New Year’s Celebration Which school celebrated Chinese New Year, see Page 6
THE ABINGTON
JOURNAL An edition of
C.S. to sell ads on police cars
Which team advanced to the s round, see Page 13
THE TIMES LEADER
www.theabingtonjournal.com
rtomkavage@theabingtonjournal.com
AbingtOn jOurnAl/ElizAbEth bAuMEiStEr
Courtney and Madison Howell, of South Abington, watch the Confederation Of Union Generals perform in the 2013 Scranton Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
March 13 to March 19, 2013
50¢
Engineering firm clears project
By ROB TOMKAVAGE
By Gerard NolaN Abington Journal Correspondent
CLARKS SUMMIT — As part of its ongoing attempts to find new revenue streams, Clarks Summit borough council voted to move ahead with placing advertisements on police vehicles at a meeting March 6. Council member Pat Williams pitched the idea to council, which voted unanimously to pursue the initiative. “The police department vehicles are out 24/7, 365 days a year,” Williams said. Department of Public Works (DPW) vehicles were initially floated as advertising space, but they lacked the constant exposure that police cars get, Williams said. The plan includes placing six stickers on the back lower quarter panel on three police vehicles. Prices and terms have not been worked out, but Williams said he has found at least one potential advertiser. Williams and fellow council member Herman Johnson researched the advertising idea and consulted with Mayor Harry Kelly, Solicitor Pat Rogan and District Attorney Andy Jarbola. None had any objections, Williams said. Roy Davis, council vice president, cautioned against advertisements that detract from vehicles roles as police vehicles. “The primary function of a police car is to be a police car,” Davis said. “It has to be number one primarily identified as a police vehicle….I really think we have to be careful in not overdoing it.” Davis also suggested the finance committee check with local advertising firms to get a sense for how to price the ads. The borough will reserve the right to reject any advertisements it finds “objectionable or controversial,” according to Williams. The seeds of the idea came from a newspaper story Johnson found about a police
Survive and ADVANCE
CLARKS SUMMIT- John Pocius, vice president and chief operating officer of Ceco Associates Inc., provided the Abington Heights School Board with an update of his research of the Leggets Creek Trunk Sewer project. South Abington Twp. has requested the Abington Heights School District sign off on two easements to install a new gravity sewer line behind South Abington Elementary School. If the board votes to accept the easement, two pump stations, which have an average shelf life of 20 years, would be replaced with a gravity sewer line estimated to last at least 150 years, according to South Abington Twp. Manager David O’Neill. “In conclusion, it is our opinion with a reasonable degree of engineering certainty that the granting of the permanent and temporary easements will not adversely affect the school property,” Pocius said. According to Abington Heights Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Mahon, the board retained the services of civil and environmental engineering firm Ceco Associates, Scranton to review the plans of the project and easements to ensure that the district’s rights are perserved. After reviewing the original easement and based on discussions between township officials and their engineer, Pocius thought it would be wise to develop a construction easement area which would evaporate at the end of the construction, designating access for equipment. Also, if both easements are accepted, the contractors will
have 54 days to complete the project once the school year is over at South Abington Elementary School. That time period includes required mobilization for this area, sewer line construction, sewer line testing, complete site restoration and demobilization from the area. Board member Louise Brzuchalski believes the project would be positive for all parties involved. “It’s good for the community; we’re saving taxpayers money and the kids are protected,” she said. Mahon is confident the board and South Abington Twp. will work together constructively on the project. “My genuine sense is that they want this to be a great partnership and the overall history with South Abington Twp., in every respect they have been nothing but cooperative,” he said. The board is expected to vote on the easements during its March 20 school district meeting. Abington Heights Solictor Matthew Barrett hopes to finalized the easements with South Abington Twp. Solictor Bill Jones before the meeting. Barrett also reassured the board that school property must be restored to the exact condition it was in prior to work being done. According to Pocius, a meeting attended by representatives from South Abington Twp., Abington Heights School District, including Barrett, Cardno BCM and CECO Associates Inc., alleviated previous concerns about the project. “The project was discussed in detail and resolution of all outstanding issues appeared to have been resolved,” he said. Pocius continued that the
See SCHOOL, Page 8
Going CASUAL for a cure By GERARd NOlAN Abington Journal Correspondent
See CARS, Page 3
ArtsEtc. .................................. 9 Calendar ................................ 2 Classified .............................. 16 AbingtOn jOurnAl/gErArd nOlAn Crosswords ........................... 5 Lt. Gov. Cawley tours the cafe area of Weis Markets, South Obituaries .............................8 Abington Twp. Store Manager Tom Murtha School .................................... 6
Lt. gov discusses liquor privatization at local Weis Market By GERARd NOlAN Abington Journal Correspondent
SOUTH ABINGTON TWP. — Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley made a case on March 5 for the Corbett administration’s plan to get the state out of the liquor business. The lieutenant governor paid a visit to the Weis Markets store on Northern Boulevard in South Abington Township where beer is sold in a separate cafe area with a restaurant license. “The difference between this and what the governor is proposing is the absence of those requirements of additional infrastructure and that additional expense,” Cawley said. Privatization would lift some
restrictions governing alcohol sales and “bring Pennsylvania into the 21st century,” Cawley said. Under the new plan, grocery stores and other outlets would be able to sell up to six bottles of wine and up to a 12-pack of beer without a restaurant license. Beer distributors would be allowed to sell wine and spirits if they purchase a liquor-sales license. Cawley said the new plan would lead to competitive pricing, better selection and more convenience for Pennsylvania consumers. “People are flocking to this opportunity,” he said. “So,
See LIQUOR, Page 3
Colon cancer, one of the deadliest cancers, can often be cured with early screening and siblings Mike Moran and Maura Staback hope to spread that message again this year. When their mother, Helen Phillips, succumbed to the disease in 2002 after a sixmonth battle, the two vowed to help save others from a similar fate. Their mother had been diagnosed with a late stage of the disease and the cancer had spread to other organs. “We didn’t want others to go through the same turmoil that we did,” said Moran, who resides in South Abington Twp. With the help of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, the two instituted CASUAL (Colon Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Adult Lives) Day 10 years ago. The program’s aim is to spread awareness and raise money to combat the disease in Northeastern Pennsylvania where the incidence rate surpasses the national average by 23 percent. Colon cancer, if caught early, can often be cured, according to Christine Zavaskas, of the
Northeastern Regional Cancer Institute. The cancer can often develop undetected, so the key is for everyone to get screened, usually beginning around age 50, she said. The idea behind CASUAL Day is, first and foremost, to spread awareness, Zavaskas added. “The whole idea with the dress down day is that you’re dressing casual and you’re being encouraged to have more casual conversation about screening,” Zavaskas said. “It’s not something people really talk about. It’s uncomfortable.” But screening can mean the difference between a cure and undetected cancer that spreads to other organs in the body. Now in honor of the program’s 10th anniversary, Moran and Staback, who have been involved since its inception, are once again chairing the event, which has grown in leaps and bounds in the past decade. Last year 6,000 people participated in the program. “To be honest, I think we’ve been surprised with how successful the program has been,”
See CASUAL, Page 3
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Preparing for CASUAL Day are, from left, Christine Zavaskas, Community Relations Coordinator, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute; Karen Saunders, Jane Oswald, Tara PriestRhodes, Mary Sewatsky, MD, co-chair; Maura Staback, founder and spokesperson; Mike Moran, founder and spokesperson; Meegan Possemato, Mary Densevich, Derry Bird and Lisa