Times Leader 12-16-2011 by The Wilkes-Barre Publishing Company

CMYK A timeless holiday treat

Hanover Twp.’s longtime drug-sniffing dog Rikki dies

Ballet Northeast set to perform the Nutcracker

NEWS, 3A

the GUIDE, INSIDE

VOUCHER FOR ONLY

728879

Goodbye to officer’s friend

The Times Leader timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE, PA

SPORTS SHOWCASE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

U . S . WA R I N I R A Q E N D S

‘Shock and awe’ to somber

50¢

River warning cuts are protested Susquehanna River Basin Commission says loss of funding will imperil system.

NHL

FLYERS 4 CANADIENS 3

By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

RANGERS 1 BLUES 4 PREDATORS 4 RED WINGS 3 PAUL HAS NEW HOME AT CLIPPERS

Chris Paul endured two weeks of sleepless nights, stressful days and at least one imploded trade before he finally found a new home with the Los Angeles Clippers. That’s just one reason the West Coast looks so good to Paul the superstar point guard, who’s eager to start turning his new franchise into the greatest show in L.A. Sports, 1B

INSIDE A NEWS: Local 3A Nation & World 5A Obituaries 8A Birthdays 12A Editorial 13A B SPORTS: Scoreboard 2B Business 9B C CLASSIFIED: Funnies 20C THE GUIDE Movies/TV Entertainment Crossword

WEATHER Christina Kosco. Partly sunny, windy. High 42. Low 37. Details, Page 10B

AP PHOTOS

An American soldier begins his journey home Thursday during ceremonies in Baghdad marking the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq. Below, U.S. soldiers salute at the subdued ceremony.

Contentious campaign started in 2003 flew in under tight security still necessary because of the ongoing violence in Iraq, the U.S. BAGHDAD — There was no drew the curtain on a war that “Mission Accomplished” ban- left 4,500 Americans and more ner. No victory parade down the than 100,000 Iraqis dead. center of this capital scarred and rearranged by nearly nine years of war. No crowds of cheering Iraqis grateful for liberation from Saddam Hussein. Instead, the U.S. military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday with a businesslike closing ceremony behind blast walls in a fortified compound at Baghdad airport. The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was lowered and boxed up in a 45-minute ceremony. No senior Iraqi political figures attended. With that, and brief words from top American officials who By LOLITA C. BALDOR and REBECCA SANTANA Associated Press

The conflict also left another 32,000 Americans and far more Iraqis wounded, drained more than $800 billion from America’s treasury and soured a majority of Americans on a war many initial-

See IRAQ, Page 14A

Commissioners renew Thomas lease for records storage They also recognize retiring officials, veterans, and begin planning Sterling demolition. By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

09815 10011

ly supported as a just extension of the fight against terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. As the last troops withdraw from Iraq, they leave behind a nation free of Saddam’s tyranny but fractured by violence and fearful of the future. Bombings and gun battles are still common. And experts are concerned about the Iraqi security forces’ ability to defend the nation against foreign threats. “You will leave with great pride — lasting pride,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the troops seated in front of a small domed building in the airport complex. “Secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new chapter in history.” Many Iraqis, however, are uncertain of how

Luzerne County Treasurer Mike Morreale is honored at the commissioners meeting Thursday afternoon for his years of service. Morreale is retiring after more than 30 years.

reale for his more than 30 years of service to county taxpayers, noting that a plaque in appreciation of his service would be sent to him. The plaque, which had an error when it was delivered, was sent back for correction and wasn’t yet finished. After a standing ovation from the audience, Morreale said he was proud of the fact that for him, during his tenure, “it was people first, then politics. I always told my staff to offer the best service to our taxpayers, dog owners and hunters.”

WILKES-BARRE – With the end of their tenure looming, Luzerne County commissioners approved a two-year lease renewal for the Thomas C. Thomas records storage facility and gave a hearty sendoff to retiring Treasurer Mike Morreale. Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla thanked Mor- See STORAGE, Page 6A

PLAINS TWP. – The Susquehanna River Basin Commission on Thursday protested cuts to its federal funding and got an earful from protesters opposed to its own rules and regulations. The commission called on Congress to again fund the system that monitors the river and its tributaries and provides early warning of impending floods. The Susquehanna Flood Forecast Warning System lost $2.4 million of federal funding in 2011 as part of a freeze on appropriations. Funding from the commission, member state agencies and the National Weather Service has kept the system up and running, and the state Department of EnSee RIVER, Page 14A

Prisoner settles suit for $975K

Former Lackawanna County prison inmate was severely beaten by fellow prisoner.

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

Lackawanna County paid $975,000 to settle a federal lawsuit filed by Nicholas Pinto, a former county prison inmate who was severely beaten by fellow inmate Michael Simonson, according to court documents filed Thursday. Pinto filed suit in February against Lackawanna County in connection with Pinto the Aug. 8, 2010 assault committed against him by Simonson, who was being held in the prison while he awaited trial in Luzerne County for the 2009 beating death of Donald Skiff of Plymouth. Simonson, formerly of Plains Township, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Skiff’s death and was sentenced to life in prison. He was found guilty last week in Lackawanna County Court of attempted voluntary manslaughter for the assault on See PINTO, Page 6A

K PAGE 2A

➛ timesleader.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER

LUZERNE BOROUGH

Price for garbage stickers to rise in ’12 Stickers for the collection of one bag every two weeks will go from $65 to $75. By B. GARRET ROGAN The Times Leader

LUZERNE -- Borough Council unanimously agreed to raise the prices for garbage stickers at Wednesday night’s regular meeting. In 2012 the price for stickers to authorize the collection of one bag of trash every two weeks will be raised from $65 to $75. The collection of two bags will be

raised from $90 to $105 and the collection of three bags will be raised from $115 to $135. Council members Bill Turcan and Anthony Perzia had initially proposed an across-the-board $10 increase, but the council as a whole determined that such a raise would put an undue burden on those who tended to buy only one bag. Labels to have additional bags picked up will remain $3. Residents will also still have the option to have leaves, yard debris and one bulk item picked up every two weeks. The council members reminded residents

that they would have to call United Sanitation at (570) 883-0725 to schedule the pickup of any bulk items, no matter the size. Also on Wednesday, the council approved a 2012 local share account gaming grant application for $200,000. Although labeled as a police grant at the meeting, Luzerne Police Chief Patty O’Donnell explained she worked closely with council member Jason Radle to include plans that would improve the borough’s emergency response capabilities. If approved, the $200,000 would fund the purchase of a

Officials seek bids for bridge project W H AT ’ S N E X T

By GERI GIBBONS Times Leader Correspondent

will sponsor a Holiday House Contest for Kingston Township residents. Anyone interested in entering their house or nominating a fellow resident was directed to contact the township at 693-3809, by email Info@kingstontownship.com, or via Facebook. Robert Hivish, assistant township manager, said the contest was an opportunity for the township to celebrate community and family during the season and encouraged residents to participate. Also, Supervisor John Solinsky was honored with a plaque for his service to the township. Solinsky did not run for reelection this year.

KINGSTON TWP. – Township Manager Kathleen Sebastian announced at Wednesday’s night supervisors’ meeting the township is advertising for bids for the Center Street Bridge project. Sebastian said the anticipated start date of the project is April 16, 2012 and it must be finished by Sept. 16, 2012. “Christmas has indeed come early,” said Sebastian in regard to the project. Supervisors also agreed that this was a good start in regard to township roads. In the spirit of the season, the township also announced the recreation commission

A special budget meeting will be held Thursday, Dec. 22 at 5 p.m.

new four-wheel-drive vehicle, new communications equipment and an upgrade to a municipal garage that would serve as an emergency headquarters. In other business, the public was reminded of a slate of upcoming holiday events in the borough. Between now and Sunday, a three judge panel will tour through Luzerne to determine

which home has the nicest Christmas decorations. The winning home will be given a $100 savings bond while the second best gets a $50 bond and the third best gets a $25 bond. On Saturday, from noon through 6 p.m. there will be a Christmas on Main festival, with horse-drawn wagons, other rides and refreshments throughout the afternoon and into the evening. Finally, on Sunday, the award for the nicest Christmas decorations will be given out and a group of carolers will go throughout the town starting at 5 p.m.

CELEBRATING YMCA DONORS

KINGSTON TOWNSHIP

Construction work will be done between April and September of next year.

W H AT ’ S N E X T

The next meeting of the Kingston Township Board of Supervisors will be on Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m.

JENKINS TOWNSHIP

Officer full-time to help with Yatesville coverage

By JOSEPH DOLINSKY Times Leader Correspondent

JENKINS TWP. – Township supervisors promoted police officer Tracy Schultz to full-time status at their monthly meeting Wednesday night. Shultz’s promotion was due in part to her strong recommendation from board members Dr. Coreen Milazzo and Stanley Rovinski, as well as the recent acquisition of the Yatesville police contract that was awarded to Jenkins Township earlier this month. “As our community is growing, I think it is in the best interest of the residents that we should have three full-time officers on duty, as well as for boosting the morale of our current officers by promoting from within,” Milazzo said.

COURT BRIEFS

when he was indicted by a federal grand jury. Pruveadenti’s brother, Derek Pruveadenti, 22, of Hanover Township, was also indicted by SCRANTON – A Hanover a federal grand jury in March Township man pleaded guilty in federal court on a charge he for downloading child pornogdownloaded child pornography. raphy. Derek pleaded guilty to the charge last month. Daniel Pruveadenti, 26, According to an arrest affidapleaded guilty to the charge vit, an agent with the Federal Wednesday before Senior U.S. District Court Judge James M. Bureau of Investigation utilized a file sharing network to conMunley. U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith nect to a computer that was located in the Pruveadenti said Pruveadenti admitted to using a computer to download- residence on First Street and began to download images of ed images of child pornogchild pornography. raphy from 2003 to March,

DETAILS LOTTERY MIDDAY DRAWING DAILY NUMBER 9-0-0 BIG FOUR 8-5-2-2 QUINTO 5-3-9-0-0 TREASURE HUNT 12-14-15-20-21 NIGHTLY DRAWING DAILY NUMBER 9-4-1 BIG FOUR 2-1-6-2 QUINTO 0-2-2-5-5 CASH FIVE 05-08-17-25-31 MATCH SIX 03-10-21-27-37-38 HARRISBURG – Two player matched all five winning numbers drawn in Thursday’s “Pennsylvania Cash 5” game and won $396,930. Lottery officials said 299 players matched four numbers and won $156.50 each and 8,688 players matched three numbers and won $9 each. Monday’s “Pennsylvania Match 6 Lotto” jackpot will be worth at least $650,000 because no player holds a ticket with one row that matches all six winning numbers drawn in Thursday’s game.

OBITUARIES DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

im Thomas, right, executive director of the Wilkes-Barre YMCA, taps a glass to gets the attention of guests as Jay Amory, board president of the YMCA, gets ready to speak Thursday during the Annual Donor Appreciation Party at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre.

MUNICIPAL BRIEFS DUPONT – Residents are asked to pay the yearly fee for the 2012 refuse bags and pick up their bags, calendars and window stickers in the municipal office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday.

HANOVER TWP. – The Board of Commissioners announced that with the exception of the police and fire departments, all municipal offices will be closed at11:30 a.m. Dec. 23 and 30, and all day on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, in observance of Christmas and New Years. All garbage and recycling schedules remain the same. LAKE TWP. -- Reminder no-

tices have been mailed to all residents for the county/municipal and school taxes including all per capita. The office will be open 4:30 to 6 p.m. today; 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28; and10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 31. The last day to pay all taxes in person is Dec. 31. All mail must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.

Binder, Martha DeAngelis, Frank Gale, Betty Kadlecik, Anna McGavin Marian Nasatka, John Okraszewski, Leonard Ripa, Madeline Sniadala, Sophie Scott, Louise Williams, Kathryn Page 8A

BUILDING TRUST

Police probe stabbing

The Times Leader strives to correct errors, clarify stories and update them promptly. Corrections will appear in this spot. If you have information to help us correct an inaccuracy or cover an issue more thoroughly, call the newsroom at 829-7242.

“I think it’s the right time Township awarded contract to do it, and it’s the right earlier this month to provide person,” Rovinski added. police coverage to borough. Until earlier this month,

police coverage in Yatesville was provided by neighboring Laflin Borough for $32,000. Jenkins Township will now have three full-time officers in addition to seven parttime officers who will patrol both Jenkins and Yatesville. In other new business, supervisors passed a motion to advertise a proposal request for a $75,000 tax anticipation note for delivery in January 2012. A tax anticipation note allows municipalities to borrow money in the short-term for current expenses until tax revenues come in. The supervisors’ reorganization meeting will be held on Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m. and the township planning commission will meet on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Municipal offices will be closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

www.timesleader.com

IN A STORY TUESDAY about Colorado’s new rules governing the public disclosure of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations, The Associated Press should have reported companies will be required to disclose the concentration of chemicals regulated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, but will not be required to report the concentration of unregulated chemicals.

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Police talk Thursday evening near the scene of a stabbing on Hazle Street, Wilkes-Barre. Police reported Frederick Leonard of Hazle Street was stabbed shortly before 6 p.m. after he was approached by a group of six white males in the area of 424 Hazle St. Leonard told police the males were dressed in black and began ‘talking trash’ to him. One member of the group stabbed him in the rib area, police said. Leonard was taken by ambulance to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, where he was treated and released. The investigation into the assault is ongoing, police said. The house was searched on March 8 and agents confiscated three computers and a thumb drive. Numerous images of child pornography were found on the devices, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The brothers are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. WILKES-BARRE – A former Luzerne County Sheriff Deputy waived her right to a formal arraignment on charges she assaulted a woman. Jennifer Roberts, 34, of

Wilkes-Barre Township, was scheduled for a formal arraignment on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary and harassment on Friday. She waived that arraignment through court papers filed Wednesday by her attorney, Allyson Kacmarski. City police allege the assault on July 22 was a lovers’ quarrel involving Sheila Sult, of Wilkes-Barre, Roberts and Roberts’ former partner, Mary Jean Farrell, also a county deputy sheriff. Farrell testified she began dating Sult in June after a relationship with Ro-

berts ended in February. State Deputy Attorney General George Zaiser is prosecuting due to a potential conflict of interest with the county District Attorney’s Office. The alleged assault occurred after Farrell and Roberts "exchanged words" outside the Wyoming Valley Mall on July 21. Kacmarski has previously said the real story has not been told. County commissioners voted unanimously to fire Roberts on Aug. 23. Roberts will now either be scheduled to stand trial or enter a guilty plea in the case.

SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS will be atop one of the Plymouth Township Fire and Rescue Tilbury Station fire trucks on Dec. 23. The Giving Guide story beginning on Page 1A of Thursday’s editions of The Times Leader reported the wrong date.

+(ISSN No. 0896-4084) USPS 499-710

Issue No. 2011-350 Newsroom

829-7242 jbutkiewicz@timesleader.com

Circulation

Jim McCabe – 829-5000 jmccabe@timesleader.com

Published daily by: Impressions Media 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 Periodicals postage paid at Wilkes-Barre, PA and additional mailing ofﬁces Postmaster: Send address changes to Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 Delivery Monday–Sunday $3.50 per week Mailed Subscriptions Monday–Sunday $4.35 per week in PA $4.75 per week outside PA

CMYK ➛ timesleader.com

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

I N

B R I E F

WILKES-BARRE

12 attorneys to join bar

In a ceremony Thursday at the Luzerne County Courthouse, 12 attorneys became members of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association, the bar association of Luzerne County. The association dates back to 1850 and is one of the olBurke dest in the United States. President Judge Thomas Burke and county judges Lewis Wetzel, Joseph Cosgrove and Hugh Mundy were in attendance, as well as judges-elect Fred Pierantoni and Joseph Sklarosky Jr., who will take the bench in January. The new attorneys admitted to the bar are: Ashley Adams, Wilkes-Barre; Sarah Borland, Wilkes-Barre; William Cech, Kingston; Mary Deedy, Bear Creek; Richard Frank, Wilkes-Barre; Colleen Horn, Wilkes-Barre; Lawrence Kansky, Mountain Top; Stephen Lentz, Kingston; Amy Riley, Pittston; Joseph Shields, Forty Fort; Michael Sklarosky, Plains Township; and Michael Sowinski, Hughestown.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 3A

LOCAL REDISTRICTING

Change that would leave districts with more than one rep not bad thing, officials say

Area school leaders grade plan “As far as the educational component, we would expect all elected officials to get as much information as possible regarding the facts of what is going on in education.”

By BILL O’BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

HARRISBURG – The legislative redistricting has fractured some area school districts, leaving them with representation by more than one elected state legislator or congressman. Three local school superintendents don’t see any significant problems with the new alignments – they say having more than one elected official representing parts of their districts could be beneficial. “As long as a person who represents a particular area stays in touch with the people of those areas, I don’t see a problem,” said Jeff Namey, superintendent of Wilkes-Barre Area School District.

Jeff Namey Superintendent of Wilkes-Barre Area School District

“As far as the educational component, we would expect all elected officials to get as much information as possible regarding the facts of what is going on in education.” U.S. Reps. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, and Tim Holden, D-St. Clair, will have representation in towns that are part of

Wilkes-Barre Area. Holden and Barletta said the quality of representation won’t be affected. “It really doesn’t affect anything,” said Trish Reilly, Holden’s communications director. “We split school districts now, for instance Conrad Weiser and Muhlenberg in Berks are split with Dis- See DISTRICTS, Page 4A

Jury convicts 2 brothers in man’s death in Dec. 2010

SPRINGBROOK TWP.

Ambulance on patriotic tour

An antique 1967 military ambulance has been on an extensive road tour that began in Clearwater, Fla. It will reach its final destination on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Home in Springbrook Township as part of an effort to honor veterans, the military and their families. Veterans C. Leigh Ross of Springbrook Township and Richard Mott of Gouldsboro, and active duty Spc. Gennady Vovchuk of Long Pond have been behind the wheel of the ambulance, owned by Brian Strauch, owner and director of the funeral home, whose father was also a combat medic in the WWII Battle of the Bulge. Scheduled stops included Clearwater; Portsmouth, Va.; Charlotte Hall, Md.; Richmond, Va., and Scranton. The funeral home is located at 3 First St., in front of the veterans memorial under construction. EXETER

Storefront contest set

Business owners are invited to compete in the first Exeter Borough Holiday Storefront Contest. “All you have to do is register, decorate and be the best. Help light up the borough and have a fun time while doing so,” said Angela M. Coco, borough council junior member. Registration packets can be picked up at the borough building, 1101 Wyoming Ave. Registration is due by Tuesday and may be brought to the council work session. Judging will be on Jan. 2. First- through third-place prizes are $25, $150 and $100. There may also be random winner prizes/ participant raffle prizes. Monetary donations are being accepted to help with the cost of prizes and may be sent to: 2011 Holiday Storefront Contest, 1101 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, PA 18643. HARRISBURG

State pipeline bill OK’d

Legislation co-sponsored by state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, that would permit the state Public Utility Commission to regulate natural gas pipelines and hire more safety inspectors was approved in the state House on Thursday. The bill would allow the commission to: · Investigate if a pipeline operator is in compliance with federal pipeline safety laws. · Investigate if a pipeline or related facility is hazardous. · Investigate reports of safety-related conditions of pipelines and related facilities. · Enter into contracts with the U.S. Department of Transportation to inspect pipelines. ·Enforce federal pipeline safety laws, and impose fines and penalties if necessary. · Allow the PUC to accept financial assistance from the federal Mundy government to enforce federal pipeline safety law. The cost of carrying out these duties would be paid through assessments on pipeline operators.

trict 6. We work with Congressman (Jim) Gerlach on many issues and anticipate doing the same with Mr. Barletta.” Barletta agreed. “Splitting school districts will have no impact on the federal funding a school district receives,” said Shawn Kelly, Barletta’s communications director. Namey said he is certain both Holden and Barletta will do what is best for school districts and students. “We would ask that they continue to do what’s best for the communities and what is best for the students of our district,” Namey said. “It doesn’t matter who the person is – it’s what they stand

Izel and Isiah Garrett of Mechanicsburg were found guilty in shooting death of Abdul Shabazz.

By SHEENA DELAZIO sdelazio@timesleader.com

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Santa Claus leaves Wilkes-Barre City Council Thursday night after presenting ’gifts,’ reminding them that he’ll be watching to see if they are ’naughty’ during the coming year.

Kane stricken at W-B meeting

City Council is peppered with grievances By BILL O’BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE – City Council Chairwoman Kathy Kane gaveled Thursday night’s meeting to order, but 10 minutes later she left Council Chambers with chest pains and feeling weak, said Butch Frati, the city’s director of operations. City paramedics were called to City Hall to administer aid to Kane who lat-

Kane

Cronauer

er walked to the waiting ambulance and was taken to a local hospital. A “friend” answered Kane’s cell phone last night and would only say the newly elected city controller was “doing fine.” “Of course everyone here is concerned about her,” said Council Vice Chairman Mike Merritt, who took over for Kane and ran the meeting that featured Santa Claus and several mem-

Thomas

Mengeringhausen

bers of the public critical of the city. “We had to conduct business, but our thoughts were with Mrs. Kane.” Brenda Meehan of McLean Street again raised her concern about the police department, specifically leveling charges at Police Chief Gerard Dessoye, who was not at the meeting. Meehan retold her story that she first See COUNCIL, Page 7A

Police canine Rikki aided numerous area busts Specially trained police dog based in Hanover Township died Wednesday. He retired in 2009. By EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

HANOVER TWP. – Police canine Rikki’s last drug sweep in July 2009 resulted in the discovery of 4 pounds of marijuana from an apartment near two schools and a state prison sentence for the dealer. Rikki, a narcotic and patrol canine for a decade, died Wednesday at the age of 15 years, Police Chief Al Walker said. “Canine Rikki served Hanover Township Police Department from 1999 to 2009 and was utilized by numerous federal, state, (Luzerne) county and municipal agencies,” Walker said. Rikki, a German shepherd trained to listened to his handler in German commands, retired July 31, 2009 due to ar-

CLARK VAN ORDEN FILE PHOTO/THE TIMES LEADER

Rikki, a police dog from Hanover Township seen in 2001, sports a new protective vest given to him by the students from Kistler Elementary School.

thritis in the hips. The dog participated in nearly 400 narcotic searches and had more than 325 confirmed hits before retirement. In 2001, students at Wilkes-Barre Area’s Kistler Elementary School donated a vest for Rikki, which was presented during a canine demonstration at the school.

Rikki received a second place award at the 2008 Lackawanna County Chiefs of Police canine competition that involved 19 other dogs. In Rikki’s last job performance, narcotic officers raided a Boland Avenue apartment on July 30, 2009. Narcotic See RIKKI, Page 4A

WILKES-BARRE – Two brothers charged in the shooting death of a Hazleton man in December 2010 were convicted Thursday of second-degree murder. Izel and Isiah Garrett, of Mechanicsburg, were found guilty of the charge as well as charges of robbery, two counts of criminal conspiracy and a firearms charge in the Dec. 6 shooting death of 30year-old Abdul Shabazz. “The jury made the right decision,” said Assistant District Attorney Frank McCabe, who prosecuted the casewithADAJillMatthews Lada. “It’s the Isiah Garrett right verdict based on the evidence.” That evidence, McCabe said, points to Izel Garrett as the man who pulled the trigger after the two brothers handed over counterfeit money to Shabazz, Izel Garrett who was delivering marijuanatotheduoandtheircousin,Tyrek Smith, at the West Hazleton apartment of the Garrett brother’s father. “Even though (Shabazz) was involved in illegal (activity), no one deserves to be shot and left for dead,” McCabe said. The conviction brings a mandatory life-in-prison sentence. A sentencing hearing was scheduled by Judge Tina Polachek Gartley for Feb. 22. The sentencing hearing is a formality so that the brothers may be sentenced on the other charges. The additional sentencing is necessary for appeals. The jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday before delivering their verdict. The trial began Monday with jury selection. Testimony concluded Thursday morning, with defense attorneys Brian Corcoran and Allyson Kacmarski, who represent Izel Garrett, and Robert Mozenter, who represents Isiah Garrett, calling no witnesses. McCabe said in his closing argument that all the evidence in the case points to the Garrett brothers – they had the murder weapon and two shell casings that matched bullets found in Shabazz’s body and in the wall of the apartment. “(They) kept them as a sick trophy,” McCabe said of the shell casings. Corcoran said in his closing argument the prosecutor’s star witness – Smith – is a liar, telling several different versions of what happened in the Garrett apartment and pointing the finger at Izel. Smith, Corcoran said, is the shooter because he was sitting directly across from Shabazz when the shots were fired, and the bullet that traveled through ShaSee GUILTY, Page 7A INSIDE: Trooper blames halfway house, 7A

CMYK PAGE 4A

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

DISTRICTS Continued from Page 3A

for and their commitment to do what’s best for our students.” Meeting suggested Namey said he will suggest the two congressmen meet with the superintendents’ committee to exchange ideas and debate critical issues in education. “We have to establish a close working relationship with them,” Namey said. “And they must be accessible to us. We have to listen to each other so we can help each other do business a better way. There has to be an open line of communication.” Pittston Area will now be solely represented by state Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, and by Holden. Superintendent George Cosgrove sees that as a plus for the district. “All of our communities share the same representation at the state and federal levels,” Cosgrove said. “That makes it easier for us if we have a concern about legislation and it gives us consistency in our representation.” Dr. Francis Antonelli, Hazle-

ton Area superintendent, said familiarity with the district is key to good representation. Barletta represents Hazleton Area in Congress, but at the state level, both Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, and Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, represent towns in the district. “If the representatives -- either of them or both – aren’t people that are local to this part of their district, then we might not be represented fully and in the best interests of residents and students,” Antonelli said. Splits hard to avoid Mullery says common sense dictates that it’s better not to split school districts if possible, but he also recognizes that it’s hard to avoid when there are 500 school districts in the state. “Redistricting will not change the way I represent my school districts,” Mullery said. “I want to hear from students, parents, teachers and administrators at the Crestwood, Greater Nanticoke Area, Hanover Area, Hazleton Area and Wyoming Valley West school districts.” Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston, said three school districts she represents in part -- Wyoming Valley West, Lake-Lehman and Dallas -- have always been

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

REDISTRICTING: Luzerne County’s proposed U.S. congressional districts

17 Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-B Barre

Wilkes-Barre

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER

Hazleton

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER

Hazleton

NEW U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS OLD U.S. CONGRESSIONAL U.S. HOUSE DISTRICTS 10 Tom Marino (R - Lycoming Twp., Lycoming Co.) 11 Lou Barletta (R - Hazleton) 17 Tim Holden (D - St. Clair, Schuylkill Co.) Note: Exact boundaries unavailable for district 17. Source: Joint state House and Senate State Government Committee

split, and that does not change. She has always represented all of the Wyoming Area School district and still does. “But I have always believed that I should represent the four school districts that send students from the municipalities in my district,” Mundy said.

Carroll represents all towns in Pittston area and parts of the North Pocono School District, Wilkes-Barre Area and a small part of Crestwood. “While it is impossible to keep every school district included in a single legislative district, I believe communities

Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

that comprise a school district are obvious communities of interest and are best served being included in a single legislative district,” he said. Sen. John Gordner, R-Berwick, whose 27th District has included just three townships and one borough, keeps those

four, plus gains four more townships and two more boroughs in the greater Berwick area that had been part of the 20th District now represented by Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township. He now represents part of the Northwest Area School District.

Back Mountain Community Partnership official says township was in talks to join. By SARAH HITE shite@timesleader.com

DALLAS TWP. – Members of the Back Mountain Community Partnership discussed the inclusion of Lake Township into the group and honored an outgoing member at a meeting Thursday. Vice Chairman John Wilkes Jr., of Jackson Township, said supervisors from Lake Township have expressed interest in joining the partnership. The partnership currently includes Dallas Borough and Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman townships. Partnership municipalities must be located within the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts. According to the group’s charter, an interested municipality must pass a resolution to join and the partnership then must have a unanimous vote of acceptance. A representative from Harveys Lake attended a meeting last year to gather information about joining the group, but Wilkes said the partnership hasn’t heard from the borough

since then. He said Lake Township was in talks to join the group in late summer, but the township became focused on recovering from tropical storms Irene and Lee, which pushed plans to the back burner. The board also honored Dallas Township Supervisor Glenn Howell, who will be stepping down from his post in January. The longtime supervisor was

defeated by Liz Martin in the November general election. Chairman James Reino Jr. said Howell is one of the founding members of the group. The board also adopted a budget for 2012 that includes a $275 payment from each member municipality and expenditures for legal services, use of Misericordia University facilities for meetings and general government administration.

728821

Lake Twp. considered for group

RIKKI Continued from Page 3A

officers raided the second-floor apartment as Rikki indicated drugs hidden from the naked eye in a closet. That led officers to recover marijuana, digital scales and packaging materials, including hidden money that had an odor of marijuana, according to arrest records. Rikki was trained by Paul Price, Northeast Police K-9 in Wilkes-Barre Township, and the late Randy Kromer of Kromerhaus Kennels in Bethlehem. Rikki’s retirement left the Hanover Township Police Department scrambling to find $10,000 to purchase and train a new dog. Luzerne County District Attorney Jacqueline Musto Carroll learned of Rikki’s retirement and offered the necessary funds to pay for another canine, Ado, which was acquired by the police department in November 2009. Money used to pay for Ado came from drug forfeiture funds.

FETCH’S

Kielbassi & Meat Market

CHRISTMAS HAM without Fetch’s Kielbasa? – No Way! 693-3069 • CALL TODAY!

OPEN EVERYDAY ‘til CHRISTMAS!

728483

180 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming

K ➛

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

U.S. CONGRESS

B R I E F

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 5A

Lawmakers seek accord on tax cut, benefits, gov’t funding

Optimism grows for deal The Associated Press

AP PHOTO

Cool day for a dip in Wisconsin

Matt Schulman, a member of the Epsilon Chi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of WisconsinEau Claire splashes in the cold water of a dunk tank set up outdoors on the campus mall Wednesday, in Eau Claire, Wis. The men’s social fraternity, also known as FIJI, held a six-hour Dunk-aThon to raise money for the American Red Cross. Air temperatures were in the 30s, a bit warm for a mid-December day in Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON — The endgame at hand, Democratic and Republican congressional leaders expressed optimism Thursday at prospects for swift compromise to extend Social Security tax cuts, keep long-term jobless benefits flowing and avoid a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday. A third year-end bill, setting new rules for the handling of terror suspects in U.S. custody, was cleared for final passage. “Right now, Congress needs to make sure that 160 million working Americans don’t see their taxes go up on Jan. 1,” said President Barack Obama, referring to the tax cut extension at the core of the jobs program he outlined in a nationally televised speech three months ago. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, the most powerful Republican in an era of divided government, agreed. “We can extend payroll tax relief for American workers, help create new jobs and keep the

government running. And frankly, we can do it in a bipartisan way,” he said. The long-moribund job market, too, appeared to be on the mend. Government figures showed 366,000 applications for unemployment benefits were filed last week, the lowest number since the near-collapse of the financial system in 2008 and the brutal recession that followed. In the Capitol, the previous day’s bristling rhetoric and partisan jabs all but vanished. Republicans agreed to consider changes to a $1 trillion spending bill compromise that they and at least one Democrat said had been wrapped up days ago. The White House said it wanted adjustments. There were separate negotiations on legislation to extend the Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits. Democrats abandoned their demand for a surtax on million-dollar incomes that they wanted to include in the mea-

Hearing for ex-V.P. Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley is set for today. AP PHOTO

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

sure, removing a provision that Republicans strongly opposed. “We hope that we can come up with something that would get us out of here at a reasonable time in the next few days,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

HEY, DON’T LOOK AWAY WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU

FORT MEADE, MD.

WikiLeaks soldier on trial

he U.S. military is set to make its case for court-martialing Bradley T Manning, the soldier accused of en-

dangering national security by engineering the largest-ever leak of classified documents. The government wants to deter future leaks of potentially damaging secrets. Manning faces the possibility of life in prison if his case goes to trial and he’s convicted. He is set to make his first public appearance today at the opening of his pretrial hearing at Fort Meade, the homebase to U.S. Cyber Command. Manning is suspected of giving them to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website that then published them.

BEIRUT

Syrian rebels kill 27 troops

Army defectors killed 27 government forces Thursday in apparently coordinated attacks that were among the deadliest by rebel troops since the uprising began nine months ago. The escalating unrest prompted Canada to advise thousands of its citizens in Syria to leave. The fighting began around daybreak in the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising against President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian regime began in March. Syria has seen a sharp escalation in armed clashes recently, raising concerns the country of 22 million is headed toward civil war. The U.N. raised its death toll for the Syrian uprising substantially this week, saying more 5,000 people have been killed since the revolt began. PITTSBURGH

Mom, 3 kids die in fire

An apartment blaze that killed a mother and three of her children early Thursday might have started when a child playing with a cigarette lighter accidentally lit a mattress on fire, authorities said. Police and firefighters were turned back by intense flames at the housing complex just after midnight and were unable to save the 23-year-old woman, her 6- and 7-year-old sons and a 3-yearold daughter, Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones said. The girl’s twin sister and a 31-year-old man who lived in the apartment escaped. Fire officials at the scene told TV reporters that one of the children might have been playing with a cigarette lighter when a mattress caught fire in a second-floor bedroom of the unit in Nolan Court. NEW DELHI, INDIA

Moonshine deadly in India

Indian officials ordered a criminal investigation Thursday after more than 120 people died within 48 hours of drinking tainted bootleg alcohol in the state of West Bengal. The death toll was expected to rise given that dozens of patients remain in area hospitals in critical condition. The government of the eastern state promised to give $4,000 to each victim’s family and arrested seven people for allegedly selling the liquor, although those who manufactured it were reportedly on the run. Most of those who died were rickshaw pullers, manual laborers and others living on the margin who drank the liquor at a series of thekas, makeshift roadside bars, supplied by the same illegal distillery.

AP PHOTO

ogs look out from behind a shop window, on which a sticker in French reads ‘protected by Monaco private security,’ in Monaco on Thursday

Hands-free cells called risky, too Researchers say drivers get distracted talking on cellphone, even when not holding phone.

Dan Johnson uses a hands-free device to talk on cellphone Wednesday while driving in San Diego. The NTSB said Tuesday texting, emailing or talking while driving too dangerous.

By JOAN LOWY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — When someone is talking to you, your brain is listening, processing and thinking about what’s being said — even if you’re in the driver’s seat trying to concentrate on traffic. That’s why drivers get distracted during cellphone conversations, even when using hands-free phones, researchers say. It’s also part of the reason why the National Transportation Safety Board made a recommendation this week it knows a lot of drivers won’t like — that states ban hands-free, as well as hand-held, cellphone use while driving. It’s not where your hands are, but where

AP FILE PHOTO

your mind is that counts, NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman told reporters. The board doesn’t have the power to force states to impose a ban, but its recommendations carry significant weight. And, judging from the public reaction, they’ve already started a national conversation on the subject. NTSB has been swamped with calls, emails and tweets from drivers both praising and condemning the action. It’s the proposed hands-free ban that has generated the most controversy.

Two PSU officials to confront charges

What’s next? No passengers? No kids? No tuning the radio? Maybe NTSB will ban driving altogether, was the tenor of the response on Twitter. The scientific evidence, however, is generally with NTSB, researchers said. “There is a large body of evidence showingthattalkingonaphone,whetherhandheld or hands-free, impairs driving and increases your risk of having a crash,” Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said.

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — The case against two Penn State officials accused of perjury in a child sex abuse case will come down to what an assistant football coach saw and what he said. The coach, Mike McQueary, told a grand jury he witnessed former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky raping a boy in a campus locker room shower. Former Vice President Gary Schultz and athletic director Tim Curley, who face a preliminary hearing today in Harrisburg, are charged with lying to the grand jury about whether McQueary told them that. They also are charged with failing to report the 2002 complaint to law enforcement. Sandusky, 67, waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges that he sexually abused 10 boys. Lawyers for Curley and Schultz They plan to challenge the evidence and try to have the charges dismissed. Prosecutors must show probable cause the two men lied and that the lies were intentional and material to the case. If a judge deems the prosecution has succeeded, the case would head to trial. McQueary’s testimony is central to the case, and Sandusky’s lawyer and others think he will have to testify Friday. His appearance would mark the first time he has testified in public about what he saw and heard inside the Lasch Football Building nearly 10 years ago. McQueary told the grand jury he saw Sandusky raping the boy one Friday night before spring break. He said he called his father from his Lasch office, then left distraught. He and his father met with coach Joe Paterno the next day. Paterno, in turn, told his boss, Curley. Paterno, according to the grand jury report, told Curley that his graduate assistant had seen Sandusky “fondling or doing something of a sexual nature.” Schultz, who oversaw campus security, and Curley met with McQueary 10 days later. McQueary told them that he thought Sandusky had sodomized a young boy, according to his grand jury testimony, which the panel found “extremely credible.” Curley, though, denied that McQueary reported a rape or anything “of a sexual nature whatsoever,” the report said. The athletic director described the conduct as “horsing around,” the panel said. Schultz was unsure of what he had been told, but denied the reported conduct included sodomy.

Plan would hike wages for home health-care workers By SAM HANANEL Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is seeking to extend minimum wage and overtime protections to cover home health care workers, a move that would boost living standards for nearly 2 million domestic employees but could mean higher costs for the elderly and disabled. President Barack Obama and his labor secretary, Hilda Solis, planned to announce the proposal Thursday at a White House ceremony. “The nearly 2 million in-home care workers across the country should not

have to wait a moment longer for a fair wage,” Obama said in a prepared statement. “They work hard and play by the rules and they should see that work and responsibility rewarded.” Home care aides have been exempt from federal wage laws since 1974, when they were considered companions to the elderly. But the number of full-time home care workers has surged along with the growing number of retirees who need help with a range of daily tasks, from taking the right medication to getting cleaned and dressed. “These are real jobs as part of a

huge and growing industry,” said Steve Edelstein, National Policy Director for the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute in New York. “They deserve same basic labor protections that other workers enjoy.” Unions and advocacy groups say nearly half of all home care workers live at or below the poverty level and receive public benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid. Health services companies that emAP PHOTO ploy home care workers have opposed efforts to expand hour and wage laws, President Obama kisses Pauline Beck arguing that it would drive up costs in Washington after speaking about for elderly clients who can ill afford it. aiding home health workers.

Look in THE TIMES LEADER for today’s valuable inserts from these advertisers:

Some inserts, at the advertisers’ request, only appear in selected neighborhoods. If you would like to receive an insert that you do not currently receive, please call the advertiser.

728503

I N

CMYK PAGE 6A

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

➛

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

STORAGE

PINTO

Continued from Page 1A

Morreale’s office handles a number of services, including accepting hotel tax payments and payments of delinquent taxes as well as issuing licenses for dogs, boats, hunting, fishing, bingo and small games of chance. Commissioners also recognized the service of Joe DeVizia before approving his retirement as executive director of the Office of Human Services. “We accept it with regret and with my personal thanks to you for the tremendous job you’ve “We acdone for Lucept it zerne County. with regret You’re just a 24hour guy who and with will help anymy person- one on a monotice,” al thanks ment’s Petrilla told to you for DeVizia. In more the trepressing busimendous ness, the commissioners job you’ve unanimously done for voted to approve a twoLuzerne year lease with County.” Thomas C. Maryanne Thomas Co. for per Petrilla $2.52 Commissioner square foot for chairwoman up to 35,800 square feet of storage space in the Pennsylvania Avenue building that has been housing county records. Before the vote, Commissioner Stephen A. Urban, who chairs the county records improvement committee, noted the committee earlier this week tabled a recommendation to buy the former Two Jacks Cycle & Powersports building on North Washington Street for record storage. Urban said state archive experts deemed the Thomas building inappropriate for records storage. “However, it’s our only alternative at this point in time,” he said. Purchasing and renovating the Two Jacks building would

Pinto. Pinto was in the prison awaiting trial on charges he possessed child pornography. Simonson testified that he attacked Pinto because he had a “rage” inside him for persons who possess child pornography. Pinto suffered severe head trauma that left him in a coma for a period of time. He has since made a significant recovery, according the settlement agreement filed in federal court. Attorneys for Lackawanna County and Pinto reached a settlement of the suit in The agreeNovember. ment notes The dollar amount paid that the setto Pinto was tlement is not made covered by a public until $1 million Thursday, liability policy however, when the set- the county tlement was held. officially approved by U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo. Pinto pleaded guilty to the child pornography charges and was sentenced in August to 15 years in federal prison. He is currently housed at a mediumsecurity prison in Petersburg, Va. The settlement agreement earmarks $230,000 to be placed in an escrow account to pay Pinto’s medial and rehabilitative expenses. Pinto’s attorney, Dominic Guerrini, said the remaining money will be placed in an account under the control of Pinto’s mother, Pamela, who is the administrator of his estate. Guerrini said the settlement includes attorney fees, but the amount of fees has not been determined. Caputo will issue a ruling on that matter at a later date. The agreement notes that the settlement is covered by a $1 million liability policy the county held.

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Sam Greenberg, a member of the Veterans Day Planning Committee, holds a photo of a Welcome Home Parade held on Sept. 11, 1946. Veterans were honored by the Luzerne County Commissioners on Thursday.

cost $2.75 million, but the county has only $2 million from past bond funding set aside for such a project. Urban also said he thinks row officers on the committee voted down recommending creation of a record archivist position “because of their disagreement with us over the budget. They’re angry at us, in my opinion, so they weren’t thinking clearly.” He said the county council will have to put together a new committee after taking office on Jan. 2 to deal with the issue. Engineer Joe Gibbons said the council can opt out of the lease with 60 days notice. Hotel Sterling update The commissioners also voted to approve having Gibbons order Quad3 to begin a design plan for demolition of the former Hotel Sterling. Demolition bids can go out after commissioners and officials of the city of

Wilkes-Barre and CityVest, the building owner, sign off on a cooperation/reimbursement agreement and a site assessment is completed, which Gibbons estimated would take about two months. Quad3 will receive a commission of 7.5 percent of the final demolition cost as payment. In other business, the commissioners recognized Capt. Cliff Morales, of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, for his work as 2011 Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade chairman; radio disc jockey/show host Shadoe Steele, for his work in promoting the parade on a radio show, and Joseph Scrobola, CEO of Valley Aviation, for his vintage aircraft fly-overs. The commissioners also honored all county veterans, several of whom attended the meeting. Vet Sam Greenberg showed them a photo of a packed South Main Street for the county’s first

Tom Concert is asked to step down by security during the public comment period of the commissioners meeting.

Veteran’s Day Parade, which was actually a Welcome Home Parade for returning World War II veterans on Sept. 11, 1946. During public comment, deputy sheriffs escorted activist Tom Concert to his seat after he was gaveled down by Petrilla for

speaking on matters not covered on the agenda. Concert made allegations that commissioners and the district attorney were aware of abuses in the juvenile court system prior to a federal investigation and ignored complaints.

CMYK ➛

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Trooper points finger at MinSec WILKES-BARRE – Had it not been for a halfway house in Hazleton, a state police trooper said Thursday, the December 2010 shooting that left Abdul Shabazz dead likely would not have happened. State police Trooper James Surmick said Thursday had it not been for the MinSec facility in Hazleton – a community corrections center under contract with the state Department of Corrections to house inmates in “pre-release” status or on parole and help them transition into the community – Izel and Isiah Garrett would never have been in

GUILTY Continued from Page 3A

bazz’s body could have only come from the direction Smith was sitting in. Corcoran said Smith also pleaded guilty to a robbery charge last

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 7A

the area. “(The Garretts) have no connection to the area,” Surmick said. “(MinSec) is nothing but problems.” The brothers were convicted Thursday of second-degree murder in Shabazz’s death in addition to related charges. Their father, Calvin Garrett, had been released to the facility – which can accommodate 175 people – after being paroled from the state Department of Corrections on robbery-related charges from another county. Izel and Isiah Garrett, of Mechanicsburg, had been in the area to visit their father in an attempt to get away from the Harrisburg area because of a looming homicide charge Isiah faces. Surmick said that a month before the December 2010 homicide, Isiah had been charged with homicide in an incident

where police say he and two other men shot and killed a Harrisburg Area Community College student during a robbery. He was arrested for the Harrisburg area shooting while in custody for the West Hazleton murder. Assistant District Attorney Frank McCabe said the brothers were seeking refuge at their father’s apartment. Surmick said the Hazleton area should not have to pay for the criminal element the halfway house brings, and that Shabazz’s death may have never happened. MinSec received approval to operate a facilityon Oct. 18, 2007. As of February 2011, more than 30 incidents involving crimes allegedly committed by current or former MinSec inmates have been documented in the area since the facility opened in 2008.

week related to the shooting to “save his own hide” and there was no robbery – the men exchanged the money for the marijuana. “The transaction was complete,” he said. Mozenter said in his closing argument that every time Smith “opens his mouth” he lies, and Calvin Garrett was the one with

the counterfeit money. “You have to take into consideration a liar’s testimony,” Mozenter said, adding that Smith said he was “shocked” the shooting happened, but didn’t do anything about it. “Do you believe anything this man says?” Mozenter asked jurors.

Continued from Page 3A

revealed publicly at town hall meeting on Oct. 4 and again at last month’s council meeting regarding a relative who lived next door. Meehan said the relative had dated Dessoye and she alleged the chief had provided a “halo of protection” for the activities at what she claimed to be a drug house. The house is now vacant, Meehan said. Over three years, Meehan stated, she contacted police 100 times about activities at the house, thefts from her property and other complaints, and city police responded about onethird of the time, but no arrests were made. Meehan presented graphic pictures of the property to council. Meehan said drug paraphernalia was often strewn around the property and she feared her child and other children in the neighborhood would step on syringes and other items. “Dessoye didn’t do his job,” Meehan said. “I’m totally broke and my child needs counseling.” Meehan’s claims were supported by Mark Robbins of For-

ty Fort who asked council to look into the situation and determine if the police acted appropriately when called to the property. Drew McLaughlin, administrative coordinator for the city, said the matter has been referred to the Community Action Team for review. Meehan asked council members what they would do if the property was in their neighborhood, but there were no responses. “I’m not going away,” Meehan said. “These are horrific conditions and something needs to be done.” Linda Urban, who lost her bid for council in District D, focused on council’s benefits and she challenged assistant city attorney William Vinsko’s claim that the benefits are mandated by state law. At the November council meeting, Urban questioned the benefits and Vinsko waved a document that he said showed the state law. Urban rebutted that claim last night, stating she contacted Harrisburg and was told benefits are not mandated by state law. “For how many years have you duped the taxpayers into paying these benefits for you and your families?” Urban asked. “I think you owe us money. I don’t need an answer,

but you all will answer for this.” Several other people addressed council: a couple who drive for Williams Bus Line told council why they park the buses on Chiliwick Street; three representatives of the District A Fund requested improving the landscape at entry points to the city; and a mail carrier was given citations from the mayor and council for heroic efforts in thwarting a house robbery. And Santa Claus brought gifts for council and Mayor Tom Leighton, who did not attend the meeting. The gifts ranged from “a set of rubber balls” for Merritt, advising him to not to “play along with other council members,” to a bottle of aspirin for incoming council members and a “go directly to jail card” for Leighton. Merritt ranked the meeting “in the top three” for volatility since he has been in office. “We owe it to them to listen and right the wrongs if there are any,” he said. “But personal attacks aren’t something that we can respond to without facts.” The council meeting was the final one for Kane, Tony Thomas Jr., Bernie Mengeringhausen and Rick Cronauer as council members.

Patte’s Sports Bar and Restaurant

N Now Taking T ki Dinner Di and d Party Reservations For The Holidays • Open Christmas Eve, Kitchen Open ’Til 9 p.m. • Open New Years Eve, Last Seating in Our Dining Room 10 p.m. • Open New Years Day, Kitchen Open At 11:00 a.m. Featuring Beef Stew, Pork & Sauerkraut

Dates Available For Holiday Parties!

Patte’s Gift Cards Make A Great Gift!

W Hollenback H ll b k Ave., A Wil B 65 W. Wilkes-Barre www.gotopattes.com • visit us on facebook

824-8015

Gift Ideas For The Arborist

Buckingham FREEDOM INSULATED PANT $159.00

• Chain Saws • Spikes • Carabiners • Rope • Helmets • Rigging • Largest Equipment Selections Of • Laynards Gloves In The Area

• Climbing Pads • Skidding Tongs • Belts • Safety Vests & Jackets • Safety Glasses

And Much, Much More!

Top of the Slope

Your Authorized Full Service Dealer

100 South Main Street Downtown Wilkes-Barre

VALLEY POWER EQUIPMENT & RENTAL

570-822-6627 Mon-Fri. 10-8 Sat. 10-6 Sun. 12-5 www.topoftheslope.com

PRICE & SERVICE VISIT US AT www.valleypower.com

WILKES-BARRE

728052

By SHEENA DELAZIO sdelazio@timesleader.com

COUNCIL

728797

Two convicted Thursday were visiting father who was released from halfway house.

Rt. 309, W-B Twp. Next To The Big Cow • 823-2017 Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 8-1

K PAGE 8A

FRANK R. DEANGELIS, 95, of Old Forge, died Thursday, December 15, 2011 at home. Born in Old Forge, he was a son of the late Frank and Thomasina Astolfi DeAngelis. His wife of 68 years was the former Adele Biscontini, who died Dec. 17, 2010. The funeral will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the Louis V. Ciuccio Funeral Home, 145 Moosic Road, Old Forge, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass at the Prince Of Peace Parish-St. Mary’s Church, West Grace and Lawrence St., Old Forge. Interment will be in the Old Forge Cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. today. MARTHA PEARL BINDER, 90, Old Forge, died Thursday, December 15, 2011, in Hospice Community Care in Dunmore. Born in the Austin Heights section of Old Forge, on February 17, 1921, daughter of the late Samuel and Anna Koperek Pawlikowski. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, Divine Mercy Parish, 620 S. Main St., Old Forge, celebrated by the Rev. Joseph Cipriano, former pastor. Interment will follow in Abington Hills Cemetery. Relatives and friends may pay their respects from 9 a.m. until Mass Saturday in the church. Arrangements are by Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., 517 N. Main St., Old Forge. Please visit www.KearneyFuneralHome.com for directions or to leave an online condolence. SOPHIE SNIADALA, 88, and a resident of the Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Taylor, died early Thursday morning, December 15, 2011. Private funeral arrangements are under the care of the Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., 517 N. Main St., Old Forge. Memorials may be made in Sophie’s name to the American Cancer Society, 712 S. Keyser Ave., Taylor, PA 18517. Please visit www.KearneyFuneralHome.com to leave an online condolence. MARIAN MCGAVIN, a resident of St. Luke’s Villa, Wilkes-Barre, formerly of Gateway Court, Edwardsville, and W. Liberty St., Newtown section of Hanover Township, died Thursday morning, December 15, 2011, in St. Luke’s. Funeral arrangements are pending from the Lehman Family Funeral Service Inc., 689 Hazle Ave., Wilkes-Barre. A full obituary will appear in Saturday’s edition of The Times Leader. JOHN NASATKA, 81, of Mountain Top, passed away Thursday, December 15, 2011, in ManorCare, Kingston. Arrangements are pending from Kniffen O’Malley Funeral Home Inc., 728 Main St., Avoca. LEONARD “LENNY” OKRASZEWSKI, 77, of Roosevelt Street, Edwardsville, died Wednesday, December 14, 2011, in Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township. Funeral arrangements are pending from the Andrew Strish Funeral Home, 11 Wilson St., Larksville.

Anna Kadlecik December 14, 2011

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

nna Kadlecik (nee Simek), 87, of Clarksboro, N.J., died Wednesday, December 14, 2011, in the Shores at Wesley Manor, Ocean City. Mrs. Kadlecik was born in Castkov, Czechoslovakia, and came to America when she was three years old. She lived in Gloucester County most of her life and worked for many years in the cafeteria at Kingsway High School. She was a member of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Woodbury, N.J., where she belonged to the Altar Guild and the WELCA Women’s Group. In her free time, Mrs. Kadlecik enjoyed cross stitch, baking and cooking for her family. She is survived by her children, Andrew and Joan Kadlecik of Somers Point, N.J., Ruth and David Ferretti of Elkton, Md., Mary Jan and Donald Williams, WilkesBarre, Anne Kadlecik, Clarksboro, N.J.; four grandsons; one greatgrandson; and her brothers, Edward Simek, Gibbstown, N.J., and Joseph Simek, Florida. Mrs. Kadlecik was predeceased by her husband, Michael Kadlecik. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 230 N. Evergreen Ave., Woodbury, N.J. Friends may call from 9 a.m. until service time Saturday morning in church. Interment will be in Eglington Cemetery, Clarksboro, N.J. Arrangements are by McBride-Foley Funeral Home, Paulsboro. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to the Memorial Fund of St. Stephen’s Church, Woodbury, NJ 08096. Memories can be shared at www.mcbridefoleyfh.com.

THE TIMES LEADER

Louise Scott

Betty M. Gale

December 14, 2011

Louise Scott, 87, formerly of Eagle Ridge Apartments, Edwardsville, died Wednesday, December 14, 2011 in River Street Manor, Wilkes-Barre. Born April 28, 1924, in WilkesBarre, she is a daughter of the late George and Rose Joseph Serhan. Louise attended Wilkes-Barre Area Schools. She is preceded in death by husband, Delbert; son, Ronald; brothers, Fred and Edward Serhan; sisters Emily Albright, Marian Grant and Margaret Carey. Louise is survived by daughter, Bonnie, and her husband, Joseph Mahaffey, Puyallup, Washington; daughter-in-law, Mary Beth Scott, Plains Township; granddaughters, Jennifer and Kristi Scott, Plains Township; great-granddaughter, Sophia Louise Emanuel; sister El-

sye Jones, Edwardsville; and several nieces and nephews. There will be no calling hours. The interment will be held in Memorial Shrine Cemetery Carverton. Arrangements are through Mamary-Durkin Funeral Services, 59 Parrish St., Wilkes-Barre.

Kathryn M. Williams December 12, 2011 M. “Kay” (Deitrich) WilK athryn liams, 89, of Kingston, passed

away Monday evening, December 12, 2011in the Geisinger Medical Facility from injuries suffered in a car accident. She was born in Wilkes-Barre, daughter of the late William and Kathryn Deitrich. Kathryn graduated from E.L. Meyers High School, Wilkes-Barre. She married Thomas Leigh Williams upon his return from World War II and raised eight children in Forty Fort. Prior to retiring, she had worked at Giant Market in Kingston, and the Wayne’s Department Store in Edwardsville. Kathryn enjoyed visiting with friends and family, reading, playing cards and playing Sunday night 5cent bingo. She was a member of the Forty Fort United Methodist Church. Preceding her in death are husband, Leigh Williams, 1986; brothers, Earl, Harold and James; and sister, Arlene. She is survived by daughters, Susan and life partner Charlee, Arizona; Nancy and husband Andre,

POLICE BLOTTER

Greenback, Tenn.; Sandi and husband Mark, Woodbury, Conn.; sons, Leigh and wife Carol, Hanover Township; Bill, Muhlenberg; Dave and wife Alice, Forty Fort; Scott and life partner Matt, Philadelphia; Michael and wife Beth, Ashley; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. today in the Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort, with the Rev. Donald A. Roberts Sr. officiating. The interment will be in the Denison Cemetery, Swoyersville.

Madeline Ripa December 14, 2011 adeline (Peggy) Ripa, 93, of Exeter, passed away WednesM day, December 14, 2011, in Highland Manor Nursing Care Center, Exeter. Born in Edwardsville, September 5, 1918, she was a daughter of the Late Vincent and Alexandra Salasavage. She was a member of St. Barbara’s Parish/St. Anthony’s Church, Exeter. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Daniel, in 1993; brothers, Vincent, William, Joseph and Matthew; sister, Jennie Krisnosky. Madeline is survived by her son, Daniel Ripa, and his wife, Theresa, Exeter; daughter, Sandra Gomola, and her husband, Carl, of West Pittston; grandson, Daniel L. Ripa, and his wife, Sheryl, Dallas; granddaughter, Melissa Para, and her hus-

band, Joseph, Jenkins Township; great-grandchildren, Kyle and Nickolas Ripa, and Gabriella and Victoria Para. Funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Anthony Recupero Funeral Home, 406 Susquehanna Ave., West Pittston, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Anthony Church. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. this evening. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Pringle. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. Madeline’s family would like to thank Dr. Ernest Gelb and the staff of Highland Manor and Hospice Community Care for their kind and compassionate care shown during her stay.

FUNERALS BOYLE – Barbara, funeral 1 p.m. today in Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort. CAPORALETTI – Angeline, Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. today in Holy Spirit Parish/St. Mary’s Church, Mocanaqua. Visitation 10 to 11a.m. today in the church CHARNEY – Leonard, funeral 9 a.m. today in the Bednarski Funeral Home, 168 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Immaculate Conception Church, West Pittston. EVANS – David Jr., funeral 10 a.m. Saturday in the Sweet Valley Church of Christ, 5439 Main Road, Sweet Valley. Friends may call 4 to 8 p.m. today in the Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home Inc., corner of Routes 29 and 118, Pikes Creek. GALLAGHER – Sister Sharon, transferal and wake service 2 to 4 p.m. today to Mercy Center. Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 a.m. today in Mercy Center. GENTILE – Michael, funeral 9:30 a.m. today in the Howell-Lussi Funeral Home, 509 Wyoming Ave., West Pittston. Funeral services at 10 a.m. in the Second Presbyterian Church, Parsonage Street, Pittston. GOLIDA – John, funeral 10 a.m. today in the Yeosock Funeral Home, 40 S. Main St., Plains Township. Relatives and friends may call 9 to 10 a.m. on today in the funeral home. JOHNSON – Warren, memorial service 1 p.m. Dec. 31, in the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 813 Wyoming Ave., Kingston. JONES – Jerome, funeral 9:15 a.m. today in the Desiderio Funeral Home, 436 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top. Mass of Christian Burial 9:30 a.m. in St. Jude Roman Catholic Church, Mountain Top. KUTZ – Stephen, funeral 9:45 a.m. Saturday in the Desiderio Funeral Home Inc., 436 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Jude Church, Mountain Top. Friends may call 4 to 7 p.m. today in the

etty M. Gale, 86, of The Meadows Apartments, Dallas, passed away Wednesday, December 14, 2011, in the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Mrs. Gale was born March 21, 1925, in Lake Township, and was a daughter of the late Earl and Letha Lee. She attended Laketon High School and also the Emmanuel Assembly of God Church at Harveys Lake. Prior to retiring, Betty was employed by the Leslie Fay Company Inc. in Kingston for 30 years as a special machine operator. Funeral services will be held at Her husband, George G. Gale, 11 a.m. Monday in the Curtis L. died in 1985. She was also preceded Swanson Funeral Home Inc., corner in death by her great-grandson, Da- of Routes 29 & 118, Pikes Creek, vid Smith; her brother, Herbert Lee; with the Rev. L.D. Reed officiating. and sister, Myrtle Price. Interment will be in the Chapel She is survived by twin sons, Ge- Lawn Memorial Park, Dallas. orge E. Gale and his wife, Peggy, Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. Noxen; Rick Gale and his wife, Bar- Sunday. bara, Cartersville, Ga.; daughters, The family requests, in lieu of Nancy Smith and her companion, flowers, memorial contributions be Joseph Custalow, Dallas; Letha Ti- sent to the Ronald McDonald tus and her husband, Larry, Loyal- House, PO Box 300, Danville, PA ville; sister, Lois Pisack, Meshop- 17821 or at www.rmhdanville.org/ pen; 15 grandchildren, 31 great- fundraising.html. Online condograndchildren and 12 great-great- lences may be posted at grandchildren. www.clswansonfuneralhome.com.

funeral home. NANORTA – Vincent, celebration of life 9:30 a.m. today with a funeral Mass, in the Church of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, 130 S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre. OWENS – Carol Lee, memorial service 2 p.m. Saturday in the Harding-Litwin Funeral Home, 123 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock. PAGLIANETE – Vincent, Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Therese’s Church, S. Pioneer Ave., Shavertown. Friends may visit starting at 10 a.m. in St. Therese’s Church prior to Mass ROSE – Laura, funeral 10 a.m. today in Bennett Presbyterian Church, Luzerne. WALL – Stanley, funeral 10:30 a.m. Friday in the Grontkowski Funeral Home P.C., 51 W. Green St., Nanticoke. Mass of Christian Burial 11a.m. in St. Faustina Parish ( Holy Trinity Church). WILLIAMS – Kathryn, funeral 10 a.m. today in the Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort.

OBITUARY POLICY The Times Leader publishes free obituaries, which have a 27-line limit, and paid obituaries, which can run with a photograph. A funeral home representative can call the obituary desk at (570) 829-7224, send a fax to (570) 829-5537 or e-mail to tlobits@timesleader.com. If you fax or e-mail, please call to confirm. Obituaries must be submitted by 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Obituaries must be sent by a funeral home or crematory, or must name who is handling arrangements, with address and phone number. We discourage handwritten notices; they incur a $15 typing fee.

from 745 N. Washington St. on Tuesday. • Police said Jeffrey Dorman, 45, of South Franklin HANOVER TWP. – Township police reported the follow- Street, was cited with retail theft and public drunkenness ing: after he allegedly stole items • Police are investigating a report that a man was attempt- from the Rite Aid Pharmacy, Public Square, on Wednesday. ing to use a counterfeit $20 bill on Dec. 8 at the Burger BUTLER TWP. – Police King on Carey Avenue. arrested a 16-year-old boy from A cashier reported a man Drums after investigating a entered the restaurant around 9:55 p.m. and placed an order, report he was carrying a gun police said. The cashier used a that turned out to be a pellet gun near the Drums Elemenmarking pen to verify the money and the man ran out of tary and Middle School on Butler Drive on Wednesday. the restaurant, police said. Police said the boy earlier • A 16-year-old boy from Boland Avenue was cited with stood on the roof of a house on Lions Drive and aimed the disorderly conduct after he allegedly banged on a window gun at a passing motorist at about 2 p.m. at a house on Luzerne Street Police located the boy walkat 11:45 p.m. Wednesday. The boy was captured in the ing near the school a short time later. area of West Division and The boy was petitioned to Dexter streets and released to Luzerne County Juvenile his mother. Court on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerHAZLETON -- Police are ment, resisting arrest instituinvestigating a two-vehicle tional vandalism, disorderly crash Wednesday afternoon conduct, illegal use of an air near the intersection of firearm, and simple assault. Church and 19th streets. A 2012 Honda driven by HAZLETON – State police James Barilla of Tresckow that at Hazleton said they charged was northbound on Church Taheed Ali Berry, 26, with Street around 3 p.m. struck the rear of 1999 Ford Explorer escape when he failed to return to the MinSec Hazleton driven by Daicy Camacho of Community Corrections CenHazleton. ter, 145 W. Broad St., on Camacho complained of Wednesday. neck and back pain, police Anyone with information said. The Honda was towed from about Berry is asked to contact state police at Hazleton at the scene. 459-3890. WILKES-BARRE – WilkesHAZLETON – Two men and Barre police reported the folfour juveniles were arrested lowing: after police investigated what • Three family members they said was a gang fight Thursday were charged in involving weapons in the 600 connection with retail thefts block of James Street on from Boscov’s Department Wednesday. Store on South Main Street. A group of 10 to 20 people Store security conducted surveillance on employee Alli- scattered when police arrived in the area at about 3:10 p.m. cia Balasavage, 23, of Scott Justin Ortiz, of South Vine Street. The investigation reStreet, and Juan Tinoco, of vealed she falsely recorded as North James Street, were returns merchandise brought captured after a chase. They to her by Joanne Balasavage, 45, and Charles Balasavage, 21, were charged with riot, disalso of Scott Street and issued orderly conduct and illegal possession of weapons. Ortiz gift cards to them. was allegedly carrying a hatchAllicia Balasavage also provided them merchandise with- et and Tinoco was carrying a out charging them, police said. pipe, police said. Police said a machete was They were charged with found in the area. criminal conspiracy, theft by Four juveniles are also facunlawful taking, retail theft ing similar charges, police and receiving stolen property. • Bridgette Campbell, 25, of said. Parkview Circle was arrested HAZLETON – State police and charged with public drunkBureau of Liquor Control Enenness Thursday for allegedly being intoxicated in the area of forcement charged Javier Moreno Santos, 29, and Maria 324 Parkview Circle. Perez, 37, both of Hazleton, • Gina Major-Ackerman of Huntsville Road, Dallas report- with selling alcohol without a license. ed Thursday her purse was State police allege Santos taken from her vehicle while it and Perez were selling alcohol was parked at 91 S. Main St. • Angela Baloga said some- at 120 W. Broad St., Hazleton, which was operating as an one stole jewelry from 295 N. after-hours club on the weekMain St. Tuesday. ends. Alcohol and money were • Candida Christopher of seized. North Washington Street said someone stole her black 1994 Lincoln -- Pennsylvania registration number HNL6691 --

G en etti’s

A fterFu nera lLu ncheons Sta rting a t$7.95 p erp erson

H otelBerea vem entR a tes

825.6477

www.timesleader.com

Owners of firm admit tax evasion Men were owners of Kingston accounting firm raided by the IRS in April 2010. By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

SCRANTON – Two owners of a Kingston accounting firm raided by the IRS in April 2010 have agreed to plead guilty to tax evasion charges. Jerome Pinkowski and Christopher Wartella each signed separate plea agreements with the federal government relating to false tax filings they made through their business, Broody Associates on Warren Avenue. According to court papers, Pinkowski admitted he underreported the wages of the some of the firm’s employees from 2004 to 2008 in order to evade paying employment taxes on those wages. Court papers do not say exactly how much income was underreported, but note that the tax loss was less than $400,000. Wartella admitted to underreporting income on his personal taxes from 2004 to 2008, resulting in a loss of $441,352 in taxes owed the government. Pinkowski has agreed to plead guilty to one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States and making fraudulent and false statements. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Wartella has agreed to plead guilty to one count of tax evasion. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors have agreed to seek a lesser sentence for both men based on their decision to plead guilty to the charges. Pinkowski and Wartella signed the plea agreements in August and September, respectively. They were not publicly filed until Tuesday, however.

COURT BRIEF WRIGHT TWP. – A man accused of stabbing another man will face charges in Luzerne County Court. Terrill Shakur Mattox, 27, of Wilkes-Barre, appeared before District Judge Ronald Swank on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Two counts each of aggravated assault and criminal conspiracy and a single count of burglary were forwarded to county court. Township police allege Mattox and Armoni Johnson, 24, of Wilkes-Barre, stabbed Justin Barna several times during a burglary at an apartment on Charter Drive on Aug. 7, according to the criminal complaint. Johnson is facing similar charges in county court. In Loving Memory Of

Barbara M. Urbanski 08- 23- 31 - 12 -16- 10

One year ago you left us. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of you.

Deeply loved & sadly missed by husband John, Sons John, Jeffrey, Jay, Jared and Family

CMYK ➛

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 9A

Dallas production takes to the big stage New facility at all-new high school will host student production of ‘Little Women.’

rooms, more prop storage, stateof-the-art technical equipment and higher expectations. “It’s our first show right at the starting block, so I think there are high expectations,” said theBy SARAH HITE ater director Harry McKeown. shite@timesleader.com “We’ve always done a nice job in DALLAS TWP. – Seventeen- the past. The kids are so excityear-old Rachael Alles has put in ed.” Caitlin Cameron, of Dallas, some long days during the weeks of preparation for the Dal- will make her stage debut in the period piece as Aunt las High School DraCarol. It’s a small part ma Club’s production of “Little Wom- “This gives us (“I only have seven lines,” she said) but en,” slated to open more of an Cameron said the today. Alles, of Dallas, opportunity to venue in which she said she works so do maybe big- will perform makes her feel like a star. hard for the thrill of ger produc“It’s going to be so the first few minutes tions.” fun on this stage,” on stage. said the 17-year-old. “That very first Audrey Ide “We get to act more show, it’s all about Assistant director important and we get the feeling of adrenamore perks – it’s more line,” she said. “That first step onstage is what I live professional.” Cameron said the old school’s for – it’s worth all the weeks of stage was much smaller – about work.” And with a brand-new stage at half the size. The space didn’t the Dallas High School, Alles is have much storage, and a lack of more excited than ever for the dressing rooms meant everyone had to change together behind curtain call. “In this big auditorium, with the stage curtain in between all the lights, I feel like I’m on scenes. Limited space affected sets, Broadway,” she said. The auditorium in the recent- props and the kinds of shows ly built school, which opened in the club was able to present. “This gives us more of an opmid-September, also features male and female dressing portunity to do maybe bigger

By BILL O’BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST

Alyssa Horvath and Rebecca Darling rehearse for the Dallas High School production of ‘Little Women.’

productions,” said Audrey Ide, assistant director. Student actors will use wireless microphones for the first time in this production, and theater intern Jeff Kelly from Misericordia University said there are some glitches to work out before opening night. “At the old school, we used to do everything just to get through the show, including us-

ing duct tape,” he said, laughing. “It’s nice to have brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment, but it’s taking some getting used to.” Kelly said learning the ropes of the new technical equipment has warranted some long nights on the set, but he feels the show will be worth it. “There’s a lot of potential here,” he said. Ide said students chose “Little

Women” because the club is primarily composed of female actors, but also because of the familiarity of the piece. “We decided to do a classic in the new building,” she said. “Little Women” originated as a novel written by Louisa May Alcott in 1868 and is loosely based upon the many adventures of Alcott and her three sisters.

Bishop Bambera presents local update to Rome Leader of diocese was joined by two former bishops and a former auxiliary bishop. By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com

SCRANTON – It sounds a little like the school principal reporting to the district superintendent. Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera -- accompanied by two of his predecessors and other diocesan officials – recently returned from a 12-day visit to Rome to discuss the status of the diocese and its people. It’s called an “ad limina” visit, Latin for “to the threshold.” In this case, Bambera, former bishops James Timlin and Joseph Martino and former Auxiliary Bishop John M. Dougherty traveled to the threshold of Pope Benedict XVI and other Vatican offices. “Generally speaking, approximately every five years every diocesan bishop travels to Rome and provides a summary of the status of his local church,” Bambera explained of his first ad limina visit, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10. The diocese prepared by compiling detailed reports and submitting them to the Vatican. “It’s a very, very detailed report and analysis of the diocese,” Bambera said. “It

Ministry wants you to sock it to those in need

includes a financial analysis, life in ministry, what’s taking place relative to Catholic schools, family life, liturgy and so forth.” How did the diocese fare after the pope and others reviewed all that information and met with the local delegation? “We got a favorable response,” Bambera said. Despite some rocky years of school and church closings that sparked angry reactions from parishioners, Bambera said, “I’m very proud of this diocese.” “We have great social services that respond to people who are in need … We had to adjust our schools system, we’re not home free but we turned a corner. … We have four great Catholic universities in our diocese. We have the ability to respond to our senior citizens in very positive ways,” including assisted-living and nursing homes in Wilkes-Barre. While the diocese “sailed through” the review, Bambera said the pope and officials they met would not gloss over problems. “If there was something problematic with the diocese, it would be brought to the bishop’s attention,” he said. “We didn’t have any such issues.” The local diocese, covering 11 counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania, was one of 13 from Pennsylvania and New Jersey visiting during this trip. Bambera said meet-

COURTESY OF THE DIOCESE OF SCRANTON

Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph Bambera is greeted by Pope Benedict XVI during a recent “ad limina” visit to Rome.

ing with other bishops in that setting helped show that, despite different locations and situations, “We are not all that different than people in Allentown or Altoona. … I derived a real sense of unity.” The trip was mostly business, with occasional chances “to find a little trattoria for dinner” in the evening, Bambera said. And the highlight was by far meeting the pope.

Bambera had met Benedict once before, and noted: “The office does seem to be wearing on him; he did look a little tired.” “Once you move beyond the nature of the meeting, you realize that this man is incredibly astute and insightful,” Bambera said. “He was incredibly focused, very much aware of the circumstances and situations in our region of the United States.”

WILKES-BARRE – Sometimes, making a difference can mean a pair of warm socks. Stephen and Gail Perillo of Making A Difference Ministries are spearheading a drive to help keep children warm this winter. Gail calls it the Sock Drive for needy children in their area. “So many children in our area do not have new socks to wear to school to keep them warm, or a new cozy pair of socks to wear to bed at night,” Perillo said. “It seems so simple, yet it can make all the difference to a HOW TO child.” D O N AT E Perillo said socks Socks can be for girls and dropped off at boys from these locations: • Phoenix Rehabilinfants itation, 311 Market through St., Koral Building high school Jewelcor Building, will be ac- Kingston; 718cepted. Ste- 0933 phen Peril- • Fidelity Bank, lo will de- 247 Wyoming Ave., liver boxes Kingston; 338-0120 to any busi- • Pennoni Associness that ates, Inc., 100 N. wishes to Wilkes-Barre Blvd., contribute. Wilkes-Barre; Once socks 824-2200 are collect- • Wilkes-Barre/ ed, Stephen Scranton Penguins (Ice Rink) 40 Coal will pick up St., Wilkes-Barre; the socks 970-3607 or 208and then PENS the socks are bagged and distributed. Gail said a second delivery of socks has been given to Tanya Olaviany, program supervisor of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bridge. Socks were also given to the Mother Theresa Haven Program of Catholic Social Services. The socks will be given to area homeless men. Socks will also be given to Wilkes University for the Kirby House in time for Christmas. “So many people take for granted that socks are an item that cost very little, yet many cannot afford them,” Perillo said. Making A Difference Ministries will continue the project until March 9. The Perillos were involved with the Sleeping Bag Project that provided about 200 homemade sleeping bags for homeless people. That project was coordinated by Carla Garrigan.

Prison board won’t exist under home rule, county solicitor says WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County Solicitor Vito DeLuca said the attorney for the county’s prison board was incorrect when he said the board would continue to exist after the implementation of home rule. DeLuca said Thursday he has researched the law and does not believe there is any provision within state law or the county code that would require the incoming Luzerne County Council to retain the prison board. Stephen Menn, as assistant county solicitor who represents the prison board, on Monday said he believed the board would continue to exist in some form, though it might not be known as a “prison board,” after home rule is implemented. He based his opinion on the county code and a state statute, which he did not identify. Attorneys James Bobeck and Jim Haggerty, members of the home rule transition committee, disputed Menn’s interpretation, however. They noted a section of the charter specifically calls for the elimination of the prison board, as well as several other boards. The charter supersedes the county code, Haggerty said. DeLuca said he reviewed the issue and determined Menn was incorrect. “I don’t know if there was some misunderstanding. If he advised

the board it would survive the process of change of government, he was incorrect,” DeLuca said. Under home rule, oversight of the prison would fall to the county manager, who will also oversee multiple other departments. Members of the seven-member prison board expressed concern that the manager would not be able to provide the same level of oversight at the prison as the board has done. Councilman-elect Rick Morelli said Thursday he would like to see subcommittees set up within the council that would act as an advisory panel to the various departments, including the prison. “I definitely think it’s needed. You have to have information, not just from the prison but all departments, funneled to the council,” Morelli said. “Whether it’s a subcommittee or advisory board, it’s a way to have officials meet with the council and manager on a monthly basis to discuss ongoing issues and problems.” Lehigh County, which operates under home rule, does not have a prison board, while another home rule county, Northampton, does. John Stoffa, county executive for Northampton County, said the prison board there has no authority, but acts in an advisory capacity to oversee expenditures to ensure there is no “frivolous” spending. Its primary focus, how-

ever, is to review prison programs and conditions and address complaints filed by inmates regarding those matters. Lehigh County has not seen a need for a board, said Frank Kane,

chief of staff for Lehigh County Manager Don Cunningham. “It’s a department just like any other that requires oversight. You give it the appropriate level of attention,” Kane said.

GET YOUR KITCHEN OR BATH REMODELED FOR WINTER

Make sure you hear all the sounds of the season

Children laughing. Excited whispers. Telephone calls from far away. All the things that make the holiday season unforgettable can be major sources of frustration for someone who has trouble hearing. Don’t let hearing loss put a damper on the fun. Discover how you can turn up the joy with advanced hearing aids by Starkey.

‘Tis the season to start hearing better! Call us today. Taking advantage of the latest hearing science and cutting-edge digital technology, Starkey hearing aids are designed to: • Improve hearing in noisy environments • Eliminate buzzing and whistling • Let you talk easily and comfortably on the phone

Now Accepting

Denise Prislupski, Au. D. • David A. Wadas, Au. D. Doctors of Audiology

www.audiologyhearing.com W Wilkes-Barre: 822-6122 Peckville: 383-0500 Scranton: 343-7710

726505

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

CMYK PAGE 10A

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

3 taken into custody in Hanover Twp. drug bust Brooklyn man was captured on a building’s roof. Large amount of drugs discovered. By EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

HANOVER TWP. – State police vice troopers uncovered a large amount of illegal drugs inside an apartment while chasing a fugitive on the roof of the building at Solomon Street and Hazle Avenue. Eric M. Ward, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., climbed out a window and onto the roof after troopers knocked on the door just before 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to charges filed. Troopers captured Ward on the roof. State police allege they found numerous heroin packets and pills near the window Ward exited from and heroin packets and crack cocaine on the roof. An arrest warrant was issued for Ward on Oct. 22, 2010, when

he failed to appear in Luzerne County Court to be sentenced on unrelated drug offenses, according to court records. State police arrested Jordan Mack Moss, 22, last known address as Carroll Street, Pittston, and Jean M. Almonor, 36, of Atlanta, Ga., who were inside the apartment. Moss and Almonor were arraigned Thursday in WilkesBarre Central Court on two counts each of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy with intent to deliver a controlled substance. According to the criminal complaints: Troopers received information that Ward was staying at the apartment. When troopers knocked on the door just before 11 p.m., they noticed a strong odor of marijuana and heard a man say he had to put clothes on. Troopers entered the apart-

ment and noticed a haze of marijuana smoke and marijuana cigars throughout the apartment, and heroin packets and pills near the window where Ward had climbed out, the complaint says. A marijuana grinder, rubber bands and a gun were also allegedly found in the apartment. Court records say state police arrested Ward on April 27, 2010, after he sold heroin in the area of Hazle Avenue and Nicholson Street, about a block away from his capture Wednesday night. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and failed to appear for sentencing on Oct. 22, 2010, court records say. Ward was jailed at the county prison. Preliminary hearings for Moss and Almonor are scheduled Tuesday before District Judge Joseph Halesey in Hanover Township. AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, contributed to this Three men were taken into custody late Wednesday evening by state police and Hanover Township report. police who were serving a warrant at an apartment at Solomon Street and Hazle Avenue.

BUD BUSTIN’S

PIZZA HEAVEN HEAVEN

Home of HOT Pizza, MILD Wings, COLD Beer 352 BENNETT STREET • LUZERNE, PA • 718-4944

CHRISTMAS Luzerne Merchants

Pizza, Wings, Boneless Chicken Bites, Subs, Appetizers, Salads, Dinners Don’t forget to taste Mrs. B’s Home Made Pierogies TRY OUR WHITE PIZZA & OUR BUFFALO CHICKEN WING PIZZA DINE IN OR TAKE OUTS AVAILABLE

MAIN STREET

ON MAIN STREET

Saturday, December 17th Noon to 4:00pm

DRAFT BEER and 6-PACK BOTTLES AND 12-PACK CANS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR TAKE OUTS Hours: Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun 4-9 Friday 11-10 Call ahead for fast service 718-4944

PRESENTED BY THE LUZERNE MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION CATCH THE SANTA EXPRESS ON MAIN STREET AND BE TRANSPORTED BY HORSE AND WAGON TO SANTA’S TEMPORARY HOME...SEW FINE DRAPERIES

Visit us at: www.pizzaheavenluzerne.com

50% to 75% OFF ALL FALL AND WINTER MERCHANDISE

SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY A Consignment Shoppe For Women

86 Main Street Luzerne, PA 18709 570-287-4333 www.SistersTeensandBeyond.com

Festival Hours Thursday 10-8

FESTIVAL HOURS THURSDAY 10-8

50% to 75% OFF ALL FALL AND WINTER MERCHANDISE SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY

89 Main St. Luzerne, PA 18709 714-1508

A Consignment Shoppe For Men

50% to 75% OFF ALL FALL AND WINTER MERCHANDISE

COSTUMES

91 Main Street, Luzerne, PA 18709 Phone: 283-5233 FESTIVAL HOURS Thursday 10-8

Childrens C Child Consignment i t Sh Shoppe

PICTURES WITH SANTA REFRESHMENTS AND GIFT BAGS

By Barbara

ADULT COSTUME RENTALS FOR ALL OCCASIONS

ALL YOUR HOLIDAY VE RESER FAVORITES: R U YO UIT • MRS. CLAUS • ELVES S • REINDEER SANTA AY! • TOY SOLDIERS TOD

GIFT CERTIFICATES FROM MERCHANTS Baby and Beyond Balavage McNulty & Co. Beads of Faith Bennett Street Laundromat Betz-Jastremski Funeral Home Inc. Boyle Heating Fireplace Calmar Specialties Inc. Christine Leandri - Music Studio Chuck’s Newsstand Concerned Citizens of Luzerne

LUZERNE MERCHANTS BUSINESS DIRECTORY Costumes by Barbara Evergreen BIC Fairway Finance Company Hazamoon Stuart Creations Joan Harris Centre Harris Conservatory of the Arts Keller Wheelchair Lifts Luzerne Bank Luzerne Lumber Company MarcCo Jewelers

186 Main St., Luzerne

95 Main St. Luzerne, PA 18709 Consignment Shoppe for Teens

FESTIVAL HOURS THURSDAY 10-8

718-0280

Animal Costumes Available

Deb’s Selection

Furniture Sporting Goods Computers Electronics Video Games MUCH MORE! Paying Cash For Your Items! Call Us Today! 177 MAIN STREET 570-718-0585 LUZERNE, PA

Keller

Lifts

SALES-SERVICE NMEDA-QAP CERTIFIED DEALER

Serving Electric City Roasting Coﬀee

“GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE”

161 Main Street • Luzerne

(Located next to Yanik Family Wellness and Changes Health & Fitness) Mon. - Sat. 6:30am - 8:00pm • Sun. 10:00am - 2:00pm www.themainbean.com

338-2759

“Something for Everyone” From gifts to collectibles! Featuring: Harley, Hess Trucks, Hot Wheels, Nascar, RC, Collectible Cars, Lic. NFL & MLB merchandise, Body Jewelry, Dragons, Wolves, Eagles Bears, Dolphins, Knives, Blowers, Mowers & More!!! 61 1/2 MAIN ST., LUZERNE • 338-2408 IF YOU NEED IT OR WANT IT... WE’VE GOT IT OR WILL GET IT FOR YOU!

we buy... sell... or trade

The Staff and Management of Sew Fine Thanks all of our customers and the Luzerne Community for another wonderful year. May you all enjoy a healthy and joyous Holiday Season.

Lowered Floor Minivans-Wheelchair Lifts-Driving Aids-Raised Tops Van Conversions-Scooter Lifts-Elevators-Stair Lifts-Ramping James Keller Oﬃce: (570) 288-1004 Fax: (570) 288-8070

Now ers ord takingut Roll for N py Seed p and Po r the fo ys. holida Featuring Jamaican Ginger Beer

4 Marion St., Luzerne 288-8013 designdreams@sewﬁne.com www.sewﬁne.com

Kellersluzerne@aol.com 197 Main St. Luzerne, PA 18709

Featuring: • Nut Roll & Poppy Seed • Crown Bread & Crown Raisin in Bread • African Bread • Wholee Crown Bread and Crown Wheat Bread & Flaxseed Bread • Jewish Rye Bread-New York Style Raisin Bread, make great holiday gifts and perfect Mon. - Sat. 10am-8pm entertainment.

61 Main St. • Luzerne • 714-1967 164 Main Street, Luzerne, PA 18709 570-718-4545

It’s All About The Bean! Stop in for a delicious deli sandwich, a sweet treat or a coﬀee to warm you!

Serenity Wellness & Dance Center Sew Fine Draperies & Interiors Star Super Bakery The Grille The Medicine Shoppe Tom’s Notary Trans-Med Ambulance, Inc. Union Petroleum Uptown Gift Shop Yanik Family Wellness

We’ll Look Forward To Celebrating The Season With You!

570-287-6226 Holiday, Historical, Novelty and

50% to 75% OFF ALL FALL AND WINTER MERCHANDISE SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY

Maseychik Assoc. / WJ Parry Ins. McDonalds MF Advisers My Sister’s Closet My Teen’s Closet Nicholas Wyoming Valley Truck Sales Pennsylvania Environmental Council R.J. Walker Richies Auto Body

Photos with Santa, horse and buggy rides, beverages & treats. Compliments of the Luzerne Merchant’s Association

• SNOWMEN & MORE

SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY

Kandy Kane Station

YOUR CHILD’S LAST MINUTE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE THEIR WISHES TO SANTA.

chucks - copy to come?

6AM - 2PM SUN. 6AM-1PM (Breakfast Only) CLOSED MON.

e Give th alth e h f o ys gift holida for the ith a w es Chang rd! a Gift C

New at CHANGES

• Spinning • Yoga • Pil Pilates t

Unlimited classes & Gym membership for under $50/month. No commitment.

Changes Health and Fitness Center Finally, A COMPLETE Women’s Gym

161 Main St • Luzerne • 570-718-0440 www.changeshealthandfitness.com

NICHOLE Stylist

CMYK THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 11A

150K axed from Medicaid PHILADELPHIA — More than 150,000 people have been scratched off Pennsylvania’s medical assistance rolls in the last five months amid a crackdown aimed at Medicaid waste that health care advocates believe has also wrongly removed needy and disabled residents from the list, a newspaper reported Thursday. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported 90,000 cases were cut in November alone while the Department of Public Welfare aggressively stepped up eligibility reviews. A total of 43,000 children have been taken off state medical assistance since August, the news-

300717

By The Associated Press

state officials said. But the Department of Public Welfare was unable to provide The Inquirer with a breakdown of how many of the purged cases were in each category. The huge cuts are notable because they come as most states are seeing Medicaid enrollment rise or at least stay flat. That’s raising red flags for health policy advocates worried that Pennsylvania is purging deserving cases as it tries to save $200 million by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse under the budget approved in June. Advocacy groups told The Inquirer they’ve received hundreds of reports of people wrongfully taken off the rolls. But state officials insist they’re sticking to proper review procedures, giving

clients 15 days to respond to the state’s inquiry and another 15 days’ notice before their benefits are canceled. “We conduct re-determinations with sensitivity ... and accommodate as much as we can to the clients’ needs,” Lourdes Padilla, the department’s acting deputy secretary, said. “Nothing has changed.” The union representing case workers said reviewers were ordered to aggressively close cases for technical reasons when the state ordered them to examine hundreds of thousands of backlogged cases. Padilla denied case workers were pressured to close cases. One Philadelphia woman reported she got a letter Sept. 15 saying her coverage would be cut off in four days unless she sent renewal paperwork. They were cut off anyway.

729578

Health care advocates believe paper reported. Most of those cut from medical many Pennsylvania needy and assistance are dead, moved out of disabled wrongly removed. state or are otherwise ineligible,

CMYK PAGE 12A

●

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

➛

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Brooke L. Bebo Amelia R. Anderson Amelia Rose Anderson, daughter of Eric and Renee Anderson, Wilkes-Barre, is celebrating her ninth birthday, today, Dec. 16. Amelia is a granddaughter of Mary Ellen Murphy and Dolores Anderson, both of Wilkes-Barre; Joseph Sakosky, Exeter; and the late Walter Anderson. Amelia has a half-brother, Alex, 15, and two half-sisters, twins, Katie and Emily, 13.

Brooke Lillianna Bebo, daughter of Todd and Jennifer Bebo, is celebrating her fifth birthday today, Dec. 16. Brooke is a granddaughter of Judy Williams, Wilkes-Barre; John and Mary Yashkus, Arizona; and Cheryl and Rick Post, Shickshinny. She is a great-granddaughter of Mildred Rakowski, Hunlock Creek. Brooke has a sister, Ariel.

Ryan J. Bonin Ryan John Bonin, son of John and Tara Bonin, Harding, is celebrating his seventh birthday today, Dec. 16. Ryan is a grandson of Norina and John Conden, Wyoming, and Florence and Larry Bonin, Swoyersville. He has a brother, Jake, 5.

St. Rocco’s Cub Scout Pack 303 marches in parade St. Rocco’s Cub Scout Pack 303, Pittston, recently participated in the Wilkes-Barre Santa Parade. The scouts earned their Parade badges by building their own float and marching in the parade. Participants, from left, first row, are Zack Maira, John Ozark Jr., Anthony Cerreta, Josh Gustinucci and Lucas Williams. Second row: Jeffery Mazonis, Mark McFarland, Andy Mendez, Zach Chilson, Alexsander Chilson, Austin Dolechek, Kevin Lockett and Scout Master Jake Kolanich.

Ricardo M. Ross III Brady E. McDermott Payton A. Foster Payton Armani Foster, son of Jill Kotlowski and Corey Foster, Wilkes-Barre, is celebrating his third birthday today, Dec. 16. Payton is a grandson of John and JoAnn Kotlowski, Plains Township, and Rosalyn Foster, Wilkes-Barre. He is a greatgrandson of Emily Timko, Plains Township; Peggy George, Edwardsville; and Anthony Kotlowski, Pittston. Payton has a brother, Jordan, 8.

Brady Edward McDermott, son of Mollie and Del McDermott, Wilkes-Barre, is celebrating his second birthday today, Dec. 16. Brady is a grandson of Mary Alice and Ned Endler, WilkesBarre, and Debbie and Del McDermott, West Pittston. He is a great-grandson of Del McDermott and the late Emily McDermott, West Wyoming, and the late Edward F. Endler and Mildred Endler, Wilkes-Barre. Brady has a brother, D.J., 6.

Ricardo M. Ross III, son of Julie Bull and Rick Ross Jr., Mountain Top, is celebrating his first birthday today, Dec. 16. Ricky is a grandson of C.J. and Rick Ross Sr., Mountain Top, and Elizabeth Bull and the late Mark Bull, Dorrance. He has a sister, Nicole, 6.

Chase Penn

Samantha J. Jimenez Samantha Jo Jimenez, daughter of Rafael and Heidi Jimenez, is celebrating her seventh birthday today, Dec. 16. Samantha is a granddaughter of Susan Koepke, Ashley; Robert Koepke, WilkesBarre; and Milagros Jimenez, Philadelphia. She is a greatgranddaughter of Leona Koepke, Wilkes-Barre. Samantha has two brothers, Rich, 21, and Jesse, 15.

Colby E. Michaels Colby Elizabeth Michaels, daughter of Edward and Tina Michaels, Swoyersville, is celebrating her 1 1th birthday today, Dec. 16. Colby is a granddaughter of Louis and Judy Michaels, Swoyersville. She is a greatgranddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Glowaniak; the late Mr. and Mrs. Walter Mis; and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Michaels. Colby has two sisters, Caitlin and Christina.

GUIDELINES

Children’s birthdays (ages 1-16) will be published free of charge Photographs and information must be received two full weeks before your child’s birthday. To ensure accurate publication, your information must be typed or computer-generated. Include your child’s name, age and birthday, parents’, grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ names and their towns of residence, any siblings and their ages. Don’t forget to include a daytime contact phone num-

ber. We cannot return photos submitted for publication in community news, including birthday photos, occasions photos and all publicity photos. Please do not submit precious or original professional photographs that require return because such photos can become damaged, or occasionally lost, in the production process. Send to: Times Leader Birthdays, 15 North Main St., WilkesBarre, PA 18711-0250.

Chase Penn, son of Mark Penn and Erika Kadtke, is celebrating his second birthday today, Dec. 16. Chase is a grandson of Diane Penn and Randy and Kim Kadtke. He is a great-grandson of George and Janice Kadtke and Fred and Rebecca Kalweit, all of Shickshinny.

Pioneers recognized for participation in Pen Pal program Members of the Wilkes-Barre Verizon Telecom Pioneers No. 7 recently were guests at a volunteer appreciation luncheon sponsored by RSVP for their continued participation in the Pen Pal program. At the luncheon, from left: Mary Ellen Arasin, Dolores McGill and Beckie Adams, Pioneer volunteers; Nancy Karpovich, president and volunteer, Pioneers; Jackie Boyle, field coordinator, RSVP; and Rosemary Gawat and Judy Betti, Pioneer volunteers.

IN BRIEF

annual children’s Christmas party will be held 1-2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the township fire hall HUNLOCK CREEK: The on Watson Street. UGI Electric Retirees’ AssociSponsoring clubs are Wilkesation will hold its annual Barre Township American Christmas luncheon 1 p.m. Legion Post 815, American Wednesday at The Red Roost- Legion Post 815 Ladies Auxiliaer Restaurant, state Route ry, Friars Club, Georgetown 118. A business meeting will Conservation Club, Lions Club, take place after the luncheon. Warsaw Sportsmen Club, All UGI Electric retirees are Wilkes-Barre Township Rod welcome. and Gun Club and Wilkes-Barre Township Volunteer Fire DeWILKES-BARRE: The partment. Wilkes-Barre City Junior The party, coordinated by Council is sponsoring a coat Bob Delescavage, is for towndrive through Monday. Dona- ship children and children of tions can be dropped off at the sponsoring clubs up to the Wilkes-Barre City Hall and age of 9. Santa will arrive via Schiel’s Family Markets on fire truck and will visit homeHanover Street or George bound children in the township Avenue. Monetary donations after the party. are also being accepted. WILKES-BARRE TWP.: The Wilkes-Barre Township

Dry, Itchy Eyes? Dr. Michele Domiano

Seniors, advocate group honor Barletta

Today RetireSafe, representing 400,000 seniors nationwide and joined by local advocates for seniors, recently honored Representative Lou Barletta for his efforts to protect the health benefits and security of Pennsylvania’s seniors and disabled citizens. Dick Weiss, board member of RetireSafe, presented the RetireSafe Standing Up for America’s Seniors commemorative plaque to Representative Barletta at his district office. RetireSafe is a nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots organization that advocates education on behalf of America’s seniors on issues regarding Social Security, Medicare, health and financial well-being. At the award presentation, from left: Patrick Ward, president and chief executive officer, United Way of Greater Hazleton; Paul Bartoletti, president-elect, Pennsylvania Homecare Association; Congressman Barletta; and Weiss.

CHRISTMASLAND

Wyoming Valley’s Largest Selection of Christmas Decorations, Lights, Trees, Ornaments, Flags, Brick, Many Paper, 25% OFF Illuminated Figures, Fiber SALE All Artificial Optics, and Much, Much more, CANDY CANES Items Trees at...GREAT PRICES!!!

FREE 642 S. Main Street • Wilkes-Barre • 823-3938 MAIN HARDWARE Open 7 days a week!

FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!

$ Dry Eye Syndrome Covered By Most Insurances

Millennium Salon And Spa Inc. And Boutique

(570) 823-0654

299 South Main Street • Wilkes-Barre (across from the Wilkes-Barre Post Office)

www.millenniumsalonspa.com

11000 VIP express package

receive an extra gift certificate for a 30 minute massage ($33 value)

Millennium Salon And Spa

Must present coupon. Not valid with any other offers or prior services. Offer expires 1-27-12.

17500

26000

all about me package pampered princess package receive an extra gift certificate for a 45 minute massage ($45 value)

receive an extra gift certificate for a one hour massage ($60 value)

Must present coupon. Not valid with any other offers or prior services. Offer expires 1-27-12.

Millennium Salon And Spa

K ➛ S E R V I N G T H E P U B L I C T R U S T S I N C E 18 81

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 13A

Editorial

OUR OPINION: NATURAL GAS

End the secrecy regarding drilling

F YOU DUG a deep hole in the lawn of the governor’s residence in Harrisburg and began to pour fluids into the void, we suspect it wouldn’t be long before someone – probably someone wearing a holster and a badge – asked exactly what you had dumped into the ground. Suppose you answered: “It’s a secret.” Essentially, the natural gas companies drilling into territory from the Tunkhannock vicinity to east Texas have tried to be equally tight-lipped about the chemical mixes they force below ground to shatter rock formations and free the coveted fuel. The companies’ lawyers often cite proprietary concerns, saying competing firms should not have access to one another’s secret recipes. You shouldn’t stand for this kind of concealment, not considering what is at stake. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this month indicated “fracking fluids” might be to blame for polluting groundwater in one central Wyoming community. Closer to Northeastern Pennsylvania, residents also remain justifiably concerned about possible surface spills and the illegal dumping of drilling solutions. Until pressed, the natural gas industry had hesitated to provide specifics here even as drillers bored into the Marcellus Shale reserves on your property (state forests) and on private land near Pennsylvania’s public waterways. Today, the state Department of Environmental Protection collects details on 70-some chemicals and additives used at well sites (such as hydrochloric acid, boric oxide, ethylene glycol and methanol), posting certain data on its website. However, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported this week, people

W E L L WAT C H E R S Learn more about chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” at FracFocus.org.

seeking “specific information on the chemicals used in a well must get such a report at the (DEP’s) regional offices.” Elsewhere in the nation, Texas and Colorado each adopted rules this week requiring disclosure of most “fracking fluids.” They joined states such as Arkansas and Wyoming that already had approved similar regulations. Colorado’s new rule, billed as “the most comprehensive in the country,” calls for a company to reveal the chemicals and their concentrations within 60 days of a fracking job and to supply that list to FracFocus.org, an Internet database accessible to the public. Even so, certain proprietary chemicals can remain “trade secrets.” Federal legislation that might supply citizens with a clearer and more comprehensive picture of what companies are injecting into the earth remains stalled in Congress. The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, or FRAC Act, supported by U.S. Sen. Robert Casey of Scranton, was introduced in June 2009 and reintroduced in 2011. Considering the potential risks to public health and safety, and the planet’s well-being, shouldn’t drilling companies stop using “fracking” chemicals altogether? They could adopt currently available plant-based substitutes and expand research into other harmless substances. Until then, natural gas drillers should be compelled to reveal everything about the stuff they shoot into, extract from or slop over the ground. That’s the least you would be expected to do, right?

QUOTE OF THE DAY “The war in Iraq will soon belong to history, and your service belongs to the ages.” President Barack Obama The nation’s commander in chief saluted troops returning from Iraq, asserting that the nearly nine-year conflict was ending honorably, “not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home.”

OTHER OPINION: IMMIGRATION

Court should void harmful new law

EXT YEAR, THE Supreme Court will consider a challenge to the noxious immigration law passed in Arizona in 2010. The justices are expected to consider whether states may adopt laws that take the lead on immigration enforcement. We hope the court will rule that they may not, and that it strikes down this ill-conceived law as an intrusion into the federal government’s lone mandate to establish such policy. We understand that Arizona EDITORIAL BOARD

and other states are frustrated by Congress’ years of inaction. But this law does more harm than good. By turning police officers into immigration agents, it distracts them from needed local law enforcement and invites abuse. In the end, even a court ruling in favor of the federal government won’t fix the larger problem. Only Congress can restore sanity to our irrational system by enacting comprehensive immigration reform. Los Angeles Times

PRASHANT SHITUT President and Interim CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor

MALLARD FILLMORE

MAIL BAG

LETTERS FROM READERS

Writer believes drilling can remedy revenue woes

SEND US YOUR OPINION Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number for verification. Letters should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit and limit writers to one published letter every 30 days. • E-mail: mailbag@timesleader.com • Fax: 570-829-5537 • Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 1871 1

s our county and many of our local governments consider another round of tax increases, I have to wonder if the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania can solve many of our tax problems. I attended the Keystone Energy Forum in Hershey and learned that this industry is expected to create $1.8 billion in new tax revenue for Pennsylvania’s state and local governments by 2020. And, as a bonus, the natural gas industry doesn’t require government subsidies like other energy sources to be successful. It is self-sufficient. The natural gas industry is a great opportunity for us in Pennsylvania, and I could tell the representatives from the industry want to do business here. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to meet them and listen to what they had to say. It was a great experience that reaffirmed my belief that we will truly benefit by having natural gas exploration in Pennsylvania. Christa Collins Peckville

Do right by Pa. residents in regard to gas drilling

ecently, the state Senate passed a bill, SB 1100, that addressed some concerns regarding natural gas drilling. It increased setbacks for gas wells, set an impact fee and, most important, took away the right for municipalities to pass laws concerning gas wells. First, drilling setbacks should be measured in thousands of feet, not hundreds. Second, why in heaven’s name, with 70 percent of Pennsylvanians in favor of it, don’t we have a tax on this gas, not a meaningless impact fee? And, lastly, the fact that this bill takes away the ability of municipalities to govern themselves should have had every lawmaker voting against it. My senator, Lisa Baker, got up on the Senate floor and spoke about how this was not good legislation but voted for it anyway. Once again when it comes to tough legislation, Sen. Baker has shown her inability and unwillingness to fight for everyone in her district, not just the special interests and the rich, elite 1 percent. I’d like to see Sen. Baker start an ethics investigation into legislators who have gas leases or who have taken campaign contributions from these gas companies. This would be, at the very least, a conflict of interest. Gov. Tom Corbett has signed a no-tax pledge and promised to veto any tax on gas drilling, but this should not deter any elected official from bringing the issue of a tax to a vote and letting the people see where their representatives stand. These are not pro and con drilling is-

sues, but rather right and wrong issues; and we need our elected officials to be right. Brad Noble Dallas

Voters can help GOOOH make a go of it in 2012

ave you had enough yet of “The Washington Follies?” You don’t have to accept the Washington foolishness that poses as government any longer. GOOOH is a reliable solution. GOOOH stands for “Get Out Of Our House” and is pronounced like the word “go.” It is a non-partisan plan to place citizen representatives on the ballot in 2012, ideally in the primary against the incumbent, competing for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The GOOOH plan will work in every state. There’s a good chance there are GOOOH leaders already at work in your state, but they need your help. Please see www.goooh.com, then join GOOOH and be a part of the effort to take back control of our government. All 435 representatives are up for reelection. We could replace them all this election cycle. An incumbent is most vulnerable in the primary elections; voter turnout is relatively low then, and a vigorous group of determined citizens has a good chance to defeat them. Please, help us do it! Otherwise, nothing will change. Glen Terrell Arlington, Texas

Writer urges well-wishes for ill ex-Teeners’ coach

am writing this letter regarding my friend Marty Devaney. Marty spent more than 25 years as a coach and officer of South Wilkes-Barre Teeners’ League Baseball. In all those years I never witnessed Marty losing his temper or saying anything derogatory about anyone. His main objective was ensuring the welfare of the young people of South Wilkes-Barre. Marty is now seriously ill, and I am asking all those people who were affiliated

DOONESBURY

with South Wilkes-Barre Teeners’ or Teeners’ League Baseball to give Marty a call, send a card or visit him. Most of all he needs our prayers. Jack Morgan Past president Teeners’ League Baseball Hanover Township

Keep toy safety in mind when purchasing presents

any parents will scan the hot holiday toy lists and stand in line for hours to purchase gifts that will bring laughter and joy to their children this Christmas. Before you fill the stockings and wrap the gifts, the Association for the Blind wants to make sure you consider the safety of each toy. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Christmas toy-related injuries resulted during 2009 in nearly 186,000 visits to the emergency room for treatment to children ages 15 and younger. The majority of the injuries were to the head and face, including the eyes. The following tips will help to keep your children safe this holiday season. No. 1: Consider the size of the toy. For toddlers and all children who still mouth objects, avoid toys with small or sharp parts. These parts could be swallowed and pose a fatal choking hazard. As a test, if any part of the toy can fit inside a toilet paper roll, it is considered a hazard and not appropriate for children under 3. No. 2: Consider the toy’s shape. Make sure a toy doesn’t have any edges that have points. These toys could puncture the skin or eyes. Avoid toys that shoot or include parts that fly off. BB guns and air guns should not even be considered toys! No. 3: Check the label. Look for labels that give age recommendations and warnings. Look for any toxic substances that might be painted on the toy and check instructions for clarity. No. 4: Discard plastic wrapping and strings. Immediately discard plastic wrapping on toys and avoid all toys with strings. Plastic wrapping might have sharp edges and could cause suffocation, while strings can be very dangerous if the string gets wrapped around your child’s neck. No. 5: Protect your child with gear. Gifts of sports equipment always should be accompanied by protective gear. About 90 percent of all sports-related eye injuries could have been prevented simply by using appropriate eye protection. For additional information on eye health and safety, contact the Association for the Blind at 1825 Wyoming Ave., Exeter, PA 18643, or call toll free 1-877-693-3555. Ron Petrilla Executive director Greater Wilkes-Barre Association for the Blind Exeter

CMYK PAGE 14A

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

Iraqis relieved, apprehensive as U.S. exits Many resented praise for U.S. sacrifice without giving justice to Iraqis’ misery. By SAMEER N. YACOUB and SINAN SALAHEDDIN Associated Press

BAGHDAD — The Stars and Stripes were lowered, the Iraqi flag raised, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta declared the U.S. role in the Iraq War officially over. Muhsin Mohammed was glad for that, but not satisfied. He wanted something that never came — an apology. “We were waiting for Panetta to apologize to the Iraqi people for the mistakes and crimes committed by the U.S. soldiers during the occupation time,” the retired government employee from Baghdad said. “Instead, he praised the sacrifices of the U.S. soldiers and forgot about the Iraqis killed because of his government’s mistakes in Iraq.” Mohammed was among many Iraqis who watched on television as Thursday’s ceremony played out in a walled courtyard at Baghdad airport, which only a few

years ago was buzzing with U.S. helicopters and transport planes. Some felt Panetta gave short shrift to the plight of the Iraqis, whose joy over the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule was quickly swept away by the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, countless shootings of civilians at checkpoints and the affront to Iraqi pride by being bossed around in their own country by young soldiers from a faroff land. Their remarks also conveyed a deep ambivalence about the U.S. role and the future of the country the Americans are leaving behind. Many worry that their country is too weak to fend off conspiracies by their neighbors, notably the Iranians. “After the U.S. troop withdrawal, we must now prepare ourselves for the threats of the neighboring countries who are sharpening their knives. Iraq is now on the brink of disaster with political infighting still going on between political factions for power,” said Ihssan Jassim of Basra, a member of the Shiite Muslim sect that has dominated politics since the end of Saddam’s Sunni-led regime. Jassim, an electricity engineer,

IRAQ Continued from Page 1A

that chapter will unfold. Their relief at the end of Saddam, who was hanged on the last day of 2006, was tempered by a long and vicious war that was launched to find non-existent weapons of mass destruction and nearly plunged the nation into fullscale sectarian civil war. “With this withdrawal, the Americans are leaving behind a destroyed country,” said Mariam Khazim, a Shiite whose father was killed when a mortar shell struck his home in Sadr City. “The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans. The Americans did not leave a free people and country behind them, in fact they left a ruined country and a divided nation.” Some Iraqis celebrated the exit of what they called American occupiers, neither invited not welcome in a proud country. “The American ceremony represents the failure of the U.S. occupation of Iraq due to the great resistance of the Iraqi people,” said lawmaker Amir al-Kinani, a member of the political coalition loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Others said that while grateful for U.S. help ousting Saddam, the war went on too long. A majority of Americans would agree, according to opinion polls. The low-key nature of the ceremony stood in sharp contrast to the high octane start of the war, which began before dawn on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike in southern Baghdad where Saddam was believed to be hiding as part of a war doctrine of using massive force known as “shock and awe.” U.S. and allied ground forces then stormed across the featureless Kuwaiti desert, accompanied by reporters, photographers and television crews embedded with the troops. The final few thousand U.S. troops will leave Iraq in orderly caravans and tightly scheduled flights. The ceremony at Baghdad International Airport also featured remarks from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Austin led the massive logistical challenge of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically mov-

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, center, speaks during ceremonies marking the end of U.S. military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday. After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq, a conflict that Panetta said was worth the price in blood and money, as it set Iraq on a path to democracy.

AP PHOTO

said Iraqis had suffered for nearly nine years but “there is still no real progress in their lives.” “We see no good things from the Americans, except for one thing: toppling Saddam Hussein. The rest of their work in Iraq was a total disaster,” said Hassan Kashif, a Shiite from southeastern Baghdad. “During all their presence in Iraq, the U.S. soldiers showed no respect to the Iraqi people.” Iraqis were relieved to see

ing more than 50,000 U.S. troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year — while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles. The war “tested our military’s strength and our ability to adapt and evolve,” he said, noting the development of the new counterinsurgency doctrine. As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and about 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq — a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country. All U.S. troops are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then. The total U.S. departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is a bit premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence-sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult region. Despite President Barack Obama’s earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops will be able to help finalize the move out of Iraq, but could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed. Despite the war’s toll and unpopularity, Panetta said earlier this week, it “has not been in vain.” During a stop in Afghanistan, Panetta described the Iraq mission as “making that country sovereign and independent and able to govern and secure itself.” That, he said, is “a tribute to everybody — everybody who fought in that war, everybody who spilled blood in that war, everybody who was dedicated to making sure we could achieve that mission.” Iraqi citizens offered a more pessimistic assessment. “The Americans are leaving behind them a destroyed country,” said Mariam Khazim of Sadr City. “The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans.” The Iraq Body Count website says more than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the U.S. invasion. The vast majority were civilians.

Legacy of the nearly nine-year war in Iraq

The Iraq War has cost the United States more than $805 billion since March 2003. Home location of U.S. service members killed

OIL PRODUCTION (in millions) Prewar 2.58 barrels/day July 29, 2011 2.37 barrels/day

Deaths per 100,000 population –

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

ELECTRICITY NATIONWIDE Prewar 3,958 MW July 29, 2011 6,990 MW

Cities with 20 or more deaths are labeled

CELL PHONES Prewar 80,000 October 2011 23 million* New York: ACCESS TO POTABLE WATER 61 Prewar 12.9 Sept. 22, 2011 24 million people*

Los Angeles: 30

ACCESS TO SEWERAGE Prewar 6.2 Sept. 22, 2011 20 million people*

Phoenix: 22 D.C. Puerto Rico

San Diego: 21 Fort Worth: 21 San Antonio: 33

Houston: 38

Pago Pago, American Samoa

Does not include 30 deaths from other places

INTERNAL REFUGEES Prewar 1.02 million August 2011 1.3 million* EMIGRANTS Prewar 500,000 July 2011 1 million* *Estimate

Monthly troop levels

IRAQ:

U.S.

Coalition

AFGHANISTAN:

U.S.

Coalition

Annual U.S. cost

250,000

150 billion (fiscal year estimate)

200

125 100

150

100

50 0

25 2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Monthly troop deaths

’03 ’04 ’05 ’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11

Casualties of war

150

At least 103,775 Iraqi civilians killed

125 100

31,985 U.S. military wounded in action

75 50 25 0

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

NOTE: Data most recent available; as of Nov. 30, 2011 unless otherwise indicated

4,485 U.S. military deaths

At least 2,097 civilian employee deaths of U.S. government contractors

SOURCES: Associated Press; AP News Research Center; U.S. Defense Department; U.S. State Department; U.S. Census Bureau; Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; The Brookings Institution; Iraq Body Count; U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq; U.N. High Commission for Refugees; National Priorities Project; Congressional Research Service

Continued from Page 1A

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Order prevails early on at the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s quarterly meeting in Wilkes-Barre Township on Thursday.

grams through which the system could receive additional support. The commission contends that the system has saved lives and property in a flood-prone region, and that the September flooding underscores its importance. “The Susquehanna Flood Forecast Warning System has helped

Social indicators

Cities and towns with more than five deaths

RIVER vironmental Protection will pay the federal contribution in 2012. But commission members said the system’s future is uncertain without federal support. “Concern for funding for stream gauges has not gone away,” SRBC Executive Director Paul O. Swartz said. “While we were successful in getting funding in fiscal year 2011, it’s going to be a recurring issue for the commission and others to find ways to keep the gauges operational.” During its quarterly meeting, held Thursday morning at the East Mountain Inn & Suites, the commissioners of the interstate agency responsible for managing the Susquehanna River watershed unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to include in its 2013 budget $2.4 million for the system, as well as funding for other federal pro-

ni, a Sunni parliament member. “We are facing a new challenge, which is the Iranian and (Shiite) militias. ... Some Iraqis may regret the U.S. withdrawal if Iran takes over.” Many of those who watched the ceremony resented Panetta’s praise for the sacrifice endured by American service members without giving what they considered justice to the misery that the war heaped on Iraqis — soldiers, police, insurgents and civilians

American “occupiers” gone but remain fearful for the future of their shattered country only barely beginning to recover from the savagery and destruction of the war. Most Iraqis viewed the American presence as a military occupation, not a support and reconstruction mission as Washington insisted. “The Americans helped in toppling Saddam, yet the Iraqi people refused to be ruled by the Americans,” said Ahmed al-Alwa-

alike. Nearly 4,500 U.S. troops perished in the war, compared with at least 100,000 Iraqis in a country less than one-tenth the population of the United States. “We were happy to see the hoisting of the Iraqi flag while the occupation flag is being lowered,” said Thamir Fuad, a 37year-old Sunni engineer in Mosul. “We were angered by the words uttered by Panetta where he thanked the American troops in addition to their families and expressed appreciation for their sacrifices. He forgot the sacrifices of the Iraqi people who fell between the hammer of American military operations and the anvil of terrorist attacks. Iraqis have made much greater sacrifices that what was made by the U.S. occupiers.” Mariam Khazim, a Shiite housewife from Baghdad, also bristled at what she considered a lack of acknowledgment for the suffering of her own people. She said her brother was killed in fighting between U.S. troops and Shiite militias in 2008. Her father died the same year when a mortar shell came crashing into his house.

to prevent injury and loss of life, reduced flood damages of tens of millions of dollars and delivered a benefit-to-cost ratio of about 20 to 1,” said SRBC Planning and Operations Manager John Balay. Also at the meeting, Tom Clark, SRBC’s Mine Drainage Program Coordinator, outlined a

strategy to significantly reduce acid mine drainage in the river basin by building several drainage treatment plants. As part of the planning process implemented in 2009 to reduce mine drainage in the Anthracite Region, Clark’s office identified the 20 boreholes, mine tunnels and slopes draining the most pollution into the river and found that many of the worst polluters lie in close proximity to one another. Building centralized treatment plants near Duryea, the Buttonwood section of Hanover Township and near Nanticoke could remove 50 percent of the iron and 33 percent of the manganese seeping annually into the river basin and reduce acidity by 18 percent, Clark said. He said this could lead to the removal from the state’s impaired water quality list of 37.3 miles of the Susquehanna River, 4 miles of Solomon Creek, 2.8 miles of Nanticoke Creek and 2.6 miles of the Lackawanna River.

The meeting closed with about a dozen protesters chanting an apparently prepared statement read from cards and nearly chasing commission members from the room. “This is a top-end problem,” Clark said. “You can focus on a small amount of discharges to get you to a point for massive water quality improvement.” Hydraulic fracturing But a different source of potential water pollution troubled most of the nearly 100 packing the East Mountain Inn’s largest banquet hall for the meeting. Opponents of hydraulic fracturing, the controversial process used to extract natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, urged SRBC not to approve 26 applications for water withdrawal permits within the Susquehanna River Basin on its agenda, most of which were

submitted by gas drillers. SRBC regulates water withdrawals within the basin through permitting. The commissioners approved 24 of those applications, denying one driller’s application and deferring another from an individual, and in doing so prompted angry shouts of “this proceeding is a joke,” and “you’re not taking our water.” The meeting closed with about a dozen protesters chanting an apparently prepared statement read from cards and nearly chasing commission members from the room. “Members of the Susquehanna River community, this is a crisis,” they chanted. “The Susquehanna River is being sacrificed. Natural gas drilling is poisoning our water. We know this. We will stop this. We have no choice. We will protect our water. We are here to help, and everyone must help. Our future depends on it. We honor the river; we honor our lives.”

CMYK

SPORTS

SECTION

timesleader.com

THE TIMES LEADER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

WBSPENGUINS

P E N N S TAT E F O O T B A L L

Scandal has damaged recruiting

Analysts say Nittany Lions are losing ground without permanent coach in place. By RUSTY MILLER AP Sports Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two prized Penn State recruits have already backed away from their verbal commitments and will go

but I just don’t think this is akin to a death penalty. “However, I do think in the short term it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” What was at one time considered a solid class of prospects — possibly among the 10 best in the nation — has no choice but to pin its future on the reassurance of what is expected to be a lameduck coaching staff. Meanwhile

stead of the ugly recent past, national recruiting analysts believe it will be difficult for the Nittany Lions to turn things around. “They’re going to need someone to come in and re-invigorate the fans,” said Scott Kennedy, director of scouting for Scout.com. “In today’s society, I don’t think this is as program-killing as people have talked about. Not to minimize what’s been going on there,

elsewhere, due to the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal hanging over the football program and the uncertainty over the Nittany Lions’ next head coach. More decommits may be on the way. As of Saturday, though, former Wyoming Valley West standout Eugene Lewis remained committed to the Nittany Lions. But until the focus shifts to the future in-

other programs are taking advantage of the lingering questions surrounding Penn State to spirit away players. Five-star defensive tackle prospect Tommy Schutt from Glen Ellyn, Ill., announced on Monday he was taking back his commitment to Penn State and now says he’s headed to Ohio State. OffenSee PSU, Page 5B

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING

NBA

Spartan effort ends in victory over Tigers

events, but we tell our kids all the time everybody on the team counts here. It’s a team sport and everybody counts.” Pawlenok underlined the efforts of freshmen Melissa Cruz, Mallory Kusakavitch and Stephanie McCole, all of whom scratched out seconds off their times. Cruz was part of a firstplace 400 free relay team that sealed the meet. Kusakavitch fought for third in the 100 breast. “On the other hand, our new kids made leaps and bounds toSee SWIMMING, Page 5B

See PENS, Page 5B

Clippers welcome Chris Paul

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul endured two weeks of sleepless nights, stressful days and at least one imploded trade before he finally found a new home with the Los Angeles Clippers. That’s just one reason the West Coast looks so good to the superstar point guard, who’s eager to start turning his new franchise into the greatest show in L.A. The Clippers formally introduced their new acquisition on Thursday night after he spent the day at their Playa Vista training complex. The longtime New Orleans guard tried on his new No. 3 jersey and met with Blake Griffin and the rest of his revitalized teammates, who can’t wait to catch the four-time All-Star’s passes. “This is not my day, by the way. This is the Clippers’ day,” Paul told an overflowing media crowd. “This is a humbling experience, and I’m so grateful and thankful to be here.” A day earlier, the Clippers acquired Paul in a four-player trade with the Hornets, outmaneuvering the Lakers and several other suitors for the players widely considered the NBA’s best point guard. Paul realizes his move is a bold endorsement of the long-struggling Clippers, who have been overshadowed by the 16-time champions for three decades in Southern California.

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Kandis Venn of Tunkhannock takes second in the 200-yard freestyle Thursday afternoon in a swim meet at Wyoming Valley West. The Spartans upended the Tigers 130-41.

Redeemer girls use their depth to sink Prep By JAY MONAHAN For The Times Leader

WILKES-BARRE – Battling what’s sure to be its top competition at the district level, Holy Redeemer girls swimming and diving coach Mara Pawlenok couldn’t help but highlight the youngest members of the team. The Royals’ depth panned out for the reigning District 2 Class 2A champions Thursday at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center. Redeemer utilized its depth and its youth for a 102-81 victory over Scranton Prep in

See PAUL, Page 5B

LIVE High School Basketball Tune into Service Electric’s Ch. 2 Saturday Dec. 17th - BOYS Coughlin @ Wyoming Seminary 2:30pm Monday Dec. 19th - GIRLS GAR @ Crestwood 7:15pm

For a complete schedule go to www.sectv.com

Wyoming Valley Conference interdivisional showdown. Redeemer’s boys team shared a similar outcome. After Prep crawled to within 10 points, the Royals managed to put away the Cavaliers in the final three races for a 95-71 victory, thanks to the efforts of some of their underclassmen. In the girls meet, Prep’s Mia Nonnenberg broke her District 2 record in the 200 IM with the time of 2:07.52. Her previous record time was 2:08.40. She also clocked in at 1:00.99 in the 100yard backstroke, defeating last

NaVorro Bowman

After an early-season victory, WBS has struggled in its last two chances against Crunch.

The last time Scott Munroe was in net to face the Syracuse Crunch, he allowed three goals on three shots and UP NEXT was pulled WBS Pens after the first at 10 minutes. Syracuse When he Crunch faces the 7:30 p.m. today Crunch again tonight in Syracuse, Munroe will be looking for redemption. So will the rest of the WilkesBarre/Scranton Penguins, who have lost their last two meetings against Syracuse while being outscored 12-7. “This has been a team that’s been a bit of a thorn in our side this year,” Munroe said. “Hopefully we’ll go in with a chip on our shoulder, get off to a real good start and set the tone for the game.” The Penguins won the first meeting against Syracuse 5-3 on Oct. 28, but after that they endured a 7-5 shellacking Nov. 23 followed by a 5-2 defeat Dec. 3. This time, however, the Penguins are riding a three-game winning streak and have a pair of netminders in Munroe and Brad Thiessen who have recently gotten their games back on track. Will it be enough to overcome a high-powered Syracuse team that has the second-best power play in the AHL? “We’ll see tonight,” head coach John Hynes said. “We struggled against them the last two games and we need a complete team effort. It’s not just on the goalie.” Still, Hynes said Munroe will get the start tonight – a move that shows confidence in the goaltender after his last outing against the Crunch. Munroe is ready to put the three-goals-on-three shots debacle behind him. His recent play – during which he posted a shutout and stopped 60 of the last 62 shots he faced –

AP PHOTO

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

Penguins are eager to solve Syracuse By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com

Chris Paul holds up his jersey during a news conference to introduce him.

After two weeks of turmoil, guard lands with less glamorous of two LA teams.

year’s district champion Julie Ann Mahle of Redeemer for her second individual win of the night. Facing arguably the fastest individual swimmers in the district, the Royals girls team managed a victory by consistently taking the second- and thirdplace points. Scranton Prep claimed the top spot in nine of the 12 races, forcing Pawlenok to rely on her team’s depth to pull out the victory. “Your depth counts in meets like this,” said Pawlenok. “They managed to win quite a few

NFL

Bowman making an impact with 49ers By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — NaVorro Bowman is no longer just San Francisco’s other inside linebacker, or the inexperienced young guy. When teamed with Patrick Willis, he gives the 49ers one of the most feared tandems at the position in the NFL. Opposing offenses can try to take Willis out of his game only to find they must also reckon with Bowman. The second-year pro out of Penn State has made huge strides for an attacking defense that is tops in the league at stopping the run and hasn’t given up a rushing touchdown this season. Bowman’s rise as a replacement for the

UP NEXT Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers 8:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN

and make plays that are our plays to make. Me and Pat, we think of ourselves as one of the best and we have to keep going out there and proving it every single Sunday.” Even with Willis nursing a right hamstring injury that kept him out of last Sunday’s 21-19 loss at Arizona, Bowman alone causes concern for other teams. The Steelers (10-3) know Bowman will bring it every snap Monday night at Candlestick Park regardless of whether Willis has returned. “Obviously, he’s a special player,” Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall said of Willis, “but they have a guy in Bowman who’s playing well.”

departed Takeo Spikes has meant so much for the playoff-bound 49ers (10-3). They’ve also gone 35 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Bowman’s team-leading 113 tackles are a significant jump from his 46 in 2010. He loves working alongside Willis as part of one of football’s best duos. “It is a huge accomplishment, a huge title that we can run with, but we don’t feed into those things,” Bowman said. “We just play our game out there, play within the scheme See BOWMAN, Page 5B

(570) 825-8508

Your Full Service Provider Offering the Latest in State-of-the-art Digital Cable, HDTV, Video on Demand, High Speed Internet and Telephone.

K PAGE 2B

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

INJURY REPORT: On the NFL board, Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson is probable and QB Christian Ponder is probable, Miami QB Matt Moore is questionable, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger is questionable. NFL O/U

Underdog

Saturday. 7

47.0

BUCS

46.5

Redskins

Ga Tech

Illinois

Vanderbilt

Utah Ucla

2.5

Cincinnati

Cowboys

GIANTS

Packers

45.5

CHIEFS

Houston

Saints

51.0

VIKINGS

Georgia

2.5

BEARS

3.5

35.5

Seahawks

S Carolina

BILLS

Dolphins

Florida

Ohio St

TEXANS

6.5

45.5

Panthers

Oregon

Wisconsin

Titans

6.5

41.5

COLTS

40.0

RAMS

Auburn

Sunday

Bengals Lions

48.0

RAIDERS

Patriots

5.5

6.5

46.0

BRONCOS

EAGLES

1.5

44.5

Jets

CARDS

6.5

37.5

Browns

Ravens

2.5

44.5

CHARGERS

Oklahoma St

Steelers

Michigan

1.5

Underdog

Clemson

3.5

Wyoming

Ohio U

Arkansas

Pittsburgh

5.5

Arkansas St

Lsu

KNICKS

Points PK

Celtics

Heat

2.5

MAVERICKS

La Tech

LAKERS THUNDER

Arizona St

WARRIORS

Underdog

Bulls

7.5

Magic

Clippers

College Basketball

December 24 6.5

Nevada

Favorite C MICHIGAN

December 26 3.5

N Carolina

December 27 Purdue

W Michigan

NC State

Louisville

December 28 Toledo

Air Force

Texas

California

December 29 Florida St

Notre Dame

Baylor

Washington

December 30 2.5

Tulsa

Iowa St

Miss St

6.5

Wake Forest

Oklahoma

15.5

Iowa

December 31 9.5

O/U

December 25

11.5

Texas A&M

Alabama

NBA

Marshall

December 22

Rutgers

No Illinois

Favorite

December 21

Byu

Smu

UL-Lafayette

4.5

Missouri

Kansas St

5.5

December 20

So Miss

W Virginia

January 6

January 9

Temple

Boise St

Va Tech

January 4

January 8

Utah St

Tcu

Stanford

January 7

Points

Fla Int’l

Nebraska

3.5

Saturday

San Diego St

Penn St Michigan St

January 3

College Football Favorite

Virginia

January 2

Monday 49ERS

Northwestern

T H I S W E E K E N D ’ S L O C A L C A L E N D A R Today's Events BOYS BASKETBALL (7:15 p.m. unless noted) Benton at Northwest Hughesville at Tunkhannock Nanticoke at Riverside Wyoming Area at Wyoming Seminary Lackawanna Trail Invitational Lake-Lehman vs. Laekland, 6:30 p.m. Lackawanna Trail vs. Mid Valley, 8 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL Lake Lehman at Dallas, 7:15 p.m. Wyoming Seminary at Wyoming Area, 7:15 p.m. Crestwood at Danville, 7:30 p.m. HS WRESTLING Crestwood at Blue Mountain Tournament Hazleton Area, Pittston Area at King of the Mountain Tournament Dallas at Jarvis Wildcat Memorial Tournament HS SWIMMING East Stroudsburg at Delaware Valley, 4 p.m. Lake Lehman at West Scranton, 4:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 17 BOYS BASKETBALL Coughlin at Wyoming Seminary, 2:15 p.m. Dallas at Carbondale, 2:30 p.m. GAR at Crestwood Hanover Area at Panther Valley Hazleton Area at Quakertown Holy Redeemer at Abington Heights Nanticoke at Berwick Pittston Area at Holy Cross Tunkhannock at Elk Lake, 3:30 p.m. Lackawanna Trail Invitational 6:30 p.m. consolation; 8 p.m. championship GIRLS BASKETBALL Berwick at Lake-Lehman, 2 p.m. Holy Redeemer at Dunmore, 2:15 p.m. MMI Prep at Col-Mont Vo-Tech, 2:15 p.m. Wyoming Seminary at Coughlin, 2:15 p.m. Wyoming Valley West at Nanticoke, 7:15 p.m. HS WRESTLING Berwick at Exeter Duals, 9 a.m. Coughlin at Phoenixville Tournament Wyoming Seminary at Beast of the East Hanover Area at Towanda Duals Hazleton Area, Pittston Area at King of the Mountain Tournament Wyoming Area at Valley View, 7 p.m. Tunkhannock at Wyoming Valley West, 1 p.m. Dallas at Jarvis Wildcat Memorial Tournament

SUNDAY, DEC. 18 HS WRESTLING Wyoming Seminary at Beast of the East COLLEGE MEN'S BASKETBALL Lebanon Valley at Misericordia, 2 p.m.

T R A N S A C T I O N S BASEBALL American League CLEVELAND INDIANS—Named Derek Falvey director of baseball operations (player personnel and acquisitions) and David Stearns director of baseball operations (contracts, strategy and analysis). MINNESOTA TWINS—Agreed to terms with OF Josh Willingham on a three-year contract. TEXAS RANGERS—Agreed to terms with RHP Fabio Castillo and C Chris Robinson on minor league contracts. National League HOUSTON ASTROS—Released OF-1B Nick Stavinoa from his minor league contract. NEW YORK METS—Agreed to terms with LHP Chuck James on a minor league contract. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES—Agreed to terms with LHP Dontrelle Willis on a one-year contract. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS—Agreed to terms with LHP J.C. Romero on a one-year contract.

BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association CHARLOTTE BOBCATS—Signed G Reggie Williams to a two-year contract. DALLAS MAVERICKS—Waived G Andy Rautins. DENVER NUGGETS—Signed F Michael Ruffin. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS—Signed F Dominic McGuire. MIAMI HEAT—Signed F Billy White. MILWAUKEE BUCKS—Signed F Jon Leuer. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES—Signed G Malcolm Lee to a three-year contract and G Bonzi Wells. NEW JERSEY NETS—Signed F Ime Udoka.

FOOTBALL

WASHINGTON REDSKINS—Placed S LaRon Landry on injured reserve.

◆ BUILDING TRUST The Times Leader strives to correct errors, clarify stories and update them promptly. Sports corrections will appear in this spot. If you have information to help us correct an inaccuracy or cover an issue more thoroughly, call the sports department at 829-7143.

NCAA MEN

By ROXY ROXBOROUGH

Open Curr

B A S K E T B A L L

AMERICA’S LINE

Favorite

Points

Underdog

8.5

Illinois-Chi

WASHINGTON

Cal-Santa Barb

E Carolina

NC-GREENSBORO

UTAH CALIFORNIA

Idaho St.

16.5

Weber St

NHL Favorite

Odds

Underdog

DEVILS

-130/ +110

Stars

PANTHERS

-165/ +145

Flames

Penguins

-130/ +110

SENATORS

SABRES

-135/ +115

Maple Leafs

BLACKHAWKS

-210/ +175

Ducks

Home teams in capital letters.

HOCKEY National Hockey League NHL—Fined Boston D Adam McQuaid $2,500 for kneeing Ottawa F Nick Foligno in a Dec. 4 game. BUFFALO SABRES—Signed F Kevin Sundher to a three-year contract. DETROIT RED WINGS—Recalled LW Tomas Tatar from Grand Rapids (AHL). NEW JERSEY DEVILS—Sent RW Nick Palmieri to Albany (AHL). NEW YORK ISLANDERS—Recalled D Calvin de Haan and G Kevin Poulin from Bridgeport (AHL). Placed G Rick DiPietro on injured reserve. PHOENIX COYOTES—Recalled D Chris Summers from Portland (AHL). American Hockey League BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS—Signed G Nick Niedert and D Wes Cunningham. CONNECTICUT WHALE—Recalled F Jeff Prough from Greenville (ECHL). PROVIDENCE BRUINS—Signed F Everett Sheen. SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE—Recalled F Angelo Esposito from Cincinnati (ECHL). Reassigned F David Marshall to Rio Grande Valley (CHL).

SOCCER

Major League Soccer COLUMBUS CREW—Signed G Matt Lampson to a multiyear contract. PORTLAND TIMBERS—Signed F Jose Adolfo Valencia.

W H A T ’ S

O N

T V

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 7 p.m. ESPN2 — NCAA, Division III, playoffs, championship game, Mount Union (Ohio) vs. WisconsinWhitewater, at Salem, Va. 8 p.m. ESPN — NCAA, FCS, playoffs, semifinal, Montana at Sam Houston St.

GOLF

3 p.m. TGC — Ladies European Tour, Dubai Ladies Masters, third round, at Dubai, United Arab Emirates (same-day tape) 8:30 p.m. TGC — PGA Tour Australasia, JBWere Masters, third round, at Cheltenham, Australia 1:30 a.m. TGC — Asian Tour, Thailand Championship, third round, at Bangkok

PREP FOOTBALL

1 p.m. FSN — FHSAA Class 5A, playoffs, championship game, teams TBD, at Orlando, Fla. 9 p.m. FSN — UIL 4A Division I, playoffs, championship game, teams TBD, at Arlington, Texas

Thursday's Scores MIDWEST Akron 87, Ark.-Pine Bluff 64 Bethany (WV) 68, Olivet 46 Findlay 84, Tiffin 65 Missouri 104, Kennesaw St. 67 Nebraska-Omaha 87, Haskell Indian Nations 65 North Dakota 89, S. Dakota St. 70 Northwestern 81, Texas Southern 51 Rose-Hulman 92, Eureka 70 Wayne (Mich.) 73, Ohio Dominican 51 Wisconsin 66, Savannah St. 33 SOUTH Belmont 78, Troy 55 Bethel (Tenn.) 80, Wilberforce 72 LSU 66, UC Irvine 59 Murray St. 89, Lipscomb 65 Northwestern St. 76, Louisiana-Monroe 63 Pikeville 95, Indiana-Southeast 66 St. Andrews 114, Mars Hill 98 UNC Asheville 109, Montreat 61 William & Mary 70, Wesley 47 Winthrop 59, Jacksonville 45 SOUTHWEST Jackson St. 59, SMU 58 South Alabama 66, Texas A&M-CC 64 Texas-Pan American 65, Wentworth Tech 48 Top 25 Schedule All Times EST Today's Games No games scheduled Saturday's Games No. 1 Syracuse at NC State, 6:30 p.m. No. 2 Ohio State at South Carolina, Noon No. 3 Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 8 p.m. No. 4 Louisville vs. Memphis, 4 p.m. No. 5 North Carolina vs. Appalachian State, 6 p.m. No. 6 Baylor at BYU, 2 p.m. No. 11 Marquette vs. Northern Colorado, 4 p.m. No. 13 Florida vs. No. 22 Texas A&M at BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, Fla., 2:30 p.m. No. 15 Pittsburgh vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m. No. 16 Georgetown vs. American, Noon No. 17 Mississippi State at Detroit, Noon No. 18 Indiana vs. Notre Dame at Conseco Fieldhouse, 4:30 p.m. No. 19 Illinois vs. UNLV at the United Center, 5 p.m. No. 20 Michigan vs. Alabama A&M, Noon No. 21 Michigan State vs. Bowling Green, 7 p.m. No. 23 Alabama vs. Kansas State at the Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo., 10 p.m. No. 24 Murray State vs. Arkansas State, 8 p.m. No. 25 Creighton vs. Houston Baptist, 8:05 p.m. No. 25 Vanderbilt vs. Indiana State, 5:30 p.m. Sunday's Games No. 8 Xavier vs. Oral Roberts, 1 p.m. No. 9 UConn vs. Holy Cross at the XL Center, Hartford, Conn., 1 p.m. No. 10 Missouri vs. William & Mary, 3 p.m.

NCAA WOMEN Thursday's Scores SOUTH Chattanooga 75, Belmont 42 Jacksonville 87, Jacksonville St. 74 Kentucky Wesleyan 77, McKendree 59 Lenoir-Rhyne 88, St. Andrews 33 Liberty 82, Virginia Union 37 Marshall 62, Longwood 48 Richmond 72, NC State 58 Troy 60, Alabama St. 53 UAB 57, Alabama A&M 46 William & Mary 74, NC A&T 68 Young Harris 58, Converse 32 MIDWEST Adrian 47, Albion 37 Chicago 80, Olivet 36 Ill.-Chicago 49, N. Illinois 47 Louisville 64, Cincinnati 59 Northwestern 87, Morgan St. 74 Northwestern Ohio 98, Goshen 66 Wis.-Eau Claire 76, Wis.-Superior 38 Wis.-LaCrosse 61, St. Mary’s (Minn.) 49 Wis.-River Falls 69, Wis.-Stout 38 Wis.-Stevens Pt. 71, Wis.-Whitewater 50 Top 25 Schedule Today's Games No. 7 Miami vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m. No. 23 DePaul vs. Arizona State, 8 p.m. Saturday's Games No. 4 Stanford vs. Princeton, 4 p.m. No. 6 Tennessee at UCLA, 5 p.m. No. 12 Ohio State at California, 5 p.m. No. 14 Louisville at Portland, 5 p.m. No. 15 Texas Tech vs. Illinois at the United Center, 2 p.m. No. 24 Texas vs. North Texas, 8 p.m. Sunday's Games No. 1 Baylor vs. No. 2 UConn, 8:30 p.m. No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Kentucky, 1 p.m. No. 10 Texas A&M vs. Southern Cal, 3 p.m. No. 11 Rutgers vs. Iona, 2 p.m. No. 16 Penn State vs. Wagner, 1 p.m. No. 18 North Carolina vs. South Carolina at the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Convention Center, 3 p.m. No. 20 Vanderbilt at N.C. State, 2 p.m. No. 22 Purdue at Auburn, 3 p.m. No. 25 Nebraska vs. Vermont, 3:05 p.m.

F O O T B A L L NFL At A Glance All Times EST AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pct New England ......................... 10 3 0 .769 N.Y. Jets................................. 8 5 0 .615 Buffalo .................................... 5 8 0 .385 Miami ...................................... 4 9 0 .308 South W L T Pct y-Houston............................. 10 3 0 .769 Tennessee ........................... 7 6 0 .538 Jacksonville ......................... 4 10 0 .286 Indianapolis.......................... 0 13 0 .000 North W L T Pct Baltimore ................................ 10 3 0 .769 Pittsburgh ............................... 10 3 0 .769 Cincinnati................................ 7 6 0 .538 Cleveland ............................... 4 9 0 .308 West W L T Pct Denver..................................... 8 5 0 .615 Oakland ................................... 7 6 0 .538 San Diego ............................... 6 7 0 .462 Kansas City............................. 5 8 0 .385 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pct N.Y. Giants.............................. 7 6 0 .538 Dallas ...................................... 7 6 0 .538 Philadelphia............................ 5 8 0 .385 Washington ............................ 4 9 0 .308 South W L T Pct x-New Orleans....................... 10 3 0 .769 Atlanta..................................... 9 5 0 .643 Carolina .................................. 4 9 0 .308 Tampa Bay ............................. 4 9 0 .308

PF 396 327 288 256

PA 274 270 341 246

PF 330 266 207 184

PA 208 251 293 382

PF 320 282 285 178

PA 202 198 270 254

PF 269 290 324 173

PA 302 354 299 305

PF 324 317 297 229

PA 349 281 292 290

PF 415 341 313 232

PA 286 281 355 370

North W L T Pct PF y-Green Bay ....................... 13 0 0 1.000 466 Detroit ................................. 8 5 0 .615 367 Chicago .............................. 7 6 0 .538 301 Minnesota .......................... 2 11 0 .154 274 West W L T Pct PF y-San Francisco................... 10 3 0 .769 307 Seattle ................................... 6 7 0 .462 246 Arizona ................................. 6 7 0 .462 253 St. Louis ............................... 2 11 0 .154 153 x-clinched playoff spot; y-clinched division Thursday's Game Atlanta 41, Jacksonville 14 Saturday's Game Dallas at Tampa Bay, 8:20 p.m. Sunday's Games New Orleans at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Seattle at Chicago, 1 p.m. Cincinnati at St. Louis, 1 p.m. Carolina at Houston, 1 p.m. Green Bay at Kansas City, 1 p.m. Tennessee at Indianapolis, 1 p.m. Miami at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Washington at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Detroit at Oakland, 4:05 p.m. New England at Denver, 4:15 p.m. Cleveland at Arizona, 4:15 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m. Baltimore at San Diego, 8:20 p.m. Monday's Game Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22 Houston at Indianapolis, 8:20 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24 Oakland at Kansas City, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1 p.m. St. Louis at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m. Denver at Buffalo, 1 p.m. Tampa Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m. Minnesota at Washington, 1 p.m. Cleveland at Baltimore, 1 p.m. Miami at New England, 1 p.m. N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. Arizona at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. San Diego at Detroit, 4:05 p.m. San Francisco at Seattle, 4:15 p.m. Philadelphia at Dallas, 4:15 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 25 Chicago at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26 Atlanta at New Orleans, 8:30 p.m.

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

PA 278 305 255 364 PA 182 259 288 326

Falcons 41, Jaguars 14 Jacksonville...................... 0 0 7 7 — 14 Atlanta ............................... 10 17 14 0 — 41 First Quarter Atl—Jones 29 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 10:51. Atl—FG Bryant 33, 3:18. Second Quarter Atl—Turner 5 run (Bryant kick), 13:03. Atl—White 6 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 1:49. Atl—FG Bryant 31, :00. Third Quarter Atl—Peters 13 fumble return (Bryant kick), 13:33. Atl—White 29 pass from Ryan (Bryant kick), 6:38. Jac—Potter 46 blocked punt return (Scobee kick), 2:12. Fourth Quarter Jac—West 16 pass from Gabbert (Scobee kick), :59. Jac Atl First downs ........................... 12 20 Total Net Yards .................... 207 373 Rushes-yards ....................... 19-116 35-97 Passing.................................. 91 276 Punt Returns......................... 1-0 4-28 Kickoff Returns..................... 6-143 2-53 Interceptions Ret.................. 0-0 1-21 Comp-Att-Int ......................... 12-22-1 24-32-0 Sacked-Yards Lost .............. 5-50 1-4 Punts...................................... 7-43.4 5-40.8 Fumbles-Lost........................ 3-3 0-0 Penalties-Yards.................... 5-40 4-31 Time of Possession ............. 21:29 38:31 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING—Jacksonville, Jones-Drew 17-112, Gabbert 1-5, D.Harris 1-(minus 1). Atlanta, Turner 19-61, Snelling 5-22, Rodgers 8-10, Jones 1-6, Redman 2-(minus 2). PASSING—Jacksonville, Gabbert 12-22-1-141. Atlanta, Ryan 19-26-0-224, Redman 5-6-0-56. RECEIVING—Jacksonville, West 3-38, Lewis 3-30, Price 2-39, Dillard 2-12, Cloherty 1-21, JonesDrew 1-1. Atlanta, White 10-135, Jones 5-85, Snelling 4-26, Turner 2-4, Gonzalez 1-14, Douglas 1-12, Rodgers 1-4.

NCAA Division II Football Playoff Glance Second Round Saturday, Nov. 26 New Haven 44, Kutztown 37 North Greenville 58, at Mars Hill 32 Northwest Missouri State 38, Midwestern State 31 Wayne State (Mich.) 38, Nebraska-Kearney 20 Winston-Salem 35, California (Pa.) 28 Delta State 42, North Alabama 14 Pittsburg State 31, Washburn 22 Minnesota-Duluth 24, Colorado State-Pueblo 21 Quarterfinals Saturday, Dec. 3 Winston-Salem 27, New Haven 7 Wayne State (Mich.) 31, Minnesota-Duluth 25 Delta State 28, North Greenville 23 Pittsburg State 41, Northwest Missouri State 16 Semifinals Saturday, Dec. 10 Wayne State 21, Winston-Salem 14 Pittsburg State 49, Delta State 23 Championship Saturday, Dec. 17 At Braly Municipal Stadium Florence, Ala. Wayne State (12-3) vs. Pittsburg State (12-1), 11 a.m. Division III Football Playoff Glance All Times EST First Round Saturday, Nov. 19 Franklin 24, Thomas More 21 Kean 34, Christopher Newport 10 Salisbury 62, Western New England 24 St. John Fisher 23, Johns Hopkins 12 Delaware Valley 62, Norwich 10 Wesley 35, Hobart 28 Wabash 38, Illinois College 20 Centre 51, Hampden-Sydney 41 Mount Union 47, Benedictine (Ill.) 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater 59, Albion 0 St. Thomas (Minn.) 48, St. Scholastica 2 Monmouth (Ill.) 33, Illinois-Wesleyan 27 Mary Hardin-Baylor 34, Redlands 13 McMurry 25, Trinity (Texas) 16 North Central (Ill.) 59, Dubuque 13 Linfield 30, Cal Lutheran 27 Second Round Saturday, Nov. 26 Salisbury 49, Kean 47 St. John Fisher 27, Delaware Valley 14 Mount Union 30, Centre 10 Wabash 29, North Central (Ill.) 28 Wesley 49, Linfield 34 Wisconsin-Whitewater 41, Franklin 14 St. Thomas (Minn.) 38, Monmouth (Ill.) 10 Mary Hardin-Baylor 49, McMurry 20 Quarterfinals Saturday, Dec. 3 Mount Union 20, Wabash 8 Wisconsin-Whitewater 34, Salisbury 14 St. Thomas (Minn.) 45, St. John Fisher 10 Wesley 27, Mary Hardin-Baylor 24

G O L F Thailand Golf Championship Thursday's Scores At Amata Spring Country Club Bangkok Purse: $1 million Yardage: 7,322; Par: 72 First Round Lee Westwood, England..........................29-31—60 John Daly, United States .........................34-31—65 Gregory Bourdy, France ..........................34-34—68 Thaworn Wiratchant, Thailand.................34-34—68 Charl Schwartzel, South Africa...............36-33—69 Michael Thompson, United States .........34-35—69 Jbe Kruger, South Africa .........................36-33—69 Chris Rodgers, England...........................33-36—69 Antonio Lascuna, Philippines..................35-34—69 Kwanchai Tannin, Thailand .....................36-33—69 Adam Groom, Australia............................34-35—69 Scott Hend, Australia................................36-33—69 Kodai Ichihara, Japan ..............................34-35—69 Simon Dyson, England ............................35-34—69 Lu Chien-soon, Taiwan ............................36-33—69 Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand ....................33-37—70 Tommy Fleetwood, England ...................35-35—70 Panuwat Muenlek, Thailand.....................36-34—70 Ryo Ishikawa, Japan.................................34-36—70 Gaganjeet Bhullar, India ..........................32-38—70 Tim Stewart, Australia ..............................35-35—70 Lam Zhiqun, Singapore............................37-33—70 Lee Sung, South Korea ...........................36-34—70 Baek Seuk-hyun, South Korea................36-34—70 Miles Tunnicliff, England..........................36-34—70 Wang Ter-chang, Taiwan.........................36-34—70 Atthaphon Prathummanee, Thailand......36-35—71 Darren Clarke, Northern Ireland .............40-31—71 Ross Bain, Scotland..................................35-36—71 Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Japan...........................36-35—71 Keith Horne, South Africa ........................35-36—71 Alex Cejka, Germany ...............................35-36—71 Charley Hoffman, United States .............35-36—71

C O L L E G E W R E S T L I N G Division I NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll (updated Dec. 13) Record Pts Pvs 1. Iowa ..................................... 6-0 248 1 2. Okla. State .......................... 3-0 242 2 3. Minnesota ........................... 4-2 224 3 4. Cornell................................. 1-0 219 4 5. Penn State ......................... 3-1 212 5 6. Ohio State ........................... 6-0 202 6 7. Illinois .................................. 6-1 188 7 8. Michigan.............................. 2-1 173 8 9. Pittsburgh ........................... 3-1 158 9 10. Oklahoma ......................... 3-1 153 11 11. Lehigh ............................... 5-3 148 10 12. Missouri ............................ 4-1 142 12 13. Maryland ........................... 8-0 131 13 T14. Virginia Tech.................. 3-1 106 15 T14. Oregon State.................. 4-1 106 16 16. Nebraska .......................... 5-0 92 21 17. Rutgers ............................. 5-1 89 17 18. Northwestern ................... 3-0 83 19 19. Central Mich..................... 7-2 77 18 20. Wyoming........................... 0-1 74 14 21. Kent State ......................... 2-4 49 20 22. Virginia .............................. 2-1 47 T22 23. Binghamton ...................... 7-0 32 T22 24. Edinboro ........................... 0-1 16 25 25. Hofstra .............................. 2-0 14 NR Dropped out: No. 24 Penn Others receiving votes: American, Arizona State, Boston, Cal Poly, Penn Purdue, Old Dominion Division III Brute-Adidas NWCA Poll (updated Dec. 14) Record Pvs 1. Wartburg ....................................... 4-1 1 2. Wisconsin-La Crosse.................. 11-0 2 3. Coe ................................................ 2-1 3 4. Ithaca............................................. 6-0 4 5. Cornell (Iowa)............................... 5-2 5 6. St. John’s (Minn.)......................... 3-2 6 7. Augustburg ................................... 1-0 7 8. Cortland St.................................... 6-0 8 9. Olivet ............................................. 4-1 13 10. Elmhurst ..................................... 5-0 12 11. Luther .......................................... 1-1 20 12. York ............................................. 8-2 22 13. Concordia-Moorehead ............. 2-0 9 14. Wilkes......................................... 5-3 11 15. SUNY Brockport ........................ 1-0 16 16. Dubuque ..................................... 0-0 14 17. Wisconsin-Oshkosh .................. 1-0 29 18. Wisconsin-Whitewater .............. 6-5 15 19. Messiah ...................................... 3-2 21 20. Stevens Institute........................ 6-0 18 21. TCNJ ........................................... 2-1 24 22. Johnson & Wales ...................... 5-0 NR 23. Springfield (Mass.) .................... 1-0 30 24. Mount Union............................... 1-0 10 25. Centenary................................... 2-2 19 26. Ohio Northern ............................ 3-3 23 27. Thiel............................................. 1-1 26 28. Wisconsin-Stevens Point ......... 1-4 25 29. North Central.............................. 4-3 17 30. Wabash....................................... 0-0 28

H O C K E Y NHL At A Glance All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Philadelphia ................. 30 20 7 3 43 110 85 N.Y. Rangers ............... 28 17 7 4 38 83 61 Pittsburgh ..................... 31 17 10 4 38 95 79 New Jersey .................. 30 16 13 1 33 79 86 N.Y. Islanders .............. 29 9 14 6 24 67 96 Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston.......................... 30 20 9 1 41 102 61 Toronto ........................ 30 16 11 3 35 93 95 Buffalo.......................... 30 15 12 3 33 81 82 Montreal....................... 32 13 12 7 33 82 84 Ottawa .......................... 32 14 14 4 32 96 112 Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Florida ........................... 31 16 9 6 38 84 80 Winnipeg....................... 30 14 12 4 32 84 93 Washington .................. 29 15 13 1 31 89 94 Tampa Bay.................... 31 13 16 2 28 84 105 Carolina......................... 33 10 18 5 25 84 113 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Chicago........................ 31 19 8 4 42 103 95 Detroit .......................... 30 19 10 1 39 96 67 St. Louis....................... 29 17 9 3 37 71 62 Nashville ...................... 31 16 11 4 36 83 83 Columbus .................... 31 9 18 4 22 74 102 Northwest Division

Stoners win Luzerne County Cup U11 division

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

1 p.m. PCN — PIAA Class A final, Clairton vs. Southern Columbia 7 p.m. PCN — PIAA Class 3A final, Archbishop Wood vs. Bishop McDevitt

NHL

7 p.m. PLUS — Dallas at New Jersey 7:30 p.m. ROOT — Pittsburgh at Ottawa

AHL At A Glance All Times EST EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Manchester ............. 29 17 10 0 2 36 78 74 St. John’s ................ 26 15 7 4 0 34 94 81 Worcester ............... 23 11 6 3 3 28 62 58 Portland ................... 26 12 11 1 2 27 68 79 Providence.............. 28 10 15 1 2 23 60 90 East Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Penguins................ 27 15 7 1 4 35 84 71 Hershey................... 26 14 7 3 2 33 94 77 Norfolk ..................... 27 16 10 0 1 33 98 78 Syracuse ................. 25 12 10 2 1 27 83 83 Binghamton ............ 28 9 17 1 1 20 63 86 Northeast Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Connecticut............. 26 15 8 1 2 33 83 76 Adirondack.............. 25 14 9 1 1 30 76 65 Albany...................... 26 12 10 3 1 28 63 79 Bridgeport ............... 26 11 11 3 1 26 77 87 Springfield............... 26 12 13 1 0 25 76 75 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Charlotte ................. 28 15 11 1 1 32 75 73 Milwaukee ............... 23 15 7 0 1 31 73 62 Chicago ................... 25 12 9 1 3 28 68 68 Peoria ...................... 28 12 14 1 1 26 87 88 Rockford.................. 26 10 13 1 2 23 83 95 North Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Toronto.................... 26 15 7 3 1 34 82 71 Rochester ............... 26 11 11 3 1 26 70 74 Lake Erie................. 27 12 13 1 1 26 64 70 Grand Rapids ......... 26 11 12 1 2 25 81 82 Hamilton .................. 26 10 13 1 2 23 54 79 West Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Oklahoma City........ 27 19 7 0 1 39 82 60 Houston................... 27 15 4 2 6 38 79 65 Abbotsford .............. 27 18 8 1 0 37 69 61 San Antonio ............ 26 12 14 0 0 24 59 76 Texas....................... 24 11 12 0 1 23 71 73 NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss. Thursday's Games Chicago 2, Charlotte 1 Today's Games Chicago at Charlotte, 7 p.m. Bridgeport at Connecticut, 7 p.m. Worcester at Albany, 7 p.m. St. John’s at Manchester, 7 p.m. Adirondack at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m. Springfield at Providence, 7:05 p.m. Grand Rapids at Lake Erie, 7:30 p.m. Penguins at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. Hershey at Norfolk, 7:30 p.m. Toronto at Milwaukee, 8 p.m. Rochester at San Antonio, 8 p.m. Peoria at Rockford, 8:05 p.m. Texas at Houston, 8:35 p.m. Hamilton at Abbotsford, 10 p.m.

BULLETIN BOARD CAMPS The Paul McGloin Pitching Camp will be held at Riverfront Sports on Dec. 26, 27, and 28 from 9:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Cost is $145. For more information call 570-878-8483 or visit www.electriccitybaeball.com. The Misericordia University Baseball Academy’s Winter Camp will be held in the Anderson Center on Misericordia campus, beginning Jan. 15 and running for five consecutive Sundays. Cost is $95. Registration online at athletics.misericrdia.edu. The Third Annual Electric City Baseball and Softball Academy Winter Hitting League will be held at Connell Park with session one beginning Jan. 8 and session two on Feb. 5. Each session meets four consecutive Sundays. Cost is $125 per player. For more information call 878-8483 or visit www.electriccitybaseball.com LEAGUES Back Mountain Youth Soccer will host an indoor soccer league beginning Jan. 13 through March for ages U6 to high school age at the Penn State Lehman Campus gym. Games will be played on weekends. All area intramural and travel teams are welcome. Individual players seeking a team can sign up online as well. Divisions will be set to ensure fair competition. More information and sign up sheets are available online at www.bmysa.org. Registration closes Dec. 31st. The Electric City Baseball & Softball Academy Winter Hitting League will be held at Connell Park with session one beginning January 8 and session two on February 5. Each session meets for four consecutive Sundays. Cost is $125 per player. For more information, call 5878-8483 or www.electriccitybaseball.com. MEETINGS Pittston Area Football Booster Club hosts its next booster club meeting Monday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Cefalo Center. Among the items on the agenda for this meeting are election of officers for 2012 booster club and final preparations for football banquet. All parents of players and prospective players are welcome to attend and vote. The date of the booster banquet has been rescheduled to Jan. 15.

B O X I N G Fight Schedule Dec. 17 At Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J. (SHO), Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch, 12, for Froch’s WBC Super World and WBC super middleweight titles; Bowie Tupou vs. Donnell Holmes, 10, heavyweights. Dec. 23 At Bangkok, Thailand, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam vs. Hirotumi Mukai, 12, for Wonjongkam’s WBC flyweight title; Adrian Hernandez vs. Kompayak Porpramook, 12, for Hernandez’s WBC junior flyweight title. Dec. 30 At Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, Calif. (SHO), Andre Dirrell vs. Darryl Cunningham, 10, super middleweights; Jermain Taylor vs. Jessie Nicklow, 10, middleweights. Dec. 31 At Yokohama, Japan, Takashi Uchiyama vs. Jorge Solis, 12, for Uchiyama’s WBA World junior lightweight title; Celestino Caballero vs. Satoshi Hosono, 12, for Caballero’s WBA World featherweight title. At Osaka, Japan, Kazuto Ioka vs. Yedgoen TorChalermchai, 12, for Ioka’s WBC strawweight title. At Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center (SHO), Tavoris Cloud vs. Zsolt Erdei, 12, for Cloud’s IBF light heavyweight title; Rico Ramos vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux, 12, for Ramos’ WBA World junior featherweight title. Jan. 6 At Key West, Fla. (ESPN2), Dyah Davis vs. Alfonso Lopez, 10, super middleweights. At Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, Indio, Calif. (SHO), Luis Ramos Jr. vs. Raymundo Beltran, 10, lightweights. Jan. 7 At Heredia, Costa Rica, Bryan Vazquez vs. Eugenio Lopez, 12, for Vazquez’s interim WBA World super featherweight title.

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Minnesota .................... 32 20 8 4 44 83 70 Vancouver .................... 31 18 11 2 38 101 77 Edmonton..................... 30 14 13 3 31 83 80 Calgary ......................... 31 14 14 3 31 78 87 Colorado....................... 31 14 16 1 29 82 94 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Dallas ............................. 30 18 11 1 37 77 80 San Jose........................ 28 15 10 3 33 78 68 Phoenix.......................... 30 15 12 3 33 78 80 Los Angeles .................. 31 14 13 4 32 67 71 Anaheim ........................ 30 9 16 5 23 71 96 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Thursday's Games Dallas 3, N.Y. Islanders 2 Carolina 4, Vancouver 3 Los Angeles 2, Columbus 1 Philadelphia 4, Montreal 3 Tampa Bay 5, Calgary 4, OT Nashville 4, Detroit 3 N.Y. Rangers at St. Louis, late Washington at Winnipeg, late Edmonton at Phoenix, late Colorado at San Jose, late Today's Games Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Calgary at Florida, 7:30 p.m. Dallas at New Jersey, 8 p.m. Anaheim at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

REGISTRATIONS/TRYOUTS Moosic Mets Baseball 17U Showcase Team is now accepting online registrations for their upcoming winter tryout for the 2012 summer/ fall season. Varsity level players graduating in years 2015 to 2013 are eligible. For more information and to register, visit www.moosicmets.net.

Greater Pittston Stoners U11 girls soccer team finished in first place in the Luzerne County Cup soccer tournament. The Stoners defeated Back Mountain 3-1 to win the championship. Team members, first row, from left: Grace Mimnaugh, Luchia Carabetta, Aleah Kranson. Second row: Ana Marotti, Jenna Chackan, Kaitlynne Patla, Mollee Feeney, Stephanie Palovchak. Third row: Jamie Shields, Delaney Kutchkus, Alysha Smigiel, Lauren Kelly, Nicole Mayers, Emily Miller, Emily Bellanco. Fourth row: Coaches Chad Kranson, Jason Carabetta, Jim Kelly. Absent: Skylar Norton.

Bulletin Board items will not be accepted over the telephone. Items may be faxed to 831-7319, emailed to tlsports@timesleader.com or dropped off at the Times Leader or mailed to Times Leader, c/o Sports, 15 N, Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711-0250.

CMYK ➛

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 3B

HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

H I G H S C H O O L B OYS BAS K E T BA L L

Valley View defeats shorthanded Hawks

Missouri rolls to an easy win

The Times Leader staff

ARCHBALD – Valley View took advantage of seven Hanover Area forfeits to pick up a 52-30 victory over the Hawkeyes on Thursday in a non-conference wrestling meet. Hanover Area’s Shane Elick (126 pounds), Chris Jones (138), Brian Belcher (145) and Dominic Vitale (152) all picked up falls as the team won four of the six contested bouts.

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Ricardo Ratliffe and Michael Dixon had 18 points each and No. 10 Missouri shot 60 percent from the field in a 104-67 rout of Kennesaw State on Thursday night. Marcus Denmon added 17 points and Phil Pressey had nine points and 10 assists for the Tigers (10-0), unbeaten after the first 10 games for the first time since an 11-0 start in 1991-92. They extended their homecourt non-conference winning streak to 65 games. Freshman Delbert Love had a career-best 27 points with five 3-pointers for Kennesaw State (2-6), which has lost four straight. Markeith Cummings had 17 points and six rebounds before fouling out with 3:49 to go. Frank Haith became the first Missouri coach to win his first 10 games since 1920-21. Wisconsin 66, Savannah St. 33

MADISON, Wis. — Jared Berggren scored 13 points to lead four Wisconsin players in double figures. Playing for the last time before final exams begin, the Badgers (10-2) used runs of 11-0 and 11-2 in the first half to push their lead to 30-10 with 4 minutes left. The Tigers (4-8) looked like they might give Wisconsin a challenge early in the second half. They cut the lead to 15 points twice, the last time at 41-26 with just under 14 minutes to go. But Wisconsin went on a 23-4 run over the next 12 minutes. Cedric Smith and Arnold Lewis led the Tigers with eight points each. Ryan Evans and Jordan Taylor both scored 12 points for the Badgers, while Josh Gasser had 10. Murray St. 89, Lipscomb 65

MURRAY, Ky. — Ed Daniel and Ivan Aska both scored 16 points and Murray State won its first game as a ranked team in 13 years. The Racers (10-0) have Steve Prohm off to the best start for a rookie coach in Murray State history. Isaiah Canaan added 13 points for the Racers, who won their 14th straight non-conference game, a streak dating to February 2009. The Racers, who forced Lipscomb into 23 turnovers, had 15 steals and 25 assists. Malcom Smith led the Bisons (6-6) with 13 points, while Robert Boyd added nine. Belmont 78, Troy 55

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Drew Hanlen scored 15 points, all coming on 3-pointers, to lead Belmont over Troy 78-55 Thursday night for the Bruins’ seventh win in eight games. Ian Clark and J.J. Mann added 14 points apiece for Belmont (7-3), which shot 14 of 30 (46.7 percent) on 3-pointers in the win. Clark hit four 3s, while Mann knocked down two of his own. The Trojans were just 3 of 16 (18.8 percent) from long range. Troy led 14-12 midway through the opening half. It would be the Trojans’ last lead, as Blake Jenkins dropped in a layup that sparked a 7-0 run for the Bruins. They led the rest of the way, taking a seven-point advantage at the break and outscoring Troy 44-28 to seal it in the second. Will Weathers had 18 points to lead Troy (4-5) and Alan Jones had 15.

106 – Michael Canevari (VV) won by forfeit; 113 – Nick Chesko (VV) won by forfeit; 120 – John Joyce (VV) pinned Ian Murphy :33; 126 – Shane Elick (Han) pinned Matt Judge 1:36; 132 – Dylan Catapne (VV) won by forfeit; 138 – Chris Jones (Han) pinned Joe Seymour 1:46; 145 – Brian Belcher (Han) pinned Frank Swaha 2:20; 152 – Dominic Vitale (Han) pinned Aishan Artar 1:26; 160 – Michael Cipilewski (VV) maj dec Anthony Eck 12-2; 170 – Nicholas Krehel (VV) won by forfeit; 182 – Troy Uhrin (VV) won by forfeit; 195 – Kevin Kozlowski (VV) won by forfeit; 220 – Dillon Ropietski (Han) won by forfeit; 285 – Michael Galantini (VV) won by forfeit

Muncy 43, Benton 27 DON CAREY/TIMES LEADER

Eugene Lewis of Meyers brings in a rebound during a game with Crestwood Thursday.

Meyers tops Crestwood The Times Leader staff

WRIGHT TWP. – Eugene Lewis scored nine points in his Meyers debut as the Mohawks defeated Crestwood 41-32 Thursday night in high school boys basketball. Lewis was officially cleared to play for Meyers a day earlier by the District 2 Athletic Committee after a hearing involving his transfer from Wyoming Valley West. However, it was two returning starters who led a fourth quarter where Meyers outscored the Comets 19-9. Rasheed Moore had six of his 14 points, while Ryan Krawczeniuk added five of his 10. Chris Fazzini paced Crestwood with nine points.

MEYERS (41): Smth 2 0-0 6, Pape 1 0-0 2, Krawczeniuk 3 2-3 10, Moore 6 2-2 14, Lewis 3 3-6 9, Walters 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 7-11 41. CRESTWOOD (32): Gallagher 3 0-0 7, Jones 0 0-0 0, Judge 2 0-0 5, Roberts 1 0-0 3, J.Fazzini 4 0-0 8, C.Fazzini 3 3-4 9, Cole 0 0-0 0, Prohaska 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 3-4 32. Meyers .......................................... 6 7 9 19 — 41 Crestwood .................................... 4 15 4 9 — 32 3-Point Field Goals— MEY 4 (Smith 2, Krawczeniuk 2); CRE 3 (Gallagher, Judge, Roberts).

GAR 53, Williamsport 47 Matt Sharpe scored five of his game-high 12 points in the fourth quarter to help GAR to a victory. Shaliek Powell and Christian Skrepenak added 10 each for the Grenadiers, who outscored Williamsport 29-19 in the second half.

WILLIAMSPORT (47): Dinkins 3 0-0 6, Knough 2 1-2 5, Thomas 4 0-0 8, Stelly 0 0-0 0, Gardner 0 0-0 0, Dowling 1 0-0 2, Washington 4 1-2 10, Watson 4 0-2 9, Coleman 0 0-0 0, Kinley 2 3-4 7. Totals 20 5-10 47. GAR (53): Francis 3 0-1 6, Crawford 3 0-0 9, Sharpe 3 6-9 12, Ellis 2 1-2 6, Powell 4 2-4 10, Skrepenak 5 0-1 10, Dempsey 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 9-17 53. Williamsport ............................. 10 18 10 9 — 47 home ......................................... 13 11 15 14 — 53 3-Point Field Goals— WIL 2 (Washington Watson); GAR 4 (Crawford 3, Ellis).

Abington Heights 51, Tunkhannock 20 Patrick Calvey and John

Vassil each scored 10 points to way, while Eric May notched help the visiting Comets to the 12 of his own. Shari Connahan tallied a victory. game-high 17 points for MiddJames Hawk’s seven points West. paced the Tigers. ABINGTON HEIGHTS (51): Salmon 0 0-0 0, Show 3 0-1 6, Calvey 4 1-2 10, Elwell 3 2-2 8, Henzes 1 0-0 2, McCoy 0 0-0 0, Vassil 5 0-2 10, Coldwater 0 0-0 0, Eugan 0 0-0 0, Bamford 2 0-0 4, Murray 1 1-2 5, Maxwell 4 0-0 8. Totals 23 4-9 51. TUNKHANNOCK (20): Christy 0 0-0 0, Alguire 1 0-0 2, Laner 0 0-0 0, Faux 0 0-0 0, DeWitt 1 1-2 3, Yanora 0 0-0 0, Franklin 1 0-0 2, Stephenson 0 2-2 2, Hawk 3 1-4 7, Bevan 2 0-0 4, Kristunas 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 4-8 20. Abington Heights......................... 7 21 5 18 — 51 Tunkhannock................................ 5 6 6 3 — 20 3-Point Field Goals— AH 1 (Calvey); TUN none

MIDD-WEST (36): Brummet 2 0-0 4, Folk 0 6-8 6, Connahan 5 3-4 17, Marks 1 0-0 2, Karchnis 1 1-2 4, Brown 1 1-2 3. Totals 10 11-16 36. BERWICK (73): Gaizick 4 0-0 9, Clausen 1 1-2 3, May 5 0-0 12, Curry 1 0-0 3, Ladonis 2 0-0 4, Morales 2 0-0 4, Pierce 2 2-2 6, Fenstemcher 1 1-2 4, Gehsel 3 0-0 6, Miller 5 0-0 14, Bridge 1 0-0 2, Morrison 1 2-2 4, Dalo 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 6-8 73. Midd-West................................ 15 9 5 9 — 36 Berwick ..................................... 13 17 21 20 — 73 3-Point Field Goals— MW 5 (Connahan 4, Karchnis); BER 9 (Miller 4, May 2, Gaizick, Curry, Fenstemcher)

Pittston Area 65, Carbondale 35 The Patriots charged out to a big lead after the first quarter that Carbondale could not recover from en route to a win on the road. Steve Stravinski scored a game-high 19 points, including 14 in a big second quarter for Pittston Area. Jordan Houseman netted 13 points of his own while Steve Sklanka (11) and Chris Kovaleski (10) chipped in. Isaiah McCord scored 10 points to lead Carbondale.

Holy Cross 53, Holy Redeemer 44 Josh Kosin scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to lead the Crusaders to a 30-21 second-half run to break a 23-23 halftime tie. Ryan DeRemer led the Royals with 18 points, including four shots from behind the arc.

PITTSTON AREA (65): Houseman 6 0-0 13, Schaub 0 0-0 0, Delaney 0 0-0 0, Crawford 0 0-0 0, Sklanka 5 0-0 11, Emmett 1 0-0 3, K. Kovaleski 0 0-0 0, McDermott 2 0-0 5, C. Kovaleski 4 2-2 10, Bykowski 1 0-0 2, Stravinski 8 0-0 19, Tobisch 0 0-0 0, Gross 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 2-2 65. CARBONDALE (35): Gigliotti 0 0-0 0, McGovern 1 1-2 3, Mauro 3 0-0 7, Quinn 0 0-0 0, Gardus 4 0-0 9, McCord 3 3-4 10, Edwards 0 0-0 0, Owens 0 0-0 0, Farrell 0 0-0 0, Sopko 1 0-0 2, Hughes 0 2-2 2, Rivers 0 0-0 0, Rossetti 0 2-2 2. Totals 12 8-10 35. Pittston Area .............................. 24 22 12 7 — 65 Carbondale ................................ 11 10 7 7 — 35 3-Point Field Goals— PA 7 (Stravinski 3, McDermott, Skalanka, Emmett, Houseman); CAR 3 (Mauro, Gardus, McCord)

Berwick 73, Midd-West 36 Berwick turned a tight first quarter into a blowout after holding Midd-West to less than 10 points for the next three quarters to score a win at home. Kyle Miller led the Bulldogs with 14 points, connecting on four three-pointers along the

HOLY CROSS (53):Kosin 7 9-14 23, Reed 0 0-0 0, McGoff 0 0-0 0, Callejas 1 6-6 7, Heyen 1 0-0 2, Joyce 0 0-0 0, Jones 2 2-2 6, Barmes 0 0-0 0, Gaughan 5 0-0 14. Totals 16 7-22 53. HOLY REDEEMER (44): DeRemer 6 2-4 18, Boutanos 0 0-0 0, Wallace 2 2-3 7, Kane 0 0-0 0, Cavanaugh 2 0-0 5, Ell 1 2-2 5, Morrison 1 0-0 3, Prociak 1 4-6 4. Totals 13-10-15 44 Holy Cross ............................... 12 11 14 16 — 53 Holy Redeemer ....................... 10 13 12 9 — 44 3-Point Field Goals— HC 4 (Gaughan 4); HR 7 (DeRemer 4, Wallace, Cavanaugh, Ell)

Coughlin 57, Hanover Area 43 Nate Oliver scored a gamehigh 22 points as Coughlin posted its first win of the season. Donovan Davis added 11 for the Crusaders. Jeorge Colon had 16 points and Jacob Barber added 12 to pace Hanover Area.

HANOVER AREA (43): Colon 6 3-6 16, Bogart 2 1-2 5, Hoolick 1 2-4 4, Rolle 2 0-0 4, Barber 5 0-0 12, Steve 1 0-2 2. Totals 17 6-14 43. COUGHLIN (57): Cobb 4 1-2 9, Jeremiah 4 1-5 9, Davis 5 1-2 11, Trout 0 1-2 1, Flaherty 1 0-0 2, Oliver 7 5-6 22, Heffers 1 0-0 3. Totals 22 9-17 57. Hanover Area............................. 8 11 7 17 — 43 Coughlin...................................... 7 17 18 15 — 57 3-Point Field Goals— HA 3 (Colon, Barber 2); COU 4 (Oliver 3, Heffers).

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

UCLA advances to first final since 1994 The Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — UCLA is finally back in the finals. Junior outside hitter Rachael Kidder had 21kills and the Bruins advanced to their first national championship match since 1994, sweeping newcomer Florida State in the NCAA semifinals Thursday night.

Tabi Love added 12 kills for the Bruins in the 25-16, 25-17, 25-21 victory. They’ll play either rival USC or Illinois in Saturday’s championship. Seventeen years is a long drought for a program with UCLA’s reputation. The Bruins (29-6) have three championships, tied for third all-time, and four runner-up finishes. But UCLA

was making just its first semis appearance since 2006. “It feels great. I think most of us, when we decided to come to UCLA, knew that the program’s been really good in the past,” Kidder said. “And I know when I came in, I was really looking forward to turning it around hopefully. That was the goal.”

nock 7-1; 132 – Austin Soboleski (Ber) won by forfeit; 138 – Kevin Laubach (Ber) dec Niyaz Bakradze 10-4; 145 – James McNally (Scr) dec Dalton Arner 15-9; 152 – Shane McTiernan (Scr) dec Anthony Talanca 4-2; 160 – Will Masteller (Ber) pinned Jerald Harper 2:12; 170 – Dylan Crusen (Scr) maj dec Ismael Vaquiz 14-6; 182 – Mark Granahan (Scr) won by forfeit; 195 – Isaac Moyer (Ber) won by forfeit; 220 – Tyler Ohl (Ber) dec Myles Robbins 3-1; 285 – Jake Jola (Ber) dec Brandon Kulick 6-3

West Scranton 46, Crestwood 27

West Scranton won the 500th dual in its history on Wednesday by knocking off the Comets in Wright Township. Kyle Hankinson (160), Matt Hammerstone (170), Roger Legg (220) and Will Womer (285) picked up pins for Crestwood, while Jake Geroski added a decision at 152.

106 – Stefhen Caple (WS) won by forfeit; 113 – Jayvon Jones (WS) pinned Seth Korch 2:34; 120 – Kyle Kroptavich (WS) dec Bob Gray 6-2; 126 – Dan Mitchell (WS) pinned John Jasionowicz 1:29; 132 – Tom Hendry (WS) maj dec Danny Ritz 10-0; 138 – Angel Ortiz (WS) won by forfeit; 145 – Zack Smith (WS) pinned Mike Legg 3:38; 152 – Jake Geroski (Cre) dec Declan Haggerty 2-1; 160 – Kyle Hankinson (Cre) pinned Patrick Cooper :48; 170 – Matt Hammerstone (Cre) pinned Cody Walsh 5:03; 182 – Kyle Kroptavich (WS) dec Andrew Brodginski 9-4; 195 – Connor Duffy (WS) pinned Matt Dexter 1:45; 220 – Roger Legg (Cre) pinned Kamron VanWert :37; 285 – Will Womer (Cre) pinned DeVaughn Chollette 2:27

The Tigers were hit with their first loss of the season, but still got falls from Matt Welliver (126) and Colt Cotten (132) and wins via decision from Jeric Kasunic (152), Marcus Welliver (182) Western Wayne 44, and Jake Mankey (195). Tunkhannock 29

106 - Jacob Dgien (M) pinned Ricky Kryzwicki 1:23; 113 - Alex Krah (M) won by forfeit; 120 - Mike Pega (M) pinned Lenny Hazlak :50; 126 - Matt Welliver (B) pinned Alex Shull :14; 132 - Colt Cotten (B) pinned Andy Aguilar 1:17; 138 - Brandon Lontz (B) won by forfeit; 145 - Health Strickland (M) pinned Brad Miccio :44; 152 - Jeric Kasunic (B) dec Isaih Bobotis 4-2; 160 - Troy Hemburg (M) major dec Logan Womelsdorf 10-1; 170 - Moyle (M) pinned Matt Zawatski 1:21; 182 - Marcus Welliver (B) dec Jake Colburn 4-2; 195 - Jake Mankey (B) dec Sylar Ebner 14-7; 220 - Chris Secules (M) pinned Blake Bogart 1:12; 285 - Nick Roberts (M) dec Anthony Davis 7-5 (sudden victory)

Berwick 30, Scranton 28

The Bulldogs pulled out the slim victory on Wednesday night led by falls from Peter Talanca (120), Will Masteller (160) and decisions by Kevin Laubach (138), Tyler Ohl (220) and Jake Jola (285). 106 – Kadir Qudus (Scr) dec Dakota Conner 9-7; 113 – Shane Jennings (Scr) pinned Aaron Preston 1:38; 120 – Peter Talanca (Ber) pinned Michael Gervasi 2:25; 126 – Tyler Farrell (Scr) dec Andrew Woz-

Tunkhannock won six bouts, but didn’t get enough bonus points to knock off the Wildcats on Wednesday. Justin Stonier (106, major decision), Morgan McCloskey (113, forfeit), Mike Pavlichko (120, fall), Zack Appleby (132, decision), Ben Siegel (145, major decision) and Charlie Generotti (170, fall) all helped the Tigers.

106 – Justin Stonier (Tun) maj dec Ron Mirsich 14-5; 113 – Morgan McCloskey (Tun) won by forfeit; 120 – Mike Pavlichko (Tun) pinned Josh Brown :45; 126 – Julian Santos (WW) won by forfeit; 132 – Zack Appleby (Tun) dec Nick Fischetti 12-5; 138 – Morgan Fuller (WW) maj dec Chris Packer 14-2; 145 – Ben Siegel (Tun) maj dec Manuel Miraih 10-0; 152 – Beau Fuller (WW) pinned Colton Coolbaugh 1:17; 160 – Lucas Kamrick (WW) maj dec Cole Wright 11-3; 170 – Charlie Generotti (Tun) pinned Garrett Enslin 2:25; 182 – Brandon Hadden (WW) won by forfeit; 195 – Conner Rosensweet (WW) pinned Nate Carrasco 1:32; 220 – Joe Ingaglio (WW) won by forfeit; 285 – Matt Rosensweet (WW) pinned Casey Drake 3:33

HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL

Trio paces Valley West to win over Williamsport The Times Leader staff

PLYMOUTH – Tara Zdancewicz scored 15 points, Kate Smicherko had 12 and Cheyenne Reese added 10 as Wyoming Valley West defeated Williamsport 57-47 in high school girls basketball Thursday. The score was tied 25-25 at halftime, but the Spartans outscored Williamsport 32-22 over the final two quarters.

WILLIAMSPORT (47): Evans 2 2-2 6, Thomas 2 0-2 5, Littles 0 0-0 0, Whaley 0 3-4 3, Belle 8 0-0 20, Erb 1 0-0 2, Fatherly 3 4-4 11. Totals 16 9-12 47. WYOMING VALLEY WEST (57): Judge 2 1-2 5, C. Smicherko 2 4-5 8, Reese 3 4-4 10, Reilly 0 1-3 1, K. Smicherko 3 5-6 12, Zdancewicz 6 3-6 15, Quieterria 1 2-3 4, Hoffman 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 20-29 57. Williamsport ................................. 10 15 10 12 — 47 Wyoming Valley West ................ 15 10 13 19 — 57 3-Point Field Goals— WILL 6 (Thomas, Belle 4, Fatherly); WVW 1 (K. Smicherko)

Scranton Prep 56, Hazleton Area 41

The Classics outscored the Cougars 37-15 in the second half to break open a close game and pull away for the victory Becca Zamonas tallied 11 points for Hazleton Area, while Keana Schoennagle added 10. Tricia Byrne poured in a game-high 21 points for Prep.

SCRANTON PREP (56): J. Genco 2 0-0 5, Ashbey 0 0-0 0, Burke 3 7-9 13, M. Byrne 3 4-8 10, Evans 0 0-0 0, Lavelle 0 0-0 0, T. Byrne 8 2-2 21, Duffy 0 0-0 0, S. Genco 1 0-0 3, Pritchyk 1 0-2 2, Icker 0 2-2 2, Walsh 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 15-23 56. HAZLETON AREA (41): Bono 1 0-0 2, Schoenagle 3 2-4 10, A. Marchetti 0 0-0 0, B.

Marchetti 0 0-0 0, Sitch 1 0-0 2, Kozel 0 0-0 0, Pfeil 0 4-4 4, Woznicki 0 0-0 0, Matz 0 0-0 0, Bachman 3 0-0 6, Ciccozzi 2 0-0 4, Carter 0 2-2 2, Zamonas 4 0-0 11. Totals 14 8-10 41. Scranton Prep.............................. 8 11 22 15 — 56 Hazleton Area.............................. 19 7 8 7 — 0 3-Point Field Goals— SP 5 (J. Genco, T. Byrne 3, S. Genco); HAZ 5 (Schoennagle 2, Zamonas 3)

Hanover Area 45, Coughlin 32

Danielle Tuzinski scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Hawkeyes to a home win. Dannah Hayward and Marissa Ross topped the Crusaders with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

COUGHLIN (32): Hayward 4 2-2 12, Eaton 1 1-2 4, Flaherty 0 0-0 0, Sebastian 1 0-0 3, Georgetti 0 1-6 1, Bouedeau 0 0-0 0, Zigler 0 0-0 0, Williams 1 0-0 2, Ross 4 2-7 10. Totals 11 6-17 32. HANOVER AREA (45): Smith 3 0-0 6, Masher 2 1-1 5, Zuranski 2 0-0 6, Miller 2 0-2 4, Tuzinski 6 5-7 18, Mizenko 0 0-0 0, Grohowski 0 0-0 0, Kaminski 1 0-0 3, Cefalo 0 0-0 0, McCary 1 1-2 3. Totals 17 7-12 45. Coughlin.......................................... 8 9 8 7 — 32 Hanover Area................................. 10 13 13 9 — 45 3-Point Field Goals— COU 4 (Hayward 2, Eaton, Sebastian); HAN 4 (Zuranski 2, Tuzinski, Kaminski)

Northwest 58, Millville 42

Alivia Womelsdorf had a huge night for the Rangers, scoring more than half of her team’s points with 30 on the evening. She also got help from DeAnna Gill, who added 19 points.

MILLVILLE (42): Fuoss 1 1-2 4, Wilcox 1 0-0 2, Cook 2 0-0 4, Bower 10 6-14 26, M. Johnson 0 0-0 0, Bower 3 0-2 6. Totals 17 7-18 42. NORTHWEST (58): Yustat 1 0-0 3, Shaffer 1 0-0 3, Womelsdorf 13 4-7 30, Koehn 1 1-4 3, Bosak 0 0-0 0, Gill 8 3-3 19. Totals 24 8-14 58 Millville .......................................... 14 11 5 12 — 42 Northwest ..................................... 5 13 12 28 — 58 3-Point Field Goals— MILL 1 (Fuoss); NW 2 (Shaffer, Yustat)

GET UP TO $5,000 OFF A NEW KIA! Wyoming Valley Motors

560 Pierce St. Kingston, PA 18704 www.wyomingvalleymotorskia.com

Our shelves are restocked! We have the cars and we have the deals! COME IN TODAY!

CMYK PAGE 4B

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

I N

B R I E F

JETS

Burress: Vick’s success helped return

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Plaxico Burress credits Michael Vick for paving the way for his NFL comeback. The New York Jets wide receiver says Thursday that if not for Vick being able to return to the league and be successful after serving prison time, he’s not sure he would have been able to do the same. Burress says seeing Vick play at a high level after missing two seasons while in jail for his role in a dogfighting operation gave him the confidence he could again be a productive wide receiver. Burress served 20 months in prison after accidentally shooting himself. Burress and the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback became friends as youngsters in Virginia, and still speak about once a week. The Jets (8-5) take on the Eagles (5-8) in Philadelphia on Sunday. DOLPHINS

Losman itching to start against Bills

➛

THE TIMES LEADER

Big Ben relying on rest for ankle Steelers quarterback hoping some time off from practice will help him recover in time to play Monday. By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger’s sprained left ankle looks, well, more like an ankle than it did after last week’s 14-3 win over the Browns. The swelling is down. The rainbow of colors that surrounded the mangled joint earlier in the week have been reduced to a little black here, a little blue there. That doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is any closer to playing on Monday night against San Francisco. Roethlisberger sat out his third practice in a row on Thursday, hoping another 24 hours of rest will help him avoid missing his first start due to injury in more than two years.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — J.P. Losman is familiar enough with Buffalo Bills fans to not make any predictions regarding what reception he might get should the Miami Dolphins backup quarterback start against his former team this weekend. Whether he gets booed or cheered, Losman says he’ll “laugh it off.” Losman heard both — and often in the same game — during a mercurial five-year career in Buffalo. It began with great promise in 2004, when the Bills drafted the strongarmed Tulane product 22nd overall. And it ended five years later, after Losman lost the starting job for a second time to Trent Edwards. On Sunday, he’ll make his first return to Buffalo, though it’s uncertain whether he’ll start in place of Matt Moore, who sustained a concussion and a neck injury last weekend.

“The goal is as soon as possible to get in there and get in as much work as I can,” Roethlisberger said. That might not be until Saturday at the earliest, and offensive Roethlisberger coordinator Bruce Arians said the team could wait until after warm-ups against the 49ers to make a decision. Veteran Charlie Batch will get the call if Roethlisberger can’t go, though Roethlisberger is doing everything he can to get ready. Hot tubs. Cold tubs. Range of motion exercises. Massages. Roethlisberger was even fitted for a custom-made ankle brace on Thursday which he plans to wear whenever he returns. While he’s no stranger to playing hurt — he’s already dealt with a sprained left foot and a fractured right thumb this year — the problem this time is the inability to execute even the most routine

tasks. “If this was just a matter of pain, I’d be out there, but it’s being physically unable to do certain things,” he said. Arians acknowledged if Roethlisberger tried to practice on Thursday, he would have to work exclusively out of the shotgun. Getting under center and taking a snap is something Roethlisberger was able to do during the second half against the Browns, though he chalked it up to the heat of the moment. “The second half of that game you’re playing off adrenaline, you’re playing off emotion,” he said. “The next couple days after that, I just kind of shook my head because I couldn’t have done it. I don’t know how I did.” Roethlisberger was at least able to briefly shed the walking boot he’s gingerly hobbled around in for the previous six days. The doctors told him to walk around but don’t get cute. “The more I’m out of it, the more I

Colt McCoy still experiencing headaches and not practicing from a concussion suffered in Pittsburgh. By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer

Smith: No comparing Newton to Tebow

VIKINGS

Adrian Peterson plans to play vs. Saints

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Adrian Peterson says he plans to play on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. The Minnesota Vikings star running back practiced on a limited basis Thursday. But he says his sprained left ankle is feeling much better and he expects to play for the first time in a month. Peterson has missed the last three games with the high ankle sprain. Peterson says he feels about 85 percent healthy right now, but he is determined to rejoin his teammates and help them to an elusive victory. The Vikings are 2-11 and need two wins in their last three games to avoid the worst record in franchise history. BEARS

Hurd will face drug charge

CHICAGO — A federal judge says Chicago Bears wide receiver Sam Hurd will need to return to Texas to face a drug charge accusing him of trying to set up a drug-dealing network in the Chicago area. Judge Young Kim ordered Hurd held pending bond during a Thursday hearing in Chicago federal court. Hurd’s hearing was continued until Friday while prosecutors and defense attorneys discuss possible bond. Hurd was handcuffed and wore a gray T-shirt and jeans as marshals led to him the hearing. Authorities arrested Hurd with a kilogram of cocaine during a sting at a Chicago restaurant on Wednesday evening. Federal prosecutors say Hurd wanted to buy five to 10 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 pounds of marijuana a week to distribute in the Chicago area.

want to move it,” Roethlisberger said. “Movement is good because it gets the fluid out but I also catch myself every once in awhile turning it sideways or doing something and it almost puts me to the ground.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Roethlisberger last missed a start due to injury against Baltimore two years ago, when a concussion forced him to watch Dennis Dixon play in a 20-17 overtime loss. It will be the 37-year-old Batch, however, who will get the nod if Roethlisberger can’t play. The Steelers went 1-1 with Batch under center last year while Roethlisberger served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Arians stressed the gameplan will not change if Batch starts, though Batch hasn’t topped 200 yards passing in a game since making an emergency start at the end of the 2007 season. Roethlisberger has gone over 200 yards in all but two of his starts this year.

Wallace is likely starter for Browns

Atlanta routs Jacksonville

PANTHERS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith says when it comes to comparing Cam Newton to Tim Tebow there is no comparison. Smith says time will prove Newton is by far the better NFL quarterback. Smith says ‘if Tebow is standing next to me I would tell it to his face — come check me out in five years, Jack, and you’ll know who’s the best quarterback.” He says Newton’s versatility makes him a better quarterback. Smith says “everybody wants to crown Tebow as a versatile quarterback. Versatile to me means you can throw the ball very accurately, run the ball and create things. The only he can create is running. He isn’t very accurate.” Tebow has won more games than Newton this year, but Smith says that’s because of Denver’s defense.

www.timesleader.com

AP PHOTO

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (84) runs after a catch as Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Ashton Youboty defends during the first half of an NFL game Thursday in Atlanta.

Ryan, Abraham lead Falcons By PAUL NEWBERRY AP Sports Writer

ATLANTA — Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes, John Abraham had 31⁄2 sacks and the Atlanta Falcons clinched a fourth straight winning season with a 41-14 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night. This one was over by halftime. The Falcons (9-5) were up 27-0 when the teams trotted to the locker room, the

yard. Jacksonville rookie Blaine Gabbert coughed up the ball twice on hits by Abraham, both turnovers leading to Atlanta scores. Defensive tackle Corey Peters scooped up the second fumble and ran it in for a touchdown early in the third quarter, ending any FALCONS JAGUARS thought of a Jacksonville comeback. Ryan was 19 of 26 for 224 yards, shell-shocked Jaguars (4-10) saddled hooking up with Roddy White on with a net passing total of minus-1 two scoring passes.

With 3 games left, Giants finally have a run game By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After watching Eli Manning carry the offense with his arm for the first three quarters of the season, the New York Giants are finally showing signs of life in the run game. For only the second time this season, the Giants (7-6) head into Sunday’s game against Washington (4-9) coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing efforts as a team. “I thought we started to run a little bit better against Green Bay and I thought it was continued improvement in this game,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said of Sunday’s 110 yards on the ground in the Giants’ remarkable 37-34 win over the Cowboys. “We don’t have huge stats, but I’m looking for consistency. I thought for the most part we got that.” Brandon Jacobs was outstanding in the game, rushing 19 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win that vaulted the Giants into first-place in the NFC East. New York — still ranked last in the league in rushing offense, averaging 85.8 yards — had gained 100 yards rushing against Green Bay, after failing to hit the century mark in the three previous games. The big difference seems to be new

line, the fifth starting combination used this season. David Diehl was moved from left guard to left tackle three games ago after Will Beatty suffered a detached retina. And then, the left guard and center positions were switched the following week when David Baas suffered from severe headaches and continuing neck problems. That forced offensive line coach Pat Flaherty to move Kevin Boothe from left guard to center, with second-year pro Mitch Petrus taking over the guard spot. Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie remain at the right guard and tackle spots, respectively. The line opened a couple of excellent holes that allowed Jacobs to get through the first level with some speed and forced the Cowboys defensive backs to come up and stop the 260pound back. “I think we have guys in the right place,” Jacobs said. “I think guys are working hard and doing everything they can to make the run game work. I think the offensive line is doing a fabulous job of moving people out of the way and I think E (Eli) is doing a great job of getting us in things that we need to be in. Our coaches are confident in what we are doing and I am confident in what we are doing. “We just have to keep going.” Jacobs also ran as hard as he has all

season in getting most of the carries with Ahmad Bradshaw sitting in the first half because of disciplinary reasons. There were no signs of the hamstring injury that bothered him for a couple of weeks. Redskins defensive tackle Barry Cofield, a former Giant, said watching New York’s run game is a shocking, considering Tom Coughlin’s team always was among the league leaders. “It’s just not like them,” Cofield said. “They’re not the team that they used to be. They used to pound the ball, and I’m sure they would love to get back to that. ... I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out and see them pound the ball.” Gilbride and Jacobs feel the running game has only taken baby steps. It still has to improve, especially with the Giants next three games being at MetLife Stadium where the wind can make it tough to throw. “It can be a factor here, weather wise,” Gilbride said. “That’s where you would like to be able to run the ball, but regardless of that, you always would like to have the ability to force people to play honestly. To do that, you have to be able to run the ball a little bit. I think the fact that we did it a little bit better (against) Green Bay, did it even a little bit better last game is a good sign. We’re headed in the right direction.”

BEREA, Ohio — Seneca Wallace doesn’t walk so much as glide. And as the Browns’ backup quarterback saunters into the locker room following practice he looks and acts every bit like Cleveland’s starter. He probably will be Sunday. With Colt McCoy still experiencing headaches and not practicing from a concussion suffered in Pittsburgh last week, Wallace, who has spent most of his NFL career as an understudy, will likely start when the Browns (4-9) visit the Arizona Cardinals. Browns coach Pat Shurmur has not yet ruled McCoy out, but all logical signs are pointing to Wallace making his first start this season — and his 19th in nearly 10 pro seasons. “Seneca’s taken all the reps,” Shurmur said before Thursday’s practice. “And as the days go by and Colt hasn’t practiced, it’s two plus two.” McCoy was sent home for the third time this week with lingering symptoms from the wallop he took from Steelers linebacker James Harrison, suspended one game for the vicious helmet-to-chin blow. Shurmur said all players needing treatment begin their day in the training room, and if they are unable to take part in meetings or are still feeling poorly, they are sent home to rest. McCoy’s future with the Browns remains uncertain, and with only three games left, he’s running out of time to show the club he can be their long-time starter. Browns general manager Tom Heckert said no decisions have been made on McCoy — or any other players. “We’ll have to really, really look at it after the season,” Heckert said. “He’s done some good things. But the whole evaluation will be done afterward. We just haven’t sat down and broken down every play. There’s no decisions being made.” Heckert feels the Browns have seen enough of McCoy to make a judgment and assess him fairly. This week, they’ll get another look at Wallace, whom they re-signed as a free agent before the lockout. Wallace has played in three games this season as a reserve, twice coming off the bench to fill in for an injured McCoy and once lining up at wide receiver. If McCoy can’t play this week, and that seems to be a near certainty, the Browns are expecting Wallace to step in and run their West Coast offense. “We won’t miss a beat,” wide receiver Josh Cribbs said. “Seneca is very capable of stepping in and keeping the ball rolling. He has a lot of talent.” Wallace came off the bench cold last weekafterMcCoywasflattenedbyHarrison and completed his only pass, a13-yarder to tight end Evan Moore that gave the Browns a first down at the Steelers’ 5. That’s when McCoy made his shocking return after missing two plays and threw a costly interception in the end zone. Wallace refused to discuss last week’s events,whichhavehungovertheBrowns for days as the NFL launched an investigation into the team’s treatment of McCoy.

CMYK THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 5B

SWIMMING

PENS

Continued from Page 1B

day,” said Pawlenok. “They dropped their times like crazy. Those were a few swimmers that really picked it up with their performance today.” The Royals also received firstplace finishes from Elizabeth Finnegan in the 50 free. Olivia Vitali posted the top score in diving with a 198.65. Alexa Kalafut, Lucy Reilly and Kellen Katra joined Cruz on the winning 400 free relay. Similar to last year’s district meet, Prep combated its low numbers with exemplary times. Nonnenberg, Katie Voitek and Rebekah Campo each won two individual events.

suggests Munroe’s outing against Syracuse will last a lot longer than 10 minutes. “I’m feeling good and I really think our team has been playing better,” he said. “You don’t want to get embarrassed and have a poor showing. We have a little bit more confidence and we’re back on track.” To stay on the winning track, the Penguins will need to limit Syracuse scoring chances, something they didn’t do in the last two meetings. Even with Crunch leading scorer Kyle Palmieri now up with Anaheim, Syracuse still has plenty of offensive threats, in-

Royal boys escape Cavaliers The Holy Redeemer boys team received a huge first-place finish from freshman Terry Vrabek in a tightly contested 100 breast race. Vrabek pushed ahead with a time of 1:09.17. “He’s a freshman; he’s been performing well,” said Royals boys coach Matt Mill. “We expect a lot out of him as a freshman. This was his big meet.” The Cavaliers brought the score to 66-56 before the Royals benefited from a lack of numbers on the Prep squad. After taking just two meets through the first nine, Redeemer captured the final three races. Despite times that he was “not happy” about, Mill highlighted the swims of Cody Smith and George Evans. Smith was part of three of Redeemer’s four swimming wins (200 medley relay,100 back, 400 free relay). Evans swam in the 200 medley and 400 free relays. Mill said next week will present a proving ground for his young Redeemer squad. “We have two tough meets next week in Tunkhannock and Scranton,” said Mill. “A little hiccup here will help us down the road. Hopefully we can turn it around next week, otherwise we’ll be in some trouble.” GIRLS Holy Redeemer 102, Scranton Prep 81

200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. SP (Maria Telincho, Rebekah Campo, Katie Voitek, Mia Nonnenberg) 1:54.35; 2. HR; 3. HR; 200 FREE – 1. SP, Voitek 2:04.26; 2. HR, Rachel Finnegan; 3. HR, Lucy Reilly; 200 IM – 1. SP, Nonnenberg 2:07.52; 2. HR, Julie Mahle; 3. HR, Bethany Chmil; 50 FREE – 1. HR, Elizabeth Finnegan 26.20; 2. SP, Telincho; 3. HR, Melissa Cruz; DIVING – 1. HR, Olivia Vitali 198.65; 2. HR, Kelsey Williams; 3. HR, Jessica Kreidler; 100 FLY – 1. SP, Campo 1:01.59; 2. HR, R. Finnegan; 3. HR, Alexa Kalafut; 100 FREE – 1. SP, Telincho 58:.40; 2. HR, Cruz; 3. SP, Halli Whyte; 500 FREE – 1. SP, Voitek 5:31.46; 2. HR, Kalafut; 3. HR, Kellen Katra; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. SP (Nonnenberg, Voitek, Telincho, Campo) 1:42.99; 2. HR; 3. HR; 100 BACK – 1. SP, Nonnenberg 1:00.99; 2. HR, Mahle; 3. HR, Reilly; 100 BREAST – 1. SP, Campo 1:09.92; 2. HR, Chmil; 3. HR, Mallory Kusakavitch; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. HR (Kalafut, Cruz, Reilly, Katra) 4:09.64

BOYS

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Wyoming Valley West’s Brianna Gaylets swims the breaststroke on Thursday afternoon.

Both also competed on the winning 200 medley relay team. Malin Walsh contributed to four event wins (two individual, two relay) for West Scranton.

200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. SEM (Mackenzie Gagliardi, Bailey Disler, Lily Williams, Megan Bresnahan) 2:14.99; 2. WSCR; 3. SEM; 200 FREE – 1. WSCR, Malin Walsh 2:22.74; 2. WSCR, Alexis Williams; 3. SEM, Amy Shick; 200 IM – 1. SEM, L. Williams 2:45.24; 2. WSCR, Casey Gaul; 3. WSCR, Isabella DiBileo; 50 FREE – 1. WSCR, Natalie Sedorovitz 29.30; 2. SEM, Siobhan Brier; 3. SEM, Bresnahan; DIVING – 1. SEM, Amanda Chan (score not reported); 100 FLY – 1. SEM, Disler 1:19.99; 2. SEM, Sarah Cole; 3. WSCR, Gaul; 100 FREE – 1. SEM, Brier 1:05.98; 2. WSCR, Morgan Williams; 3. SEM, Gagliardi; 500 FREE – 1. WSCR, Walsh 6:35.84; 2. WSCR, A. Williams; 3. SEM, Shick; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. WSCR (Walsh, Sedorovitz, A. Williams, M. Williams) 1:59.85; 2. SEM; 3. SEM; 100 BACK – 1. SEM, L. Williams 1:16.52; 2. WSCR, M. Williams; 3. WSCR, DiBileo; 100 BREAST – 1. SEM, Disler 1:25.51; 2. WSCR, Sedorovitz; 3. SEM, Gagliardi; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. WSCR (Walsh, Sedorovitz, A. Williams, M. Williams) 4:29.02; 2. SEM; 3. SEM

COU, Gurlock, 1:06.84; 2. LL, Sharon; 3. LL, Copeman. 500 FREE – 1. COU, Milewski, 7:01.96; 2. LL, Williams. 200 FREE RELAY – 1. COU (C.Ray, Gurlock, Milewski, A.Ray), 1:58.86; 2. LL; 3. COU. 100 BACK – 1. LL, Sabol, 1:04.94; 2. COU, C.Ray; 3. COU, Gulius. 100 BREAST – 1. LL, Jenkins, 1:25.46; 2. LL, Stevens; 3. COU, Gabriele. 400 FREE RELAY – 1. LL (Lopez, Williams, Sharon, Sabol), 4:30.50; 2. COU.

Wyoming Valley West 130, 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. SEM (Philipp MetzgTunkhannock 41 er, Isaac Sours, Gavin Gagliardi, Alex Kolessar) 1:57.24; 2. SEM; 200 FREE – 1. SEM, Andrew LeWyoming Valley West received vandoski 2:13.05; 2. SEM, Noah Brewer; 200 IM – 1. Michael Yang 2:25.24; 2. SEM, Sours; 50 first-place finishes from six differ- SEM, FREE – 1. SEM, Metzger 24.19; 2. WSCR, Jerry Paulaskas; 3. WSCR, Dave Chatterpaul; DIVING – ent swimmers en route to a win 1. SEM, Matthew Blom (no score reported); 100 FLY – 1. SEM, Gagliardi 1:05.73; 2. SEM, Yang; 100 over Tunkhannock. FREE – 1. SEM, Kolessar 57.50; 2. SEM, Sours; 3. WSCR, Chatterpaul; 500 FREE – 1. SEM, LevanDesiree Holena, Brianna Gay- doski 6:18.51; 2. SEM, Eric Cholish; 200 FREE RElets, Erica Swenson, Andrea Pav- LAY – 1. SEM (Sours, Yang, Cholish, Brewer) 1:52.10; 2. WSCR; 100 BACK – 1. SEM, Metzger lick, Lindsay Chapman and Sa- 59.47; 2. WSCR, Paul Emiliani; 3. SEM, Locchanan 100 BREAST – 1. SEM, Gagliardi rah Stanitis each picked up wins Sreeharikesan; 1:12.35; SEM, Kolessar; 3. Paulaskas; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. SEM (Levandoski, Gagliardi, Metzger, over the Tigers. Kolessar) 3:53.68; 2. WSCR; 3. SEM For Tunkhannock, Lia De Scranton 92, Berwick 91 Lyon won the100 free with a time Dallas 105, Scranton won the next-to-last of 58.55 seconds. Delaware Valley 84 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. WVW, (Hanadel, event and finished second and Gaylets, Pavlick, Fiche), 2:04.96; 2. TUN; 3. WVW; Jake Chieli (200 medley relay, FREE – 1. WVW, Desiree Holena, 2:09.77; 2. third in the final event of the 200 TUN, Kandiss Venn; 3. WVW, Nicole Chipego; 200 50 free, 100 fly, 400 free relay) IM – 1. WVW, Brianna Gaylets, 2:37.65; 2. TUN, meet to pull out a victory at Meghan Healey; 3. WVW, Alexandria Plant; 50 posted four wins for Dallas in a FREE – 1. WVW, Erica Swenson, 25.98; 2. WVW, home over Berwick. Nicole Holena; 3. TUN, Ashley Kasmierski; 100 FLY defeat of Delaware Valley. MarErin Kazmierczak (200 IM, – 2. WVW, Andrea Pavlck, 1:17.77; 100 FREE – 1. cus Wagner (200 free, 500 free, Lia De Lyon, 58.55; 2. WVW, D. Holena; 3. 500 free, 200 free relay) won TUN, TUN, Elissa Stretch; 500 FREE – 1. TUN, Kandis 400 free relay) finished first in Venn, 5:53.52; 2. WVW, Plant; 3. WVW, Chipego; three events for Scranton, while 200 FREE RELAY – 1. TUN, (Swenson, De Lyon, three events for the MountainHealey), 1:53.81; 2. WVW; 3. TUN; 100 Elizabeth Babinski (100 fly, 200 Kolodzieski, BACK – 1. WVW, Lindsay Chapman, 1:16.95; 2. eers. Kasmierski; 3. WVW, Hanadel; 100 BREAST 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. DAL (Chieli, Matufree relay) chipped in with two TUN, – 1. WVW, Sarah Stanitis, 1:28.71; 2. TUN, Healey; siak, Luksic, Stepniak) 1:46, 2. DV, 3. DV; 200 FREE 3. WVW, Gaylets; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. WVW, – 1. DAL Wagner 1:56, 2. DAL Fasulka, 3. DV Ramiwins.

200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. BER (Volkel, Whitemire, Andress, Woytko) 2:11, 2. BER, 3, SHS; 200 FREE – 1. BER Woytko 2:18, 2. SHS Pocius, 3. Cavister; 200 IM – 1. SHS Kazmierczak 2:31, 2. BER Volkel, 3. SHS Russo; 50 FREE – 1. BER Woytko 27:49, 2. SHS Babinski, 3. BER Whitmore; DIVING – 1. BER O’Kane 148.25, 2. SHS Slestoski, 3. Galvon; 100 FLY – 1. SHS Babinski 1:08, 2. BER Volkel, 3. BER Shoemaker; 100 FREE – 1. BER Whitmore 1:05, 2. SHS Pocius, 3. SHS Russo; 500 FREE – 1. SHS Kazmierczak 6:03, 2. BER Andress, 3. BER Skeath; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. SHS (Pocius, Babinsky, Kazmierczak, Molitoris) 1:54, 2. SHS, 3. BER; 100 BACK – 1. BER Andress 1:12, 2. SHS Cavister, 3. SHS Galvon; 100 BREAST – 1. SHS Molitoris 1:20, 2. BER Shoemaker, 3. SHS Hunsinger; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. BER (Andress, Volkel, Whitemore, Woytko) 4:18, 2. SHS, 3. SHS.

(Chapman, Ellsworth, Holena, Clark), 4:34.92; 2. TUN; 3. WVW

Hazleton Area 101, Abington Heights 83 Hazleton Area’s Shaine Grego placed first in the 200 free and the 500 free to lead the Cougars to a win over Abington Heights. Shelby Sanko claimed first in the 200 IM, and Kayla Jadush notched the top time in diving. Delaware Valley 115, Dallas 71 Abington Heights’ Morgna Delaware Valley won 10 out of Muller was the top spot in the 12 events in a victory over Dallas. 100 free. 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Shaina Grego, Janel Llewellyn (200 free, 500 Felicia Grego, Rebecca Yannes, Hailey Kendall), 1:59.83; AH; 3. AH; 200 FREE – 1. HAZ, S. Grego, free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay) 1:08.3; 2.2.AH, Brickel; 3. AH, Furios; 200 IM – 1. and Stephanie Marcucci (200 HAZ, Shelby Sanko, 2:29.09; 2. HAZ, Alex Podlesny; 3. AH, Smurtz; 50 FREE – 1. HAZ, Kendall, 26.87; 2. IM, 200 free relay, 100 breast, 400 AH, Gromelski; 3. AH, Muller; DIVING – 1. HAZ, Kay145.6; 2. AH, Gromelski; 3. AH, Gretz; free relay) were multiple winners la100Jadush, FLY – 1. HAZ, F. Grego, 1:04.14; 2. HAZ, Yannes; 3. AH, Gromelski; 100 FREE – 1. AH, Morfor the Warriors. gan Muller, 59.45; 2. HAZ, Kendall; 3. AH, Lempicky; 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. DV (Pandish, Vellekamp, Zazula, Mirabito) 2:08, 2. DAL, 3. DV; 200 FREE – 1. DV Llewellyn 2:07, 2. DAL Augustine, 3. Berger; 200 IM – 1. DV Maccucci, 2:27, 2. DAL Kelly, 3. DV Pandish; 50 FREE – 1. DV Glaster 25.5, 2. DV Zazula, 3. DV Vellekamp; DIVING – 1. DAL Zerfoss 216.05, 2. DV Brush, 3. DAL Yanesko; 100 FLY – 1. DAL Barry 1:06, 2. DAL Kelly, 3. DV Vellekamp; 100 FREE – 1. DV Glaster 56.7, 2. DAL Augustine, 3. DV Biebel; 500 FREE – 1. DV Llewellyn 5:38, 2. DAL Barry, 3. DV Pandish; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. DV (Glaster, Marcuci, Llewellyn, Zazula) 1:48, 2. DAL, 3. DV; 100 BACK – 1. DV Zazula 1:11, 2. DV D’Auria, 3. DV Forichon; 100 BREAST – 1. DV Marcucci 1:14, 2. DV Mirabito, 3. DV DeVilliers; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. DV (Llewellyn, Marcucci, Forichon, Glaster) 4:00, 2. DAL, 3. DV.

500 FREE – 1. HAZ, S. Grego, 5:45.69; 2. AH, Sanko; 3. AH, Machler; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Dani Matrone, F. Grego, Sanko, Kendall), 1:45.56; 2. AH; 3. HAZ; 100 BACK – 1. HAZ, Yannes, 1:06.76; 2. AH, Smertz; 3. HAZ, Podlesny; 100 BREAST – 1. HAZ, F. Grego, 1:14.01; 2. AH, Gualtieri; 3. AH, Burlick-Risser; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Sanko, Yannes, S. Grego, Podlesny), 4:04.92; 2. AH; 3. AH

BOYS SWIMMING

Scranton 119, Berwick 54 Scranton captured first place in all 12 events to pick up a win at 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. HR (Cody Smith, Terry Vrabek, George Evans, Mike Dubinski) 1:50.85; home over Berwick. 2. SP; 3. HR; 200 FREE – 1. SP, Eddie Pfaeffle 2:01.84; 2. HR, Evans; 3. HR, Jason Hauze; 200 IM Lake-Lehman 85, John Domenick (200 IM, 100 – 1. SP, Cooper Legg; 2:14.06; 2. HR, Smith; 3. HR, Coughlin 79 Scott Roper; 50 FREE – 1. SP, Ryan Sebastianelli fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay) 23.63; 2. HR, Dubinski; 3. HR, Eric Shorts; DIVING – Sami Sabol set a school record and Sean Yuchovitz (200 medley 1. HR, Mike Pahler 206.90; 100 FLY – 1. SP, Pfaeffle 59.64; 2. HR, Vrabek; 3. SP, Kris Muzzi; 100 FREE – 1. SP, Sebastianelli 52.61; 2. HR, Dubinski; 3. SP, in the 100-yard backstroke in relay, 200 free, 100 back, 400 free Mike Robinson; 500 FREE – 1. SP, Legg 5:29.14; 2. helping Lake-Lehman rally for a relay) were four-time winners for HR, Evans; 3. HR, Hauze; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. SP (Muzzi, Sebastianelli, Legg, Pfaeffle) 1:39.07; 2. victory. Scranton. HR; 3. HR; 100 BACK – 1. HR, Smith 1:00.50; 2. SP, MEDLEY RELAY – 1. SHS (Grier, YuchoMuzzi; 3. HR, Pat Lehman; 100 BREAST – 1. HR, Sabol, who also won the 200 vitz,200 Meyers, Santorsa) 1:56, 2. BER, 3. SHS; 200 Vrabek 1:09.17; 2. SP, Ben Evans; 3. SP, Robinson; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. HR (Dubinski, Shorts, Smith, IM, clocked in at 1:04.94 in set- FREE – 1. SHS Yuschovitz 2:01, 2. SHS Jimosky, 3. BER Kelley; 200 IM – 1. SHS Domenick 2:21, 2. Evans) 3:43.70; 2. SP; 3. HR ting the record. Amelia Jenkins SHS Grier, 3. SHS Santorsa; 50 FREE – 1. SHS 25.11, 2. BER Shoemaker, 3. SHS Meyers; and Cassie Stevens followed by Mondile DIVING – 1. SHS Rataini 129.50; 100 FLY – 1. SHS GIRLS Domenick 1:04, 2. SHS Grier, 3. BER Stair; 100 finishing one-two in the 100 FREE – 1. SHS An. Hoban 54.5, 2. BER Shoemak3. SHS Mondile; 500 FREE – 1. SHS Jimosky breaststroke to put the Black er, 5:47, 2. BER Kelley, 3. SHS Horn; 200 FREE REWyoming Seminary 50, LAY – 1. SHS (Grier, Mondile, Domenick, An. HoKnights ahead for good. ban) 1:39, 2. SHS, 3. BER; 100 BACK – 1. SHS YuWest Scranton 48 Coughlin’s Stephanie Mile- chovitz 1:02, 2. BER Rehrig, 3. BER Eskin; 100 – 1. SHS Meyers 1:10, 2. SHS An. Hoban, Lily Williams and Bailey Disler wski won the 200 and 500 frees- BREAST 3. BER Skeetl; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. SHS (Domenick, An. Hoban, Yuchovitz, Mondile), 2. BER, 3. each won two individual events tyle events for Coughlin. BER. 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. LL (Sabol, Jenkins, to help the host Blue Knights Lopez, Copeman), 2:11.98; 2. COU; 3. LL. 200 hold on to beat the Invaders. FREE – 1. COU, Milewski, 2:34.13; 2. LL, Jenkins; 3. LL, L.Williams. 200 IM – 1. LL, Sabol, 2:32.98; 2. Wyoming Seminary 75, Williams took first in the 200 COU, Gabriele; 3. LL, Rismondo. 50 FREE – 1. West Scranton 15 A.Ray, 27.91; 2. LL, Copeman; 3. COU, GurIM and 100 back while Disler COU, lock. DIVING – 1. LL, Williams, 188.35; 2. COU, The Blue Knights finished first Smith; Mathers. 100 FLY – 1. COU, C.Ray, topped the 100 fly and 100 breast. 1:12.08;3.2.LL,COU, Gulius; 3. none. 100 FREE – 1. Holy Redeemer 95, Scranton Prep 71

BOWMAN Continued from Page 1B

The 49ers are the first team since the 1920 Decatur Staleys not to allow a rushing touchdown in the first 13 games of the season — and if San Francisco does it once more, the team would become the first in NFL history to go the first 14 games without giving up a TD on the ground. Bowman, the 49ers’ thirdround draft pick last year, and his unit take pride in that even if it’s never discussed. He showed signs of the impact player he has become while starring on special teams as a rookie. His 20 special-teams tackles ranked third in the NFL last year.

in each event to defeat the Invaders. Gavin Gagliardi, Andrew Levandoski and Philipp Metzger each won two individual events. West Scranton entered swimmers in six of the 12 events.

“They kind of knew what they had in him last year and then this year he came in, starting with Takeo being gone, and he kind of exceeded everybody’s expectations,” star defensive end Justin Smith said Thursday. “He stepped it up. Not only is he playing well, he knows his stuff, inside and out, on the defense. He’s a leader out there, too. He’s the total package in year two. Having him and Pat in there is unbelievable. I don’t know who’d be better.” Football has long been Bowman’s outlet after growing up in a crime-stricken area of Washington D.C. While he doesn’t make goals based on numbers, Bowman realizes his improved play has been a big part of the 49ers getting back to the playoffs after an eight-year absence.

“There’s not really a limit I have with the expectations,” Bowman said. “I’m on track. I’m doing the things that I expected I could do. There are a lot more things I can do better at, and every single week I try to do that.” Bowman looks back fondly at the guidance he received from Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, who was fired as San Francisco’s head coach after a loss at St. Louis in the secondto-last week of 2010. Bowman credits his development to that short time with Singletary. “He meant a lot,” Bowman said. “He was a hard-nosed coach and he stayed on my back. That’s one of the things I carried to this year — just keep working. You’re never good enough. The little things are re-

rez; 200 IM – 1. DV Deans 2:13, 2. DAL Luksic, 3. DAL Gelso; 50 FREE – 1. DAL Chielli 22:66, 2. DV Fowler, 3. DV Riexinger; DIVING – 1. DAL Madaya, DV Welkers, 3. DV Burns; 100 FLY – 1. DAL Chielli 59.0, 2. DV Prudhoe, 3. DAL Gelso; 100 FREE – 1. DAL Stepniak 51.9, 2. DAL Fasulka, 3. DV Gutman; 500 FREE – 1. DAL Wagner 5:17, 2. DAL Fasulka, 3. DV Gutman; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. DV (Prudhoe, Fowler, Kremsner, Deans) 1:36, 2. DAL, 3. DV; 100 BACK – 1. DAL Stepniak 59.9, 2. DV DeMasi, 3. DV Prudhoe; 100 BREAST – 1. DV Deans 1:07, 2. DAL Matusiak, 3. DAL Luksic; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. DAL (Chielli, Luksic, Stepniak, Wagner) 3:36, 2. DAL, 3. DV

Wyoming Valley West 141, Tunkhannock 44 Cory Himlin led Wyoming Valley West with a first-place finish in the 50 free. Collin Vest posted a 316.55 score in diving. Tunkhannock was carried by Trevor Running, who took first in the 500 free and the 100 back.

200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. WVW, (Himlin, Plucenik, Yeninas, Taren), 1:50.15; 2. TUN; 3. WVW; 200 FREE – 1. TUN, Jason Linden, 2:12.01; 2. WVW, Robert Jacobs; 3. TUN, Ryan Fowler; 200 IM – 2. WVW, Ed Zawatski; 3. TUN, Ben Spencer; 50 FREE – 1. WVW, Cory Himlin, 23.57; 2. WVW, Michael Yeninas; 3. TUN, Adam Sehne; DIVING – 1. WVW, Collin Vest, 316.35; 2. Ibrahim Ismail; 100 FLY – 1. WVW, Thomas Missal, 56.71; 2. WVW, Justin Klemish; 3. TUN, James Phoulx; 100 FREE – 1. TUN, Matt Miller, 52.92; 2. WVW, Jacobs; 3. TUN, Fowler; 500 FREE – 1. TUN, Trevor Dunning, 5:19.83; 2. WVW, Andrew Greenwald; 3. TUN, Justin Hill; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. WVW, (Jacobs, Taren, Yeninas, Walters), 1:36.69; 2. TUN; 3. WVW; 100 BACK – 1. TUN, Trevor Dunning, 5:19.83; 2. WVW, Himlin; 3. TUN, Proulx; 100 BREAST – 2. WVW, Paine Fleisher; 400 FREE RELAY – 1. WVW, (Missal, Greenwald, Himlin, Zawatski), 3:35.18; 2. WVW; 3. TUN

Hazleton Area 103, Abington Heights 84 Jeff Hicks earned first in the 50 free and 100 fly, leading Hazleton Area to a victory. The Cougars’ Troy Valkusky also posted two wins for the Cougars. Leading the Comets was Seth Pinches with a win in the 100 free.

200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Ryan Paisley, Tyler Farley, Troy Valkusky, Chris Jespersen), 1:40.17; 2. AH; 3. HAZ; 200 FREE – 1. HAZ, Daniel Cunningham, 2:01.33; 2. AH, Kohm; 3. Epsom; 200 IM – 1. HAZ, Troy Valkusky, 2:13.55; 2. AH, Conahan; 3. HAZ, Jespersen; 50 FREE – 1. HAZ, Jeff Hicks, 24.02; 2. AH, Pinches; 3. AH, Bruzzano; DIVING – 1. HAZ, Eddie Kovac, 193.05; 100 FLY – 1. HAZ, Hicks, 1:00.56; 2. AH, Fuziol; 3. HAZ, Farley; 100 FREE – 1. AH, Seth Pinches, 55.1; 2. AH, Epsom; 3. HAZ, Kyle Steiner; 500 FREE – 1. HAZ, Daniel Cunningham, 5:35.4; 2. AH, Kohm; 3. AH, Vale; 200 FREE RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Paisley, Valkusky, Don Cunningham, Hicks); 2. AH; 3. HAZ; 100 BACK – 1. HAZ, Paisley, 57.5; 2. AH, Kay; 3. HAZ, Will Lingenfelter; 100 BREAST – 1. HAZ, Valkusky, 1:08.11; 2. AH, Conahan; 3. HAZ, Steve Genetti 400 FREE RELAY – 1. HAZ, (Paisley, Farley, Hicks, Cunningham), 3:36.95; 2. AH; 3. HAZ

ally what matter. That’s what he harped on every single day in practice in my first year as a rookie. He really benefitted me.” The main thing Bowman learned from Singletary was to lead by example. “Don’t talk about it,” he said. “Don’t walk around like you are (big time). Just set the example by your play and by your work ethic and by how you carry yourself.” Bowman quietly goes about his business and lets others speak out on the team’s resurgence this year under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. He would rather save his energy for making key plays on the field. And this defense works every down not to miss tackles or chances to change the game by forcing turnovers.

PAUL Continued from Page 1B

Paul already realizes what side he’s taking in the one-sided Staples Center rivalry, repeatedly refusing to talk about the Lakers’ squashed trade for him — even refusing to say the Lakers’ name. “The other team has won championships, and it’s about winning, but I think Blake has done an unbelievable job changing that (perception),” Paul said. “You can’t take anything away from him about how he has changed the culture here in L.A. I’m coming here to join and be a part of it, and hopefully we can grow together as basketball players and continue to change everything. That’s what we play for.”

PSU Continued from Page 1B

sive lineman Joey O’Connor, of Windsor, Colo., also has reversed his thinking and now says he will not go to Penn State. He’s still considering his options. One major reason for the defections is the stigma of the charges that Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant coach who retired in1999 but still had an office at the school long after, allegedly abused young boys. The Sandusky allegations led to the firing of coach Joe Paterno on Nov. 9, along with the departure of other top athletic department officials. Longtime defensive assistant Tom Bradley took over on an interim basis as the Nittany Lions went 9-3 and earned a spot in the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2 in Dallas against Houston. Those who watch recruiting closely say not hiring someone sooner has cost Penn State. “I thought they would hire a head coach by now,” said Mike Farrell, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. “The fact that they’re dragging their feet here is really giving all of these recruits the time to say, ‘Well, geez, signing day is coming up pretty soon. I’d better start checking out my second options.’ That’s why they’re starting to lose kids. I know this is an important decision but the longer they go in deciding who the next person to take over at Penn State is, the worse this is going to get — and it’s gotten pretty bad.” With no new head coach yet — it’s unlikely that Bradley or other current staffers associated with the Paterno regime will be retained — there has been very little hope or optimism surrounding the program. Penn State’s once glittering brand name has been mentioned prominently in a persistent drumbeat of court dates, appearances, interviews and further allegations. “The greatest enemy to Penn State right now is the lack of certainty, the unknown that is looming over this program,” ESPN national recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said. “That’s hurting recruiting for them far more than the sex scandal is. At the end of the day, prospects want to know who’s going to be in charge and who’s going to be coaching them, and the parents want to know who’s going to be caring for their child. There’s a lot more about the uncertainty of the situation that is creating problems than anything else.” On the recruiting trail, Penn State coaches are sticking with the themes they offered to recruits before Paterno was fired

Penguin notes Forwards Bryan Lerg and Ben Street had the last couple days off to rest, coach John Hynes said. The Penguins still hope to get D Boris Valabik into the lineup either this weekend or Monday. Hynes said D Joey Mormina, who has been out with an upper body injury, could return before the Christmas break. He’s listed as day-to-day.

cluding Patrick Maroon (26 points), Nick Bonino (22) and Dan Sexton (21). “We’ve given a great offensive team great opportunities to score goals,” Hynes said. “We have to get a good goaltending performance, but we also have to play a more complete team game against a team like Syracuse.” Griffin is sad to lose teammates Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Al-Farouq Aminu in the deal, but the Rookie of the Year is looking forward to lining up with Paul and fellow newcomers Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups, called “my big brother” by Paul. “We’ve got a lot or work to do,” Griffin said. “The target has shifted a little bit, but the only thing I’m going to promise is that you’re going to get our best every night. And when you hear ‘The Clippers,’ it’s not going to be a joke anymore. I can guarantee you that.” Paul is eager to play with Griffin after they teamed up last year at the All-Star game in Los Angeles. He knows fans are already salivating at the prospect of Paul’s passes finding Griffin for all varieties of vicious dunks.

PSU formally requests more time from NCAA STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — With a Friday deadline looming, the NCAA signaled it would give Penn State more time to respond to its inquiry over the university’s handling of child sex abuse accusations against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin said in a letter to NCAA president Mark Emmert released Thursday that answers to the NCAA’s questions about the Sandusky case might come from other, separate probes already in progress. Among them is a university trustees investigation spearheaded by former FBI director Louis Freeh. Baldwin spoke to Emmert and other NCAA staff by phone Nov. 23 about the concurrent inquiries, according to the letter dated Dec. 12. “The university understands that the NCAA will continue to monitor these investigations and will have access to the report” from Freeh and the trustees, Baldwin said. “At that time, the NCAA will determine if further response from the university is necessary,” she wrote before requesting more time. Both the NCAA and Penn State indicated in recent weeks that the school may not make the Friday deadline to provide complete answers to several questions posed last month by Emmert.

— to look at the entire school and to take into account the program’s history of academic success along with its tradition-rich history. But the act is growing tired. Earlier this year, Ohio State was wracked by a tattoo scandal that led to the forced resignation of longtime coach Jim Tressel and multiple suspensions and NCAA investigations. Now Ohio State has helped to shift the focus from a year of NCAA problems by hiring new coach Urban Meyer, who won two national championships at Florida. That gaudy hiring has helped the Buckeyes put a fresh coat of paint on their battered image and they are now considered a recruiting destination instead of one that was down and out. “Before Penn State, Ohio State and Miami were the ones taking the brunt of all the things and now no one talks about them because this scandal is fresh and it’s different,” recruiting expert Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network said. “I think a new staff comes in next year (at Penn State), with a fresh slate, and they could overcome it. “But not this year. They’re dead in the water this year.”

CMYK PAGE 6B

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

➛

THE TIMES LEADER

Pronger sidelined for rest of season

Flyers beat Habs for 7th straight win MONTREAL — Andrei Meszaros scored 8:08 into the third, Mathieu Carle had three assists and the Philadelphia Flyers extended their winning streak to seven with a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Maxime Talbot, Harry Zolnierczyk and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers in the victory tempered by news that captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots for Philadelphia, which blew 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 leads in the second period. The Flyers have won nine of 10 and are first overall in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, two ahead of Boston and a point behind Minnsota for the overall NHL lead. Erik Cole scored the Canadiens’ third tying goal of the second with 15.5 seconds left in the period. Louis Leblanc got his first NHL goal and David Desharnais also scored earlier in the middle period for Montreal, which lost in regulation for the first time in seven games (3-1-3). Carey Price made 21 saves. Kings 2, Blue Jackets 1 COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dustin Brown scored on a redirect midway through the third period and Jonathan Quick had 24 saves to lead Los Angeles to a victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, ending the Kings’ fivegame skid and giving interim coach John Stevens his first victory. Brown added an assist on Davis Drewiske’s goal for the Kings, who fired Terry Murray on Monday. There is widespread speculation that general manager Dean Lombardi is close to hiring former San Jose coach and Calgary GM Darryl

Sutter as the permanent coach. After a 5-1-1 start, the Kings have gone 9-12-3. Jeff Carter scored for Columbus.

Hurricanes 4, Canucks 3 RALEIGH, N.C. — Drayson Bowman scored two goals and Carolina rallied to beat Vancouver to give Kirk Muller his first coaching win on home ice and snap a slide in which they had lost 16 of 20. Tuomo Ruutu added a deflected goal and an assist, and Jaroslav Spacek scored his first goal since being acquired by the last-place Hurricanes. They scored four straight goals to rally from a 2-0 deficit. Alex Burrows and Mason Raymond each had a goal and an assist, Kevin Bieksa also scored and Henrik Sedin had two assists to reach 700 career points for the Canucks, who entered 9-1-1 in their previous 11. Cam Ward made 33 saves for the Hurricanes. Stars 3, Islanders 2 UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Jamie Benn scored the go-ahead goal 4:33 into the third period and also had an assist in Dallas’ victory over New York. Loui Eriksson and Brendan Morrow also scored and Richard Bachman made 25 saves to improve to 3-0 in the NHL and help the Stars run their winning streak to three games. Michael Grabner and Kyle Okposo scored for New York. The Islanders have lost four in a row. New York’s Brian Rolston left the game because of a concussion in the first period. Lightning 5, Flames 4 TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos scored his 19th goal of the season 30 seconds into overtime and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Calgary Flames.

The Associated Press

AP PHOTO

The St. Louis Blues’ Kris Russell, left, and New York Rangers’ Derek Stepan collide while chasing a loose puck during the first period of an NHL game Thursday in St. Louis.

Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom scored for the Red Wings, who snapped a three-game win streak.

Stamkos got the winner from in close off a nifty pass from Eric Brewer. Teddy Purcell, Tom Pyatt, Ryan Malone and Nate Thompson also scored for the Lightning, who had lost seven of eight. Calgary got goals from Matt Stajan, Jarome Iginla, Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen. The Flames are 6-3-1 over their last 10 games. Calgary rebounded from a two-goal, third-period deficit when Bourque scored on a breakaway in the opening minute and Jokinen redirected Alex Tanguay’s shot past Mathieu Garon during a power play with 3:12 to go in regulation.

Blues 4, Rangers 1 ST. LOUIS — Brian Elliott made 25 saves, and Alex Steen had a goal and an assist in the St. Louis Blues’ victory over the New York Rangers. Elliott, who has won nine of his last 10, lowered his NHLleading goals-against average to 1.43 and increased his leaguebest save percentage to .950. The Blues (7-0-1) have 15 of a possible 16 points against Eastern Conference foes this season. St. Louis also has beaten up the Rangers over the past 10 years, Predators 4, Red Wings 3 going 9-1-3 since 2000-01. Steen’s goal put him in double NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shea digits with 10. Patrik Berglund, Weber scored two goals late in David Perron and Jami Langenthe third period to give the brunner also scored for the Nashville Predators a win over Blues, who have points in 14 of the Detroit Red Wings. their last 16 games. Detroit native David LegMichael Del Zotto scored for wand and Jordin Tootoo also scored for Nashville in its fourth New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves. straight victory.

MONTREAL — Philadelphia Flyers captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs because of severe post-concussion syndrome. Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren made the announcement through a team spokesman early in the first period of the Flyers’ game against Montreal on Thursday night. Pronger has been sidelined since Nov. 19. “After consultation with respected concussion specialists Dr. Joseph Maroon and Dr. Micky Collins, it is the opinion of both doctors that Chris is suffering from severe post-concussion syndrome,” Holmgren said. “It is the recommendation of doctors Maroon and Collins that Chris not return for the remainder of the 2011-12 season or playoffs. Chris will continue to receive treatment and therapy with the hope that he can get better.” Pronger visited Maroon and Collins on Wednesday in Pitts-

burgh after complaining about a fairly persistent headache and sluggish feeling. The 37-year-old defenseman also missed six games this season because of an eye injury, and had surgery on his left knee last month. In 13 games this season, he had a goal and 11 assists. He has 157 goals and 541 assists in 1,167 career regular-season games in 18 seasons with Hartford, St. Louis, Edmonton, Anaheim and Philadelphia. The 6-foot-6 player led Anaheim to the 2007 Stanley Cup title and won Olympic gold medals with Canada in 2002 and 2010. He signed a seven-year contract with Philadelphia in 2009. Flyers star forward Claude Giroux, the NHL scoring leader with 39 points, also is out indefinitely with a concussion. He took an inadvertent knee to the head from teammate Wayne Simmonds in a game Saturday. “Claude’s status remains the same,” Holmgren said “He is out indefinitely.”

KRANSON’S QUALITY WEAR FOR MEN AND BOYS

Back By Popular Demand

BUY 1 GET 1 FREE SUIT SALE Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun Only ((off equall or llesser value) l )

FREE ALTERATIONS Suits By: Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Joseph Abboud, Petrocelli, Jones of New York MUNDY S ST., WILKES-BARRE, S PA Free Alterations

(JUST BELOW THE MALL)

PHONE 823-8612

MON., THURS., FRI. 9-8 TUES., WED., SAT. 9-6 SUNDAY 12-4

It’s The Perfect Stocking Stuffer!

Get 25 rounds of golf...

only $35

Your stocking stuffer includes:

The Times Leader Golf Club member certiﬁcate Holiday stocking ● 3 -pack of golf balls ●

●

The Times Leader Golf Club membership cards will be mailed to customers in April 2012 when printed. Golf Club membership covers participating golf course’s green fees during the 2012 season.

It’s the ft i perfect ggolf for the ast! enthusi

Phone orders call 829-7101 or order online at timesleader.com. Click “Subscribe” at top right corner.

The Times Leader Stocking Stuffer Golf Card Form

❑ Yes! I want The Times Leader Golf Club Stocking Stuffer.

____ # stocking stuffer(s) paid in full at $35 per stocking (includes Pa. sales tax). $_____ Total Enclosed. ❑ I will pick up my order at The Times Leader ofﬁce, 15 N. Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA. ❑ Please mail my order. Mail orders must be placed by Dec. 16 to ensure Christmas delivery. Name: _______________________________________

The Times Leader Address: ______________________________________ Send to: 15 N. Main Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 City: ___________________ State: ___ Zip: ___________ Phone: _________________ E-Mail: _________________ ❑ Paid by check #_______ ❑ Or, charge my credit card Check one: ❑ MasterCard ❑ VISA ❑ Discover ❑ AMEX Credit card # _________________________________ 726821

The Associated Press

www.timesleader.com

Exp. date: ____/____ Security code: ______

timesleader.com

CMYK THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011 PAGE 7B

CMYK PAGE 8B

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

This trip down south different for Owls Temple’s bowl game Saturday conjures memories of 1935 trip to New Orleans. By FRANK FITZPATRICK The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA — The two college bands in Tulane Stadium’s grandstands that New Year’s Day in New Orleans were battling as hard as the combatants in history’s first Sugar Bowl. Temple’s musicians spent much of the sunny afternoon of Jan. 1, 1935, playing “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” an act of sectional bravado that Tulane’s band countered with constant renditions of “Dixie.” The unusual North-South pairing of Temple-Tulane had lent considerable appeal to the inaugural Sugar Bowl, the brainchild of a New Orleans sportswriter

UP NEXT GILDAN NEW MEXICO BOWL Temple vs. Wyoming 2 p.m. Saturday, ESPN

and local businessmen. College football teams didn’t travel as far or as frequently then. And, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was segregation, deep South teams rarely hosted opponents from the East and Midwest. Recognizing an easy angle, sportswriters in New Orleans and Philadelphia who knew little about the opposing teams ballyhooed the Civil War angle. It was good marketing and, as it turned out, good football. Tulane’s 20-14 victory over Temple attracted a better-thananticipated 22,026 to the nineyear-old stadium, built on a former sugar plantation. That same day in Miami, meanwhile, the

first Orange Bowl, which featured an un-hyped North-South pairing of Bucknell and Miami, drew only 3,000 fans. This Saturday, nearly 77 years later, another Temple football team finds itself in another geographically interesting bowl matchup. Steve Addazio’s Owls will take on Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. But in this era when travel difficulties and regional differences have been virtually eliminated, Temple-Wyoming won’t be nearly as exotic as Temple-Tulane in that first Sugar Bowl. Back then, Owls star Dave Smukler showed up at the postgame party with a cigar in his mouth and wearing both a derby and the gaudy seersucker suit bowl organizers had presented Temple’s players. He looked like either an alien or a befuddled tourist.

“It’s a helluva thing,” the Newark, N.J.-born fullback said of his strange Southern attire, “to come all the way down here and wind up with a pair of pajamas.” After decades in which the Rose Bowl had a virtual monopoly on postseason college football, the Sugar, Orange, and Sun Bowls all debuted on Jan. 1, 1935. All three are still around. Boosterish New Orleans Item sports editor Fred Rigby had long been urging the Delta city to host a bowl game. “What the little city of Pasadena has done with the Tournament of Roses, New Orleans can do a hundred times better,” Digby wrote. Finally, in 1934, with hometown Tulane’s success providing impetus, the Mid-Winter Sports Association of New Orleans was created to do just that. On Dec. 2, its board selected the 8-1 Green

Wave and Temple. The Owls, led by Smukler’s bruising running, had gone 7-0-2, outscoring opponents that ranged from Texas A&M to CarnegieMellon by a margin of 206-37. Curiously, their final regularseason game, a 0-0 tie with Bucknell at Temple Stadium on Dec. 1, would provide teams for two of those first-year New Year’s bowls, the Sugar and Orange. Organizers called Temple the “best team in the East” even though the Dickinson Poll — AP’s rankings debuted that year but were not widely recognized — had several others rated higher, including Pitt, Navy, Colgate, and Columbia. Colgate, by the way, had handed Tulane its only defeat, 20-6, on Nov. 10. But Temple had some national sex appeal. Its coach was Glenn “Pop” Warner, already a legend and, at 63, nearing his career’s

end. “Naturally, we feel honored to play in the Sugar Bowl and to meet a worthy successor to Pop Warner’s long run of successful football teams,” Tulane coach Ted Cox said. In the versatile, 6-foot-1, 212pound Smukler, the imaginative and innovative Warner had the right man for his double-wing attack. “He was as great a fullback as Jim Thorpe or Ernie Nevers,” said Warner, who had coached both of those future Hall of Famers at Carlisle and Stanford, respectively. As if on cue, Smukler produced the first points in Sugar Bowl history, completing a first-quarter TD pass to running back Dan Testa, then kicking the extra point. In the second quarter he ran for a score, and Temple led, 14-0.

Payton finalists top FCS list

Eastern Washington QB, Indiana State RB head All-America team. By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer

Walter Payton Award finalists Bo Levi Mitchell of Eastern Washington and Shakir Bell of Indiana State have been selected to The Associated Press FCS All-America team. Mitchell leads FCS in yards passing per game at 364.5, and his 33 touchdown passes are tops in the nation. Bell is the leading rusher in FCS with151.8 yards per game, 20 more than the next best average. The third finalist for the Payton Award as FCS player of the year, Lehigh quarterback Chris Lum, was picked as the second-team quarterback. The award will be presented Jan. 6. Bell’s teammate, defensive end Ben Obaseki, was also selected to the team, making Indiana State one of five schools with two AllAmericans. AP FILE PHOTO Montana, which plays at Sam Houston State on Friday night in Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell (9), a Walter the FCS semifinals, is represent- Payton Award finalists, was selected to The Associated Press ed by linebacker Caleb McSurdy FCS All-America team on Thursday. and defensive back Trumaine FCS All-America Team Johnson. McSurdy was the Big Sky defensive player of the year. wards, junior, Eastern Washington. FIRST TEAM North Dakota State, which All-purpose — Brock Jackloski, OFFENSE senior, Stony Brook. hosts Georgia Southern on SaturQuarterback — Bo Levi Mitchell, Kicker — Ryan Estep, senior, Norsenior, 6-2, 210, Eastern Washingday in the other semifinal, placed folk State. ton. offensive lineman Paul Cornick DEFENSE Running backs — Shakir Bell, and defensive back Marcus Wilsophomore, 5-8, 185, Indiana State; Linemen — Brent Russell, junior, Georgia Southern; Blake Olijaro, liams on the first team. Eric Breitenstein, junior, 5-11, 225, sophomore, San Diego; Andrew Furman linebacker Kadarron Wofford. Schaetzke, senior, Georgetown; Linemen — J.C. Oram, senior, 6-4, Anderson and defensive back Ronnie Cameron, senior, Old Do300, Weber State; George Bias, Ryan Steed also made the first minion. senior, 6-3, 305, Stephen F. Austin; team, and Idaho State was repreLinebackers — Matt Evans, junior, Paul Cornick, senior, 6-6, 309, New Hampshire; Blake Peiffer, sented by receiver Rodrick RumNorth Dakota State; Brett Moore, junior, Southeast Missouri State; senior, 6-3, 255, Georgia Southern; ble and punter David Harrington, A.J. Storms, senior, Idaho State. Tom Compton, senior, 6-6, 314, who led the nation with a 48.7Defensive backs — Kejuan Riley, South Dakota. yard average. junior, Alabama State; Justin Receivers — Rodrick Rumble, Bethel, senior, Presbyterian; DarJoining Mitchell and Bell in the junior, 6-2, 201, Idaho State; Aaron backfield was Wofford fullback Mellette, junior, 6-4, 212, Elon; Ryan nell Taylor, junior, Sam Houston State; Bryce Robertson, senior, Spadola, junior, 6-3, 205, Lehigh. Eric Breitenstein, who has 1,474 Bucknell. All-purpose — Jonathan Grimes, yards rushing and 19 touchPunter — Jonathan Plisco, junior, senior, 5-10, 201, Williams & Mary. downs. Old Dominion. Kicker — Zach Brown, junior, 6-1, The other two receivers on the THIRD TEAM 200, Portland State. DEFENSE OFFENSE first team were Elon’s Aaron MelLinemen — Ben Boothby, senior, Quarterback — Casey Brockman, lette, who led the nation in catch6-0, 280, Northern Iowa; Zack junior, Murray State. es (113) and yards (1,639), and LeNash, senior, 6-4, 260, Sacramento Running backs — Nick Schweiger, high’s Ryan Spadola, who was secState; Ben Obaseki, junior, 6-3, 260, senior, Dartmouth; Matt Denham, Indiana State; Adrian Hamilton, ond in yards (1,614). junior, Eastern Kentucky. senior, 6-3, 255, Prairie View A&M. Linemen — Scott Schweitzer, seThe other offensive linemen on Linebackers — Tyler Holmes, nior, Tennessee Tech; Jon Apperud, the first team were: Weber State’s senior, 6-0, 224, Massachusetts; senior, Montana; Malcolm Boyd, J.C. Oram, Stephen F. Austin’s GeKadarron Anderson, senior, 6-1, junior, Liberty; Jeff Adams, senior, 234, Furman; Caleb McSurdy, orge Bias, Georgia Southern’s Columbia; Troy McKenna, junior, senior, 6-1, 242, Montana. Brett Moore and South Dakota’s Lehigh. Defensive backs — Marcus WilReceivers — Shane Savage, senior, Tom Compton. liams, sophomore, 5-11, 190, North Cornell; Tre Gray, senior, Richmond; The all-purpose player was WilDakota State; Trumaine Johnson, Elvis Akpla, senior, Montana State. liam & Mary’s Jonathan Grimes, senior, 6-3, 210, Montana; Ryan All-purpose — Gralyn Crawford, Steed, senior, 5-11, 188, Furman; who led the nation in all-purpose junior, Stephen F. Austin. Josh Norman, senior, 6-2, 190, Kicker — Tyler Sievertsen, sophoyards with 228 per game. Coastal Carolina. more, Northern Iowa. Portland State’s Zach Brown Punter — David Harrington, senior, DEFENSE was the kicker. 6-2, 1985, Idaho State. Linemen —Ryan Davis, senior, On defense, Prairie View SECOND TEAM Bethune-Cookman; Tyler Osborne, senior Southern Utah; Josue Ortiz, OFFENSE A&M’s Adrian Hamilton made senior, Harvard; Joseph Lebeau, Quarterback — Chris Lum, senior, the first team after leading the najunior, Jackson State. Lehigh. tion and setting a Southwestern Linebackers — L.J. Fort, senior, Running backs — Terrance West, Athletic Conference record with Northern Iowa; Derek Rose, junior, freshman, Towson; Tim Flanders, 201⁄2 sacks. Northwestern State; Keith Pough, sophomore, Sam Houston State. junior, Howard. Linemen — Bryan Boerner, senior, Northern Iowa’s Ben Boothby Defensive backs — Serge Kona, Southern Illinois; Gino Gradowski, and Sacramento State’s Zack senior, Delaware; Nate Page, senior, junior, Duquesne; Asa Jackson, Nash were the other linemen. junior, Cal Poly; Jeremy Caldwell, Wofford; Blake Matthews, senior, Joining McSurdy and Andersenior, Eastern Kentucky; Daxton Norfolk State; Joe Faiella, senior, Swanson, junior, Sam Houston Stony Brook. son at linebacker was Tyler State. Receivers — Brian Quick, senior, Holmes of Massachusetts. Punter — Patrick Murray, junior, Appalachian State; Mario Louis, Josh Norman of Coastal Carolisenior, Grambling; Nicholas EdFordham. na rounded out the secondary.

150 Special Notices

522

Education/ Training

DALLAS SCHOOL DISTRICT - EOE

CHRISTMAS SALE Gold, Silver, Gold Plated, Rings, Necklaces, Bracelets also Costume Jewelry. GREAT PRICES! Something for every occasion.

Prices cannot be beat!

134 RTE. 11, Larksville 570-855-7197

MONTY SAYS

Embellish on Main Street in Dallas is a great place to get a gift this Christmas...The shop is cozy and the staff is friendly and helpful.

LINE UP A GREAT DEAL... IN CLASSIFIED! 503

Accounting/ Finance

ACCOUNTING AR/AP ASSISTANT

Varsity, Inc. seeks full time candidate with AR/AP, journal entry, data entry and financial statement experience. Strong Excel, Word and Accounting software experience required within a fast paced multitask environment. Call Harvis Interview Service with questions 542-5330 or forward resume: varsity.harvis@ gmail.com

522

Education/ Training

S-PECIAL EDUCATION AIDES Classroom Aide - Personal Care Assistants

HALL MONITORS

Dallas High School Rate of pay dependent on higher education experience, no benefits. For clearance information and to download a district application, refer to the district web site, www.dallassd.com, Employment page. Please submit a letter of interest, resume, district application, references, letters of recommendation, Act 34, 151 and 114 clearances and any other supporting materials to: Mr. Frank Galicki, Superintendent, Dallas School District, PO Box 2000, Dallas, PA 18612 DEADLINE: January 3, 2012 or until the positions are filled.

542

Logistics/ Transportation

548 Medical/Health 746 Garage Sales/ Estate Sales/ Flea Markets LOOKING FOR A

CHANGE? DON T WAIT APPLY TO BE A PART OF GUARDIAN S KEEPER TEAM! RNs

Part Time & Per Diem – All Shifts

LPNs

Full Time – Part Time – Per Diem All shifts available

Nurse Aides

Full Time – Part Time – Per Diem All Shifts Available Apply in Person at

147 Old Newport St., Nanticoke, PA 18634

726

ATTENTION DRIVERS

LINEUP ASUCCESSFULSALE INCLASSIFIED! Doyouneedmorespace? A yard or garage sale in classified is the best way tocleanoutyourclosets! You’re in bussiness with classified!

Clothing

SWEATERS Storybook (Home Shopping) 1x, 2x $25. each. Women’s clothes s-m $2-$10. 570-417-3940

744 2012 DAY CABS WISE FOODS, INC. Seeks CDL Class A 2 YEAR OTR verifiable experience • Home daily • Distributor based network • EXCELLENT per mile pay • Unloading, drop off & pick-up pay • Expense advance • Paid delay times • 24 hour dispatch coverage • Excellent on site fleet maintenance Contact Joan at 800-438-9473 ext 4120

Furniture & Accessories

FURNISH FOR LESS

* NELSON * * FURNITURE * * WAREHOUSE * Recliners from $299 Lift Chairs from $699 New and Used Living Room Dinettes, Bedroom 210 Division St Kingston Call 570-288-3607

Luzerne County Community College invites applications for the following position:

FT COORDINATOR, CONTINUING EDUCATION

For additional information on this position or to apply please visit our web site at (www. luzerne.edu/jobs) by Thursday, December 22, 2011. No phone inquires please. Candidates representing all aspects of diversity are encouraged to apply. Equal Opportunity Employer John T Sedlak, Dean of Human Resources

HIRING

Distinguished surgical practice seeks LPN, RN, or Surgical Tech. to work in solo practitioner's office; 3 days/week (Wednesday-Friday). Experienced applicants only. Please call (570) 301-2327 during normal business hours for consideration.

959 Mobile Homes

DALLAS

Small 1 1/2 bedroom trailer. Private fenced lot with shed. Appliances included. $500 month + 1 month security. Tenant pays electric & gas. Available immediately. No pets. 570-477-5747

Find homes for your kittens! Place an ad here! 570-829-7130

EXETER

Flea Market & Warehouse Shoppes This Sunday, December 18, between 11am & 1pm, your little ones can have their pictures taken with Santa and emailed to your home! Santa’s Sleigh will be landing at our Flea Market, 1950 Wyoming Avenue (Next to Kurlancheek Furniture & Family Dollar) Come say Hi to Santa and get some last minute shopping done! Rare coins, hats, socks, sports cards, GT Hobby, health & beauty, Antique Gold Jewelry, knickknacks, ex-cd, hot wheel cars, jeans, Sarah’s Toys & more! Maybe you can catch Santa having his second favorite snack, next to cookies & milk, Pananas & Candy Apple Cider (Peanut Butter & Banna Sandwich, deep fried in funnel cake batter, topped with powered sugar, and served with a raspberry chocolate sauce!) Vendors Wanted 570-709-1639

WILKES-BARRE SOUTH 94 Oak St (off Carey Ave) Saturday & Sunday 8am - 4pm

INDOOR YARD SALE!

Lots of Christmas items. Fenton knickknacks, white milk nub glass, dishes service for 20, some end tables, lamps, 33 records and cabinet, Radios. Holly hobby plates, punch bowl, canister set, some pots, men’s suits & ties, 2x sweaters, women’s faux fur coat 2x, luggage, queen head board & box spring, electric tools, hedge clippers, Plasterman wooden planks - ask to see.

815

Dogs

GERMAN SHEPHERD PUPS German lines, all shots and vet checked. $400. 570-952-1276

Looking for that special place called home? Classified will address Your needs. Open the door with classified!

MALTESE MIX PUPPIES!

Very sociable. Health records. $325 each. Call 570-765-0936

ROTTWEILER PUPS

Shopping for a new apartment? German lines. 2 females. Ready to Classified lets go. $375. you compare costs 570-592-5515 Doyouneedmorespace? without hassle 570-654-0678 A yard or garage sale or worry! in classified Get moving 941 Apartments/ is the best way with classified! Unfurnished tocleanoutyourclosets! 746 Garage Sales/ You’re in bussiness Estate Sales/ with classified! Flea Markets

PITTSTON

548 Medical/Health LUZERNE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE POSITION OPENING

Santa s Coming to Town!

746 Garage Sales/ Estate Sales/ Flea Markets

EDWARDSVILLE Vendor & Craft Market 681 Main Street Vendors wanted & space available for crafts. Open every day but Monday. 570-417-1269 570-855-2703

953 Houses for Rent

WEST PITTSTON

TOWNHOUSE 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, wall to wall carpeting, living/dining combo, refrigerator & stove, washer/dryer hookup, off-street parking, no pets. Front and back porches, full basement. $625/ per month + utilities & security deposit. Call 570-655-8928

Say it HERE in the Classifieds! 570-829-7130

WEST WYOMING FLEA MARKET 6th Street

OPEN SPACE YEAR ROUND

AVAILABLE INSIDE & OUT ACRES OF PARKING OUTSIDE SPACES - $10 INSIDE SPACES $60 AND UP (MONTHLY)

Saturday 10am-2pm Sunday 8am-4pm

LINEUP ASUCCESSFULSALE INCLASSIFIED! Doyouneedmorespace? A yard or garage sale in classified is the best way tocleanoutyourclosets! You’re in bussiness with classified!

2nd floor, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, refrigerator & stove provided, washer/ dryer hookup, pets negotiable. $545/ month, water and sewer paid, security and lease required. Call 570-237-6277

953 Houses for Rent

HANOVER TOWNSHIP

Hanover Green Newly remodeled single home. 2 bedroom. Stove, washer & dryer included. $600 + utilities. No pets. Call 570-991-7359

LARKSVILLE

Conveniently located. Spacious 4 bedroom single. Gas heat. Off street parking. Lease, no pets. Security. Call Ann Marie Chopick 570-760-6769

570-288-6654

CMYK

BUSINESS timesleader.com

THE TIMES LEADER

I N

SECTION

B R I E F

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

Jobless claims fall again

New cigar bar Ash is brothers’ dream

State jobless rate falls

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.9 percent in November, down from 8.1 percent in October, the Department of Labor & Industry announced Thursday. The state’s unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in November 2010. Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force – the number of people working or looking for work – was down 2,000 in November to 6,353,000. Resident employment was up 12,000 to 5,854,000, and the number of unemployed residents fell by 14,000 to 499,000. Seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs in Pennsylvania were up 0.9 percent in a year.

Seasonally adjusted 366,000 lowest since mid-recession. By JEFFRY BARTASH MarketWatch

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who filed requests for jobless benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest level since May 2008, indicating that a fragile U.S. labor market continues to heal. First-time applications for unemployment compensation declined by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000, putting claims at the lowest level since the middle of the 2007-2009 recession. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had projected that claims would rise to a seasonally adjusted 390,000 in the week ended Dec. 10. Claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 385,000 from 381,000. “You have to be careful about reading too much into any one week of data, but it’s very encouraging,” said economist Andrew Grantham at CIBC World Markets. “Companies are pushing off concerns about the rest of the world and are more confident about their own prospects.” Jobless claims have declined gradually from a 2011 peak of 478,000 in late April. And claims have fallen below 400,000 — a level historically associated with an improving labor market — in five of the past six weeks. The average of new claims in the past month, meanwhile, fell by 6,500 to 387,750, the lowest level since July 2008. The monthly average is seen as a more accurate gauge of labor trends because it reduces volatility in the weekto-week data. Yet claims reflects only the number of people who lose jobs, not those who finds one, so it’s an imprecise gauge of hiring trends.

5 Car of Year candidates

The Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat are the finalists for the 2012 North American Car of the Year — an annual award by a group of 50 automotive journalists that is coveted by automotive manufacturers. “It’s a sign of the times: The car finalists are all about value and fuel efficiency,” said Detroit Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan, who is one of the judges. For the 2012 North American Truck of the Year, the finalists are the BMW X3, the Honda CR-V and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque.

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

Jonathan Walsh holds up a box of cigars at Ash, a new cigar bar open in Laflin.

Smokin’ in style

Citi card defaults rise

Citibank on Thursday reported a significant jump in the rate its customers defaulted on credit cards in November and said late payments also rose. The rates for both measures for the credit card division of New York-based Citigroup Inc. remain well below where they were a year ago. Citibank wrote off 6.36 percent of balances on an annualized basis in November. That was up from 5.66 percent of balances in October, but much lower than the 9. 4 percent charge-off rate of November 2010.

The National Retail Federation said Thursday it now expects holiday sales for the November and December period to rise 3.8 percent to a record $469.1 billion. That’s up from its more modest 2.8 percent forecast made in early October when the economy’s health looked more uncertain. The projected gain is still below the 5.2 percent pace seen during the holiday 2010 season from the prior year, but it’s well above the 2.6 percent average increase over the past 10 years.

$3.44

By RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES — Shush, already. That’s the message the Federal Communications Commission is sending with new rules that force broadcast, cable and satellite companies to turn down the volume on blaring TV commercials. On Tuesday, the FCC passed a set of regulations that

$3.09

07/17/08

Name

+3.93

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

Alliance Bernstein BalShrB m 14.12 +.04 CoreOppA m 11.68 +.03 American Cent IncGroA m 23.60 +.12 ValueInv 5.47 +.02 American Funds AMCAPA m 18.28 +.01 BalA m 17.87 +.03 BondA m 12.54 -.01 CapIncBuA m 48.62 +.27 CpWldGrIA m 31.40 +.19 EurPacGrA m 34.76 +.15 FnInvA x 34.08 -.13 GrthAmA m 28.09 +.01 HiIncA m 10.62 +.01 IncAmerA m 16.48 +.08 InvCoAmA m 26.35 +.08 MutualA m 25.25 +.11 NewPerspA m25.70 +.09 NwWrldA m 45.67 +.08 SmCpWldA m32.33 +.16 WAMutInvA m27.57 +.12 Baron Asset b 44.23 +.18 BlackRock GlobAlcA m 18.22 +.02 GlobAlcC m 16.95 +.02 GlobAlcI 18.32 +.02 CGM Focus 25.19 +.15 Mutual 24.17 +.09 Realty 25.68 +.40 Columbia AcornZ 26.56 +.11 DFA EmMktValI 25.55 +.01

+2.5 +1.5 -0.7 -3.2 -2.6 +1.3 +6.1 +0.2 -10.3 -16.0 -5.5 -7.7 +1.1 +2.6 -5.1 +1.5 -10.2 -16.3 -16.8 +3.1 -6.1 -5.5 -6.1 -5.2 -27.6 -18.0 -3.6 -8.1 -26.8

Name

NASDAQ 2,541.01

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

DWS-Scudder EnhEMFIS d 9.96 HlthCareS d 23.22 LAEqS d 40.47 Davis NYVentA m 31.55 NYVentC m 30.29 Dodge & Cox Bal 66.07 Income 13.38 IntlStk 29.19 Stock 98.63 Dreyfus TechGrA f 29.76 Eaton Vance HiIncOppA m 4.19 HiIncOppB m 4.20 NatlMuniA m 9.32 NatlMuniB m 9.32 PAMuniA m 8.79 Fidelity AstMgr20 12.82 Bal 17.87 BlChGrow 41.18 CapInc d 8.59 Contra 65.58 DivrIntl d 24.74 ExpMulNat d 20.00 Free2020 13.28 Free2025 10.91 Free2030 12.95 GNMA 11.85 GrowCo 81.42 LatinAm d 47.79 LowPriStk d 34.77 Magellan 60.90 Overseas d 25.62 Puritan 17.42 StratInc 10.95

... -3.8 +.27 +4.2 +.19 -23.8 +.08 +.08

-8.1 -8.8

+.26 -4.3 ... +4.3 +.20 -18.3 +.51 -7.3 -.07

-8.4

-.01 ... +.02 +.03 +.02

+2.8 +2.1 +10.4 +9.6 +7.5

+.01 +.01 +.02 -.07 +.02 +.07 +.07 +.02 +.02 +.02 -.01 +.03 +.16 +.17 +.12 +.11 +.04 -.07

+1.7 -0.6 -5.7 -3.9 -3.1 -16.4 -6.8 -3.3 -4.9 -5.6 +7.9 -2.1 -17.7 -2.7 -14.5 -18.7 -1.4 +3.2

p Name

+1.70

DOW 11,868.81

METALS Copper Gold Platinum Silver Palladium

CLOSE 3.26 1574.60 1407.00 29.23 618.90

PVS. +.0035 -.0044 +.0034 -.16 -.0204 PVS. 3.27 1584.30 1426.30 28.88 617.70

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

TotalBd 10.93 -.03 +6.7 Value 60.84 +.43 -10.6 Fidelity Advisor ValStratT m 22.48 +.13 -13.2 Fidelity Select Gold d 42.03 -.55 -16.7 Pharm d 13.19 +.23 +10.4 Fidelity Spartan 500IdxAdvtg 43.23 +.14 -1.4 500IdxInstl 43.24 +.15 NA 500IdxInv 43.23 +.14 -1.4 First Eagle GlbA m 44.02 +.04 -2.6 FrankTemp-Frank Fed TF A m 12.11 +.01 +11.4 FrankTemp-Franklin CA TF A m 7.08 ... +10.4 GrowB m 41.46 +.15 -2.9 Income A m 2.05 +.01 +0.4 Income C m 2.07 +.01 -0.1 FrankTemp-Mutual Beacon Z 11.56 +.03 -4.8 Discov Z 27.21 +.14 -5.5 Euro Z 18.71 +.16 -10.9 Shares Z 19.69 +.11 -4.4 FrankTemp-Templeton GlBond A x 12.30 -.29 -3.2 GlBond C x 12.32 -.29 -3.7 GlBondAdv x 12.26 -.30 -3.1 Growth A m 15.81 +.10 -9.1 GMO QuVI 21.55 +.09 +9.4 Harbor CapApInst 36.13 ... -1.6 IntlInstl d 52.03 +.20 -14.1 Hartford CpApHLSIA 36.42 +.15 -14.0

%CH. 6MO. +.23% 1.6175 -.42% .9815 +.26% 1.4169 -.21% 80.97 -.15% 11.9366 %CH. -0.35 -0.61 -1.35 +1.19 +0.19

+45.33

Mutual Funds

Foreign Exchange & Metals CURRENCY CLOSE USD per British Pound 1.5501 Canadian Dollar 1.0358 USD per Euro 1.3011 Japanese Yen 77.91 Mexican Peso 13.8964

tandoori chicken chunks, an imported charcuterie plate, Philly surf & turf sliders and a rich lobster mac & cheese. Nothing on Ash’s menu is more than $15. “We’re so much more than just a cigar bar,” Walsh added. “We also have an amazing selection of fine spirits and imported beers. We want to knock people out with panache, but at a reasonable price. The place has atmosphere.” Ash will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. with Chef Joseph Ginthner in the kitchen and Tom Sobieski at the bar. For further information, call 570-654-7771.

“Ash is the culmination of something my brother and I dreamed of for a long time,” said Jonathan Walsh, a partner at local cigar boutique, El Humidor. “We’ve both been lucky enough to have traveled around the world and a lot of our cultural and ethnic experiences are evidenced in this lounge.” The brothers grew up in Wyoming and attended The University of Scranton before going on to Harvard. Walsh explained that in addition to a wide selection of quality, handrolled cigars the new lounge will offer an eclectic menu featuring an international selection of attractively priced tapas dishes such as

Companies have a year to tone down too-loud TV ads

$4.06

S&P 500 1,215.75

By STEVEN FONDO Times Leader Correspondent

AFLIN – Smoking was most definitely allowed Thursday night at the soft opening of Ash, NEPA’s first cigar bar. The new lounge is on the ground floor of Good Fellos Restaurant on Route 315, the former site of the Mayfair Supper Club. The unique concept is the brain child of brothers Jonathan and Jason Walsh, two Harvard grads with a taste for “fine wine, good cigars and atmosphere.”

Holiday sales forecast hiked

$3.32

6MO. -20.91 +3.21 -20.70 -17.46 -20.04

1YR. 1.5539 1.0039 1.3213 84.43 12.3970 1YR. -20.70 +14.90 -17.17 +1.63 -16.48

Name

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

INVESCO ConstellB m 18.48 -.01 -11.7 GlobEqA m 9.91 +.06 -6.5 PacGrowB m 17.50 -.12 -20.8 Ivy AssetStrA m 21.55 -.06 -10.6 JPMorgan CoreBondSelect x11.85-.03 +7.2 John Hancock LifBa1 b 12.22 +.03 -4.1 LifGr1 b 11.90 +.03 -7.3 RegBankA x 11.56 -.69 -15.3 SovInvA x 14.98 -.17 -2.5 TaxFBdA m 10.02 +.01 +9.6 Lazard EmgMkEqtI d 17.55 +.08 -19.1 Loomis Sayles BondI 13.74 +.02 +2.3 MFS MAInvA x 18.10 -.06 -4.9 MAInvC x 17.53 +.04 -5.5 Merger Merger m 15.98 +.01 +1.3 Metropolitan West TotRetBdI 10.35 -.01 +5.1 TotRtBd b 10.35 -.01 +4.8 Neuberger Berman SmCpGrInv 17.14 +.19 -4.1 Oakmark EqIncI x 26.36 -.71 -2.1 Oppenheimer CapApB m 36.53 -.05 -5.1 DevMktA m 28.66 +.08 -19.9 DevMktY 28.31 +.08 -19.7 PIMCO AllAssetI 11.81 ... +0.9 ComRlRStI 7.13 -.03 -10.7 HiYldIs 8.90 ... +2.7 LowDrIs 10.33 ... +1.5 RealRet 11.84 -.03 +11.5 TotRetA m 10.88 ... +3.1 TotRetAdm b 10.88 ... +3.2 TotRetC m 10.88 ... +2.3 TotRetIs 10.88 ... +3.5 TotRetrnD b 10.88 ... +3.2 TotlRetnP 10.88 ... +3.4 Permanent Portfolio 45.59 +.07 +1.0 Principal SAMConGrB m12.53+.04 -4.5 Prudential JenMCGrA m 26.98 +.09 -0.9 Prudential Investmen 2020FocA m 14.51 +.02 -6.2 BlendA m 15.98 +.03 -7.0 EqOppA m 12.96 +.05 -6.6 HiYieldA m 5.31 ... +3.5 IntlEqtyA m 5.21 +.04 -14.1 IntlValA m 17.09 +.14 -15.6 JennGrA m 17.69 +.01 -2.0

Name

will prevent commercials from being louder than the shows around them. It’s all part of the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (or CALM) Act, which President Obama signed into law last December. The rules go into effect a year from now. Companies that don’t comply will face unspecified FCC action.

RUSSELL 2000 716.01

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

NaturResA m 44.29 -.33 SmallCoA m 19.28 +.07 UtilityA m 10.42 +.11 ValueA m 13.37 +.07 Putnam GrowIncB m 11.98 ... IncomeA m 6.74 -.04 Royce LowStkSer m 13.81 +.07 OpportInv d 9.88 +.11 ValPlSvc m 11.54 +.07 Schwab S&P500Sel d 18.91 +.07 Scout Interntl d 27.34 +.08 T Rowe Price BlChpGr 37.42 +.05 CapApprec 20.17 +.06 DivGrow 22.62 +.07 DivrSmCap d 14.93 +.09 EmMktStk d 28.06 -.04 EqIndex d 32.73 +.11 EqtyInc 22.24 +.09 FinSer x 11.40 -.09 GrowStk 30.86 +.04 HealthSci x 30.91 -.77 HiYield d 6.43 ... IntlDisc d 36.72 +.03 IntlStk d 12.14 +.03 IntlStkAd m 12.09 +.03 LatinAm d 41.74 +.06 MediaTele x 45.52 -4.57 MidCpGr 50.92 +.29 NewAmGro 30.86 +.08 NewAsia d 16.32 -.12 NewEra x 40.13 -2.17 NewIncome 9.65 -.01 Rtmt2020 15.85 +.05 Rtmt2030 16.35 +.06 ShTmBond 4.81 ... SmCpVal d 33.32 +.32 TaxFHiYld d 10.90 +.01 Value 21.76 +.11 ValueAd b 21.55 +.10 Thornburg IntlValI d 24.03 +.04 Tweedy, Browne GlobVal d 22.06 +.11 Vanguard 500Adml 112.52 +.37 500Inv 112.49 +.37 CapOp d 30.24 +.22 CapVal 9.04 +.03 Convrt d 11.93 +.02 DevMktIdx d 8.55 +.04 DivGr 15.09 +.04 EnergyInv d 60.34 -.05 EurIdxAdm d 52.06 +.46 Explr 68.97 +.56 GNMA 11.20 ... GNMAAdml 11.20 ...

-22.4 -5.0 +3.5 -8.9 -9.3 +4.4 -17.6 -16.7 -13.4 -1.4 -15.1 -1.8 +0.9 +0.3 -1.9 -20.5 -1.6 -4.3 -18.6 -4.0 +5.3 +1.9 -16.3 -14.7 -14.7 -26.4 -3.0 -4.6 -3.4 -14.9 -19.0 +5.7 -3.6 -5.4 +1.4 -3.9 +10.1 -5.4 -5.6 -15.0 -7.4 -1.4 -1.5 -9.0 -18.0 -8.9 -15.0 +6.0 -6.3 -14.7 -5.4 +7.6 +7.7

Name

Thunderous television ads have annoyed viewers for years. The FCC says people have grumbled about the issue for at least a half century. But since 2002 — thanks in part to all those clangorous car commercials, earsplitting electronics ads and booming beer pitches — loud advertisements have been one of the top complaints the FCC receives.

+7.55

6-MO T-BILLS .04%

YTD NAV Chg %Rtn

52-WEEK HIGH LOW

GlbEq 15.79 +.06 GrowthEq 10.61 +.02 HYCor d 5.64 ... HYCorAdml d 5.64 ... HltCrAdml d 55.38 +.59 HlthCare d 131.19+1.41 ITGradeAd 10.07 -.01 InfPrtAdm 28.16 -.09 InfPrtI 11.47 -.04 InflaPro 14.33 -.05 InstIdxI 111.78 +.38 InstPlus 111.79 +.38 InstTStPl 27.49 +.12 IntlExpIn d 13.05 +.02 IntlGr d 16.19 +.06 IntlStkIdxAdm d21.88+.07 LTInvGr 10.30 -.03 MidCapGr 18.57 +.03 MidCpAdml 86.99 +.55 MidCpIst 19.22 +.12 MuIntAdml 13.96 +.01 MuLtdAdml 11.14 ... MuShtAdml 15.92 ... PrecMtls d 20.84 -.25 Prmcp d 63.04 +.44 PrmcpAdml d 65.47 +.46 PrmcpCorI d 13.29 +.08 REITIdx d 18.57 +.28 REITIdxAd d 79.26+1.22 STCor 10.63 ... STGradeAd 10.63 ... SelValu d 18.22 +.13 SmGthIdx 20.81 +.18 SmGthIst 20.88 +.18 StSmCpEq 18.40 +.21 Star 18.66 +.04 StratgcEq 17.86 +.17 TgtRe2015 12.38 +.02 TgtRe2020 21.74 +.05 TgtRe2030 20.83 +.06 TgtRe2035 12.42 +.04 Tgtet2025 12.26 +.03 TotBdAdml 11.04 -.01 TotBdInst 11.04 -.01 TotBdMkInv 11.04 -.01 TotBdMkSig 11.04 -.01 TotIntl d 13.08 +.04 TotStIAdm 30.39 +.13 TotStIIns 30.39 +.13 TotStIdx 30.38 +.14 TxMIntlAdm d 9.84 +.05 TxMSCAdm 26.53 +.36 USGro 17.54 ... USValue 10.02 +.06 WellsI 22.73 +.03 WellsIAdm 55.09 +.10 Welltn 30.79 +.07 WelltnAdm 53.19 +.12 WndsIIAdm 44.67 +.17 WndsrII 25.16 +.09 Wells Fargo DvrCpBldA f 6.20 ...

-11.6 -1.7 +5.9 +6.0 +8.0 +8.0 +6.9 +13.3 +13.3 +13.2 -1.4 -1.4 -2.4 -21.7 -16.3 -17.0 +16.1 -2.3 -5.6 -5.6 +9.0 +3.5 +1.6 -21.9 -4.2 -4.1 -3.5 +3.5 +3.6 +1.7 +1.8 -2.9 -5.1 -4.9 -2.5 -1.3 -2.5 -0.3 -1.6 -3.9 -5.1 -2.9 +7.4 +7.5 +7.3 +7.4 -17.0 -2.4 -2.4 -2.5 -15.0 -2.3 -3.9 -0.8 +7.6 +7.8 +1.2 +1.3 -0.9 -1.0 -8.0

98.01 72.26 31.80 24.72 51.50 36.76 23.79 19.28 38.02 23.69 343.90 246.26 15.31 5.03 32.50 17.10 17.49 2.23 39.50 31.30 52.95 35.95 71.77 61.29 27.16 19.19 28.95 21.67 42.50 14.61 40.52 29.57 64.56 39.50 13.63 4.61 21.02 10.25 9.84 4.84 18.16 13.09 13.74 7.00 55.00 46.99 60.96 46.24 36.90 30.21

10-YR T-NOTE 1.91%

-.01

transformed the commercial break into a noisy arms race. “Nobody wanted to be the quiet guy in the set of commercials,” said David Unsworth, senior vice president of satellite and technical operations at DG, a company that distributes ads to broadcasters. In a recent analysis, DG found that some ads were 10 times as loud as the programs they interrupted.

Complaints grew in recent years, as ads became even louder. In the days of analog TV, louder ads took up more space on the airwaves. So broadcasters toned them down to avoid interfering with other channels. Since the conversion to digital TV broadcasts two years ago, loud ads no longer take up more airwave space than quiet ones. The change

+.01

CRUDE OIL $93.87

NATURAL GAS $3.13

-1.08

Stocks of Local Interest

NAME

TKR

AirProd AmWtrWks Amerigas AquaAm ArchDan AutoZone BkofAm BkNYMel BonTon CVS Care Cigna CocaCola Comcast CmtyBkSy CmtyHlt CoreMark EmersonEl Entercom FairchldS FrontierCm Genpact HarteHnk Heinz Hershey Kraft

APD AWK APU WTR ADM AZO BAC BK BONT CVS CI KO CMCSA CBU CYH CORE EMR ETM FCS FTR G HHS HNZ HSY KFT

DIV

LAST

CHG

YTD %CHG

2.32 .92 2.96 .66 .70 ... .04 .52 .20 .50 .04 1.88 .45 1.04 ... .68 1.60 ... ... .75 .18 .32 1.92 1.38 1.16

82.18 30.92 44.00 21.51 27.96 327.32 5.26 18.82 3.15 37.30 42.74 66.89 23.29 26.32 16.63 39.39 48.87 5.91 11.59 4.86 14.38 9.49 52.96 59.31 36.46

+1.70 +.55 +.39 +.38 +.53 +3.00 +.03 +.24 -.11 +.26 +.17 +.63 +.11 +.34 -.03 -.23 -.09 -.06 ... -.01 +.13 -.02 +.37 +.47 +.30

-9.6 +22.3 -9.9 -4.3 -7.0 +20.1 -60.6 -37.7 -75.1 +7.3 +16.6 +1.7 +6.5 -5.2 -55.5 +10.7 -14.5 -49.0 -25.8 -50.1 -5.4 -25.7 +7.1 +25.8 +15.7

52-WEEK HIGH LOW

NAME

TKR

27.45 91.05 98.95 24.98 10.28 65.19 30.27 17.34 71.89 77.03 67.72 67.52 1.47 17.11 60.00 44.65 63.89 33.53 38.95 59.40 42.20 34.25

Lowes M&T Bk McDnlds NBT Bcp NexstarB PNC PPL Corp PenRE PepsiCo PhilipMor ProctGam Prudentl RiteAid SLM Cp SLM pfB SoUnCo TJX UGI Corp VerizonCm WalMart WeisMk WellsFargo

LOW MTB MCD NBTB NXST PNC PPL PEI PEP PM PG PRU RAD SLM SLMBP SUG TJX UGI VZ WMT WMK WFC

18.07 66.40 72.14 17.05 4.59 42.70 24.10 6.50 58.50 55.85 57.56 42.45 .85 10.91 39.30 23.85 42.55 24.07 32.28 48.31 36.52 22.58

-.01

DIV

LAST

CHG

YTD %CHG

.56 2.80 2.80 .80 ... 1.40 1.40 .60 2.06 3.08 2.10 1.45 ... .40 4.63 .60 .76 1.04 2.00 1.46 1.20 .48

24.66 71.74 98.14 21.47 7.57 53.90 29.01 9.96 64.85 75.92 64.99 47.91 1.18 13.28 39.30 41.87 62.29 27.91 38.42 57.95 40.42 25.61

+.18 +.52 +.53 +.68 -.08 -.15 +.38 +.38 +.87 +1.06 +.54 +.25 +.04 +.30 ... +.39 +.12 +.52 +.16 +.30 +.77 -.25

-1.7 -17.6 +27.9 -11.1 +26.4 -11.2 +10.2 -31.5 -.7 +29.7 +1.0 -18.4 +33.6 +5.5 -10.3 +74.0 +40.3 -11.6 +7.4 +7.5 +.2 -17.4

Name

Last Chg %YTD

Combined Stocks Name

Last Chg %YTD

AFLAC 41.20 vjAMR .63 AT&T Inc 28.79 AbtLab 54.89 AMD 5.04 Alcoa 8.78 Allstate 26.34 Altria 29.11 AEP 39.74 AmExp 46.42 AmIntlGrp 23.22 Amgen 58.62 Anadarko 72.67 Apple Inc 378.94 AutoData 51.17 AveryD 27.28 Avista 25.46 Avnet 28.79 Avon 16.73 BP PLC 41.39 BakrHu 44.82 BallardPw 1.15 BarnesNob 15.43 Baxter 48.36 BerkH B 74.90 BigLots 36.60 BlockHR 15.36 Boeing 70.61 BrMySq 34.27 Brunswick 16.56 Buckeye 63.87 CBS B 24.72 CMS Eng 20.82 CSX s 19.98 CampSp 32.68

-.42 -.06 -.02 +.66 -.03 -.16 +.09 +.38 +1.02 -.66 +.44 +1.00 -1.05 -1.25 +.06 +.16 +.54 +.47 -.23 +.29 -1.14 -.05 -.04 -.05 -.62 -.02 -.01 +.67 +.53 +.29 +.72 -.32 +.30 -.06 +.40

-27.0 -92.0 -2.0 +14.6 -38.4 -42.9 -17.4 +18.2 +10.5 +8.2 -51.9 +6.8 -4.6 +17.5 +10.6 -35.6 +13.1 -12.8 -42.4 -6.3 -21.6 -23.3 +9.0 -4.5 -6.5 +20.2 +29.0 +8.2 +29.4 -11.6 -4.4 +29.8 +11.9 -7.2 -6.0

Name

Last Chg %YTD

Name

Carnival Caterpillar CenterPnt CntryLink Chevron Cisco Citigrp rs Clorox ColgPal ConAgra ConocPhil ConEd ConstellEn Cooper Ind Corning CrownHold Cummins DTE Deere Diebold Disney DomRescs Dover DowChm DuPont DukeEngy EMC Cp EKodak Eaton s EdisonInt EmersonEl EnbrEPt s Energen EngyTEq Entergy

33.07 87.70 19.10 35.30 99.67 18.04 25.92 65.27 90.58 25.55 68.29 59.77 39.73 51.98 13.17 33.19 86.83 51.51 73.72 28.28 35.19 50.78 55.96 25.80 43.70 21.04 22.29 .83 41.98 39.20 48.87 30.70 46.93 38.34 71.58

EntPrPt 44.90 Exelon 43.25 ExxonMbl 80.03 Fastenal s 40.76 FedExCp 83.47 FirstEngy 44.31 FootLockr 23.85 FordM 10.25 Gannett 12.71 Gap 18.36 GenDynam 63.30 GenElec 16.79 GenMills 39.96 GileadSci 38.49 GlaxoSKln 45.19 Goodyear 13.53 Hallibrtn 31.26 HarleyD 37.25 HartfdFn 15.97 HawaiiEl 25.93 HeclaM 5.41 Heico s 58.52 Hess 54.69 HewlettP 26.16 HomeDp 39.42 HonwllIntl 52.41 Hormel s 28.85 Humana 84.59 INTL FCSt 24.65 ITT Cp s 19.23 ITW 45.75 IngerRd 30.97 IBM 187.48 IntFlav 52.17 IntPap 27.53

+.15 +.70 +.34 -.05 -.86 +.06 -.14 +.30 +1.28 +.29 -.23 +.97 +.77 +.13 +.03 +.96 -.68 +.38 -.09 -.26 +.03 +.60 +.86 +.42 +.48 +.19 +.11 +.01 +.14 +.39 -.09 +.30 +.57 +1.16 +.98

-28.3 -6.4 +21.5 -23.5 +9.2 -10.8 -45.2 +3.1 +12.7 +13.2 +.3 +20.6 +29.7 -10.8 -31.8 -.6 -21.1 +13.7 -11.2 -11.8 -6.2 +18.9 -4.3 -24.4 -12.4 +18.1 -2.7 -84.6 -17.3 +1.6 -14.5 -1.6 -2.8 -1.9 +1.1

Last Chg %YTD +.05 +.31 +.59 +.47 +6.18 +.39 +.23 +.10 -.19 +.05 +.09 +.18 +.23 -.27 +.71 +.27 +.26 +.72 -.25 +.19 -.32 +.57 +.87 -.22 +.28 +.86 +.25 +.05 +.13 +.40 -.07 +.60 -1.24 +.08 +.25

+7.9 +3.9 +9.5 +36.1 -10.3 +19.7 +21.6 -39.0 -15.8 -16.7 -10.8 -8.2 +12.3 +6.2 +15.2 +14.2 -23.4 +7.4 -39.7 +13.8 -52.0 +43.3 -28.5 -37.9 +12.4 -1.4 +12.6 +54.5 +4.4 +11.3 -14.3 -34.2 +27.7 -6.2 +1.1

Name

Last Chg %YTD

JPMorgCh 31.76 JacobsEng 39.81 JohnJn 64.00 JohnsnCtl 28.85 Kellogg 48.76 Keycorp 7.12 KimbClk 71.25 KindME 79.31 Kroger 23.81 Kulicke 8.76 LSI Corp 5.42 LeeEnt h .69 LillyEli 41.22 Limited 38.49 LincNat 18.70 LizClaib 7.73 LockhdM 76.92 Loews 37.19 LaPac 7.53 MarathnO s 27.08 MarIntA 28.30 Masco 8.70 McDrmInt 10.10 McGrwH 42.47 McKesson 76.91 Merck 36.36 MetLife 30.36 Microsoft 25.56 NCR Corp 16.30 NatFuGas 55.53 NatGrid 47.55 NY Times 7.53 NewellRub 15.05 NewmtM 61.76 NextEraEn 57.91

+.25 +.06 +.82 -.02 +.07 +.01 +1.04 +.69 +.26 +.20 +.02 +.03 +1.18 -.82 +.24 -.08 +.63 -.10 +.41 +.09 +.01 +.06 -.13 +.19 +.24 +.80 -.17 -.03 +.08 +.62 +.74 +.13 +.23 +.14 +.74

-25.1 -13.2 +3.5 -24.5 -4.5 -19.5 +13.0 +12.9 +6.5 +21.7 -9.5 -72.0 +17.6 +25.3 -32.8 +8.0 +10.0 -4.4 -20.4 +20.5 -31.9 -31.3 -51.2 +16.6 +9.3 +.9 -31.7 -8.4 +6.1 -15.4 +7.1 -23.2 -17.2 +.5 +11.4

Name

Last Chg %YTD

NiSource 22.28 NikeB 94.08 NorflkSo 69.66 NoestUt 34.68 NorthropG 55.34 NustarEn 54.20 NvMAd 14.31 OcciPet 87.52 OfficeMax 4.47 Olin 19.26 PG&E Cp 39.56 PPG 80.12 PPL Corp 29.01 PennVaRs 24.85 Pfizer 21.14 PinWst 46.31 PitnyBw 18.23 Praxair 103.28 ProgrssEn 53.75 ProvEn g 9.21 PSEG 31.84 PulteGrp 5.74 Questar 19.06 RadioShk 10.15 RLauren 140.11 Raytheon 45.38 ReynAmer 41.07 RockwlAut 72.04 Rowan 29.78 RoyDShllB 72.44 RoyDShllA 70.13 Safeway 20.98 SaraLee 18.40 Schlmbrg 66.33 Sherwin 83.85

+.41 -.31 -.36 +.39 +.19 +.16 -.11 -.90 -.02 +.36 +.95 -.08 +.38 -.14 +.28 +1.01 -.01 +1.40 -.68 +.12 +.79 +.14 +.18 +.06 +1.23 +.46 +.72 -.06 -.42 +.51 +.54 +.34 +.07 -.67 +.31

+26.4 +10.1 +10.9 +8.8 -5.8 -22.0 +9.4 -10.8 -74.7 -6.1 -17.3 -4.7 +10.2 -12.3 +20.7 +11.7 -24.6 +8.2 +23.6 +15.8 +.1 -23.7 +9.5 -45.1 +26.3 -1.3 +25.9 +.5 -14.7 +8.7 +5.0 -6.7 +5.1 -20.6 +.1

SiriusXM 1.78 SonyCp 17.19 SouthnCo 44.72 SwstAirl 8.42 SpectraEn 29.09 SprintNex 2.28 Sunoco 38.83 Sysco 28.99 TECO 18.34 Target 52.07 TenetHlth 4.47 Tenneco 26.64 Tesoro 21.75 TexInst 28.51 Textron 17.22 3M Co 78.86 TimeWarn 33.88 Timken 36.88 UnilevNV 32.86 UnionPac 98.79 Unisys 20.74 UPS B 71.55 USSteel 25.31 UtdTech 73.53 VectorGp 17.77 ViacomB 42.98 Weyerh 16.62 Whrlpl 46.63 WmsCos 30.40 Windstrm 11.38 Winnbgo 6.81 Wynn 104.58 XcelEngy 26.42 Xerox 7.92 YumBrnds 57.50

+.02 +.09 +.58 +.25 +.11 +.01 +.73 +.09 +.35 -.41 +.07 +.22 -.08 +.47 +.22 +.35 +.07 +.20 +.03 +.17 -.42 +.91 -.09 +.36 +.16 +.60 +.20 -.13 -.19 +.08 ... +2.29 +.55 +.13 +.13

+9.2 -51.9 +17.0 -35.1 +16.4 -46.1 -3.7 -1.4 +3.0 -13.4 -33.2 -35.3 +17.3 -12.3 -27.2 -8.6 +5.3 -22.7 +4.6 +6.6 -19.9 -1.4 -56.7 -6.6 +7.7 +8.5 -12.2 -47.5 +23.0 -18.4 -55.2 +.7 +12.2 -31.3 +17.2

CMYK PAGE 10B

➛

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

NATIONAL FORECAST

42° 37°

TODAY Partly sunny, windy

45° 28°

37° 25°

38° 28°

TUESDAY Rain possible

MONDAY Partly sunny, warmer

SUNDAY Flurries

SATURDAY Mostly cloudy, flurries

WEDNESDAY Morning rain

42° 31°

Syracuse 39/24

New York City 51/35 Reading 48/31

Atlantic City 53/35

Yesterday Average Record High Record Low

Heating Degree Days*

Yesterday Month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date

51/42 39/24 60 in 1971 2 in 1904 18 413 1461 1724 1779

*Index of fuel consumption, how far the day’s mean temperature was below 65 degrees.

Precipitation

Yesterday Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Normal year to date

Sun and Moon

Sunrise 7:23a 7:23a Moonrise Today 11:09p Tomorrow none Today Tomorrow

The Finger Lakes

Highs: 34-41. Lows: 16-29. Expect mostly cloudy skies today and a slight chance of snow tonight.

Brandywine Valley

Highs: 48-51. Lows: 31-36. Expect partly cloudy skies tonight. tonight will be mostly cloudy.

Philadelphia 50/36

Temperatures

35/29 42/20

Delmarva/Ocean City

Highs: 51-54. Lows: 35-41. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy today. Light rain will overspread the area tonight.

trace 1.69” 1.27” 58.57” 36.28” Sunset 4:36p 4:36p Moonset 11:04a 11:33a

Susquehanna Stage Chg. Fld. Stg Wilkes-Barre 5.15 -0.25 22.0 Towanda 2.93 -0.05 21.0 Lehigh Bethlehem 2.86 0.54 16.0 Delaware Port Jervis 4.80 -0.15 18.0 Last

New

Dec. 17 Dec. 24

First

Full

Jan. 1

Jan. 9

Weather Central, LP For more weather information go to:

www.timesleader.com National Weather Service

607-729-1597

39/26 64/45

53/39

54/35

29/21

66/49

81/69

80/70

39/31

City

Yesterday

Anchorage Atlanta Baltimore Boston Buffalo Charlotte Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis

25/17/.00 71/48/.00 61/44/.01 54/38/.01 57/51/.89 67/43/.00 57/35/.02 61/52/.35 63/45/.39 40/18/.00 57/47/.31 80/71/.00 77/66/.10 62/42/.73 48/34/.00 57/45/.00 78/68/.00 54/34/.00 37/29/.00

City

Yesterday

Amsterdam Baghdad Beijing Berlin Buenos Aires Dublin Frankfurt Hong Kong Jerusalem London

45/37/.00 66/39/.00 32/18/.00 45/37/.00 79/64/.00 41/30/.00 45/41/.00 72/63/.00 61/43/.00 46/37/.00

Today Tomorrow 29/21/c 64/45/sh 51/36/pc 51/28/pc 40/29/c 66/47/sh 35/29/s 37/30/pc 53/39/sh 42/20/pc 36/27/pc 81/69/pc 66/49/sh 40/26/s 59/40/s 68/48/s 80/70/pc 33/26/pc 27/17/sf

ALMANAC Recorded at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Int’l Airport River Levels, from 12 p.m. yesterday.

51/35

68/48

The Jersey Shore

Wilkes-Barre 44/27

51/35

61/47

The Poconos

Poughkeepsie 47/26

27/17 36/27

40° 30°

Highs: 50-53. Lows: 32-36. Skies will become partly to mostly sunny today, but clouds will increase overnight.

Pottsville 43/29

Harrisburg 47/30

39/24

Highs: 41-47. Lows: 25-29. Expect partly sunny skies today. Tonight will be mostly cloudy.

Albany 43/24

Towanda 42/26

State College 42/26

48/41

TODAY’S SUMMARY

Binghamton 41/26

Scranton 43/25

THURSDAY Mostly sunny

45° 35°

REGIONAL FORECAST Today’s high/ Tonight’s low

NATIONAL FORECAST: Light rain will be likely from parts of the western Gulf Coast, through the Tennessee Valley into the Mid-Atlantic states today. Expect rain and snow to diminish over eastern Maine early. Light snow will be possible over parts of the northern Rockies, Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes. Very strong winds look to affect southern California, as well.

28/24/sn 60/36/pc 46/32/c 40/25/pc 35/34/sn 59/36/pc 36/31/c 36/30/sf 56/42/pc 50/22/s 34/30/pc 81/69/pc 57/50/sh 39/29/pc 57/40/pc 71/47/pc 79/71/pc 34/29/c 32/24/c

City

Yesterday

Myrtle Beach Nashville New Orleans Norfolk Oklahoma City Omaha Orlando Phoenix Pittsburgh Portland, Ore. St. Louis Salt Lake City San Antonio San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tampa Tucson Washington, DC

68/43/.00 64/59/.08 76/67/.23 69/45/.00 50/40/.00 36/30/.00 75/57/.00 59/41/.00 58/48/.04 40/35/.01 61/40/.00 29/24/.00 70/57/.12 60/46/.00 51/46/.05 43/37/.03 77/60/.00 57/33/.00 63/43/.01

WORLD CITIES

Today Tomorrow 42/37/sh 65/39/pc 32/16/s 41/35/r 78/57/sh 40/33/sh 42/34/r 64/55/pc 59/36/s 41/36/sh

41/36/sh 64/39/pc 36/18/s 39/31/c 78/59/sh 40/32/pc 38/31/rs 65/56/s 59/39/pc 42/32/pc

City

Yesterday

Mexico City Montreal Moscow Paris Rio de Janeiro Riyadh Rome San Juan Tokyo Warsaw

75/43/.00 45/37/.00 37/34/.00 48/43/.00 81/75/.00 72/39/.00 63/54/.00 83/73/1.04 57/41/.00 45/30/.00

Today Tomorrow 70/53/pc 45/30/sh 75/54/sh 58/42/sh 49/28/pc 38/23/pc 80/61/pc 64/43/pc 41/27/pc 46/33/pc 40/29/s 37/25/s 53/45/sh 66/49/pc 60/45/s 48/41/c 79/59/pc 62/38/pc 51/35/pc

62/43/pc 49/31/s 64/48/pc 48/37/c 55/35/s 44/25/s 79/60/pc 60/43/c 39/28/sf 45/35/pc 46/29/s 40/26/s 53/50/sh 64/47/c 57/45/s 49/41/pc 79/57/pc 59/38/c 46/32/pc

Today Tomorrow 77/42/pc 34/15/pc 37/32/sh 45/37/sh 86/72/t 74/46/s 61/50/sh 82/70/pc 47/36/sh 40/33/pc

75/43/pc 21/14/s 35/29/rs 41/34/sh 88/73/t 70/45/s 54/43/sh 80/70/pc 44/33/s 38/31/rs

Colder air is once again invading our region today with northwesterly winds gusting to 20 mph. The downward trend in temperature will continue into the weekend with snow showers that will leave a dusting in spots on both Saturday and Sunday. Warmer air returning Monday could lead to more rain Tuesday and Wednesday. Long range computer guidance shows odds favoring above average temperatures heading into the Christmas Day weekend with more rain. Of course, that could change, but keep in mind that in any given year, our chances of having a white Christmas are only 40 percent.

Key: s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sn-snow, sf-snow ﬂurries, i-ice.

Give The Gift Of News This Holiday Season! Get them a subscription to The Times Leader at 30% off. That’s only $130 for the year. Call 829-5000. *Offer valid for new subscribers only or past subscribers who have been inactive for more than 30 days.

MENTION CODE: FSPC

- Tom Clark

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

F U N N I E S

GARFIELD

CLASSIC PEANUTS

STONE SOUP HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

BLONDIE DRABBLE

SALLY FORTH MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM

BEETLE BAILEY TUNDRA

THATABABY B.C.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE PICKLES

GET FUZZY PARDON MY PLANET

CLOSE TO HOME

ARGYLE SWEATER MARMADUKE

HERMAN

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2011

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

F U N N I E S

GARFIELD

CLASSIC PEANUTS

STONE SOUP HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

BLONDIE DRABBLE

SALLY FORTH MOTHER GOOSE & GRIMM

BEETLE BAILEY TUNDRA

THATABABY B.C.

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE PICKLES

GET FUZZY PARDON MY PLANET

CLOSE TO HOME

ARGYLE SWEATER MARMADUKE

HERMAN