology class page on Edmodo, a social media site for academic use that mirrors Facebook in many of its functions.

SWB YANKS 3 BULLS 2

Technology becomes a friend of learning

AMERICAN LEAGUE

By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PADRES 2 PHILLIES 1

INSIDE A NEWS: Local 3A Nation & World 5A Obituaries 10A, 11A B PEOPLE: 1B Birthdays 6B C SPORTS: 1C Outdoors 12C D BUSINESS: 1D E VIEWS: 1E Editorials 3E F ETC: 1F Puzzles 2F Books 5F G CLASSIFIED: 1G

WEATHER MacKenzie Sheehy Partly sunny. Afternoon rain. High 77, low 55. Details, Page 14C

Psychology teacher Sal Carroll’s classroom extends beyond its four walls inside Pittston Area High School. Carroll regularly uses a social media website called Edmodo, which is designed to look and function like Facebook, to connect with his students in and out of class. Through the site he can post the week’s lesson plan and assignments and to get in touch with students through messages. “I could send messages to kids at the start of the day or at the end of a weekend to give them a reminder about assignments,” he said. “That’s one of the biggest benefits; to get in touch with them when they’re not in front of you in the classroom.” Carroll is hardly alone in harnessing the educational potential of social media, which allows today’s students and teachers to jack into any number of networks from nearly anywhere, nearly any time. Public school officials in Northeastern Pennsylvania and across the nation are struggling to use social media to its

09815 10077

Luzerne County’s unionized detectives fare well in compensation and time off compared to peers in the 11 other similarly sized, thirdclass counties in the state, a review shows. Detective salaries range from $50,300 to $95,532 in Luzerne County. The top end is lower in nine other third-class counties, where salaries max out between $55,000 and $72,983, according to a Times Leader survey. Westmoreland is about the same, with a top pay of $94,779, while Chester County pays up to $108,462, records show. Compensation in like-sized counties is of interest because Luzerne County’s detective contract went to binding arbitration, where comparables may be considered. Third-class counties have populations between 210,000 and See DETECTIVES, Page 14A

COUNTY DETECTIVE BASE PAY RANGES $40

(Thousands) $60 $80

$100

Berks Chester Cumberland Dauphin Erie Lackawanna Lancaster Lehigh Luzerne Northampton Westmoreland York

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Pittston Area teachers Kelly Vincelli and Sal Carroll stand behind a computed displaying Edmodo, an educational social networking site they use in class.

utmost educational potential while navigating the tricky terrain of interacting with students online. Sites like Facebook and Twitter have created a long list of headaches for

school districts to contend with – from cyber-bullying to online disputes turned physical to cheating – but they also See TECHNOLOGY, Page 14A

County Low High Berks $48,828 $69,922 Chester $62,719 $108,462 Cumberland $39,819 $57,895 Dauphin $56,773 $72,983 Erie $37,000 $55,000 Lackawanna $39,445 $52,784 Lancaster $44,240 $64,147 Lehigh $52,208 $72,833 Luzerne $50,330 $95,532 Northampton $47,802 $62,251 Westmoreland $51,033 $94,779 York $46,093 $67,142

Source: Individual counties Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

Gay marriage, abortion are issues again Residents: Pa. health dept. lacks in investigating claims of illness

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer

Survey: County’s detectives fare well Study compared time off and pay to peers in similar-sized counties in state.

ICECAPS 3, PENS 2

YANKEES 6 MARINERS 2

$1.50

NEW YORK — Abortion and gay marriage. For years, they’ve been lumped together as the paramount wedge issues of U.S. politics — hot-button topics in the vortex of sexuality, personal freedom and public policy. Yet these two divisive issues, prominent as ever this election season and still firing up the liberal and conservative bases of the two major parties, are evolving in intriguingly different ways. Partisans are taking care not to overstate how much the See ISSUES, Page 8A

Inquiry finds several other shortcomings by agency concerning gas drilling.

By KEVIN BEGOS Associated Press

AP FILE PHOTO

Jase Peeples watches President Obama announce his support of same-sex marriage Wednesday on TV at a San Francisco bar.

that health officials have fallen short in responding to their health complaints. The AP also found that the tollfree number the agency gives out for gas drilling complaints doesn’t mention the issue in its automated menu, and the agency’s website doesn’t have a specific place for people to file such complaints. And the AP inquiry showed that the agency didn’t begin keep-

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Health says it investigates every claim by residents that gas drilling has caused health problems, but several people say the agency’s actions don’t match its words. Two western Pennsylvania residents told The Associated Press See CLAIMS, Page 7A

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PAGE 14A SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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THE TIMES LEADER

TECHNOLOGY Continued from Page 1A

offer the potential to enhance learning by providing students with a greater array of easily-accessible learning resources, fostering collaborative learning and saving teachers time on mundane tasks. Technology offers options James Kupetz, technology coordinator for the Pittston Area School District, said primary and secondary students today view technology and social media in particular as a more integral part of their lives than their counterparts 10 years earlier did. Schools and teachers who fail to use social media in the classroom are missing opportunities to improve and reinforce their student’s understanding of a lesson while saving themselves time. “Facebook might not be the answer,” he said, but social media designed specifically for educational use that allows social interaction while providing teachers more control over the site’s content offers great potential. While he finds Edmodo useful, Carroll said he wouldn’t be comfortable using Facebook or another non-academic site to communicate with student because he would lack control over what students could post on the site. He does have a personal social media account for keeping in touch with high school and college friends, but said he wouldn’t be comfortable using a non-academic site to connect with students. Carroll said he gets friend requests from former students more often than current ones, but doesn’t accept either. “(Former students) are usually friends with kids who are still in the school,” he said. “I’d email them back telling them because of the connection with school it’s not appropriate at that time. I don’t currently have any former students as friends.” Other local educators expressed similar sentiments. Kelly Vincelli, an English teacher at Pittston Area High School, said she sometimes gets friend requests from students as well, but declines them. “They’ll try, but they kind of get the hint I think,” she said. Northwest Area Superintendent Ronald Grevera said he doesn’t have a Facebook page and advises teachers against having a profile on the site. “There’s always that threat out there that somebody could see something they don’t like on that page,” Grevera said. Facebook issues

DETECTIVES Continued from Page 1A

499,999. Clothing allowance Luzerne County’s $1,050 annual clothing/equipment allowance for detectives stands out because eight other third-class counties don’t provide this benefit. The three remaining counties have annual allowances of $300, $350 and $650. The18 sick days provided to detectives here rank second highest among the 12 counties, surpassed only by neighboring Lackawanna, which grants 20 sick days. York and Cumberland counties provide the least sick days – five – followed by Lehigh with six and Berks with seven. The maximum vacation days here – 30 – is exceeded only in Dauphin County, which provides up to 35. Seven counties have vacation day caps between 20 and 25. Negotiations broke off Luzerne County’s detective negotiations reached an impasse when a Luzerne County Council majority last week rejected the best proposal extracted by the administration. This proposal would have reduced length-of-service bonuses and time off for detectives hired in the future, but not existing ones. Detectives would forgo pay raises this year and receive 2-percent hikes the remaining four years of the contract.

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Pittston Area High School teachers Sal Carroll and Kelly Vincelli use Edmodo, an educational social media website that operates like Facebook but offers teachers more control over student postings.

Inappropriate interactions over social media have landed some school district employees in hot water nationally and locally. Last month Lackawanna County authorities arrested Gavin Joseph Creco II of Clarks Summit on a single count of corruption of minors charges for allegedly asking a 12-year-old for her underwear and other clothing via Facebook chat. He is awaiting trial after waiving a preliminary hearing in April. Attention to similar incidents has prompted districts around the nation to draft new social media policies. At least 40 districts nationwide have done so, according to an April Associated Press report. Hazleton Area, Luzerne County’s largest school district, is one of them. Acting Superintendent Francis Antonelli said the district adopted new social media guidelines for teachers in its operations policy in March in response to media reports of inappropriate teacherstudent contact online. “I believe that certainly a policy at this point in time has merit, in that you unfortunately read what’s been happening throughout the country with inappropriate behavior on social media sites between adults and children, and specifically between students and teachers,” Antonelli said. “It was a call to awareness.” Hazleton’s policy prohibits teachers from becoming

COUNTY DETECTIVE NON-VACATION DAYS OFF Personal Holiday

Sick Total

Lackawanna 4

Erie 4

Luzerne 5

Westmoreland 2

38 36

15*

Chester 3

Dauphin 5

15*

Lancaster 4

Northampton 5.5 9.5

Berks 2

Cumberland 3

7 21 5 20

6 19 5 18 York 13 *Maximum, depends on years of service Lehigh 2

“friends” or otherwise communicating with students via personal accounts on social networks and from posting photographs of students on personal blogs and social networking sites. It mandates that teachers use only school-sponsored email addresses, websites and wikis to communicate with students online. If a student contacts a teacher through the teacher’s personal social media site, the teacher is to respond via district-sponsored channels, the policy states. Hazleton’s policy also emphasizes that the posting of inappropriate photographs and other material on a personal social media page can result in discipline up to and including termination. “As a general guideline, employees should not post anything that they would not want to read in a newspaper or on billboard,” the policy reads. ‘Uncharted territory’ Wyoming Area Superintendent Ray Bernardi said his district doesn’t have a policy addressing social media other than its computer use policy, but expressed interest in drafting one. “That’s uncharted territory but it certainly needs to be addressed, and it’s something that we have to take up with our solicitor to codify it,” Bernardi said. Other districts in the area said they block access to Facebook and other social media sites on school computers, and address social media in their acceptable use of resources and personal

communications device policies, cause anything posted during but have stopped short of making school hours or from a school rules about what teachers and computer could be a serious instudents can say and do online fraction. “When you look at the teaching outside of school hours over First profession, you’re looking at peoAmendment concerns. “Personally I don’t know ple who are professionals and whether that would be a violation should act accordingly,” Suppon of someone’s rights or not,” Grea- said. Dallas Superintendent Frank ter Nanticoke Area Superintendent Tony Perrone said. “…You Galicki said his district blocks socould have a policy, but how cial media websites on school computers and adwould you police it?” dresses the issue in its Those concerns “That’s one of acceptable use of are not without precthe biggest technology policy. edent. The school district Last year Missouri benefits; to get also uses an academic lawmakers barred social media that is teachers from using in touch with under district control, websites that allow them when which eliminates the exclusive access they’re not in need for students and with students. A teachers to communijudge granted an in- front of you in cate via Facebook and junction stopping the classother non-academic the law from taking social media, he said. effect on First room.” District administraAmendment amidst Sal Carroll complaints from Pittston Area teacher tors will also monitor what students post to teachers that it social media sites if a would bar them from school receives word using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, that threatening or slanderous and the law was later repealed by comments have been made against district employees or stuthe state legislature. Some local officials said their dents, and will take appropriate computer and phone use policies action, Galicki said. Galicki said the district was inoffer adequate guidance and proformed last year that a student tection for the district. Wyoming Valley West Superin- had threatened on Facebook to tendent Chuck Suppon said the bring a concealed weapon to district emphasizes that teachers school and use it on another stushould consider three factors dent. The district notified police when posting anything to social and the student was removed media: time, place and content. from school the following day, The first two are important be- Galicki said.

COMPARING COUNTY DETECTIVE DEPARTMENTS County Luzerne

Full-time detectives 10

Unionized Yes

Cumberland Lancaster

4 9

No Yes

Lackawanna

Yes

Northampton

Yes

Lehigh Dauphin

17 11

No Yes

Erie York

8 9

Westmoreland

Chester

Berks

Yes Yes except chief/asst chief Yes except chief Yes except chief and operation Lt. Yes except chief

Source: Individual counties Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

Length-of-service, or longevity, bonuses have been criticized by Luzerne County officials who argue workers shouldn’t receive special rewards beyond pay, time off and benefits. Cumberland, York and Berks counties don’t pay longevity to detectives. The other nine use a mix of percentage formulas or flat dollar amounts, with Luzerne County detectives receiving one of the most favorable calculations. Luzerne County’s formula multiplies the number of employment years, a half percent and the salary, resulting in bonuses ranging from $498 to $13,530 in 2011. For example, a 32-year detective making $82,000 receives a longevity bonus of $13,120 in Luzerne County. Chester County pays $225 per year of service, which would amount to $7,200 for a 32-year de-

Source: Individual counties

tective. Lackawanna provides $1,500 for detectives with more than 25 years. Detectives with over 20 years of employment receive $2,100 in Lancaster. Lehigh County would pay $1,000. The formula in Northampton uses a maximum 1.5 percent of the salary for longevity, which means the $82,000 detective would receive $1,230.

Length of service bonus pay One half percent for each year of service times salary, which was $498-$13,530 in 2011. None $600, 5 yrs; $1,100, 10 yrs; $1,600, 15 yrs; $2,100, 20 yrs $500, 7 yrs; $750, 10 yrs; $1,000, 15 yrs; $1,250, 20 yrs; $1,500, 25 yrs Bonuses after 8 years ranging from 0.25% to 1.5% of salary. $400, 10 years; $800, 15 years. 5%-17.4% of salary, depending on years of service, after 4 years of. employment. Amounts to $3,443$11,980.00 0.25% times years of service None

Vacation 5-30 days

Clothes/equip. allowance $1,050 in 2011

10-20 days 5-25 days

None None

5-25 days

$350 a year

10-25 days

None

10-25 days 9-35 days

None None

6-30 days 10-30 days

$650 a year None

5% of pay, with the percentage increasing 5% every 5 years $225 per year of service

10-25 days

$300 a year

12-24 days

None

10-30 days

None

When pressed at a recent council meeting, county Human Resources Director Andrew Check said arbitration tends to favor unions. Three other third-class counties – Westmoreland, Lancaster and Northampton – are faced with expired detective contracts headed for binding arbitration, but officials in those counties are more optimistic. “There’s always a risk with Arbitration concerns binding arbitration, but it’s my beSome Luzerne County Council lief given the economic condimembers are leery of binding ar- tions that we’re facing today that bitration. we will more likely get a better re-

Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

sult than we had in the past with binding arbitration,” said Northampton County Human Resources Director Patricia Siemiontkowski. Three other Northampton County unions recently received binding arbitration awards she described as “fair.” “I’m not as fearful of arbitration as I had been in the past,” she said. Westmoreland Human Resources Director Charles Dominick also believes arbitrators are more willing to consider counties’ financial struggles. “I think arbitration has favored

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Sample policy needed Part of the reason other local districts haven’t added more comprehensive policies like Hazleton’s may lie in that the Pennsylvania School Boards Association has not drafted a sample policy on the issue. School boards often look to the association for guidance when drafting new policies. Steve Robinson, spokesman for the association, said PSBA hasn’t written a policy because there is no state law to aid the association in doing so. Instead, PSBA suggests school boards consult their solicitors for guidance. “When writing sample policies we refer back to state law,” Robinson said. “There’s no law in place now and there are all kinds of First Amendment issues.” Robinson said PSBA hasn’t recommended districts create new social media policies but added “of course having policies in place for any number of things is always a good idea.” The state Department of Education hasn’t taken a stance either, calling it a local issue. “Each school district sets its own policies regarding social media,” department spokesman Tim Eller said. The Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state teacher’s union, does not make recommendations to districts on their policies but has issued suggestions for its members about their use of social media and runs educational seminars for teachers on the same issue. “Do not accept friend requests from your students or their parents,” the Association recommends. “If a student or parent of a student messages you through a social media site, do not respond.” The association also recommends that teachers avoid posting anything via social media about students, other teachers and administrators or anything else they would not show to their mother, students, superintendent or the editor of The New York Times. Many of those same recommendations have been codified in Hazleton Area’s policy. Union spokesman Paul Shemansky said many districts are still catching up to their students’ use of technology, but that policies are evolving. A few years ago, for example, districts were unsure of how to deal with students who made fake social media profiles about teachers or classmates. “That’s a serious issue if a student does that,” Shemansky said. “…It was relatively new a couple years ago, but now there’s protocols and administrators know what to do if something like that happens.”

unions until recently. We’re getting more arbitration awards I believe are not lopsided or one-sided. I think arbitrators are taking heat,” Dominick said. For the process, the county and union each pick an arbitrator, and those two pick a third from a list of Pennsylvania arbitrators, officials say. Lancaster County Solicitor Crystal Clark also has observed recent arbitration awards that “recognize the economic conditions of a lot of government entities.” More expired detective contracts have headed to binding arbitration in recent years, said Richard Marsh, first vice president of the County Detectives Association of Pennsylvania. Detectives in 10 of the 12 thirdclass counties are unionized, excluding Cumberland and Lehigh counties. “I think the trend the last three years has been for counties not to negotiate. They all want givebacks,” Marsh said. The detectives assist local police departments investigating crimes and deaths. County detectives tend to be among the highest-paid county union employees because they often work off hours investigating crime and specialize in law enforcement techniques, he said. Assertions that arbitration favors unions don’t hold water with him. “I think arbitration absolutely keeps both sides reasonable. If you’re being a pig, you’ll get whacked. If the county is unreasonable, then it will get whacked. It’s a double-edged sword,” Marsh said.

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WILKES-BARRE, PA

SPORTS SHOWCASE

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012

In Normandy, where Europe’s liberation began, the French do not forget Luzerne County’s fallen

Remembrance Celtics 85, 76ers 75 Rajon Rondo had 18 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in Game 7 on Saturday night to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics will open the third round of the NBA playoffs in Miami against the Heat on Monday night. Rondo scored nine straight Boston points after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 left in the game, helping the Celtics turn a threepoint edge into a doubledigit lead. 1C

NATIONAL LEAGUE

PHILLIES 4 CARDINALS 0

YANKEES 9 A’S 2

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Toni Griseto holds a book with a photograph of her uncle Reginald Clark Jr., who died in the 1944 liberation of Europe during World War II.

See VIOLATIONS, Page 14A

‘Flowers of Memory’ bloom in France

6 area towns allegedly fail to get quotes

By SUSAN DENNEY Times Leader Correspondent

INSIDE A NEWS: Local 3A Nation & World 4A Obituaries 9A, 10A B PEOPLE: 1B Birthdays 8B C SPORTS: 1C Outdoors 14C D BUSINESS: 1D E VIEWS: 1E Editorials 3E F ETC.: 1F Puzzles 2F Books 5F G CLASSIFIED: 1G

WEATHER

Benoit Jeannet and Stéphanie Le

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

Bris are too young to remember World War II. But both live in Normandy, France where the memories and effects of that war still linger. Each of them has chosen to honor the memory of a Luzerne County soldier who lost his life during the invasion which liberated France. They See MEMORY, Page 16A

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Louis ‘Booty’ Beltrami recalls the sadness of learning that his brother Michael was missing in action.

Nathaniel Wren Partly sunny, rain. High 85, low 60. Details, Page 16C

Six Luzerne County communities that use state funds to pay for equipment and road work violated bidding regulations by failing to obtain quotes or bids for some of their expenditures, according to audits by state Auditor General’s Office. The audits, released in January, disallowed a combined total of $111,801 in expenditures the municipalities paid from money they received through the liquid fuels tax fund administered by the state Department of Transportation. The fund provides money for certain types of road work and See QUOTES, Page 14A

Was local man jailed in error?

Mark Linker of WilkesBarre holds up the Luzerne County Correctional Facility inmate handbook he received when he was lodged overnight last week because of what he says was an error. 6

Audit: City owes cash to state due to failure to seek bids for road projects and equipment.

WILKES-BARRE – The city must reimburse nearly $30,000 it received from the state for road projects and equipment after an audit determined it failed to seek bids for the purchases. The audit, performed by the state Auditor General’s Office, disallowed $15,082 in expenses for cold Leighton patch after records indicated the purchase may have been “piecemealed” to evade bidding regulations. It also disal- Frati lowed a $14,894 purchase of asphalt because it was not bid out. The city was among six Luzerne County municipalities the auditor general faulted for failing to seek bids or quotes on items purchased

BISONS 8 SWB YANKS 7

AMERICAN LEAGUE

W-B owes $30,000 for bid violations By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

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METS 9 PADRES 0

$1.50

Mark Linker says the county made a clerical mistake, and he paid for it. By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

09815 10077 DON CAREY/TIMES LEADER PHOTO

and his boss wasn’t pleased with the prison explanation. He said he was helping a friend with a flat tire in Jenkins Township when police asked for his identification and found the warrant in the computer system. Dennis Linker, 45, said he unsuccessfully tried to convince police he was not wanted for failure to appear at an arraignment for drunken driving and a related charge. “I’m a single father raising a 17-year-old son,

Mark Linker said he was wrongly lodged in the Luzerne County prison overnight last week because the county clerk of courts office didn’t file paperwork showing a judge lifted an outstanding warrant against him. Linker said he had to leave his 17-year-old son unattended during the prison stay and pay a $100 prison booking fee. He also lost his sixyear construction job because he missed work See JAILED, Page 7A

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and this impacts us financially and emotionally,” the WilkesBarre man said. “I stood before a judge and had this outstanding warrant dropped.” His attorney, Laura Dennis, said the county’s delay in processing the paperwork is unacceptable. ‘Affecting people’s lives’ “It’s not just a paperwork error. This is something affecting people’s lives,” Dennis said. Dennis said confusion over scheduling caused Linker to miss his May 4 arraignment. County Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr. lifted the warrant, known as a capias, when Linker appeared in court on May 11, she said. The clerk of courts never entered the warrant dismissal into the record system, prompting

SUNDAY, MAY 27, 2012 PAGE 7A

A business group praises the decision from a 2005 case claiming mesothelioma.

of their group’s spring meeting. “Isn’t this wonderful?” said Pittston Alumni President Kathy McHale, who donated much of the memorabilia from the Pittston program. “It’s so amazing to see the faces of these nurses when they look up and see their picture as part of this exhibit. It’s very emotional.” The exhibit runs through June 29. The permanent collection will be housed in the university AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER library at the close of the special Ireta Martinelli, Pittston Hospital School of Nursing class of ’59, and Mary Clare Leonard, class of ’56, look at photographs. exhibit.

Continued from Page 1A

Pa. top court defines asbestos rule

NURSING

JAILED

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the district attorney’s office to include Linker on a list of defendants who failed to appear in court, she said. Judge Thomas Burke Jr. issued a bench warrant against Linker on May 18 based on the district attorney’s report, she said. Dennis said Burke and the district attorney’s office did nothing wrong. “It is the fault of the criminal clerk’s office, which did not follow procedure,” Dennis said. Dennis said she had no idea what happened when Linker called her 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to say he was in prison on an outstanding warrant. She said she spent hours getting to the bottom of the problem and praised Sklarosky’s office for faxing evidence of the lifted warrant to the prison so Linker could be released at 3 p.m. the next day. Dennis said a clerk of courts worker first indicated Sklarosky’s order wasn’t clear, but she

said that wasn’t accurate. The office then indicated there is a twoweek backlog processing records. “Mr. Linker wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Dennis said. “He was walking on a road.” Clerk to investigate Interim Clerk of Courts Tom Pizano said he wasn’t informed of the situation but would investigate. “I will look into it first thing Tuesday,” Pizano said. “If it’s our mistake, we certainly apologize and will deal with it in the future.” Pizano said the employee who typically handles warrants was off a few days, but other employees are trained to cover. He said the office is behind in processing some records, but he did not believe there was a lag in the warrants. “We are understaffed,” Pizano said, citing past layoffs and the cancellation of part-time sum-

20 12

By RON TODT Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that civil lawsuit plaintiffs alleging asbestos-related ailments cannot submit scientific testimony asserting that even the smallest exposure to the material could cause cancer. The court said in a 6-0 opinion mer employees who helped with filing. Adding staff doesn’t appear to be an option because of the county’s financial troubles, he said. He is working with the heads of the deeds, wills and civil court records offices to come up with a plan to merge offices into a judicial services and records division created by the new home rule government. County Manager Robert Lawton asked the departments to come up with a merger proposal in 90 days. Linker said he wanted to speak out to get the problem corrected. He said he is facing his pending charges and blames his behavior on the loss of a loved one and his struggles to recover from liver cancer. The police affidavit says he struck the rear of another vehicle on Dec. 28 and fled when the other driver said he was calling 911. “We’re all human beings. We make mistakes,” Linker said.

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that plaintiffs must show some relationship between the amount of exposure and development of the disease. “Simply put, one cannot simultaneously maintain that a single fiber among millions is substantially causative, while also conceding that a disease is dose-responsive,” Justice Thomas Saylor wrote for the majority in the 53page opinion. The ruling came in a 2005 lawsuit by a western Pennsylvania auto mechanic against Ford Motor Co., Allied Signal Inc. and others alleging that his exposure to asbestos through repair of brake linings over 44 years had caused mesothelioma. The justices said they took up the matter “as a test case for the admissibility of expert opinion evidence to the effect that each and every fiber of inhaled asbestos is a substantial contributing factor to any asbestos-related disease.” The defense argued that it would be impossible to legally assign responsibility without showing that mechanic Charles Simikian had been exposed to specific doses of asbestos known to cause the disease. Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Colville agreed, saying there was no credible explanation for a determination the disease was due to workplace exposure to asbestos and not another source. A Superior Court panel said the “any-exposure” testimony was something for a jury, not the trial court, to evaluate, but the high court said the judge “was right to be circumspect about the scientif-

ic methodology underlying the any-exposure opinion.” “He spent considerable time listening to the attorneys’ arguments but was unable to discern a coherent methodology supporting the notion that every single fiber from among, potentially, millions is substantially causative of disease,” Saylor’s decision said. “Moreover, he appreciated the considerable tension between the any-exposure opinion and the axiom (manifested in myriad ways both in science and daily human experience) that the dose makes the poison.” The high court justices sent the case back to the lower court to consider whether there were other appeal issues. Attorneys for the plaintiff did not return a phone call seeking comment, The Philadelphia Inquirer said. The National Federation of Independent Business, which says thousands of businesses around the country had been sued on the basis of the theory, hailed the decision. “This is a significant decision because it prevents the use of tenuous theories that have no basis in science,” the group’s Pennsylvania director, Kevin Shivers, told the newspaper. Bill Anderson, a lawyer with Crowell & Mooring who filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, said only one other state high court — that of Texas — had barred use of the any-fiber theory of causation increasingly used in asbestos cases across the country.

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Here, there and everywhere

Fleeing home from violence

Garden Party, Dodgeball Tournament, Movie Night

Syrians seek refuge from relentless rebel forces

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The Times Leader timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE, PA

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

find a community so beautifully Beauty in details for the working class. Mocanaqua miners homes will old history buff said. designed for a company’s workHis layout for 50 single-family While most other mining opThe properties had chain-link be missed, history buff says.

Frank Evina will mourn the loss of up to 26 tiny Mocanaqua bungalows in the upcoming flood buyouts because they were part of an unusual coal mining community. “This place was special. It breaks my heart,” the 60-year-

erations around the turn of the century built monotonous rows of standard salt box or doubleblock company homes for workers and their families, the West End Coal Co. brought in architect Grosvenor Atterbury to try something different. Atterbury had designed mansions and estates for the wealthy but also dabbled in beautifying tenements and other housing

homes in the Mocanaqua section of Conyngham Township known as “The Settlement” featured two cul-de-sacs, a park, vacant lots for open space and access to the Susquehanna River, Evina said. The structures had indoor plumbing and furnaces. Atterbury added variety to the clapboard siding by mixing in a few homes with cedar shake.

fences and arbors over the gates. Some had trellises around the windows. Pops of color came from fruit trees, Wisteria, Honeysuckle, rosebushes and other landscaping. Porches were added to encourage socializing. “This was not your typical coal-mining patch,” Evina said. “It looks like a little storybook village. I don’t think you’ll ever

ing-class employees. The guy was an artist, ahead of his time.” Evina, who is retired from the Library of Congress, wanted to get a historic designation for the community and create a walking tour, but isn’t sure if the loss of more than half the structures will make that possible. One of the houses was deSee MOCANAQUA, Page 8A

Station plans will get airing

DOWN-AND-DIRTY FUN

Paige Selenski and Team USA began the hunt for an Olympic field hockey medal on Sunday, facing Germany in the opener for both teams. PAGE 4B

UGI Energy Services’ West Wyoming compressor facility focus of hearing. By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

TV SCHEDULE NBC Swimming - Gold Medal Finals: Men’s 200M Freestyle, Men’s 100M Backstroke, Women’s 100M Backstroke and Women’s 100M Breaststroke; Men’s Gymnastics - Team Gold Medal Final; Men’s Diving Platform Synchronized Gold Medal Final., 8 p.m.-Midnight (EDT-PDT) Swimming - Semifinals; Canoeing - Whitewater Qualifying Heats, 12:35 a.m.-1:35 a.m. (EDT-PDT) BRAVO Tennis - Early Rounds (LIVE); 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

Medal count

United States 3

Italy

South Korea

France

North Korea

Kazakhstan

Australia

Brazil

Hungary

Netherlands

Russia

Georgia

South Africa

Japan

Britain

Colombia

Cuba

Poland

Romania

Taiwan

Azerbaijan

1 1

Belgium

Canada

Moldova

Norway

Serbia

Slovakia

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

1 AP

Critics also fear the loss of school tax revenue could be as high as $12 billion which everyone agrees would be a staggering amount to make up through other levies. The Senate bill is the same as House Bill 1776, debated by House members this spring but currently stuck in the Finance Committee. To compensate for the lost school

The third company seeking to place a compressor station in Luzerne County to speed transportation of Marcellus Shale natural gas to market will bring its plans to the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board on Aug. 7. UGI Energy Services Inc. wants to construct three natural-gas fueled compressors on a 14-acre plot of land in an A1 agricultural district off Fire Cut Road. The site, purchased from Joseph P. Kalinosky of Fire Cut Road, will also contain natural gas meters, storage tanks, a radio transmission tower, an odorant building and associated equipment, according to plans submitted by UGI Energy Services. The company needs a special exception from the board to build the station and a variance to build a radio communication tower up to 150 feet tall. The last two companies proposing similar facilities, both before Dallas Township’s Zoning Board, changed their plans in the face of heavy public opposition. UGI will likely face its own packed house when it meets with county’s zoning board at the Luzerne County Courthouse. The county zoning hearing board handles zoning decisions for West Wyoming and 22 other municipalities in the county. “We expect a big crowd,” zoning hearing board member Anthony Palischak said. Luzerne County Planning Director Adrian Merolli described the wood loca-

See TAXES, Page 8A

See UGI, Page 8A

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

evin Crawn of Exeter drives his 1988 Jeep Wrangler through the pit Sunday afternoon during Mud Bog 2012 in Plymouth Township. For the story, see page 3A. For CLICKS, see page 2A.

Lawmakers put off school-tax bills

Action risky to legislators because of costs to districts, other taxes.

as of July 29 China

50¢

More area history lost to flood By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

Drums’ Casey Eichfeld came oh so close to advancing to the semifinals in the C-1 canoe slalom event. But a two-second touch penalty dropped Eichfeld out of contention. PAGE 4B

MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012

By TOM BARNES Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

HARRISBURG -- The state Legislature can’t bring itself to vote on the thorny issue of eliminating school property taxes, and yet it can’t stop battling over the idea either. "We have met the enemy and it is us,"

state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, quipped last week at a hearing on Senate Bill 1400. He’s a co-sponsor of the bill, which is risky to lawmakers because it would cost state school districts at least $9 billion a year, while shifting the job of collecting property taxes from the 500 local districts to state officials. Opponents wonder if the state will send back to local districts the full amount they are owed.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK

>> DO YOU FEEL PRETTY?: Fans of musical theater are in luck this week. The Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary will be putting on “West Side Story” Thursday and Friday nights at the FM Kirby Center. “West Side Story” is a timeless classic about young love set in Kingston, Edwardsville and Pringle and the trials and tribulations …. What? It’s not about Kingston? It’s set in the Upper West Side of New York City? In the 1950s? … Nevermind. Shows start at 8 p.m. >> REMAKING RECALL: When movie scholars look

back at great acting performances in history, they often look at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic delivery of the line “Who the hell am I?” from 1990’s “Total Recall.” Then they

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laugh, and watch an old Jack Lemmon movie. If you’d like to hear that line uttered without Austrian seasoning, then check out Hollywood’s brand-spanking new remake of “Total Recall.” The sci-fi tale of spies, implanted memories and mutants opens this Friday and stars Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale.

>> FULL METAL JACKET: If Perry Como, Mel Torme and Nat King Cole were still living and went on tour, they could call it the “Unisom, Chamomile Tea Totally at Ease Festival.” So, what would you call it if you rounded up such hard rock stalwarts as Slayer, Motörhead, Anthrax and others? Why the “Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival,” of course. If you like music that can literally blow you out of your socks, then head up to Montage Mountain at 1 p.m. Saturday and embrace the Mayhem. >> KICKING IT OFF: Daffy Duck and Bug Bunny can argue till they’re red, blue and plaid in the face about whether it’s rabbit season or duck B SPORTS Scoreboard Weather C CLICK Birthdays

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season, but come this Sunday, there is no doubt what season it is. It’s football season. Real, live, red-blooded, American NFL season. The Cardinals and Saints kick off the 2012 campaign in the annual Football Hall of Fame Game. Of course, the game doesn’t count. And, of course, only ninthstring players will take the field. But it is football. And it means the regular season is on the way. The game starts at 8 p.m. on the NFL Network.

>> HOORAY, UNDERWEAR!: There are things in this

world that are

just meant for each other: Peanut butter and jelly. Chips and dip. Ikes and Mikes. Joan Rivers and The Beverly Hills Center for Plastic Surgery. To this list you can also add two “holidays” that are both “celebrated” this Sunday. It’s International Beer Day and National Underwear Day. Why, pray tell, do these days go together? Because if you celebrate the first too much, you end up wearing nothing but the second at a Tijuana border crossing. That’s why.

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MUD Continued from Page 3A

ski said. “It’s a time where everyone is just here to have fun, and maybe get a little dirty.” “We always get a pretty good turnout, though the weather hasn’t been great the past two

UGI Continued from Page 1A

tion as “very isolated.” The facility would sit 2,425 feet from the nearest residence, which is owned by Kalinosky.

What: The Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board hears testimony on UGI Energy Services’ plan to build a natural gas compressor station in West Wyoming When: Tuesday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m. Where: The Luzerne County Courthouse, second-floor jury room

NATURAL GAS COMPRESSOR STATION KINGSTON TWP. o vert Car

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Emissions concerns But residents, environmental activists and municipal officials have all expressed reservations about the project, as they did over the last two compressor stations proposed in the county. The first two companies seeking zoning approval for compressor stations in the county, Williams Field Services LLC and Chief Gathering LLC, decided to move those facilities outside the county after multiple hearings with Dallas Township’s zoning board, though both companies were approved to install lines tapping into the Transco Interstate Pipeline in Dallas Township. Chief’s pipeline was later acquired by PVR Partners. Nancy Dolan of Luzerne County Citizens for Clean Air said her group is worried about emissions produced by the station, especially because the geography of the Wyoming Valley can hold pollution low to the ground under certain weather conditions. “The communities that are going to be impacted are going to be West Wyoming, Swoyersville, West Pittston,” Dolan said. Harris said the compressor station would not exceed federal Environmental Protection Agency emissions limits, producing a maximum of 50 percent of the EPA limit for nitrogen oxides, 9.5 percent of the limit for carbon monoxide and 18.5 percent of the federal limit for volatile organic compounds. UGI has made efforts to address resident concerns through technology such as air-starters, which reduce emissions compared to gas or electrical starters, she said. But Dolan said emissions from the site could grow once it is permitted. “The trend of compressor stations is, their initial permit is for three engines, and typically that grows, to two, to three, to four, to five times that amount,” Dolan said. “So once you permit something like that operation near communities, they grow. Why would they need 14 acres if they were not planning on growing it?” West Wyoming Council Chairwoman Eileen Cipriani said she and other members of council plan to address the

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Stabilizing prices Part of UGI’s proposed 27.5mile Auburn Pipeline extension project, the station would raise pressure in the line allowing gas to enter the nearby Transco Interstate pipeline. A second, 12inch pipeline would also branch away from the 24-inch Auburn line at the compressor station, carrying gas four miles to Wilkes-Barre. There, it would enter the gas distribution network of UGI’s public utility arm and bring Marcellus Shale gas to the local market for the first time. Lillian Harris, manager of regulatory affairs for UGI Energy Services, said the project would eventually reduce gas transportation costs passed on to UGI customers because the gas would travel a shorter distance to their homes. Customers might not see an immediate rate drop because existing transportation contracts with the Transco pipeline would carry over for some time, but the project would have the long-term effect of stabilizing already low natural gas prices, Harris said. “These kinds of projects help keep the cost stable for the customer if not reducing it further,” she said.

years. We might be OK this time.” Wesolowski may have been turning a watchful eye to the gray clouds that hung over the grounds most of the day, but 13year-old Sam Calder paid them no mind. In fact, if it did rain, he would’ve loved it even more. The dirtier his sneakers, the better. “There’s nothing wrong with more mud, not for us and not for the trucks.”

WEST WYOMING PLANNED COMPRESSOR SITE

WEST WYOMING

Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

NATURAL GAS PIPELINES Planned compressor site in West Wyoming Pipeline junctions Tennessee Interstate line Existing Auburn line Proposed Auburn extension Connection to local distribution Transco Interstate line

Susquehanna

Lackawanna

Wyoming

Luzerne

Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

board. “We have concerns regarding the emissions and the safety and well-being of our residents and the environment in West Wyoming,” Cipriani said. “And we plan to address those concerns when we attend the meeting of the zoning hearing board.” Cipriani noted UGI has responded at least verbally to some of council’s concerns. In a letter to the company, council said it was concerned about runoff that could result from clear cutting 14 acres of mountainside woodlands. UGI has agreed to put in a retention basin to address that concern, she said. Board’s focus The zoning hearing board might not be able to weigh all testimony at the hearing in its decision, which will hinge upon whether the permit is in accord with the county zoning ordinance. Board member William Harris, who is also Wilkes-Barre’s planning director, said the board will consider testimony on the project’s environmental impact, health-and-safety issues, transportation impact, emergency-response plans and noise pollution. “We take into account every word,” William Harris said. “We take notes. Whether we can use it or not, we take notes. We’re like judges in a way.” Board members Larry Newman, vice president of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, and Anthony Palischak, a retired Wyoming Valley West High School teacher, declined to comment on the application before the hearing.

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MOCANAQUA Continued from Page 1A

stroyed by fire in the 1930s, and two more were demolished in a previous buyout, leaving 47, he said. Although Evina wants the settlement to stay intact, he understands some residents can’t handle a repeat of September’s record flooding, which brought several feet of water on the first floor of numerous cottages and blew out some foundations. Tom Briggs, who lives with his fiancé in one of the Pulaski Circle properties, feels the absence of mostly elderly neighbors in his small cul-de-sac. “It’s like a ghost town. I hope everyone receives a fair buyout offer,” said Briggs, who has lined up a job in New Jersey when he relocates after the expected buyouts this fall.

Mocanaqua resident Frank Evina stands near one of 47 bungalows that were part of an unusually attractive mining patch town commissioned by the West End Coal Co. Evina lives in one of the homes purchased by his grandparents in 1931 and is saddened many others will be leveled due to upcoming flood buyouts.

‘Double-edged sword’ Luzerne County Planning/Zoning Director Adrian Merolli, who grew up in one of the settlement homes on River Street, said the loss of history from warranted buyouts is a “double-edged sword.” He recalled many summers riding bikes and playing with neighborhood children along Italy Street as adults relaxed and caught up with each other on their front porches. “Many of the people who lived there were either related through blood or marriage. It was a closeknit community,” he said. Evina’s maternal grandparents, Apolonia and John Zandarski, a miner, purchased106 Italy St. from the coal company for $1,500 in 1931. West End Coal had rented out the homes since 1917 and opted to

sell to the families of its miners, who were mostly Eastern European immigrants, Evina said. The Zandarskis raised nine children in their home. The structures had two small bedrooms upstairs, and some families squeezed in more than nine children plus boarders from the mine, he said. Evina’s parents, Henrietta and Frank, inherited the home. An only child, Evina returned to the property to care for his 86-year-old mother, who lives in an assisted living facility. He regularly brings her back to sit on her porch and share memories of her youth. An original lilac bush still survives in the backyard. Evina purchased an arbor replicating the first one above the front gate. The structure had1foot of water on the first floor in September, compared to basement flooding in the prior record 1972 flood. The

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, DIVISION OF RARE AND MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS

Architect Grosvenor Atterbury added shrubs, arbors and sidewalks to the Mocanaqua coal-mining village known as ‘The Settlement’ because he believed in beautifying working-class housing.

months of post-flood cleaning and “I’m the third generation. We repairs weren’t enough to tear him had a good life here. We’ll take our away from his heritage. chances,” he said.

STORY

IF YOU GO What: ‘West Side Story’ When: 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday Who: The Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary Where: F.M. Kirby Center, Public Square, Wilkes-Barre Tickets: $20, $12 Info: 270-2186

Continued from Page 3A

The cast sympathizes with Tony, who recently abandoned the Jets in favor of a job at a neighborhood store, and with Maria, younger sister of the lead Shark, who notices Tony during a dance in the “neutral territory” of the local gym. “In the moment she doesn’t even realize he’s a Jet,” said Kelly Jesikiewicz, 15, of Mountain Top, who plays Maria. “She’s only seeing him.” Their attraction is immediate, and almost otherworldly, said Justin Mazzella, 21, of Charleston, S.C., who plays Tony. “Look at the words in the script and you’ll see a kind of magic,” he said. “Tony quit the Jets a month ago. He’s been feeling a restless yearning for a month or so. Maria came to town a month ago.” Influenced by Maria, Tony tries to bring peace between the gangs. That doesn’t end well. Then, despite mourning the death of her own lover, Maria’s friend Anita tries to help Maria and Tony escape together. That doesn’t end well, either.

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

The ‘West Side Story’ cast rehearses the dance-at-the-gym scene in which Tony and Maria first meet.

“That scene is so intense, it scares me,” said Aleni Mackarey, 18, of Clarks Summit, who, as Anita, changes her mind about helping Tony when the Jets begin to assault her at Doc’s store. What would it take, for a better outcome? “Love,” said Noah Sunday-Lefkowitz, 16, of Shavertown, who plays youthful gang member Baby John. “Look past the differences,” Mackarey said. “Maybe we can’t

BEAT Continued from Page 3A

vance. • County Councilman Rick Morelli told assessment director Tony Alu people occasionally approach him with reports of property owners who aren’t on the tax rolls – tips that may or may not be accurate. Alu encourages citizens to contact him at 825-1869 if they have information about potential missed structures on the county’s 169,000 parcels, saying he fully investigates all leads. • Councilman Edward Brominski told assessment appeals board members last week he’s pleased all three preside over all appeals because he believes the board wrongly split into separate groups to hear appeals individually in the past – a prac-

TAXES Continued from Page 1A

taxes, both bills would increase the state’s personal income tax rate to at least 4 percent from the current 3.07 percent. They also would increase the statewide sales tax rate to 7 percent (or possibly higher) and would eliminate many popular sales tax exemptions - possibly including longtime exemptions for food and clothing. Allegheny

all love, but we can all accept.” “And understand,” Jesikiewicz added. Highlights of the show include music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and the choreography of Jerome Robbins whose efforts combined to form what director Bill Roudebush describes as “one of the best musicals of all time. There’s not a song you don’t come away humming.” Providing the “overwhelming-

tice he says was “illegal.” • Councilman Stephen A. Urban has twice made references at council meetings to Brominski’s past decision to plead the Fifth Amendment, though most audience members don’t recall the specifics. Brominski took the Fifth in a 1982 bribery case involving then-Exeter Councilman Robert Clapps, a Wyoming Area teacher accused of offering a school board member a job for his wife at the county nursing home in exchange for votes. Clapps allegedly said Brominski, then a county commissioner, would back the deal. Brominski has said he did not testify on the advice of a county solicitor, though he later said he regretted that decision. He also said he had no information that could have helped prosecutors, other than his insistence he never offered a job. Clapps was later acquitted. • The assessor’s and sheriff’s office swaps are complete. The sheriff’s office

County’s sales tax, now at 7 percent, would go to at least 8 percent. Such changes, obviously, have legislators nervous about how their constituents will react. "Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die," said Sen. John Wozniak, DCambria, referring to legislators’ desire to eliminate school taxes but their fear of residents’ anger over raising the income tax or sales tax. Much of the impetus to eliminate school property taxes is

ly powerful” score for this production is a 28-piece orchestra filled with professional musicians who have been teaching for the past few weeks at Wyoming Seminary’s Performing Arts Institute. “If you went to Broadway you wouldn’t find an orchestra like this,” Roudebush said. Guest artists include Kenneth Kurtz, a stage designer and professor emeritus from the University of Miami who plays Tony’s employer, Doc, and actor Joel Kolker, a veteran of “Miami Vice” and “Cape Fear,” who plays Lt. Schrank, a police official who does little to hide his disdain for both Sharks and Jets. With adults added to the cast, Roudebush said, he was able to fulfill one of his goals. “My idea was, I only wanted a kid to play a kid.”

moved into the former assessor’s space in the courthouse basement to increase security presence in the courthouse. The assessor’s office will be closer to deeds in the new location on the second floor of the courthouse annex on River Street. • Lawton and county Prothonotary Carolee Medico Olenginski clashed in emails last week over her proposal to reclassify a union clerk position, which would require a $1,000 salary increase. Lawton denied the request, saying the county “faces a significant budget deficit” this year. “Prudent managers and dedicated staff are already responding through vacancy control and the redistribution of assignments. I trust you will join your colleagues in meeting this challenge,” he wrote in reply to her email. Medico Olenginski defended her management skills and said the denial was “short-sighted” and “disappointing.”

coming from eastern Pennsylvania, where rising home values have increased the school tax burden to as much as $10,000 a year. Older homeowners on fixed incomes loudly complain that rising school taxes are forcing them to sell the homes they’ve lived in for years. Getting rid of school property taxes "is easily the No. 1 issue at public meetings in the six counties I represent," Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, said at last week’s Finance Committee hearing. "Over 2,300 people in just

my Senate district have signed petitions against school taxes." He and Sen. Mike Folmer, RLebanon, are leading the effort in the Senate, while Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks, is sponsor of the now-tabled House bill. Neither the Senate nor House bill is expected to come up for action when the Legislature returns in late September for the final few days of the 2011-12 session. Pressure to get rid of property taxes as a school funding mechanism will bring the issue back for discussion in January.

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WILKES-BARRE, PA

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

$1.50

Pension to widow paid, not approved

THE GEORGE BANKS MURDERS: 30 years ago this week a former jail guard killed 13 local people in a day that remains…

Etched in blood

Wife of longtime Hughestown police chief getting benefits for 9 years. Borough helpless. By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

TIMES LEADER FILE PHOTO

Ten hours after he began a shooting rampage leaving 13 dead in Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Township and after standoff at a house in the city, George Emil Banks surrendered to police and was taken into custody. By SHEENA DELAZIO sdelazio@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – Gunfire in two Wyoming Valley communities that left 13 people dead three decades ago still remains a vivid memory to the officers who responded to PennEDITOR’S NOTE: First of two-part sylvania’s largest mass killing. series on the George Banks shot and killed 13 George Banks case INSIDE: A timeline people on Sept. 25, 1982 -- several of Sept. 25, 1982. 13A of them his own children and their A look at the mothers – in Wilkes-Barre and Banks case over the years. 14A Jenkins Township. “The fact is, (Banks) is still the most prolific single-day killer in the history of Pennsylvania,” said former Luzerne County District Attorney Robert Gillespie, who prosecuted Banks.

See PENSION, Page 9A

Congress looks for directions

Upcoming elections could give signals to body, which will then reconvene. By DONNA CASSATA Associated Press

That’s 211,680 Ramen packets because 24 are in each case. “We’ve been going through 300 cases a week,” said prison commissary clerk Robert Ruckle. Commissary purchases help taxpayers because profits buy inmate services and supplies that would otherwise be funded by the coun-

WASHINGTON — A frustrated Congress quit Washington on Saturdaywithatleastonehope—that the stark choice in the election ahead will give lawmakers clarity about what Americans want from their government. They desperately need some direction. Lawmakers will return in about sevenweeksandfaceacrowdedlist of must-do items, topped by avoidingwhat’sbecomeknownasthefiscal cliff: the combination of expiring George W. Bush-era tax cuts and automatic spending cuts that could drive the country back into recession. Two years of rancor and a divided government resulted in one of the least productive Congresses in history. President Barack Obama piled on in his weekly radio

See NOODLES, Page 6A

See CONGRESS, Page 9A

TIMES LEADER FILE PHOTO

Police take cover during the siege at Monroe Street in Wilkes-Barre.

See BANKS, Page 14A

In county prison, everybody loves Ramen

Noodles now jailhouse’s favorite snack By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

Ramen Noodles are all the rage at the Luzerne County Prison, overcoming Tastykakes’ long reign as the most popular commissary item, officials say. The noodles are so in-demand, pris-

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oners are limited to 25 packs per week so they don’t gain the power of strong-arming other inmates who have them, officials said. The prison obtained bids for 2,460 cases of both chicken and beef and 3,900 of the chili variety, at $4.80 per case.

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HUGHESTOWN – The widow of the borough’s longtime police chief has been receiving unauthorized pension benefits for the past nine years, but borough officials say they are powerless to stop the payments. Delores DeLucia, widow of George DeLucia, has George DeLucia been paid roughly $61,000 since 2003 despite repeated findings by the state Auditor General’s Office that the payments were not authorized. Council’s failure to heed the auditor’s warnings ended up costing taxpayers an additional $25,616 – the amount the borough was forced to pay back this year to reimburse the state for excess contributions it made to the pension fund based on the DeLucia payments. The borough has since stopped paying the benefit from its pension fund, and is now taking the money from the general fund, Mayor Paul Hindmarsh said. It was forced to do so because

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can,â&#x20AC;? Halliday said. His trucks will continue to run material from the site for the next few days until it is gone. He estimated the total demolition might take a week. Joe Temarantz, deputy fire chief, said the department has been trying to consolidate its services for several years and purchasing the abandoned lumber yard represented a chance to get a good location while eliminating an â&#x20AC;&#x153;eyesore.â&#x20AC;? AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER The department especial- People watch and cheer as the old lumber company building on the ly appreciated the help from Sans Souci Highway in Hanover Township is torn down Saturday. The site will be used for the merged fire companies. the volunteers, he added.

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tyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strapped operating budget â&#x20AC;&#x201C; haircuts, library and legal books, athletic equipment and basic cable, which is credited for having a calming effect on inmates. The law forbids commissary profits from funding prison operating expenses, such as corrections officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; salaries and heat. Prison officials say theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried to add more variety to increase sales, which hovered around $200,000 years ago. Last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total commissary purchases: $542,940. Inmates make the Ramen noodles by using hot water from the coffee urn, with only one cupful dispensed at a time for security purposes. Tastykake sales slipped because the previous low-bid supplier was out-of-state and sometimes brought expired merchandise, Ruckle said. Tastykake cravings Local distributor Thomas Wasley regained the contract as

CANCER Continued from Page 3A

vor, told of her own experience of recovery from ovarian cancer and then from its recurrence. Kryston spoke of the strength of not only the cancer victim but of caregivers and families supporting them. She emphasized the gratitude for life that permeated the event. "Those with cancer often have a great determination to recover and focus their energies on moving forward," said Kryston. "Often caregivers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel that same sense of control." The event also featured other

TOMATOES Continued from Page 3A

Downstream Thursday afternoon, Jim Hughes, his wife, Pat, and son Nick had plenty of small, medium and large tomatoes to pluck. Hughes, of Wilkes-Barre, found out about the plants from his son, who took a photo with his phone of them while fishing in the area. The family came with bags and buckets to fill the following day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cherry tomatoes it looks

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low-bidder this year. He agreed permitted to carry money. Inmates housed in disciplinto supply 1,300 boxes each of DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER Coffee Cakes, Krimpets, Choco- ary detention may only buy sanilate Juniors and Coconut Ju- tary items and writing materiThe Rev. Dr. Paul C. Amara, pastor at the Plains United Methodist Church, receives some help putting together the church bulletin from Joyce Scalfer and Dorothy Peppins at the clothesniors at a rate of $5.10 for a box als. sharing event Saturday. The prison supplies a care of six. The bid included 1,700 boxes package with essential toiletries upon arrival. of peanut butter Kandy Kakes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In general, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re our best Allotments for seller,â&#x20AC;? said Wasley. indigents Wasley said prison â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been Indigent inmates guards have told him with no money in many inmates relish going through their accounts may the Tastykakes. clothing giveaway, but also for 300 cases a receive two stamps, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re from the generous spirit that guides one candy bar and a the area, I guess itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a week.â&#x20AC;? its leadership throughout the By GERI GIBBONS staple item. The prisyear. Members of the Robert Ruckle small tube of toothTimes Leader Correspondent on is a very good ac- Prison commissary clerk paste per week and a Scalfer said the church voice their note pad, pen and count,â&#x20AC;? he said. Rev. Paul Amara, PLAINS TWP. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Plains delight in serving "Those dodeodorant once a The prison typicalpastor of the church, Quality United Methodist Church others. ly marks up the roughly 130 month funded by commissary truly cares about opened its doors this weekend clothing filling nu- nating often commissary products about 25 profits. to welcome those who have a merous tables have say that they members and gives However, few inmates are conpercent, Ruckle said. special time to the need for gently used clothing. been folded and preInmates are capped at $75 per sidered indigent because most children. She said The third annual effort is an at- pared by approxi- feel truly week in commissary orders un- have family and friends who "including children tempt to get good quality mately 11 members blessed.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; less theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buying sweatsuits, load up their accounts, officials is one of the most clothes into the hands of those of the church who Jane Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell sneakers, televisions, radios and said. important thing a have volunteered for in need. Church volunteer About 50 percent of the inessential toiletries. The limit church does." The church recognizes the this specific event. was imposed to prevent mini- mates buy sneakers -- $55 for The event will Jane Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell, increased economic need in stores in prison cells using bar- Nikes and $38 for Riddells. The the community and sponsors volunteer and church member, continue today from noon to 5 prison has shared televisions on tering as currency. this and other fundraisers noted the good spirit of both p.m.The church will also sponThe prison handles inmate the block, but many buy their throughout the year to assist the people receiving the used sor a "Trunk or Treat" activity cash accounts and deducts pur- own for $230. on Oct. 30 in which neighborits members and residents of clothing and those giving. Ruckle said sugar-free candy chases because inmates arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t "Those donating often say hood children can safely "trick the community. was recently added to the mer"This really helps my kids," that they feel truly blessed," or treat," under the watchful chandise at the urging of nurseyes of church volunteers. said one recipient. "It just said Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell. ing staff. For information about this Joyce Scalfer, Plains Townshows that people want to activities, including a survivorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sell much of that,â&#x20AC;? ship, lauds the church in not and other church activities, the help." banner, containing written he said. And want to help they do. only opening its door for the public can call 822-2730. thoughts from survivors; survivor and caregiversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ribbons; and refreshments. Survivor Romayne Brown, Wilkes-Barre, said that the event was a celebration of gratitude, sunshine and friends. "Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very grateful to be alive," said Brown, who has survived uterine cancer for 13 years, "and OUR GIFT TO YOU! hope to be attending this event for a long, long time to come." The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute is a nonprofit agency whose proceeds benefit those locally. It focuses on research, education, services and RD support for survivors and their ! families. TH

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like,â&#x20AC;? said Hughes almost hidden by the vegetation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What would you call it, Beefsteak?â&#x20AC;? he asked, holding a ripened beauty in his hand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get this size in my garden.â&#x20AC;? Pat Hughes said theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d share their pickings with neighbors, seeing they had more than enough for themselves. No one else had waded into the weeds to pick the plants, many still bearing blossoms and green tomatoes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Actually itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a shame to let them all go to waste,â&#x20AC;? she said.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

$122.25M plan avoids The jobless age a tax hike Older unemployed workers having tougher time finding full-time jobs these days than younger counterparts

Plan delivered late would lay off 33 workers, eliminate 41 vacant positions and is $383,490 smaller than this year’s budget.

LIONS PIERCE THE HAWKEYES

By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

The crowd was at its loudest. The atmosphere was at its most intimidating. The defense was as strong as they had seen. The Nittany Lions went full speed into it, playing a game of chicken with the Hawkeyes. Iowa flinched. Playing predominately in their self-titled “NASCAR” no-huddle offense, the Lions torched nemesis Iowa 38-14 on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium, racking up 504 yards of total offense. PAGE 1C AHL

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ALABAMA 44 TENNESSEE 13 FLORIDA 44 S. CAROLINA 11 KANSAS ST. 55 W. VIRGINIA 14 NOTRE DAME 17 BYU 14 OHIO ST. 29 PURDUE 22

INSIDE A NEWS: Obituaries 2A, 7A Local 3A Nation & World 5A B PEOPLE: 1B Birthdays 8B C SPORTS: 1C Outdoors 12C D BUSINESS: 1D Stocks 3D E. VIEWS: 1E Editorials 3E F ETC.: 1F Crossword/Horoscope 2F Books 5F G CLASSIFIED: 1G

WEATHER Partly cloudy. High 63. Low 42. Details, Page 14C

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Susan Morris, 56, has been unable to find a job since she was laid off from an area school district in August 2011. That’s 14 months, 56 job applications and 18 state civil service tests ago.

09815 10077

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

usan Morris was saddened and shocked when she learned her position at an area high school had been eliminated, ending her 15-year teaching career.

The 56-year-old Shavertown woman loved her job, but she remained upbeat, confident that her experience teaching business classes would quickly land her a new job in the private sector. “I thought, ‘I’ll find a job in an office,’ ” she said. “I can type 62 words per minute. I’ve taught customer service, marketing, management, business law, office procedure …” Then the letters started to

arrive. “We would like to thank you for your interest,” one letter began. “We regret to inform you, you are not in consideration for this position.” “After reviewing numerous applications,” began another, “you were not selected as one of our candidates to interview.” Fourteen months, 56 job applications and 18 state civil service tests later, Morris has not found

a full-time position. She’s beginning to wonder if she ever will. She has become a “statistic,” one of 12.1 million Americans who are unemployed as of September. Of that number, 1.9 million, or 16 percent, are “older” workers, age 55 or over. High unemployment rates have plagued all age groups since the start of the recession in 2007, but older workers have been particularly hard hit when it comes to finding a new job, say experts in the issues affecting the elderly. In September, the average duration of unemployment was 55.7 weeks for older workers, compared to 37.2 weeks for See OLDER, Page 14A

Citizens getting involved with county gov’t Participation blossoms with historic conversion By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

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Kingston resident Brian Shiner attends every Luzerne County Council and committee meeting. He keeps meticulous notes and even has visited countyowned facilities at his own expense to determine if something is amiss. Mike Giamber, Fairmount Township, said he spends hours every day researching and discussing county gov-

ernment matters. Jackson Township resident Ed Chesnovitch devotes much of his free time attending meetings and calling people to share views and debate the state of the county. This hyper level of citizen See CITIZEN , Page 14A

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Kingston’s Brian Shiner talks with Luzerne County Council members during last week’s strategic initiatives committee meeting while citizen Ed Gustitus looks on.

After working straight through the night, Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton emailed a no-tax-hike proposed 2013 budget to county council at 6:40 a.m. Saturday. The $122.25 million proposal is $383,490 less than this year’s general fund operating budget. The plan, originally to be delivered B U D G E T on Monday and H I G H L I G H T S then pushed back until Friday, calls Major 2013 expenses for 33 layoffs and •Wages and benefits: $64 million the elimination of •Supplies: $2.4 million 41 vacant funded •Services: $8.9 million positions, Lawton •Fees: $4.1 million told council. •Debt: $25.1 million Staffing cuts were •Allocations to other necessary because county agencies: $17.2 the 2013 budget million Primary 2013 revenue must absorb multi- sources million-dollar in- •Property taxes: $98.5 creases for union million raises, debt repay- •Licenses/permits/ ment, health insur- fees: $8.7 million ance and expenses •State grants: $2.6 million insufficiently fund- •Carryover balance: ed this year, he said. $4.3 million While 74 posi- •Reimbursements: $4.1 tions will be cut, the million net reduction is 61 because 13 new jobs were added -- six division heads mandated by the home rule charter, three budget and finance analysts and four court clerical positions, he said. Lawton said he didn’t budget additional funds for two remaining home rule division heads because the county already has equivalent positions overseeing human services divisions and the prison system. The 33 layoffs include eight correctional officer furloughs recently announced at the county prison. Lawton said Saturday afternoon that managers of departments affected by layoffs already See BUDGET, Page 11A

Obama, Romney in virtual deadlock

Presidential contenders have one debate and one jobs report to go before election. By CHARLES BABINGTON and THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press

NORFOLK, Va. — With one debate and one jobs report to go, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are hurtling towards Election Day in a virtual deadlock, each convinced that victory is within reach if his 2 0 1 2 ELECTION campaign sticks with its plan. In16 days, voters will prove one of them wrong. When that happens, the losing team will have years to ponder whether one final tweak in tactics or message might have turned a fiercely fought, sometimes joyless election that seems likely to rank among the nation’s closest. Having steadied himself after a damaging first debate, Obama is banking on his renowned getout-the-vote ground operation to steer millions of supporters to the polls. Many have already voted, under early balloting scenarios that favor campaigns with the most volunteers to flush out potential supporters. See DEADLOCK, Page 11A

User: rsheposh Time: 10-20-2012 22:37 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 10-21-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_08 PageNo: 14 A

PAGE 14A SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

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THE TIMES LEADER

Memorial for R.I. nightclub fire unveiled

JOB SEARCH TIPS FOR OLDER WORKERS

Finding a job is difficult for many people, but it can be parContinued from Page 1A ticularly troublesome for workyounger jobseekers, according to ers age 50 and over, experts a report issued by Sara Rix, a se- say. Here are a few tips to help older jobseekers find work:

nior strategic adviser for the American Association of Retired • Résumés: Tailor your résumés to the specific position for Persons.

Tough times for some And while the overall unemployment rate for all workers has dropped, from 9.1 percent in September 2011 to 7.8 percent last month, the decrease was less significant for older workers, from 6.7 percent to 5.9 percent. “The picture has been a lot less rosy for those older workers who are in declining industries or for other reasons lost their job,” Rix said. “They have had a really tough time, as duration of unemployment figures indicate. … The longer a worker is unemployed, the less likely it is that he/she will find work.” The most common reasons employers cite for not hiring older workers include concerns that they are more expensive, and fear the employer will not have time to recoup their hiring and training costs before the employee retires, according to a 2011 report by Urban Institute, a national research group that provides information about social and economic issues. Morris is convinced her age is the primary reason she’s struggling to find work. She was laid off from a $55,000a-year position with the Lackawanna Trail School District in August 2011 after the district eliminated the business program she taught for five years. She had planned to work in the district another 10 years. Coupled with a 10-year stint at a school in Gettysburg, she would have had 25 years in and qualified for a state pension. Now that’s all gone. Today she spends hours on the computer each day searching for job openings. The biggest problem, she said, is she can’t get an interview for most of the positions she seeks. “They see a student just out of Bloomsburg University who is 22 years old and will start at a lower salary. Why would they look at me?” she said. To combat that, Morris said she’s deleted jobs she held more than 15 years ago from her résumé as that can tip off a potential employer to her age. If she can get past the initial resume review and get an interview, she has a better shot, she believes. “If I could get an interview, I could sell myself,” she said. Even if she does find full-time

CITIZEN Continued from Page 1A

involvement in county government hasn’t existed in recent memory and blossomed with the county’s conversion to home rule in January. “We have a group of citizens who are really interested and taking a lot of time in their day to get involved in county government, and it’s refreshing,” said county Controller Walter Griffith, who has noticed 15 to 20 actively involved citizens. The government change created an opportunity for a fresh start, and more citizens want to prevent county leaders from slipping back into past practices, Griffith said. “I think these people who come to meetings are genuinely interested in making government better and not in personal attacks,” he said. “Express yourself in government. If you never say anything, you have no dog in the fight.” While citizens often offer a unique perspective and expose problems, they can’t expect immediate response to everything they present because government “works slowly,” he said. “I was an activist for many years, and from the outside you think something should happen now, but when you’re on the inside you see it’s not so simple because you have to talk to people and try to make things work and comply with procedures,” Griffith said. Watchdog at work Shiner is essentially working an unpaid part-time job as a county watchdog but said he views it

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which you are applying. Emphasize experience within the last 10 to 15 years and keep the information to the point. Focus on your accomplishments and skills.

100 died when pyrotechnics for a band ignited flammable foam on club’s walls in 2003.

• Interview tips: Anticipate questions and prepare answers for each one. Review your accomplishments and express your willingness to learn new skills. Take your time responding to questions, but don’t dwell on topics unrelated to the job.

By MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press

Become Web-savvy: Learn how to post résumés online and to use online job search sites. • Update your skills: Technology skills are particularly important, including the use of spreadsheets, word processing and calendaring applications. • Network: Get involved in professional associations, volunteer programs and networking groups to expand your contacts and learn about new opportunities. Sources: Eldercare.gov and About.com

work, research shows chances are slim workers in her age group will earn the same. From 2007 to 2009, median hourly earnings are 21 percent lower for older worker in their new jobs than before they were laid off, according to the Urban Institute report. Morris said she realizes it’s unlikely she’ll match her prelayoff income. While she continues to look for full-time employment, she recently took a part-time position, with no benefits, teaching at a local business school. Ironically, the decision has cost her $75 a week because the income from the job reduced her unemployment compensation benefits. “I’m making less than I would if I did not work and just collected unemployment,” she said. “You can’t get ahead.” So why did she take the job? “I can’t sit home and not be productive,” she said. “It gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER/THE TIMES LEADER

Susan Morris, 56, reviews the dozens of rejection letters she has received from employers in the past 14 months. Morris believes her age has played a role in her inability to find a job.

nate that, so far, the layoff has not caused significant financial problems. Between her husband’s job as a carpenter and unemployment benefits she receives, they’re making ends meet. But she sees major issues on the horizon once her unemployment runs out in six months. She’s not sure if she has another extension to tap. She’s also in the perilous position of having no health insurance. Still paying the bills Her husband’s job does not offer Morris said she feels fortu- coverage for spouses, and they as his “duty.” “Even though we have a representative form of government, it doesn’t excuse us from staying involved and keeping an eye on what our representatives do,” he said. The alternative is scary, said Shiner, who retired and moved back to the area to care for his parents in their elder years. “If we don’t stay involved, I’m afraid our new government will fall back into what we’ve had for the past decades,” he said. Attending government meetings was once as much a routine as weekly worship for many citizens, he said. Today’s busy family schedules and priorities have prompted most to rely on the “government running itself,” he said. Understanding all the intricacies of complicated county government has become consuming for him. “If I can use my time to keep track and relay back to people who are busy, that’s fine with me,” he said. Ed Gustitus, also of Kingston, often brings a stack of newspaper clippings to council meetings so he can present his take on recent county news. He sporadically attended past county commissioner meetings over the past decade but has become a fixture at meetings under home rule. “I come to remind them of the problems they have. Somebody’s got to remind them,” he said as he headed into a council strategic initiatives committee meeting last week. Gustitus, an attorney, loaded his legal pad with observations at the committee meeting and presented so many during public comment, council members questioned whether they need to

can’t afford the $500 a month price tag of the cheapest private insurance plan she could find. It’s not the fate she expected as she approaches retirement after having worked her entire adult life. “I’ve worked since I was 16,” she said. “I’ve never had to deal with the unemployment system.” Despite the disappointments, Morris said she’s not bitter or angry with the school for laying her off. The district suffered a significant cut in state funding

and had to cut somewhere, she said. “Why waste that energy being bitter and resentful. You have to use that energy to be positive and look for a job” she said. Morris tries to remains upbeat, but admits it can be a struggle at times. “I am a bit disillusioned,” she said. “Why I can’t get an interview is absolutely beyond me. That’s the worst part, the frustration of trying, and trying and trying and nothing happens.”

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Citizens (at right) Ed Gustitus, left, Brian Shiner and Ed Chesnovitch attend a meeting held by county council members, from left, Rick Williams, Jim Bobeck, Linda McClosky Houck and Ed Brominski.

implement a time limit. Chesnovitch broke his femur when he was hit by a car while putting up a sign supporting home rule before it was adopted by voters. Jokingly, he says he wants the new government to succeed because he was almost killed promoting it. The retiree said he has joined other citizens forming a new stillunnamed group to make sure home rule charter mandates are followed. “We’ll be looking out for the people of this county. We want to make sure the charter does what it was designed to do,” he said. An organized group may get more attention, said Chesnovitch, who believes the views of citizens are often shrugged off. “It angers me when they ignore you,” he said.

Giamber, who formed the Friends of Home Rule political action committee pushing for home rule, said he helped convince voters to change governments and has “an obligation to see it through.” He said he’s frustrated key components of the new charter are not in place or being ignored, including a comprehensive purchasing policy and a hiring procedure guaranteeing merit selection. “I don’t think they have any idea of the intent and spirit behind the charter,” said the retired federal government manager. “It’s much harder to undo things than to do them the right way the first time,” he said.

citizens often provide constructive feedback and criticism, particularly when speakers come with open minds and no personal agendas. “I really value some of their perspectives,” he said. He’s aware some people are “upset about the pace” of changes, but said council and the administration can’t “come in with guns blazing.” Council members also must represent those who don’t attend meetings, he said. “The people have chosen 11 on council to run Luzerne County and set the vision for Luzerne County,” Haas said. Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck agreed, saying voters have an opportunity to decide Constructive feedback which council members should Councilman Harry Haas said be elected every two years.

WARWICK, R.I. — Relatives of the 100 people who died in a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire cried and held each other Saturday during the unveiling of a socalled satellite memorial to their loved ones, capping a month in which a years-long effort to secure the West Warwick site of the fire for another memorial finally came to fruition. The Warwick memorial places a special focus on the 10 city residents who died in the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub, which happened when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White ignited flammable foam that lined the club’s walls. “It is my hope that this memorial serves as a stepping stone to the memorial in West Warwick,” said Jody King, the driving force behind the Warwick memorial. His brother, Tracy, was a bouncer at The Station nightclub and died there that night. Plans for the Warwick memorial were announced just over one month ago and initially bothered some family members. At the time, the site of the fire was still in private hands. Efforts to get the owners to donate the site had gone nowhere for years, and dozens of letters and phone calls to the owners asking what could be done to secure the land for a memorial had gone unanswered. Some family members worried that a memorial in Warwick would take the focus off securing the site of the fire. Dave Kane, whose 18-year-old son, Nicholas O’Neill, died in the fire, said it was time for the state to seize the land by eminent domain. Gov. Lincoln Chafee said his office would look into it, and House Speaker Gordon Fox also said he was interested. Gina Russo, a fire survivor working with the Station Fire Memorial Foundation, reached out again to the property owners. On Sept. 28, they transferred the deed to the foundation. Plans are now moving forward for the memorial at the fire site, and a groundbreaking is scheduled for the spring, Russo has said. “We need to be careful to listen to what all people say, not just those able to make it to our meetings,” she said. Councilman Jim Bobeck believes more people are watching county government, which he describes as a “wonderful thing,” because the corruption and $436 million in debt show a “complete lack of oversight in the past.” “Citizen involvement is always good, though it’s always important to be offering solutions instead of just being a professional critic,” Bobeck said. Bobeck said he didn’t realize the extent of the county’s financial problems and ingrained “bad past practices” until he got in office. Council members and the manager see needed corrections but must abide by union contracts and legal limitations, he said. “We also must remember there are 320,000 other citizens of the county we don’t hear from, and it’s important to keep an open mind and not be skewed by 10 or so people we hear from at every meeting,” he said. Encouraging participation Council Chairman Tim McGinley said he encourages citizen participation, especially recommendations and solutions. He noted Kingston resident Therman Guamp offered helpful insight on audits and finance because of his background in that field, prompting council to appoint him to a council audit committee drafting a proposal to seek the next county auditor. “If citizens have some thoughts they want to share with us, I’m more than happy to listen,” McGinley said.

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Health risks for storm victims

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Living in prison not unusual if dad was warden

Environmental hazards include mold and construction dust. By DAVID B. CARUSO Associated Press

NEW YORK — A month after Sandy’s floodwaters swept up his block, punched a hole in his foundation and drowned his furnace, John Frawley still has no electricity or heat in his dilapidated home on the Rockaway seashore. The 57-year-old, who also lost his car and all his winter clothes in the flood, now spends his nights shivering in a pair of donated snow pants, worrying whether the cold might make his chronic heart condition worse. “I’ve been coughing like crazy,” said Frawley, a former commercial fisherman disabled by a spine injury. He said his family doesn’t have the money to pay for even basic repairs. So far, he has avoided going to a shelter, saying he’d rather sleep in his own home. “But I’m telling you, I can’t stay here much longer,” he said. City officials estimate at least 12,000 New Yorkers are trying to survive in unheated, flood-damaged homes, despite warnings that dropping temperatures could pose a health risk. The chill is only one of the potential environmental hazards that experts say might endanger people trying to resume their lives in the vast New York and New Jersey disaster zone. Uncounted numbers of families have returned to coastal homes that are contaminated with mold, which can aggravate allergies and leave people perpetually wheezing. Others have been sleeping in houses filled with construction dust, as workers have ripped out walls and flooring. That dust can sometimes trigger asthma. See HEALTH, Page 7A

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The Rev. William B. Healey, Dunmore, lived in the Luzerne County Prison growing up as his father was warden.

A call in for cuts

City sends message that it’s trying to minimize expense By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – For years, dozens of city employees ranging from a mechanic to the mayor have been supplied cellphones that have cost taxpayers $35,000 to $40,000 a year on average. As of September this year, the city paid for a total of 60 phones that were dispersed among roughly 330 employees, about 20 percent, of its workforce. The talk hasn’t come cheap. A review of cellphone records shows that from 2009 to 2011, the city paid its provider, Verizon Wireless, $112,627. In the first nine months of 2012, Verizon was paid another $28,045, or roughly $3,000 per month. At that rate, the city will pay about $36,000 this year. The expense comes at a time when Mayor Tom Leighton is calling for union concessions and employee layoffs to help plug a $2 million budget shortfall. Frank Sorick, head of the Wilkes-Barre

Taxpayers Association and a frequent critic of city spending, said he believes • How W-B compares to the $36,000 spent other cities on annually on cellissue, Page 12A phones would be better used to keep workers slated for layoffs. “Thirty-six thousand is a full-time DPW worker,” he said. “We’re talking about layoffs and concessions; let’s lay off the phone company.”

MORE INSIDE

New members of council didn’t expect phones By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

Changes coming, city says City Administrator Marie McCormick and Administrative Coordinator Drew McLaughlin said the administration believes cellphones are important, but officials are planning to reduce the number of phones and/or change to a stipend system that would reimburse employees

WILKES-BARRE – The three city council members who took office this year said they were surprised to learn they would be given taxpayer-funded cellphones to conduct city business. Tony George, Maureen Lavelle and George Brown, each in their first year of office, said they did not ask for, nor did they expect to be provided a city phone. They accepted the devices believing it would help them better serve their constituents. Records from Verizon Wireless show the phones saw little use during the first nine months of the year, however. The phones, which cost $99 each, come with a monthly access plan that averages just more than $50 per

See CALL, Page 12A

See SURPRISED, Page 12A

Prison sweet home By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com

After playing outside as a child in the 1930s, Doris Perschau had to summon a guard to unlock the front gate and let her back inside her Wilkes-Barre home. Strict security measures were necessary because her family lived in a building where some of the inhabitants were forbidden to leave: the Luzerne County Prison on Water Street. Her family lived there because the county provided an apartment with utilities inside the prison for the warden, which was common practice at that time. The warden’s spouse also worked in a paid position as the prison “matron,” primarily watching over female inmates. Perschau’s father, William B. Healey, was appointed warden by the county prison board in July 1930, when she was 16 months old. Her mother, Pauline, was matron. See PRISON, Page 7A

Kansas City Chiefs player kills girlfriend, self Linebacker Jovan Belcher commits suicide in front of general manager, coach. By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend Saturday, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager. Authorities did not release a possible motive for the murder-

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suicide, though police said that Belcher and his girlfriend, 22year-old Kasandra M. Perkins, had been arguing recently. The two of them have a 3-month-old child. Belcher thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel before shooting himself in the parking lot of the team’s practice facility, police spokesman Darin Snapp said. Police had locked it down by mid-morning and reporters were confined to the street just outside the gates. The Chiefs were scheduled to play the Carolina Panthers on

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Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Panthers were advised by the league to travel to Kansas City as planned, though no official announcement on the game itself had been made. Belcher was a 25-year-old native of West Babylon, N.Y., on Long Island, who played college ball at Maine. He signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, made the team and stayed with it for four years, moving into the starting lineup. He’d played in all 11 games this season. “The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s

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events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. “We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of AP FILE PHOTO those impacted,” Hunt said. “We will continue to fully cooperate Kansas City Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher sits on the sidelines during the third quarter of the NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. in December 2011.

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den in the country at that time. The warden’s annual salary was $5,419 in 1963, while the matron received $1,914. Some citizens started a “draft” to try to force Healey to stay, including a former inmate who described Healey as strict yet kind and always willing to make time to counsel inmates. Healey also was active in many community organizations and a frequent speaker on criminal justice issues. The Healeys purchased a home on North Main Street after retirement.

PRISON Continued from Page 1A

“Growing up in a prison was quite the experience,” said Perschau, 84, who lives in Silver Spring, Md. The family, which also included her newborn brother, William B. Jr., lived in the prison apartment until 1937, when they relocated to a different warden’s apartment in the newly constructed women’s prison. That building, located along River Street atop a hill between the county courthouse and prison, later housed the county juvenile detention center and now sits vacant with no plans for county reuse. Bus stopped at prison William B. Healey, 82, a Roman Catholic priest who lives in a religious retirement facility in Dunmore, remembers his school bus stopping in front of the prison because it was his home. He spent many boyhood hours listening to inmates share their life stories and playing sports with them outside. “Back then, all of the county prison inmates for the most part were there on minor felonies. It William B. Healey, Luzerne County prison warden from 1930 to was different before the advent of 1963. the drug culture. There wasn’t a great sense of fear on my father’s struggles and rehabilitation of in- Perks to prison living part letting us around them, and mates left an impression, though Living in a prison had its perks. you always had the keepers at the he credits another priest for in- Perschau pored over books in the spiring him to enter the priest- prison library, and her friends got prison on hand,” he said. Perschau never recalls feeling hood. a thrill coming there for sleepPerschau said she was con- overs. A killer view of the city and uneasy, saying the inmates all fused when she first started chat- nearby courthouse was hers for seemed to obey her father. “He was not a big man, but he ting with female inmates because the taking on the women’s prison had a very deep voice and seemed each one pleaded innocence, in- rooftop landing. cluding batches of to command respect,” But the women’s prison apartsaid Perschau, who of- “Back then, all women brought in ment felt too institutional, said during occasional Perschau. She embraced invitaten tagged along when raids of local prostitu- tions to visit her friends’ tradiher father did the in- of the county mate roll call. prison inmates tion houses. tional homes, particularly on “They said they laundry day because the warden’s Inmates were perdidn’t do anything family clothing was washed by mitted to play bocce for the most wrong, and someone the prison staff and inmates. ball and throw horse part were just came along and shoes, and there was A buzzer was used to summon there on minor brought them to the Perschau for dinner if she was in enough room on the prison. In my mind, I her bedroom because voices prison grounds for felonies. It didn’t know. I wouldn’t carry up all three stosoftball. Healey said was different thought, ‘Boy, I hope ries. She remembers her sense of he was often in the that doesn’t happen isolation when rheumatic fever thick of these games. before the to me,’ ” she said. “I was the only kid advent of the confined her to her bedroom Both apartments from September to June in fourth on the block with a captive ball team -- lit- drug culture.” had kitchens, living grade. erally,” he said, adding Perschau said her mother proThe Rev. William rooms and several that he often invited Healey bedrooms. The fam- vided much of the medical attenregularly ate tion for her and the inmates beother neighborhood Grew up in prison ily because his father alongside inmates cause she was a registered nurse. boys to the prison was the warden and attended prison About 35 female inmates moved grounds for imprompactivities, including from the main prison to the womtu sports. religious services. Perschau said her en’s prison when it opened in There wasn’t any 1937, records show. brother picked up barbed wire around the prison many pointers from inmates. Her father had to be reappoint“My brother learned boxing back then. The prison had ed by the prison board annually and everything else. They used to around 160 inmates in 1931, com- and received accolades from play handball with him. He did a pared to 700 to 750 in today’s ex- many professional and law enlot with them. They always panded prison complex. forcement organizations during The guards sometimes became his career. seemed to be good to him and taught him a lot of sports,” she frustrated when Perschau and In 1939, when his reinstateher brother wanted to run in and ment appeared to be shaky for posaid. out of the prison, which did not litical reasons, thousands of resiPrison to priesthood have a separate outside entrance dents of both political parties She finds some humor in her like the apartment at the wom- signed a petition to ensure he rebrother’s decision to devote his en’s prison. mained warden, archives show. “The person in charge would life to religion. Healey decided to retire at age “Here’s a boy who grew up in say, ‘Make up your minds,’ ” she 70 in 1963. His 33-year tenure prison and became a priest,” she said, laughing and recalling the was reported as the longest giant key required to open the length-of-service for a prison warsaid. Healey said his exposure to the gate.

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Apartment unoccupied The warden’s apartment and matron position faded after they departed. Lewis R. Winans, a former state police sergeant, and his wife, Marion, were hired warden and matron in June 1963, but officials eliminated her from the position the following year. Perschau said she does not believe the warden’s apartment was inhabited after her parents left. The castle-like portion of the prison built in 1868 still stands but was altered in 1987 to accommodate more inmates. The portion of the building that once housed the apartment is now home to administrative offices, officials say. Perschau visited the women’s prison years ago when it was used as a juvenile detention center. “My old bedroom was a fingerprinting room,” she said. Healey said he wouldn’t trade his childhood home and neighborhood. He recalls Laurel Line trains that ran along Water Street and sneaking to the Susquehanna River for a dip with friends to the “consternation” of his parents. He’d play on a sizeable bank of coal that fed the prison boiler. “You could jump into the coal, which was a great sport for young kids,” he said. The prison heating facility also warmed the courthouse, and heat from the underground steam pipes between the buildings melted snow on sidewalks along Water Street, he said. The street buzzed with activity from an ice cream plant and brewery. “It was a great place as a kid growing up,” he said.

AP FILE PHOTO

Eddie Saman cleans out his house, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, as it begins to snow on Staten Island Nov. 7.

HEALTH Continued from Page 1A

But it is the approaching winter that has some public health officials worried most. Nighttime temperatures have been around freezing and stand to drop in the coming weeks. New York City’s health department said the number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms for cold-related problems has already doubled this November, compared with previous years. Those statistics are likely only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Mortality rates for the elderly and chronically ill rise when people live for extended periods in unheated apartments, even when the temperature is still above freezing, said the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley. “As the temperatures get colder, the risk increases,” he said. “It is especially risky for the elderly. I really want to encourage people, if they don’t have heat in their apartment, to look elsewhere.” Since the storm, the health department has been sending National Guard troops door to door, trying to persuade people to leave cold homes until their heating systems are fixed. The city is also carrying out a plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars helping residents make emergency repairs needed to re-

store their heat and hot water. Convincing people that they could be endangering themselves by staying until that work is complete, though, isn’t always easy. For weeks, Eddie Saman, 57, slept on sheets of plywood in the frigid, ruined shell of his flooded Staten Island bungalow. He stayed even as the house filled up with a disgusting mold that agitated his asthma so much that it sent him to the emergency room. Volunteers eventually helped clean the place up somewhat and got Saman a mattress. But on Sunday the wood-burning stove he had been using for heat caught fire. Melting materials in the ceiling burned his cheek. A neighbor who dashed into the house to look for Saman also suffered burns. The interior of the house — what was left of it after the flood — was destroyed. After Hurricane Katrina, medical researchers in New Orleans documented a rise in respiratory ailments among people living in neighborhoods where buildings were being repaired. The issue wasn’t just mold, which can cause problems for years if it isn’t mediated properly, said Felicia Rabito, an epidemiologist at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. There was simply so much work being done, families spent their days breathing the fine particles of sanded wood and drywall.

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