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WILKES-BARRE, PA
SPORTS SHOWCASE
By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com
The concern that a weekend suicide of a Pittston Area High School student resulted from years of bullying remained more anecdotal than fact Monday. But the district was taking no chances by conducting interviews with students in tandem with an ongoing police investiga-
tion and looking into an extensive revamping of the 2006 antibullying policy, Superintendent Michael Garzella said. There’s likely good reason to radically rework the policy: State statistics suggest student bullying has long been either overstated by those who insist it is rampant or is underreported by schools. The discrepancy is so wide a West Chester state representative proposed a new law last week that would sharply tighten requirements for school anti-bullying efforts. Garzella did not reject the con-
tention voiced by many and suggested on a Facebook memorial page that the 16-year-old student committed suicide after years of bullying, including on or near school grounds. But Garzella did say that, at least initially, there was no concrete evidence of bullying, though the district was still investigating. Garzella said a 2009 YouTube video apparently of the student being bullied on a school bus seemed less conclusive than some have suggested. “It’s very difficult to hear the audio, and it’s hard to tell wheth-
BULLYING: OVERSTATED OR UNDERREPORTED?
Annual state “School Safety Reports” filed by local school districts must include the number of incidents of bullying. This chart shows bullying is a very small part of total incidents reported. Bullying incidents Total incidents Bullying as percent of total Pittston Area Greater Nanticoke Area Luzerne County 2011 3 82 3.66% 0 34 0% 18 663 2.7% 2010 0 26 0% 0 82 0% 12 892 1.35% 2009 0 57 0% 0 74 0% 6 770 0.78% 2008 3 96 3.13% 0 68 0% 18 640 2.81% 2007 1 50 2% 1 80 1.25% 26 666 3.9% Source: Pa. Department of Education
Ex-coach sues Dallas over firing
YANKEES 6 TWINS 3 WHITE SOX 5 INDIANS 4
Ted Jackson was relieved of his duties as head football coach in a move he calls political.
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By EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com
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In response to the suicide, the er the child is being bullied or the kids are just messing around,” he district brought in crisis counselsaid. Still, he added, “that’s one ors Monday and converted the piece of evidence; we’re not disSee BULLY, Page 10A missing anything.”
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Ethan Nape of Nancy McAndrew’s second-grade gifted class at Chester Street Elementary in Kingston calls on a classmate during a game of occupation charades, during which each student was given an occupation to act out.
Altogether gifted
Advanced students have self-contained classes
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By SUSAN DENNEY Times Leader Correspondent
INGSTON – Isaac Bolan, 7, couldn’t pin down the best thing about school at Chester Street Elementary. “There’s a lot of them because I like school,” said the second-grader, who is participating in Wyoming Valley West’s gifted program. He said he wants to be a scientist. Unlike other gifted programs in Luzerne County, the district provides a self-contained classroom for gifted students in grades one through five where gifted children with similar abilities are grouped together. One is fifth grader Hannah Maxwell, 10. She said the best thing about school is “learning with my friends.” She – like Isaac – has lofty goals.
“I’d like to be a writer,” Hannah said. “I want to write realistic fiction.” Her former teacher, Nancy McAndrew, said Hannah is already on her way to a writing career. She was turning in whole chapters regularly when McAndrew taught her in second grade. McAndrew is head teacher of the gifted program. Both Isaac and Hannah have a better chance of meeting their
Murphy Pick talks with his second-grade teacher Nancy McAndrew outside the classroom.
goals, thanks to their teachers and classmates in the unique program. Grouping gifted students Charles Suppon, superintendent of the Wyoming Valley West School See GIFTED, Page 10A
SCRANTON – Former Dallas head football coach Ted Jackson believes he lost his job leading the Mountaineers on the gridiron because some school directors have a political affiliation with his replacement. Jackson, 61, of Dallas, through his attorney, Kim Borland, filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the Dallas School District and six school directors alleging he was fired as head coach after he spoke out against the suspension of his Jackson Sr. son, Ted Jackson Jr., as a coach in the district. Jackson Jr. was suspended as an assistant football coach for two games during the 2011 season after receiving unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in consecutive games. He stepped down as the high school’s basketball coach in Jackson Jr. November. The lawsuit alleges school directors retaliated against Jackson by opening the position of head football coach in December. Jackson applied for the position and claims in the lawsuit he was asked if he would agree to “drop his son from his coaching staff if he was reappointed to the position.” Jackson claims he replied he would abide by policy of the district’s athletic department with respect to the hiring of assistant coaches. Prior to Jackson’s interview, according to the lawsuit, school directors changed district policy from having assistant coaches selected by the head coach to being chosen by school directors. School directors in February hired Robert Zaruta as head football coach. The lawsuit alleges school directors Catherine Wega, Maureen B. Matiska, Karen B. Kyle, Larry G. Schuler, Richard G. Coslett and Charles Preece, See COACH, Page 10A
Four more lawyers join Public Defender’s Office
By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com
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School eyes its bullying policy
Pittston Area is taking a close look at the weekend suicide of a district student.
Breezy conditions at Fox Hill Country Club didn’t bother Holy Redeemer’s Mariano Medico and Pittston Area’s Ryan Tracy during Monday’s Pre-District Golf Tournament. Medico cruised to the Class 2A championship firing a 73, while Tracy claimed his first career tournament victory with a 75 to claim the 3A title. PAGE 1B
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
Luzerne County Chief Public Defender Al Flora has hired four assistant public defenders as part of a court ruling ordering the county to provide his office with sufficient staff. The addition of the $40,000 salaried positions comes as other departments have been instructed to hunt for personnel savings. Personnel cuts will be neces-
sary before the end of the year to avoid a projected $875,000 yearend deficit and develop a realFlora istic spending plan for 2013, county Manager Robert Lawton told county council last month. Lawton said he would welcome suggestions for cuts, including union concessions,
though he’s prepared to impose reductions if necessary. Flora said the four positions were vacated when employees left, and he soon will be advertising for a fifth assistant public defender to fill another vacancy. He declined to discuss other potential staff additions, saying lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union representing him are negotiating with county attorneys as part of court mediation.
A county judge in June ordered the county to provide adequate funding for the public defenders’ office to represent indigent defendants but didn’t specify the dollar amount or number of employees that must be added. The order stemmed from a suit filed by Flora through the ACLU arguing the office couldn’t provide adequate defense due to inadequate staffing and funding. Lawyers on both sides are at-
tempting to reach an agreement on what specific additions will meet the “adequate” definition. As of Monday, the public defender’s office spent 62 percent of its $2.49 million budget this year, or $1.5 million. With the four new staffers, the office is “not even back to 2007 staffing levels,” Flora said. In addition to Flora, the office employs 37 people -- 13 part-time See FLORA, Page 10A
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GIFTED Continued from Page 1A
District, said research shows that gifted students learn best when grouped with other gifted students. “They feed off of each other. They are competitive by nature,” he said. Suppon believes the district’s self-contained gifted classroom program is the only one like it in the state. The program goes back to the very creation of the district in 1967. “It’s up to each individual school district how they want to implement gifted services,” Suppon said. “The job of this district is to challenge all of our students. For this district, this is the way we feel we can challenge these kids to the utmost.” The program begins in first grade. The first year, students cover the first-grade curriculum in the fall and the second-grade curriculum in the spring. From then on, the curriculum is advanced by a year until students complete the program in fifth grade. “After fifth grade, students often join the honors program in the middle school with some
BULLY Continued from Page 1A
high school library into a counseling center, Garzella said. Administrators were talking to students “throughout the day,” both to help them cope with the tragedy and to listen to any information about potential bullying. Administrators also “met with faculty on how to handle the whole situation,” Garzella said, with the emphasis on helping people cope while avoiding any attempt to “sensationalize the whole thing.” Jenkins Township police did not return calls Monday. Garzella said the death prompted him to look into revisions, including contacting Hazleton Area Superintendent Francis Antonelli to discuss extensive new efforts being implemented there. Hazleton policy updated Hazleton Area unveiled a policy three years in the making by a committee spearheaded by Hazleton police Chief Frank DeAndrea, whose daughter was a victim of bullying. Antonelli said the new policy includes a full anti-bullying curriculum taught in all grades by all teachers from kindergarten through graduation. “It teaches the students how to recognize bullying, how to report it, how to seek relief if you’re a victim, and the consequences of bullying,” Antonelli said. “In addition to that, the committee developed training modules for every employee, from me to the teaching staff, to the custodial and cafeteria workers. Everyone must undergo the online training in unlawful harassment and in anti-bullying.” After taking two courses, employees must take an online exam and score 100 percent; anything less and the program puts them back into training. Once they score 100 percent, they get a certificate that must be presented to their supervisor to prove the course was completed and tests passed. Despite all the changes, Antonelli conceded the most important part of anti-bullying efforts is often having the victim or other student report it. Bullying has grown far beyond the school halls, playgrounds and bus rides, thanks to the Internet and social networking. Students can effectively be bullied 24 hours a day through sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and school officials may never find out about it on their own. “The key is reporting,” Antonelli said. “The victims need to know there are reporting protocols and remedies in place.” And to make sure the remedies work, the Hazleton Area policy calls for district officials to “sit down with parents of both the victim and the perpetrator and ask if they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the proposed remedy. And if either is dissatisfied, it’s back to the drawing board to find an action plan everyone agrees with.” Asked how the district copes with bullies who just get angrier or otherwise ignore school intervention, Antonelli was blunt:
Emma Watchilla, a second grade student in Nancy McAndrew’s second grade gifted class, draws a picture of herself as a teacher.
of the program.
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
Murphy Pick and Ella Krypel work on a ‘What I Want to Be’ project in Nancy McAndrew’s secondgrade gifted class.
kind of special study in a high area of interest,” said school guidance counselor Allison Cryan. Suppon said the program is not simply accelerated. He said the curriculum is “accelerated, compacted, differentiated and enriched.” Students also do many special projects. For example, the second
TIMES LEADER POLICY The Times Leader does not normally publish the name of a person who takes his or her own life in a private way. Exceptions include if the person is well-known or we have confirmation through official or family sources.
“You file charges.” Few reports of bullying School districts are required by state law to include cases of bullying in annual “School Safety Reports,” which list a wide range of incidents from harassment to rape, tobacco violations and weapons. A review of data for the past five years would suggest bullying is scarce locally. Luzerne County schools reported bullying incidents that comprised as little as 0.75 percent of total incidents reported in a given year to no more than 3.9 percent. Pittston Area reported no bullying incidents in 2009 (the year the video in question was posted) and 2010, and only one to three incidents in the other three years reviewed. Greater Nanticoke Area, where the Sept. 18 suicide of a 13-yearold student has also been blamed on bullying by some in the community, reported only one bullying incident in the last five years: A 2007 case which comprised 1.25 percent of all incidents was reported that year. Since 2009, the state also has required all districts to adopt or amend anti-bullying policies that detail disciplinary consequences and prevention and intervention programs. Policies must be prominently displayed in schools and online, and reviewed every three years. The law describes bullying as “an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act, or series of acts” that occurs in a school setting, is “severe, persistent or pervasive,” and results in “substantially interfering with a student’s education,” creates “a threatening environment” or “substantially disrupts orderly operation of the school.” But anti-bullying advocates contend the law falls far short, and that bullying is grossly underreported. A Monday press release from the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition touting a proposed new anti-bullying law cited a 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control, which said that 19 percent of students in Pennsylvania were bullied on school grounds. The proposed law, submitted by state Rep. Dan Truitt, R-West Chester, leaves fewer details of anti-bullying policies up to the districts, tightening definitions and reporting requirements. But both Antonelli and Garzella warned that a district anti-bullying policy, however rigorous, can’t work alone. The effort must go beyond school walls, something Antonelli said the new Hazleton Area policy tries to do by reaching out to parents and law enforcement more aggressively. “It really needs to be a communitywide effort,” Garzella said, “and I think that’s how we have to approach it as we talk with our students.”
grade builds leprechaun traps. Fourth-graders build bridges. “A lot of it requires analytical thinking,” Suppon said of the special projects. McAndrew said the program can take getting used to for some of the students. “My job is to challenge them. This means not getting 100s all
the time. They’re perfectionists. The ‘100’ syndrome is there, but they get over it quickly,” she said. Suppon said board members sometimes question the program because of monetary concerns. Class sizes are smaller in the gifted classrooms. But district leaders emphasized the importance and success
They’re kids at heart McAndrew said that although the students learn quickly, they are still children. She said she sees “the contrast between talking about world history and then fighting over Legos.” Students who qualify are provided busing to the magnet campus on Chester Street. Chapter 14, or developmentally delayed, students are also taught at the campus, along with children for whom the campus is their neighborhood school. According to Suppon, about 50 percent of the students at Ches-
Group criticizes Catholic decree Reform group in Germany says bishops send wrong message with “pay to pray” rule. By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press
BERLIN — A Catholic reform group in Germany criticized the country’s bishops Monday for declaring that believers who refuse to pay religious taxes won’t be able to receive the sacrament, become godparents or work in church institutions. A century-old agreement with the state adds up to nine percent to the income tax bill of Germany’s 25 million registered Roman Catholics, earning the church more than $5.2 billion annually. The same tax applies to Protestants and Jews. The churches use the income to pay employees’ salaries and fund social work such as care for the elderly. The churches themselves aren’t taxed by the state but instead pay an administrative fee for the collection of religious tax. Donations represent a far smaller share of the churches’ income than in the United States. The Catholic bishops’ decree in Germany last week is part of an attempt to stem the steady flow of people who opt out of paying religious taxes. It declares that they have committed a “grave lapse” and effectively left the church. But the group We are Church — which claims to represent tens of thousands of grassroots Catholics — said the bishops’ decision to freeze believers out if they don’t pay up was “the wrong signal at the wrong time.” “Instead of seeking to understand the reasons for the high number of people leaving the church, this decree by the bishops repre-
FLORA Continued from Page 1A
assistant public defenders and 10 full-time, a part-time first assistant, two juvenile unit social workers, a chief investigator, a deputy investigator, two staff investigators, five secretaries, a receptionist and an office administrator. The yet-to-be hired full-time assistant public defender will bring the count to 39. Roughly 550 indigent defendants were turned away from the public defender’s office earlier this year because Flora cited a lack of staffing, but a pool of county staff conflict counsel lawyers agreed in July to represent them to erase the backlog. Flora declined to discuss the status of the backlog Monday, citing the ongoing media-
COACH Continued from Page 1A
who are named in the lawsuit, have a political affiliation with Zaruta. Zaruta’s son, Bob Zaruta, is chairman of the Luzerne County Young Republicans, which supported the campaign of Stefanie Salavantis for Luzerne County district attorney. Salavantis, a graduate of Dallas High School, won the post in the 2011 general election. Salavantis’ brother, Stephen Salavantis, was appointed by
sents a threat to the church’s members," it said. The group said many German Catholics choose not to pay religious taxes because they disagree with the church’s actions, not because they have lost their faith. It said the decision undermined the bishops’ own efforts to regain credibility among believers who have become disenchanted by the fact that for decades the Catholic Church covered up child abuse by priests. Almost 3 million German Catholics have opted out of paying church taxes in the past two decades. In 2010, at the height of abuse revelations in Germany, some 180,000 took the step — the highest yearly number ever recorded. On Wednesday, Germany’s top administrative court is scheduled to hear the case of retired German theology Professor Hartmut Zapp, who wants to leave the church as an institution but remain a member of the Catholic community. “The decree clarifies that one cannot partially leave the church,” the bishops said last week. When a German Catholic decides to stop paying religious tax, their parish priest will in the future send a letter outlining the costs of such a decision. These include being denied a church burial “unless you have shown remorse in some way before your death,” according to a template of the letter posted on the website of the German Bishops’ Conference. “Maybe you haven’t considered the consequences of your decision and would like to reverse this step,” the letter adds, inviting the believer to seek out their priests for a clarifying chat.
tion in his court case. The county administration allowed Flora to follow his selection process, instead of the one in the county personnel code, because the hirings were part of the court order, officials said. The county’s personnel code involves the county human resources department in the initial screening and subsequent selection process and requires the development of “knowledge, skills and abilities,” or KSAs, for the rating and ranking of all applicants. Instead, Flora said 11 of the 45 applicants who responded to a public advertisement were interviewed by a panel that included several senior lawyers from his office and Mike Zimmerman, of the county’s Juvenile Task Force. County Human Resources Director Andrew Check also participated in two of the three panel interviews, he said. Applicants were required to submit writ-
school directors in February as a volunteer assistant football coach, according to minutes of the school board’s meeting. Salavantis did not return a message for comment on Monday. The suit alleges the named school directors supported Salavantis’ candidacy but does not specify how. A review of Salavantis’ campaign finance reports did not show any contributions from Zaruta and school directors named in Jackson’s lawsuit. Jackson claimed he has been head coach at Dallas since 1984, winning district and conference titles and the 1993
ter Street receive either gifted or special education. All students come together for music, art, computer training, library visits, physical education, recess and lunch. Cryan said students can enter the gifted program through a parent or teacher referral. Then the student is screened by testing. Irvin DeRemer, director of elementary education for the district, said, “Most of the kids are identified as first-graders.” He also said that allowances could be made so that other children in a family could attend the same school with a child in the gifted program.
POLICE BLOTTER BUTLER TWP. – Police reported the following incidents: • A resident of Dogwood Lane in Bentwood Village reported holes were drilled in the gas tank of his vehicle during the early morning hours of Sept. 12. • A resident of Trapper Springs Lane in the Beech Mountain Lakes development reported his vehicle was entered the night of Sept. 15, but nothing was stolen. The resident told police he was alerted by the family dog to someone near in the area. • A laptop computer was stolen from a residence on Maple Street. The computer belonged to a 20-year-old woman from Hazleton who stored it at a friend’s residence. The theft of the Dell Inspiron 15 computer with serial number 3266466061 was discovered Thursday. • A driver who avoided a deer on St. John’s Road Wednesday night lost control and crashed into several trees. Ryan Kotansky, 18, of Drums, suffered minor injuries. His vehicle sustained severe damage and was towed from the scene.
ing samples and information about the types of court cases they’ve handled. Panel members marked observations on a rating sheet and collectively recommended six applicants to be interviewed by Flora, he said. Flora said he interviewed each of the six for about an hour and contacted multiple references. He selected the following full-time assistant public defenders, who are receiving the union-mandated starting salary of $40,000 plus benefits: Nancy Prescott, Jena Piazza, Maura Armezzani and Caelie Sweigart. The same selection process was followed for the past hiring of juvenile lawyers, he said. “It really works well. I thought it was a very thorough process, and we hired the best qualified with no cronyism involved,” Flora said.
Class 2A state title, and has assisted numerous student athletes in going to college. He was replaced by Zaruta, who did not have any head coaching experience at the varsity level, according to the lawsuit. Zaruta and Dallas school district solicitor Benjamin Jones did not return messages for comment. Jackson alleged high school principal Jeffrey Shaffer in 2010 gave him a “Satisfactory” report of how he conducted himself coaching the football team on-and-off the field in 2010. Shaffer noted on the 2010 report, “Mr. Jackson has done an excellent job of coach-
ing his team this season.” Shaffer’s assessment of Jackson for the 2011 season was “Unsatisfactory,” noting Jackson failed to follow policies, used expletives during games, and failed to assist athletes in the process of gaining scholarships for college. Shaffer noted in the 2011 evaluation that Jackson told the football team he was “not sure he if was going to coach the Oct. 22 (2011) game v. Pocono Mountain as he was mad about suspension of assistant coach (Ted Jackson Jr.),” the lawsuit says. Jackson has an overall record of 221-74-3.
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WILKES-BARRE, PA
SPORTS SHOWCASE
PHILLIES 6 NATIONALS 3 BRAVES 4 MARLINS 3 PIRATES 10 METS 6 CARDINALS 4 ASTROS 0 AMERICAN LEAGUE
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STUDENT SUICIDES SPARK FLURRY OF ACTIVITY, FROM PUBLIC FORUM TO COUNSELING
By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com
AIMEE DILGER PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis talks with the media outside of Pittston Area High School about recent teen suicides after a meeting with law enforcement and school officials Tuesday.
TRAGEDY REPEATS Y
By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com
ATESVILLE – It was far from been flown by helicopter to a regional normal at Pittston Area High trauma center, where she died. Despite allegations that chronic bulSchool on Tuesday. A slow but steady stream of parents took lying may have prompted at least some of the suicides, Garzella said there is no students home, one of them in tears. hard evidence that was A sophomore cheerthe case. leader with a 3.5 gradeOur policy: The Times He said numerous inpoint average had taken Leader does not normalher life, Superintendent ly publish the name of a terviews with students Michael Garzella con- person who takes his or Monday about a suicide her own life in a private over the weekend resultfirmed. It was the second way. Exceptions include ed in multiple claims of suicide of a district stuif the person is wellbullying, but when quesdent in three days and, known or we have conwith the death Tuesday of firmation through official tioned further, the allegaor family sources. tions were hearsay, not a 13-year-old Hazleton-arfirst-person observations. ea boy, the fourth teen suiHe also said there is no apparent cide in Luzerne County in one week. Garzella said he received a call about connection between the weekend the latest suicide in his district around 9:30 Monday night after the student had See TRAGEDY, Page 10A
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A woman comforts a crying girl as they leave the Pittston Area High School on Tuesday afternoon. Students were allowed to leave the school early after recent suicides.
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Hazleton teen 4th suicide By GERI GIBBONS Times Leader Correspondent
HAZLETON – Police Chief Frank DeAndrea did not release details of Tuesday’s suicide of a 13-year-old Hazleton boy. Instead, he assured the community at a press conference Tuesday night the police department, mayor’s office and the school district would be working diligently to support students from the Hazleton Area School District, as well as area residents. “We already have grief counselors in place with the family,” school district Superintendent Francis Antonelli said at the City Hall press conference, “and tomorrow those counselors will be present at area schools affected by the tragedy.” DeAndrea said he had been in contact with the District Attorney’s Office and the state police. He said the preliminary investigation yielded “no evidence of bullying.” DeAndrea lauded his patrolman who first arrived at the scene and unsuccessfully attempted CPR. He also thanked Mayor Joe Yannuzzi for his full support. See HAZLETON, Page 10A
The Hotel Sterling’s demolition was sealed Tuesday when Luzerne County Council unanimously voted to earmark the remaining $232,729 needed to complete the teardown. Councilman Harry Haas said the downtown Wilkes-Barre landmark must come down because it’s a deteriorating safety hazard, but he mourns the loss of another historic structure and fears the city’s downtown will end up INSIDE: County with another vacant council OKs parcel. KOZ for Hazle“I will be hammer- ton properties, ing the nail in the cof- Page 10A fin with some tears tonight,” he said. Exeter Township resident Steve Simko echoed his sentiments during public comment. “I think we’re all going to miss it in the long run,” he said of the structure that’s dominated the corner of River and Market streets for 114 years. State Sen. John Yudichak issued a statement commending council for its commitment to resolving the problem. “With the possibility of downtown development on this site and public safety concerns imminent, it was vitally important for movement on this project before the winter season arrives,” said Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township. A council majority had voted in April to accept county Manager Robert Lawton’s proposal to cancel an up-to-$1.5 million community development business loan fund allocation for the Sterling demolition. Lawton said at the time he couldn’t justify the spending with no firm plans to develop the parcel and create jobs. Wilkes-Barre and the property’s nonprofit owner, CityVest, have since obtained bids that reduced demolition costs and a proposal from an unnamed developer interested in building a residential and commercial property at the site after it’s cleared. With the lowest demolition bid at $492,729, the county share would be $232,729 for teardown and site clearance, Lawton said. The city is providing $260,000 in state gaming funds. CityVest is out of funds and spent most of a $6 million county loan to expand the parcel, tear down an attached high-rise and remove hazardous material from the original hotel. The city must handle demolition, and the county won’t accept any liability for the work, Lawton said. See STERLING, Page 10A
State eases requirements to obtain voter ID card By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com
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County to kick in $232,729 for razing County Council approves money that will be used to seal landmark’s fate.
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HOTEL STERLING
Ending of game has everyone talking The NFL put its stamp of approval on the stillsmoldering outcome of Monday night’s Green Bay-Seattle game: Wrong call. Right review. Wrong team still wins. Seahawks 14, Packers 12. The worst fear finally materialized: a mistake by a replacement official would decide the outcome of a game. Page 1B
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
The Department of Transportation is easing requirements for obtaining an identification card needed to vote in the November election. The changes to the voter ID issuing process came hours before a court hearing on whether Pennsylvania’s voter ID law will effectively strip some people of the right to vote this year. PennDOT announced Tuesday that those seeking identification
for voting purposes will have a choice of requesting either a nondriver photo ID issued by PennDOT or a voting-only ID card issued by the Pennsylvania Department of State. Previously Department of State IDs would be issued only when an applicant could not meet the more stringent documentation requirements needed to obtain a “secure” PennDOT ID. Department of State spokesman Ron Ruman said the applica-
tion process was adjusted to satisfy a week-old state Supreme Court decision. “They had concerns that having people go through the PennDOT ID procedure first might not have been what the legislature thought of when they said, make the voter IDs be readily available,” Ruman said. In a 4-2 decision last week, the state Supreme Court ordered a Commonwealth Court hearing to determine whether the state is
providing easy access to a valid photo ID, as promised by the law. If it is not, or if the judge believes any registered voters will be prevented from casting a ballot, the judge should halt the law from taking effect in the election, the high court said. The Commonwealth Court hearing held Tuesday in Harrisburg was continued until Thursday. PennDOT and the Department of State have also dropped a re-
quirement for applicants to provide proof of residency to obtain a voter-only ID and will now mail IDs to voters when they cannot be issued on the spot. Applicants seeking a votingonly ID must supply a name, date of birth, address and Social Security number and swear under penalty of law that they have no other form of ID that is valid for voting. The information they pro-
See VOTER ID, Page 10A
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Properties OK’d for KOZ By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Council unanimously voted Tuesday to forego property taxes on two downtown Hazleton buildings for a decade as part of the Keystone Opportunity Zone, or KOZ, program. Council was pressed to make a decision because the KOZ application must be submitted to the state by Sept. 30. Hazleton City Council unanimously approved the KOZ proposal Sept. 19, and the Hazleton Area School Board is expected to vote in support Thursday. The Hazleton Development Corp. requested the KOZ expansion as part of its plans to redevelop and attract tenants to the former Hazleton National Bank and Traders Bank buildings, both on Broad Street. The company is negotiating with a “major company” for an expansion that could bring 400 to 500 jobs to the city’s downtown, said Hazleton Development representative George Hayden, who declined to identify the prospective tenant.
Business tenants in KOZ properties also are exempt from most state taxes, including the corporate net income tax and sales tax on certain purchases of equipment and other items. Critics of the KOZ program say it gives some properties a government-funded competitive advantage, while supporters say the temporary tax revenue loss is a necessary trade-off to attract jobs and development. Hazleton Development’s Hayden Tower at the Markle, which is in a KOZ that expires next year, has been described as “a poster child of what KOZ is supposed to be,” Hayden told council. Hayden said the 11-story Broad Street structure has been restored and is almost fully occupied. The property will generate $35,000 in county taxes when it returns to the tax rolls next year, he said. Hazleton city would have been forced to demolish the building if Hazleton Development hadn’t stepped in to stabilize and market it, he said.
The county would lose $11,738 in property taxes annually on the two added properties. Powell Realty owns the former Hazleton National Bank property at 101 W. Broad St., which was purchased for $775,000 in 1997. The structure, assessed at $428,900, has about 50,000 square feet of rentable office space, with 5,000 square feet currently leased. Scranton Tower Associates purchased the other property at 2-8 E. Broad St. for $162,000 in 2009. Assessed at $1.77 million, the property has about 40,000 square feet of office space, with 9,800 square feet occupied. Both properties need “major repairs and renovations,” Hayden said. Several council members said they don’t support many KOZs but believe Hazleton Development’s project is a worthwhile investment. Nanticoke resident John Newman and county Controller Walter Griffith spoke against the KOZ.
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High school Principal Rocco Petrone emphasized the importance of community support, reminding students that suicide was “a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” Petrone emphasized the willingness of district guidance counselors, teachers and other staff members to offer support to students during this tragedy and at all times. DeAndrea also said the suicide was not related to any social networking websites and did not seem to be connected to three other suicides of teenagers in Luzerne County in a week’s time. “This just simply seems to be a tragedy for the community, the school and the family,” he said, emphasizing respect be shown for the family throughout this time. Yannuzzi said he anticipated community resources would be available for those affected by the suicide, including churches and community groups. DeAndrea encouraged residents to utilize a crisis number if necessary: 1-800273-TALK.
suicide and the one Monday evening. Police at Pittston Area Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis met with detectives, area police chiefs and Garzella and other Pittston Area administrators Tuesday, and she emerged from the meeting with the same conclusion. “The rumors of possible bullying are exactly that, rumors. We have no evidence of that,” Salavantis said. “However, we ask if anyone has evidence, please come forward.” The tragedies sparked a flurry of activity: • Pittston Area set up a public forum for 7 p.m. today with a panel of experts to discuss teen suicide and bullying. Garzella said his hope is to provide information on how to detect possible problems and what to do or whom to contact. No school district officials will be on the panel, he added. • Counselors who had been brought in Monday to help students cope with the weekend suicide will be kept on throughout the week, Garzella said. Counselors were also made available at the intermediate center, which houses grades three through five, and the middle school, with grades six through eight. “We sent them to the intermediate center because we’ve received calls from concerned parents,” Gar-
Joe DeLucca shuddered on Tuesday night when he learned of a fourth teen suicide in a week’s time in Luzerne County. “There’s a contagion effect. It’s an incredibly real thing. That’s probably what I worry about most now. Every school district has to be extremely vigilant at this point,” said DeLucca, director of Non-Public, Federal and State Programs for Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18. DeLucca, who has created a suicide education and prevention program for teens and also wrote curricula for training teachers and other school personnel how to recognize and deal with students whom they believe are or might be considering suicide, previously worked as a high school guidance counselor. And teen suicide is a very personal topic for him.
“I worked at great length with kids suffering from depression,” DeLucca said. “We had a suicide DeLucca epidemic – 10 kids at the school. One was very close to me – a football player I coached and one of my students.” DeLucca declined to identify the school at which the phenomenon occurred, other than to say it was in a different county. But he worries something similar could happen locally. The boom of online social networking and instant electronic access to news has made it much easier for students to learn about teen suicides as they occur in their school district and others, and to share that information with each other, he said.
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Just seeing its prevalence locally could be enough to trigger an attempt in a teen who has been contemplating it. “The contagion effect is a very real documented phenomenon with suicide. … When you see epidemic numbers, you need to take a hard look at what is occurring in that society. Schools are a microcosm of society. Managing those schools properly is difficult but imperative,” he said. Four teens taking their own lives recently in Luzerne County – a 13-year-old student at Greater Nanticoke Area High School on Sept. 18; a 16-yearold student at Pittston Area High School on Friday; a Pittston Area sophomore on Monday; and a 13-year-old from the Hazleton area on Tuesday – presents a perfect opportunity to talk about suicide with students and educate them on the subject, DeLucca said.
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VOTER ID
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Once the site is cleared, the county will obtain the property title from CityVest and oversee development, officials said. The 4-acre parcel fronts the River Common recreation area along the Susquehanna and is visible entering the city over the Market Street Bridge. Motorists and downtown merchants have complained about congestion caused by traffic barriers around the site. The city was recently forced to patch up holes in the structure to stop trespassers. County Chief Engineer Joe Gibbons said the barriers could be removed 45 days after the city allows demolition to proceed, though he stressed the city will control the timetable. Councilman Rick Williams urged council members to relax one of Lawton’s conditions in releasing the demolition funding. Lawton wants the developer to complete information requested in the original proposal. Williams said he’s concerned a delay in the developer’s response will hold up the project, but no other coun-
zella said. • The high school experienced a slow but steady exodus of students leaving with their parents most of Tuesday. Garzella said the district is encouraging parents to leave the children in school. “We believe it is the best place for them right now,” he said. But if parents insist, he said the district recommends they come to the school and drive the student home, rather than letting the student drive alone. • A candlelight vigil has been scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today by anti-bullying activists at Albert West Park, Swallow Street, in Pittston. • Garzella is looking to update the district’s anti-bullying efforts, and talked with Hazleton Area Superintendent Francis Antonelli about an extensive program being implemented there, including anti-harassment and anti-bullying curriculum taught in every grade by all teachers, and mandatory training for all employees on detect-
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PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
Brian Shiner of Kingston speaks during public comment about future county involvement with the Hotel Sterling development project during Tuesday night’s county council meeting.
cil members agreed with his motion to cancel the requirement. In other business, Lawton said he has selected the Murray, Hogue and Lannis law firm to handle the county’s litigation seeking half the proceeds from the sale of the Triple-A baseball franchise co-purchased with Lackawanna County.
ing harassment and bullying, and remedying it to the satisfaction of victim and perpetrator. • Garzella said he wants to implement a system that would allow students or others to reGarzella port bullying confidentially, possibly including an online anonymous report form. Active, good grades Garzella said that, along with good grades and participation in cheerleading, the girl who committed suicide Monday night had “a family that was involved. She did not fit the profile.” Salavantis said the Monday evening suicide happened in the Avoca area, but she said Tuesday afternoon she could not release details at that point. Garzella stressed the need for cooperation among students, parents and law enforcement officials in preventing bullying and suicides. He noted the district has a Student Assistance Program in place that provides a team of professionals with appropriate expertise to students who may be struggling with such issues, but the team can only be called in if students speak up. “I’m not going to sit here and say we don’t have a bullying problem,” Garzella said. “I think we do. I think all school districts do. “We can look for the signs, but the reality is it has to be reported.”
SUICIDE STATS • Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24. • It is the fourth leading cause of death among children ages 10-14. • 60% of high school students claim that they have thought about committing suicide. • 9% of high school students say that they have tried killing themselves at least once. • Suicide in those age 15-24 has increased at a rate of about 6%. • Suicide among those age 10-14 has increased about 100%. • Statistics that show the suicide rate has dropped are misleading because the rate is still so high. • In 2011, there were 57 suicide deaths (all ages) in Luzerne County – one of the highest rates ever. Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Conference of State Legislatures, Luzerne County Coroner’s Report.
SUICIDE PREVENTION Suicide fallacy Teen suicide expert Joe DeLucca said there is still fear that talking about suicide will cause teens to think about or commit suicide. “This is one of the biggest fallacies. Talking to kids honestly and directly is what they need. They deserve that. There are free programs and resources out there like the advocacy alliance, who will go to schools and provide free depression screenings,” DeLucca said. Advice for parents “Love your children. Take care of yourselves so you can care for your kids. Don’t push them too hard. … And by all means, let them be kids. We are pushing kids too hard too fast. They are not all going to be the next major leaguer or NBA superstar. But each kid has wonderful gifts and strengths. Focus on those strengths,” DeLucca said. Advice for students “Care for and respect each other. You do not need to like or agree with everyone, but you should respect them and their differences. If you think a friend may be in danger, tell a trusted adult,” DeLucca said. Resources Visit timesleader.com for links to online resources.
vide is cross-referenced with voter registration data, and if the data matches an ID will be issued on the spot. Ruman said about 100 of the 10,000 Pennsylvania residents that have been issued PennDOT or Department of State IDs were not able to get ID the day they applied, sometimes due to discrepancies regarding Social Security numbers, but most often because their voter registration information had not been processed and entered into the state’s database. Counties legally have 10 days to process voter registrations. “What’s happening is people were registering to vote and then going right over to PennDOT, and (they were) not in the system yet,” Ruman said. Previously applicants who could not be issued ID on the spot would be notified by mail when their card was ready and would need to return to the driver license center where they applied to pick up their ID. IDs will now be mailed directly to applicants. Voters may apply for a voter ID up to and on Election Day, Nov. 6, or even after the election if they vote by provisional ballot. PennDOT also said Tuesday that 48 driver license centers, which are typically closed Mondays, will open on Monday, Nov. 5, to issue last-minute voter IDs. License centers in Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and Dunmore are included. Voters who do not have ID on Election Day are allowed to cast provisional ballots that will be counted if the voter provides proof of identification to their county election office within six days of the election. This year that deadline will be Tuesday, Nov. 13, because the sixth day after the election is Veterans Day and government offices will be closed. Only registered voters will be issued voter IDs. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 9. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
VOTER ID REQUIREMENTS Voters in the November election will be required to show an acceptable photo ID with an expiration date that is current. Acceptable IDs are: • Photo IDs issued by the federal or Pennsylvania government (including Department of State voter ID card) • Pennsylvania driver’s license or non-driver photo ID • U.S. passport • U.S. military ID (active duty, veteran or military dependent ID) • Employee photo ID issued by the federal, Pennsylvania State or Pennsylvania county or municipal government • Photo ID from an accredited educational institution in Pennsylvania • Photo ID issued by a Pennsylvania care facility Those without one of these forms of ID will need to obtain either a PennDOT non-driver photo ID or a Department of State voter ID from a PennDOT Driver’s License Center. The requirements for obtaining these IDs are as follows: PennDOT non-driver photo ID: Social Security card, two proofs of residency such as lease agreements, current utility bills, mortgage documents, W-2 form or tax records and one of the following: • Certificate of U.S. citizenship • Certificate of naturalization • Birth certificate with a raised seal Department of State voter ID: Applicants must swear that they have no other ID that is valid for voting and supply their: • Name • Date of birth • Address • Social Security number
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Parents came to pick up students at Pittston Area High School on Tuesday afternoon. Students were allowed to leave early due to recent suicides.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
UGI pulls application for permit for station
AREA TEEN SUICIDES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
YANKEES 8 TWINS 2
County board had denied exception for W. Wyoming gas compressor station.
ORIOLES 12 BLUE JAYS 2
By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com
TIGERS 5 ROYALS 4 RAYS 4 RED SOX 2 NATIONAL LEAGUE
BRAVES 3 MARLINS 0 METS 6 PIRATES 0 NATIONALS 8 PHILLIES 4 JONES LEAVES PSU TO CHASE QB DREAM For the second time this month, Paul Jones has left the Nittany Lions. This time, he won’t be back. Penn State’s quarterback-turned-tight end has departed for “personal reasons,” according to coach Bill O’Brien. “My dream is playing quarterback. And I’m going to chase it,” Jones posted on his Twitter account. He had quit the team after the Ohio game when O’Brien decided to move him to tight end. Jones changed his mind later in the day. Page 1B
INSIDE A NEWS: Local 3A Nation & World 5A Obituaries 6A Editorials 9A B SPORTS: 1B B BUSINESS:7B Stocks 7B Weather 8B C LIFE: Birthdays 5C TV, Movies 6C Crossword/Horoscope 7C D CLASSIFIED: 1D Comics 14D
WEATHER Terin Conklin. Partial clearing, rain tonight. High 68, low 58. Details, Page 8B
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Chris Montagna and Brian Orth, left, console a friend during a candlelight vigil for area suicide victims at Albert West Park in Pittston on Wednesday night.
IN REMEMBRANCE Comfort sought at vigil By MATT HUGHES/mhughes@timesleader.com
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ITTSTON – Hundreds of Some mourners exchanged candlelights enveloped the deep hugs and sobbed on each football field at Albert West others’ shoulders as friends of the Park Wednesday evening, flicker- victims shared memories, exing in memory of four young lives pressed grief and spoke words of extinguished too soon. encouragement to the crowd Friends, classmates, relatives over the field’s public address sysand teammates of tem. four teenage suicide INSIDE: • Groups offer They rememvictims from the Pitt- their help. bered young lives • Dallas gets proactive. ston Area, Greater that burned bright• State police come as Nanticoke Area and precaution. ly, and whose flames Hazleton Area PAGE 4A were put out with school districts years of light ahead. formed an unbroken One was a football line around the muddy field as a player who loved the outdoors, light drizzle fell. whether fishing the Susquehan“I just wish that he could see all na for bluegill, hiking to the top the people who turned out,” said of Campbell’s Ledge or stealing Emily Zurek, a friend of one of into a blueberry patch for a snack. the victims and a 2011 Pittston The victim’s brother recalled Area graduate. “I wish he could seeing a bald eagle flying over the have known how many people support him and care about him.” See VIGIL, Page 4A
09815 10011
Teen suicide and bullying are subjects of public forum at Pittston Area High School.
By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com
YATESVILLE – Samantha Neaman stood before hundreds of people she never met before Wednesday night and described the night her 13year-old son, Kyle, committed suicide five years ago. Pittston ArGarzella ea High School senior Meredith Yozwiak told those same people how being bullied and called fat in grade school led to her eating disorder and that she was “basically committing suicide without knowing it.” See FORUM, Page 4A
UGI Energy Services has withdrawn its application for an air quality permit for a natural gas compressor station in West Wyoming, the state Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Wednesday. DEP received a written request to withdraw the permit application on Wednesday. UGI Energy Services said it based its decision on the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board’s Sept. 4 judgment against the company’s request to build the station in an agricultural zone of West Wyoming, according to DEP regional spokeswoman Colleen Connolly. The three-member zoning hearing board voted unanimously to deny the company a special exception for the station and a variance for an associated 100-foot communications tower. DEP was reserving judgment on the air quality permit application until a public hearing was held, but that became a “moot point” when the zoning hearing board shot down the company’s plan in West Wyoming, Connolly said. DEP would not go forward until the company received zoning approval. UGI Energy Services still has until Oct. 4. to appeal the zoning board’s decision to the Luzerne County Court and can submit new plans for a compressor station in West Wyoming or elsewhere to DEP and zoning officials at any time. Company spokeswoman Lillian Harris and attorney Joseph Persico, the company’s legal council during zoning hearings, did not respond to requests for comment. Connolly said she is not aware of UGI Energy Services filing any additional applications to DEP related to compressor stations in the area. “They could resubmit the same application,” Connolly said. “But they haven’t indicated to us what their next step is.” The compressor station was planned as part of the company’s $150 million, 27.5mile Auburn Pipeline extension project, which will link the Tennessee interstate pipeline in Susquehanna County to the Transco interstate pipeline in Luzerne County. The station was also planned as the starting point of a smaller pipeline connecting the Auburn Pipeline to UGI Utilities Inc.’s gas distribution system. UGI Energy Services had said previously it anticipates completing both the pipeline and compressor station by fall 2013. The company said the project would stabilize gas prices for utility customers and that emissions from the compressor station would be well below federal and state caps, but the project was hotly contested by many local residents and elected officials. See UGI, Page 10A
Voter ID law in Pa. has solid support, poll shows Nearly all of the 1,180 likely voters polled said they have the proper ID for voting.
By ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com
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New poll results released Wednesday show a majority of likely voters in Pennsylvania approve of the new voter ID law. Nearly all of the 1,180 likely voters polled said they have the proper ID that will allow them to vote without any problem on Nov. 6, according to the
Quinnipiac University/ CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll. “While judges and politicians debate Pennsylvania’s voter ID measure, voters are solidly in support of the measure, 62-35 percent,” said Peter A. Brown of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The poll shows support for the bill among 92 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of registered Independent voters. Though senior citizens have been cited by opponents as voters likely to be disenfranchised,
INSIDE: Obama adds to Pa. advantage, Page 10A
the polling shows only 36 percent of those age 55 or older oppose the law. The age group that showed the greatest opposition was 18-to-34-year-olds, with 37 percent against it. Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, said the poll results show the law is being viewed through a partisan lens. “Among likely voters there is solid confidence that they have
the correct ID,” Borick said. “However, it may be that marginal voters who are not being included in polls of likely voters are the least likely to have IDs and therefore not showing up in public opinion polls.” The controversial voter ID law has spurred lawsuits and court decisions and has seen the state make changes to policies along the way. PennDOT announced Tuesday it is easing requirements for obtaining an ID card needed to vote. The changes came hours before a Commonwealth Court hearing on whether Pennsylvania’s law
will effectively strip some people of the right to vote this year. In a 4-2 decision last week, the state Supreme Court ordered a Commonwealth Court hearing to determine whether the state is providing easy access to a valid photo ID, as promised by the law. If it is not, or if the judge believes any registered voters will be prevented from casting a ballot, the judge should halt the law from taking effect in the election, the high court said. The Commonwealth Court hearing held Tuesday in Harrisburg was continued until today.
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AREA TEEN SUICIDES
Push for safer area schools already under way
Groups focus on preventing suicide, bullying By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com
The heads of two organizations that work with youth say concerted efforts to make local schools safer and more supportive for children have been going on for the past year. Joseph DeLucca, director of non-public, federal and state programs at Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18, said superintendents of school districts that comprise the LIU – all districts and private schools in Luzerne County plus Tunkhannock Area in Wyoming County – had asked for a coordinated initiative to make their
schools safer for students. So in 2011, the LIU organized the Luzerne County Safe Schools Committee. DeLucca, who spearheaded the effort because of his extensive background in school safety and teen suicide prevention and education, serves as president. The approximately 30-member committee is a cross-section of community members, including state and local police, school principals, superintendents and community agency representatives, DeLucca said. He said that while suicide is a major focus and has been brought
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Call John Dawe at 763-9876 for more information on the Luzerne County Anti-Bullying Coalition. Email Joseph DeLucca at jdelucca@liu18.org for more information on the Luzerne County Safe Schools Committee.
DeLucca
to the forefront by four recent local cases, the committee takes a broader view of safety. “The major initiative we are currently working on is our Safe Schools Audit Training, (which will help school districts accomplish) a complete, massive autopsy of their policies, procedures,
buildings and grounds. You can’t change what you don’t know about, so you have to do your assessments first to kind of see what improvements are necessary,” DeLucca said. Another group of volunteers has concentrated on bullying, which has been suggested as a
Dawe
cause of some suicides, although authorities say they have yet to find good evidence. The Luzerne County Anti-Bullying Coalition began with several organizations, including the Luzerne Foundation, F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, the LIU, ARC of Luzerne County, the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, the NEPA Safe Zone Program of the Family Service Association of Wyoming Valley and the Victims Resource Center. More have joined as recently as Wednesday, including the United Way and the Children’s Service Center, said John Dawe, executive director of the Rainbow Alliance and head of the coalition. All of the organizations have
been working for years to combat – and help young people deal with – bullying in their own ways, Dawe said. But last year, they coalesced to pool resources and work together to address the problem with a unified front. All of the member organizations seek funding from the Luzerne Foundation, but it makes more sense for the foundation to fund one group for one purpose than it does to fund many organizations for the same purpose, Dawe said. One coalition initiative is providing access to an anti-bullying film for schools as well as in-service training on pre- and post-film discussion for teachers.
REACHING OUT
Dallas schools take proactive approach
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
State police were called to the Pittston Area High School after rumors of threats Wednesday.
State police precaution at Pittston
Times Leader staff
PITTSTON AREA: Students arrived Wednesday morning to the sight of police officers and state troopers at every door, a precaution taken after “rumors and innuendo” on the Internet hinting at weapons being brought to school, Superintendent Michael Garzella said. Officers checked each school bus after students entered the school, and several officers remained throughout the day.StatepoliceCapt.JamesDegnan said there were no problems. HAZLETON AREA: West Hazleton Elementary/Middle School is kicking off its “kNOw Bullying” event Monday at 10 a.m. with 1,000 students and teachers gathered on the school baseball field school to spell out “kNOw Bullying.” PITTSTON AREA: “A Day 4 Dads,” presented by the Pittston Area School District, is an opportunity for fathers to familiarize themselves with issues threatening their children. The presentation, from 9 a.m. to1p.m. Dec.1at the high school, will explore the theme “How We Can Protect our Kids from Today’s Toxic Culture.” Topics include Internet safety, gangs and violence, drugs and alcohol prevention, bullying and school violence, and suicide prevention. Police and social workers will speak.
By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Hundreds surrounded the football field at Albert West Park in memory of local teen suicide victims on Wednesday night.
VIGIL Continued from Page 1A
Susquehanna River while sitting with their father on a recent rainy afternoon; it reminded him of his brother. “He kind of swooped down and did a little circle around the car,” he said. “That was him going off into the rain. He was an eagle.” Another was a cheerleader who could light up a room with a smile and brighten another’s day with just a few words. “I just remember the first day I tried out, she told me I would make it,” said another member of the Pittston Area cheerleading team. Close friends had no words to explain why she would take her own life; she seemed happy until the end, they said. “On Sunday she was so happy,” a friend said. “She had bought her homecoming dress and was so excited to go to the dance.” The 15-year-old girl ended her own life on Monday. She was the third student in Lu-
zerne County and the second Pittston Area student to commit suicide in a week. Officials confirmed a fourth child, a Hazleton Area student, committed suicide on Tuesday. The Times Leader does not normally publish the names of those who take their own lives in a private way. While no one can say for sure what prompted the recent teen suicides, school and police investigators have asked whether bullying played a role in any of the deaths. Monica Thomas of Plymouth, co-founder of Parents Advocating for Safe Schools, said she organized the vigil to draw attention to bullying in schools, and how it can be a factor in “the epidemic of teen suicides,” and to let the victims of bullying know there is help available. “The kids need to be aware that there are people around that can help them,” Thomas said. Some speakers called on those attending to unite against bullying in area schools. “I know it’s hard, but this is the time to come together,”
FORUM Continued from Page 1A
Kathleen Carey, 18, shared how suffering bullying at Meyers High School in WilkesBarre led to her cutting herself and contemplating suicide. A public forum at Pittston Area High School to discuss teen suicide and bullying was filled with emotion, concern, questions and sharing of personal experiences as the district responded to the recent suicide deaths of four area students – two of them Pittston Area students. The forum featured speakers including Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, Pittston Area Superintendent Mike Garzella, Wyoming Valley Drug & Alcohol Services CEO Carmen Ambrosino and representatives of the Children’s Service Center and the Victims Resource Center. “I felt it was important to put this together as soon as possible because the events that occurred … have been tragic and a great loss for our community
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
Samantha Neaman of Hazleton holds a photo of her son Kyle Koslop, who was 13 when he committed suicide in 2007. Neaman spoke at Pittston Area High School at Wednesday night’s forum.
and our schools,” Garzella said. And while investigators have not found solid evidence that any of the suicide victims were bullied, despite widespread allegations, Garzella said investigations into the deaths continue. “If bullying played a part in any of these incidents, it will not be tolerated in our schools. It will be dealt with. If we need to press charges, we will press charges,” said Garzella, who noted that his own daughter was
a victim of bullying. “This is a real crisis and we … need to work together. This is more than we can do as a school system. We need a community effort. … I think there’s more to this than bullying,” he said. Several parents and adults in the audience said administrators have refused to recognize bullying and it often goes unpunished. Others said it only gets worse if it’s reported. Pittston Area graduate Jill Zaleski, 19,
said Courtney Mazonis of Nanticoke, a friend to a Greater Nanticoke Area student who committed suicide last Tuesday. “This needs to stop.” “We just have to come together and get the bullying to stop,” added Breaunna Koerney of Nanticoke, another friend of the Nanticoke student. Students at Pittston Area High School said the atmosphere at their school has grown somber. “It’s been very quiet… a different atmosphere,” said Adam Valkos, a 16-year-old Pittston Area student and friend to one of the victims. “A lot of sighing; a lot of moaning, especially the last three days.” “People have been wandering the halls, crying,” said Katie Kena, a 14-year-old Pittston Area student. “It’s a mess.” Taylor Jones, a 14-year-old Pittston Area freshman, said the school is taking steps to respond to deaths, but it’s too early to say whether those steps can prevent future suicides. “They’re trying to do all they can,” she said. “I just don’t know what they can do exactly.” said it wasn’t students who made her feel worthless, “it was some of the teachers,” drawing applause from the audience. She asked what would happen to teachers who bullied students. Garzella said they would be disciplined. A man asked the maximum punishment a bully could face if it was determined that a suicide victim was a target. Salavantis said she didn’t want to “get into details as to what can occur” because of the ongoing investigation. Carolanne Jones, of Children’s Service Center, urged anyone who thinks someone might want to commit suicide to talk to them about it and tell an adult or call Helpline even if asked to keep it a secret. There is help available 24 hours a day. Ambrosino said the “root causes” of teen suicides in the area need to be found. He proposed creating a Luzerne County Suicide Task Force to make a blueprint of programs that will be “effective for prevention and for intervention and treatment and education at all levels of the school and community.”
DALLAS TWP. – With four recent teen suicides in other districts, Dallas School District officials took proactive steps Wednesday that included a high school assembly and evening automated calls to parents reminding them of student counseling services. The assembly focused on bullying and what students can do if they feel bullied or otherwise need help with personal issues, Superintendent Frank Galicki said, adding that the efforts were district wide. “Each school handled the issue with different techniques,” Galicki said. The morning announcement at the middle school included a reminder to all students the school has “multiple opportunities for students to reach out to” the staff on any concern, and that the school has a drop box in the lobby where students can submit concerns about other students. Dallas Elementary School Principal Tom Traver sent an email to colleagues offering a “simple and to-the-point anti-bullying exercise” used by a New York teacher: Have students crumple a piece of paper and stomp on it, then unfold it,
smooth it and say they’re sorry. Point to the creases and scars they can’t fix, and advise them “That is what happens when a child bullies another child; they may say they’re sorry, but the scars are there forever.” Galicki recorded a message delivered to all district parents via the district’s automated dialing system used to convey important information quickly, such as school weather closings. The message notes the district “has monitored carefully the events that have impacted on our neighboring school districts,” and assures parents that Dallas “is making a significant effort to do its best to insure the safety of every student. “The district is currently reviewing all policies and procedures, meetings are being held in the schools to reacquaint staff with warning signs of suicide. Our middle and high schools have active Student Assistance Teams that are reminding students and staff that they are available to help with any issue. “It is important that we all work together to meet our children’s needs. Should you be concerned at any time about the safety and welfare of your child, you may contact your child’s school and we can work together to properly intervene.”
WYO M I N G A R E A S C H O O L B OA R D
Policy: Bullying, cyberbullying threaten orderly school setting By JON O’CONNELL Times Leader Correspondent
EXETER – The Wyoming Area School Board on Tuesday night approved the first reading of a new policy that defines bullying both inside the school and cyberbullying as threats to the school’s orderly environment. The new policy states consequences for bullying may reach as far as expulsion or referral to law enforcement, as the board’s solicitor, Jarrett Ferentino, said many of these offenses are covered under the criminal code. Emily Shemanski, a student representative who sits with the board, said before the meeting that she thought the new policy was fair. “I think the consequences are appropriate for the harm (bullying) could cause,” Shemanski said. Shemanski and her fellow student representative, Brian Wisowaty, agreed bullying does not seem to be an aggressive problem in their school. Anti-bullying lessons are being worked into the curriculum, but Superintendent Raymond Bernardi said there is no cure-all for getting victimized students to talk about it. “This is not just a lecture,” Bernardi said. “It’s a very involved process.” High School Principal Vito Quaglia said the attention should not be placed solely on bullying.
He said that in the 20 years he has worked with education, now more than ever, younger students are dealing with stressors that used to be characteristic of much older students and may have other reasons for hurting themselves. A few of the high school’s student ambassadors also introduced themselves to school board members at the meeting. As part of a student-to-student support program introduced this year to identify students who may be struggling socially or emotionally, the ambassadors are not necessarily straight-A students or star athletes, but they are chosen by faculty members for their strong personalities and apparent compassion. Bernardi said the ambassadors are part of a program that has been in the works since January to identify at-risk students and intervene if school officials feel a student might be in danger. In light of recent student suicides in the Greater Nanticoke Area, Pittston Area and Hazleton Area school districts, everyone in the room seemed to share in feeling that this could not have arrived at a more appropriate time. Bernardi said the ambassadors were perceived by faculty as students who would not stand silent if they happened across a peer in danger. “We’re trying to do our best to have our students come forward if there are any issues,” Bernardi said.
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SPORTS SHOWCASE
By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com
W. VIRGINIA 70 BAYLOR 63 OHIO ST. 17 MICH. ST. 16 S. CAROLINA 38 KENTUCKY 17 AMERICAN LEAGUE
ORIOLES 4 RED SOX 3 BLUE JAYS 3 YANKEES 2 EUROPE HANGS AROUND RYDER CUP Europe isn’t ready to
concede the Ryder Cup, winning the last two matches and bringing the American juggernaut to a screeching halt. The Americans still have a 10-6 lead, and need 141⁄2 points to regain the Ryder Cup. The largest comeback in Ryder Cup history was at Brookline in 1999, when the U.S. erased a 10-6 deficit on the final day.
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INSIDE A NEWS Obituaries 2A, 8A Local 3A Nation & World 5A B PEOPLE Birthdays 9B C SPORTS: Outdoors 10C D BUSINESS Stocks 3D E VIEWS Editorials 3E F. ETC. Crossword/Horoscope 2F Books 5F G CLASSIFIED: 1G
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As officials continue to search for clues to what led four teenagers to kill themselves over an eight-day span, mental health experts say the answers likely lie in a complex series of life events rather than a single emotional trauma. The public has a tendency to look for quick-hit answers, such as bullying, a poor report card or breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the experts said. That may make for a good “news bite,” but the reality is far
INSIDE: Advice from someone who knows what it’s like to have been a deeply troubled teenager, Page 7A
more complex, said Tony Salvatore, a suicide crisis counselor with Montgomery County and author of the pamphlet, “Suicide Loss: What Schools Should Know.” Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Approximately 4,000 teenagers kill See EXPERTS, Page 7A
U.S. SUICIDES
There were 36,909 suicides in the United States in 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
BY GENDER: Female : 21% (7,820)
Male: 79% (29,089)
BY AGE: 65+: 16% (5,858)
15-24: 12% (4,371)
25-64: 72% (26,680) Mark Guydish/The Times Leader
Committee would investigate suicides By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com
Local mental health professionals are working to re-establish a psychological autopsy committee that would investigate suicides in hopes of gaining insight that will aid prevention efforts. The committee, which will include representatives from multiple disciplines, is looking to carry on work done by a team 10 years ago. That committee studied hundreds of coroner’s reports
Noxen Twp. wind farm project workers face snakes at construction site
Not really rattled By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com
See SNAKES, Page 12A
See SUICIDES, Page 7A
Obama leads into first TV debate By NANCY BENAC Associated Press
Kathy and Tom Michell work to place a transmitter on a timber rattlesnake they are releasing into the wild after nursing it back to health.
T I M B E R R AT T L E S N A K E FA C T S The timber rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in Pennsylvania. Size: These rattlesnakes range in length from 3 to 41⁄2 feet and may weigh up to 2 pounds. Life Span: The lifespan of the timber rattlesnake is 22 to 30 years. Color: This snake varies in coloration, with bands of color that are different on snakes
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dating back to 1992 and conducted interviews with families in an effort to identify the most common factors that led persons to kill themselves. While work was already under way to restart the committee, the deaths of five teenagers from suicide this year, including four that occurred within a recent eight-day span, have provided an additional impetus, said Rich Burns, acting director of the
Romney looking to reboot campaign in Wednesday’s showdown in Denver.
In the five years he’s worked building wind turbines, Mike Kelly has faced plenty of obstacles, but he’s never dealt with challenges like those presented by his “neighbors” near the Mehoopany Wind Farm project in Noxen Township. Virtually every day they infiltrate the construction site, blocking roads and preventing crews and equipment from passing by. They’ve also forced the relocation of several of the giant wind-producing turbines and the re-routing of miles of roadways built into the mountainside to reach the sites. They’ve created lots of headaches, and they aren’t even human. Kelly and fellow employees are being rattled by hundreds of rattlesnakes that inhabit the section of the mountain where they’re working. The issue isn’t so much the threat the venomous reptiles pose to the workers, but the threat the workers pose to the snakes, particularly the timber rattlesnake. The snake, which is close to becoming endangered, is considered a “special candidate” species, which affords it special protection under the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
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Likely no easy answers exist for why teens took own lives
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found in different regions. Habitat: The timber rattlesnake is found in the forested rocky hills of many states throughout the eastern United States, and also in swamps. Food: This rattlesnake eats small mammals, especially mice, rats, squirrels, and rabbits. Sometimes it will even kill birds.
Reproduction: Every three or four years in the early spring, these rattlesnakes mate. About 10 young are born in late summer or early fall with the average length of 11-13 inches. Fun Facts: Although they rarely attack humans, these rattlesnakes are venomous and very dangerous.
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama is cruising into the presidential debates with momentum on his side, yet he’s still struggling to revive the passion and excitement that propelled him to the White House. Mitt Romney is grasping for his last, best chance to reboot his cam- 2 0 1 2 paign after a di- ELECTION sastrous September. The fierce and deter- L O C A L mined compet- D E B A T E S itors in the The Times tight race have Leader and a specific mis- Wilkes Unision for the versity will host three debates, forums for the the first of U.S. congressional candiwhich is dates running Wednesday for election in night in Den- November to serve the peover. Obama, no ple of Northlonger the fresh eastern Pennsylvania. face of 2008, PAGE 3A must convince skeptical Americans that he can accomplish in a second term what he couldn’t in his first, restoring the economy to full health. Romney, anxious to keep the race from slipping away, needs to instill confidence that he is a credible and trusted alternative to the president, with a better plan for strengthening the economy. “The burden in many ways is heavier on Romney,” says Wayne Fields, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in political rhetoric. “What we see right now is an uncertainty about whether he’s ready for the job.” For all the hundreds of camSee DEBATE, Page 12A
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themselves nationwide each year. Research has shown suicide “doesn’t just happen,” Salvatore says in the pamphlet. It’s the outcome of a complex intermingling of psychological, social, cultural and interpersonal factors over a period of time. Often persons who kill themselves suffer from depression or some other type of mental illness. Classmates of a 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl from the Pittston Area School District who killed themselves days apart last week said the teens did not appear troubled, although experts warn the signs may not be obvious. Days before their deaths, a 13year-old boy from Nanticoke fatally shot himself. A fourth teen from Hazleton took his life on Tuesday. Their deaths, coupled with the suicide of a 17-year-old boy in August, bring the total number of teen suicides in Luzerne County this year to five. That compares to three teen suicides in 2011, two in 2010 and none in 2009, according to the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office has joined with school officials from the three districts to investigate the circumstances that led to the latest deaths, including allegations by peers that some of the teens were bullied. So far, officials say there’s no concrete evidence of bullying. Even if it’s shown the youths were targeted, mental health experts caution it’s overly simplistic to tie a suicide to a single event. “What seems to happen is stressors accumulate … (leading) to isolation, hopelessness, anger and negative self-image,” said Dr. Philip Rutter, an associate professor of psychology at Widener University in Chester. “Is bullying directly related to suicide? It’s not totally legitimate to say that. It is fair to say some young people who are bullied become depressed and feel helpless.” A key difference between youths and adults who commit suicide is that youths tend to act more impulsively to life stressors than adults, Rutter said. “One of the things with young people is they are extremely present centered. They don’t have much of a future concept,” Rutter said. That makes it difficult for them to wait out the rough patches in their lives, he said “Adults say, give it a year, it gets better. But a sixth- or seventhgrader isn’t able to give it a weekend,” Rutter said. That’s partly attributable to the biology and physiology of teenag-
SUICIDES Continued from Page 1A
Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Mental Health and Developmental Services program. “We can’t undo this tragedy,” Burns said. “The whole purpose is … to see if there are any common factors so we can learn
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“One of the things with young people is they are extremely present centered. They don’t have much of a future concept. Adults say, give it a year, it gets better. But a sixth- or seventh-grader isn’t able to give it a weekend.” Dr. Philip Rutter Associate professor of psychology at Widener University
“Oftentimes if there is a great deal of coverage, people who are struggling perceive it’s a way to achieve significance. If they are not able to achieve significance in life, they can achieve it in death.” Dr. David Rudd Psychologist at the University of Utah who studies suicide
H E L P I S AVA I L A B L E If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, there are numerous organizations that can help. National Suicide Prevention Hotline – a 24 hour crisis line that provides counseling services – 800-273-TALK (8255).
MORE SUICIDE I N F O R M AT I O N
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
William Tucker of Avoca hugs his daughter Rhiannon, 11, while waiting his turn to comment during Wednesday night’s public forum on teen suicide and bullying held at Pittston Area High School.
RISK FACTORS AND WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE Warning signs include:
stand, so they don’t say anything.” In those cases, actions speak louder than words. Friends and families need to be on the lookout for mood changes – someone who was very social suddenly begins staying home all the time; a normally calm person becomes angry or aggressive. “If something goes off you think is not right, don’t ignore it,” Salvatore said. “We think it can’t happen to us, it only happens to them. Guess what, it can happen
to anyone.” Salvatore said friends and classmates are the front line defense to suicide. They may see signs that parents, teachers and other adults might miss, particularly messages posted on the social networking site Facebook. But youths are often reluctant to come forward out of fear they will alienate their friends, Salvatore said. It’s crucial they speak up if they sense the slightest hint of suicidal thoughts. “Kids need to be taught, don’t keep a secret. It’s better to lose a friend for a month than to lose them forever,” he said. Salvatore said he also stresses the need for the Luzerne County community to ensure suicide prevention remains a priority after this crisis subsides. “The typical response is to have an assembly for the kids and a town meeting where you bring in experts. Then the school year ends … and things return to normal,” Salvatore said. “Suicide prevention should be like fire prevention: You just don’t worry about it after a fire. It’s got to be something we worry about all the time.”
ups, and warning signs included self abusive cutting, risk taking and withdrawal from society. Adults might have experienced financial troubles, depression, illness or substance abuse. Gallagher said formation of a new committee is still in the preliminary phases. It’s not clear when it might begin work. Acting Coroner William Lisman said he has not yet spoken
with anyone regarding the committee. He said he supports the effort, but noted he expects it may find, as the 2002 committee did, that surviving family members of suicide victims might be reluctant to participate. “We were the go-between between the group and the surviving family members. The vast majority did not want to participate,” Lisman said.
Talking or writing about suicide Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness Dramatic mood changes, including strong anger and rage Changes in personality Losing interest in most activities Changes in sleeping or eating habits Giving away prized possessions
Risk factors include: Mental illness and/or substance abuse Previous suicide attempts Firearms in the household Non-suicidal self-injury (cutting self or other high risk behavior) Exposure to suicide of friend or family member Low self-esteem Mark Guydish/The Times Leader
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Two Pittston Area students light candles at the teen suicide vigil Wednesday night.
ers, said Dr. David Rudd, a psychologist at the University of Utah who studies suicide. The frontal cortex of the brain, which controls inhibition, is not fully developed until a person is in their mid 20s, Rudd said. “It controls the ability to inhibit impulses. When it’s not fully developed you get more impulsive behavior,” he said. There’s no evidence that any of the four local suicides were link-
ed in any way. Some have expressed concern that media coverage of the latest teen suicides could spawn “copycat” action. “Oftentimes if there is a great deal of coverage, people who are struggling perceive it’s a way to achieve significance,” Rudd said. “If they are not able to achieve significance in life, they can achieve it in death.” That means families and classmates need to be extra vigilant in
watching for signs a person is having suicidal thoughts. Sometimes those signs are obvious – a person talks about suicide or starts giving away prized possessions. Other times they’re far more subtle and difficult to detect. “People go into another zone when they are truly suicidal and don’t necessarily communicate everything,” Salvatore said. “They feel no one cares about me. When they feel that way they don’t think anyone will under-
what we can do to prevent future tragedies.” A psychological autopsy involves a detailed examination of all aspects of the suicide victim’s life to determine if there are any common patterns among individuals who kill themselves. “It helps us understand who the person was and what was happening prior to the suicide so we can focus our efforts on
the most preventive measures,” said Tara Gallagher, the children’s services coordinator for the county mental health agency who is helping restart the committee. Gallagher noted officials in Schuylkill County utilized psychological autopsies to discover that a large number of suicide victims there had been at a tavern prior to their deaths.
“They used that information to place posters in bars telling people who to call for help,” she said. The 2002 Luzerne County committee helped uncover differences in the manner in which youths and adults manifest signs of suicides. The panel concluded that triggers for youths include loss of a loved one and romantic break-
Numerous websites provide information on suicide and prevention. They include: • American Association of Suicidology: www.suicidology.org • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: www.afsp.org • Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide: www.sptsusa.org National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide: www.suicidology.org/ncpys
Advice from someone happy – and lucky – to have survived teen years NEWS OF FOUR teen suicides in two weeks affected me profoundly. I do not pretend to understand each student’s unique pain, but I can relate to their feelings of hopelessness. I attempted suicide several times during my teen years. My family was not the Brady Bunch, with solutions to problems guaranteed within 30 minutes. I had loving and caring parents who did the best they could – a normal, dysfunctional family. I went to Catholic high school in another state for three years, transferring to public school for my senior year. I felt as comfortable as I could in school until ninth grade. There was something different about being 13 or 14. My world spun into a whole new galaxy,
JOHN GORDON
strong enough, mentally, to stand up to the ridicule. I became a loner. I transferred to another OPINION school and never saw the kids who made me feel good about and I was being swallowed into a myself again. I did not think black hole of puberty, angst and there was anyone who truly liked an identity crisis. At that time my me for who I was or cared about mother began battling severe me. depression. I was in eighth grade. In public school I wanted to be I too had struggles with deprespart of something outside myself, sion. but felt no girl could love me and I played freshman basketball, no one would accept me. I loved but I was not a “jock.” I was into and accepted myself, but I did movies and video games, and not think that I was normal and joined the audio/visual departalways felt out of place. I received ment. I did many normal activplenty of love and concern from ities, yet never felt like I fit in. my parents, but I was afraid to In Catholic high school, I was talk to them; I felt ashamed and asked why I sat with the “geeky” different. My best friend was a or “gay” kids at lunch and was sophomore I only saw after made to feel embarrassed by my school. I was silent, sad and choice. I should have gotten to terrified. know those lunch peers better. I was never beaten or picked They were always kind, let me on, but there were little moments eat in peace, and laughed at my that piled into a mountain of stupid jokes. But I let what othdespair. Moments I couldn’t ers said affect me. I was not share because they embarrassed
me. When my father asked if anything was wrong, I stuffed my emotions and let the problems build to an unstable peak. That peak became an avalanche of suicidal thoughts. I wanted to die; I continued to trudge on. One day I sat alone outside the auditorium and ate the sandwich packed by my father. I wanted to read my magazine and hide. Three girls who I never saw before sat across from me, chatting and laughing. I was minutes into my meal when one of the girl’s sandwiches was hurled in my direction, landing on my magazine. I trembled with fear; I brushed the sandwich aside and continued with my lunch. The laughs got louder. One girl shouted: “Hey, that’s my sandwich!” I had no way to deal with this. I did not want to retreat to the principal. I wouldn’t retaliate against the girls. I just ran from my problems.
It was just a little moment for a student who had no girlfriend, average grades and hard tests ahead. It felt like the end of my world. A day later in English class, everyone seemed somber. I asked the teacher what happened. She had just received word a student had killed himself. I looked at his empty seat and slouched. That very student had previously attempted to befriend me. When I heard how he did it, I thought that – perhaps – it would not be too hard to end my pain like that. I tried to take my life a few days later. I failed. I tried a few months after that. I failed. One more time at the end of high school … failed. My second year at college I tried once again and failed. I now look at those failures as successes that afforded the opportunity to a good life. And to now share what I learned. Life after high school and
college wasn’t smooth, but I eventually found contentment. I love my wife and my daughter. My friends today accept me for who I am. I love them and they love me. I am happy with my life. To have made it so far makes me all the sadder for the lives lost these past weeks. I do not have an answer. But I share what happened to me in the hopes that parents do what my father tried to do for me. He cut out articles about things that he thought might help me. Sometimes I would read them, sometimes I would not. If I had read something like this, maybe, just maybe, I would have felt that I was not alone. Sometimes a kid will talk to his or her parents and feel comfortable. Sometimes professional help will work. I share my story hoping others will do the same. No one is alone. We just feel like it sometimes. .
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Station ruling clarified
The Luzerne County Zoning Hearing board in a legal filing Tuesday clarified its Sept. 4 decision to deny UGI Energy Services’ application to build a natural gas compressor station in West Wyoming. UGI applied for a special exception to build the station in an agricultural district and for a variance to build an associated 150-foot communications tower; the company has appealed the board’s decision to the Luzerne County Court. The board said in the filing that although about 44 citizens testifying against the compressor and others supporting them offered no evidence the station presents a direct health detriment or public safety risk, their apprehension was significant enough to warrant concern for the long-term health, safety and welfare of West Wyoming residents. The board also considered one of the objectives stated in the county zoning ordinance, to improve health and reduce pollution in the community, and determined UGI’s project could not meet these objectives. The board further decided the station did not meet the ordinance’s definition of a utility building and yard, UGI’s stated use in its application to build the station, and that UGI did not show its communications tower met all the zoning requirements for a variance set or that the need for the tower to be higher than the surrounding tree canopy was a hardship that could not be rectified.
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LOCAL
Teacher charged in theft from league $6,000 gone from youth basketball group By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com
KINGSTON -- A teacher in the Hazleton Area School District was charged Tuesday with stealing $6,000 from a non-school youth basketball league. Christopher Walsh, 36, of Glenview Avenue, Dallas, is accused of stealing the money from the Luzerne County Lightning Youth Basketball League between October 2011 and July 2012. Walsh was one of the founders of the league, a nonprofit organization formed last year to provide area youths an opportunity to play basketball outside of school. According to an arrest affidavit, two other founders, Jack Robinson and Curtis Lloyd, became suspicious this summer when they noticed the league’s account had less money than expected.
Robinson repeatedly asked Walsh, who handled all finances, for bank records, but he would not turn them over. Robinson went to Kingston police, who Walsh obtained a search warrant for the records. A detective discovered Walsh had made numerous electronic transfers from the league’s account to his personal accounts totaling $6,219. Walsh also made unauthorized purchases with the league’s debit card totaling $481.85. He reimbursed the league $687.90, for a net loss of $6,012.95. Walsh was arraigned before District Judge Paul Roberts on charges of theft, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and criminal use of a com-
munication facility. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail. He faces a preliminary hearing on Nov. 8. Walsh teaches seventh and eighth grade social studies in the Hazleton Area School District. Francis Antonelli, district superintendent, said he learned of the charges Tuesday from members of the media. Antonelli said Walsh was placed on paid leave, utilizing his personal days, until the district has an opportunity to review the charges. “If these charges prove to be true, I’m extremely disappointed in the events surrounding Mr. Walsh,” Antonelli said. “Until we have an opportunity to determine how to proceed, he won’t be teaching in our school.” Walsh declined comment as he left Roberts’ office.
Speaking after the hearing, Robinson, Lloyd and Peter Moses, one of the league’s coaches, said they were disappointed by Walsh, who they said has coached basketball for years. “When you coach youth sports the number one priority has to be the kids. Chris Walsh’s job was to pay the bills for this organization. Instead, he decided to pay himself,” Moses said. The alleged theft had a significant impact on the league, which struggled to pay several vendors. It also had to cancel plans to send several teams that had earned a birth to a national tournament in Florida. “These kids had to sacrifice a lot of opportunities they would not have had to sacrifice if these thefts did not take place,” Lloyd said. “It’s a sad day for our organization.” Lloyd and Robinson said the league, which plays from March through June, will continue next year.
PITTSTON AREA
WALKING THE LINE
Woman criticizes bullying policies
WILKES-BARRE
Chemistry, poetry will mix
Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry, will read from his poetry in conjunction with his appearance delivering the 2012 Catherine H. Bone Lecture in Chemistry Thursday at Wilkes University. Hoffmann will read his poetry at 4:30 p.m. in the Salon of Kirby Hall, 202 S. River St. The reading is free and a reception will folPHOTO BY MICHAEL GRACE low. Hoffman Hoffmann also will deliver the Bone Lecture, “The Chemical Imagination At Work In Very Tight Places,” at 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 101 of Stark Learning Center. In 1981 the Nobel Prize was awarded jointly to Hoffmann and Kenichi Fukui of Japan’s Kyoto University for their theories concerning the course of chemical reactions. WILKES-BARRE
Activist heads lecture
Native American rights activist Harvey Arden will deliver the Peace and Justice Center’s Barbara Sabol Lecture at 7 tonight in Burke Auditorium at King’s College. The program is co-sponsored by the college’s economics department. Titled “The Broomstick Revolution,” Arden will focus on his collaboration with Seneca Hawk Clan Elder Edna Gordon in a call for a grassroots, peaceable revolution for justice in American society and around the world. For 23 years, Arden was a staff writer at National Geographic Magazine. He is the author of “Wisdom Keepers: Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders,” “Dream Keepers: A Spirit-Journey into Aboriginal Australia”, and “Seneca Wisdomkeeper Edna Gordon: A Broomstick Revolution.” For info call 208-5900, ext. 5778. PITTSTON
Post office to be renamed
The Pittston Post Office on Dock Street will be renamed in honor of state police Trooper Joshua D. Miller. Miller died in the line of duty near Tobyhanna on June 7, 2009. A special ceremony including elected and postal officials and friends will be held Wednesday, Oct, 24 at 10 a.m. to unveil the official plaque to be displayed at the Pittston Post Office. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, was signed into law by the president on June 5, 2012 and will officially dedicate the postal facility as the Trooper Joshua D. Miller Post Office Building.
Mother claims she and husband pulled daughter from district because of bullying. By B. GARRET ROGAN Times Leader Correspondent
ing proficient or better in writing dropped faster than declines in math in four local districts while writing dropped and math improved in three others. Even with the drop, local schools are doing well. Of 53 schools tested, 28 had at least 70 percent of students scoring proficient or better. Two high schools, Dallas and Coughlin, top the chart with 94.2 percent and 92.2 percent respectively. Six other high schools are among the top 15 performers. The science tests continue to be the area’s Achilles’ heel among state tests, officially called the Pennsylvania Sys-
Although not officially on the agenda for October’s regular Pittston Area School Board meeting, the recent tragic losses of two students to suicide was on the minds of those in attendance Tuesday night. Michelle Kovach, Pittston resident and parent of a former district student, addressed the board and standing-room-only crowd on her family’s experiences with school bullying. The circumstances surrounding the suicides are currently being investigated. No law enforcement or school officials have stated any direct connection between bullying and the suicides. Still, a possible connection has been addressed in the media and discussed in the community. Kovach claimed her daughter was bullied as a Pittston Area student by teachers and other students for nearly a decade before she and her husband pulled her from the district. She was enrolled in a state online charter school prior to this, her ninthgrade school year. Kovach said she felt she was forced to withdraw her daughter after feeling that the district did not adhere to its own anti-bullying policy following what Kovach said was a physical attack against her daughter.
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AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
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ilkes University is observing National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. On Tuesday, students participated in a walk from the Wilkes Greenway to Kirby Park and back. Participants received orange, long-sleeved T-shirts and lunch.
Writing scores drop at area schools State report follows decline in math and reading results.
By MARK GUYDISH mguydish@timesleader.com
Scores in state writing tests – long a bright spot for local school districts – slid in 38 of the 53 local schools where the tests were administered this year, paralleling a decline in math and reading tests. Results in science tests also dipped in the majority of schools, though on average improvements outweighed declines. The math and reading tests garner more publicity because poor results have real-world consequences. Federal law re-
LOCAL TEST TRENDS
On average, the percentage of students in Luzerne County school districts scoring proficient or better has declined in three out of four state tests. Reading Writing Math Science 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Mark Guydish/The Times Leader
quires the percentage of students scoring proficient or better to rise steadily until hitting 100 percent in 2014, and mis-
sing the annual goals can lead to a state takeover. A new state law defines schools as “low achieving” based on those tests, a designation that, coupled with a tax credit scholarship program, gives students the opportunity to transfer to another school. Even in years when local schools posted mediocre results in math and reading, writing scores often gave them something to crow about. On average, Luzerne County school districts have routinely had higher percentages of students scoring proficient or better in writing than in math or reading. This year’s results closed that gap. The percentage scor-
King’s, Notre Dame engineer deal disciplines from Notre Dame. Dual degree would start with Notre Dame. The program, which will be Students must earn at least three years at King’s, last offered to incoming freshmen 60 credits from Notre Dame to two at Notre Dame. students in 2013, will provide receive the degree from the By ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE – Responding to demand and parlaying its relationship with members of the Congregation of Holy Cross member schools, King’s College has announced a new 3+2 engineering dual degree program with the University of
King’s students with the opportunity to take math, science and other courses at King’s and transfer to Notre Dame for two years to complete engineering courses in their chosen field. Upon completion, students will receive both a bachelor of science from King’s College in physics, chemistry or computer science and a bachelor of science in one of six engineering
South Bend, Ind. university. “The program is an example of King’s College responding to both student demand and external needs,” the Rev. John Ryan, president of King’s College, said Tuesday. Ryan said polls and comments from employers CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER indicate that engineering positions “are some of the hardest to King’s College President the Rev. John Ryan on Tuesday mornSee KING’S, Page 10A
ing announced a new engineering dual degree program with the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.
User: ljones Time: 10-16-2012 23:44 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 10-17-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_03 PageNo: 10 A
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ground electrical fixture work. The project’s general contractor, Killian Construction Co., also is based in Missouri. “(If more work were awarded to local contractors) you would have money staying in the area,” Rozitski said. “You would have local people working here, local people staying here, even local people going to the casino to spend their money. These people from Missouri, they’re not getting taxed here and they’re taking their money back with them.” But Soper said Killian, the project general contractor, has only between three and five employees working in Plains Township. In total, the hotel and event center is expected to create 350
A sign leading to the construction site at the Mohegan Sun.
AIMEE DILGER PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
Work has begun on the hotel and event center at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Unions claim work is not being kept local.
construction jobs. Soper said some outside firms were awarded work when local bids were not competitive. “It’s a situation where a couple of trades’ bids were extremely high relative to all the bids, and we
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tem of School Assessment, or PSSA. On average, Luzerne County districts consistently have poorer results in science than in the other three exams. This year the average was 64.7 percent proficient or better in science, compared to 75.9 percent in writing, 73.5 percent in math and 71.2 percent in reading. There are high achievers in the science tests: of 53 schools, 23 had at least 80 percent of students scoring proficient or better; Ross Elementary in Lake-Lehman School district hit 100 percent. The poorest science results were posted by high schools: Greater Nanticoke Area, Hanover Area, Crestwood, Wyoming Valley West, Hazleton Area and all three WilkesBarre Area high schools were in the bottom nine among Luzerne County schools, along with West Side Career and Technology Center. On the plus side, Wilkes-Barre Area’s Coughlin High School showed the biggest improvement, bumping the percentage scoring proficient or better in writing up from 36.7 percent to 47.8 percent.
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fill and, as a result, students graduating with engineering degrees are in high demand.” The initiative, which Notre Dame has in place with other colleges, was first discussed earlier this year. Ryan said Notre Dame “bent over backwards to do it.” “In a nutshell, what we gain are committed engineering students and a closer tie with another Congregation of Holy Cross institution, along with increased visibility in the eastern Pennsylvania/Mid-Atlantic area. We view all of this as a positive,” said Cathy Pieronek, Notre Dame’s assistant dean for academic affairs. King’s altered some of its preparation courses to mirror Notre Dame’s requirements, down to the same textbooks in many cases. And it changed what was a physics minor to a new major. While Ryan believes the opportunity will help make King’s more marketable to students interested in an engineering degree and those who want a degree from Notre Dame, he doesn’t believe the school will be inundated with takers. “I don’t think we’re going to have a flood of students. The first year, a modest number. Maybe eight,” Ryan said. Eventually he sees it growing to about 20 a year. While it’s the first dual degree program King’s will have in place, Ryan said it’s not likely the last. “I think more is to come,” Ryan said, noting that discussions are under way with universities abroad.
wouldn’t be able to build the hotel at those prices,” Soper said. “There’s a couple that just were simply too high; would not allow us to build the project, and I don’t think that would be fair to us or Northeastern Pennsylvania when
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circumstances - reduce the share that’s being paid by the highest-income taxpayers,” he said. Obama responded with a multi-pronged attack, invoking his rival’s14 percent tax burden “when a lot of you are paying much higher” - and recalling his pledge to Republicans in the primary phase of the campaign that he would also seek to lower taxes on the top 1 percent. And, Obama said, Romney’s budget math “doesn’t add up.” “When he’s asked, how are you going to do it, which deductions, which loopholes are you going to close, he can’t tell you,” Obama said. “We haven’t heard from the governor any specifics, beyond Big Bird and eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, in terms of how he pays for that.” Then he went one step further, invoking Romney’s background as “a very successful in-
vestor.” “If somebody came to you, Governor, with a plan that said, here; I want to spend $7 or $8 trillion, and then we’re going to pay for it, but we can’t tell you until maybe after the election how we’re going to do it, you wouldn’t have taken such a sketchy deal. And neither should you, the American people,” Obama said. Romney then also leaned on his resume, saying throughout his career - as a businessman, running the Olympics, and as governor of Massachusetts, he always balanced the budget. And Obama’s record is one that “puts us on a road to Greece.” “When we’re talking about math that doesn’t add up, how about $4 trillion of deficits over the last four years, 5 trillion,” he said. “We have a president talking about someone’s plan in a way that’s completely foreign to what my real plan is, and then we have his own record, which is we have four consecutive years where he said, when he was running for office, he could cut the deficit in half. Instead,
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THE FACTS: What Obama didn’t mention is that much of the money that has been paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was borrowed. In fact, the government borrows nearly 40 cents for every dollar it spends. Thus using money that had been earmarked for wars to build schools and infrastructure would involve even more borrowing, adding to the federal deficit. ••• ROMNEY: “I know he keeps saying, ‘You want to take Detroit bankrupt.’ Well, the president took Detroit bankrupt. You took General Motors bankrupt. You took Chrysler bankrupt. So when you say that I wanted to take the auto industry bankrupt, you actually did. And I think it’s important to know that that was a process that was necessary to get those companies back on their feet, so they could start hiring more people. That was precisely what I recommended and ultimately what happened.” THE FACTS: That’s not precisely what he rec-
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Pittston Area School Board will hold a regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20.
She expressed a feeling of personal guilt in response to the suicides, claiming that if she had raised more awareness during her daughter’s struggles, she might have in some way prevented future severe bullying. In response to Kovach’s pointed criticisms, new District Superintendent Michael Garzella reiterated that there is a zero-tolerance policy against bullying and encouraged harmed students and witnesses to come forward so that all appropriate legal action can be taken against bullies.
He also pointed out that future responses to these types of issues will be “proactive” and “countywide” as the problem is hardly relegated to Pittston Area. He went on to detail an anti-bullying campaign featuring public speakers, expert testimony and posters. This only seemed to inflame Kovach, who said “the students think the speakers and the posters are a joke.” She then restated her claim that the only way to tackle the issue was to have the anti-bullying policies addressed as strictly as possible.
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we promised to build this project.” Soper noted that contract negotiations are ongoing. Rozitski said some Missouri companies underbid local union contractors by close to $1million, and indicated those companies could not perform work to the same standards as local companies at that price. “The labor that they get won’t even come close to being as qualified as the local people, especially the local union people,” he said. “We have certified apprentice programs; I don’t think they have any.” he’s doubled it.” For both men, the attack lines reprised themes that their campaigns have stressed in advertising that has saturated the airwaves in battleground states. Obama used another line familiar from his ads also immediately, pivoting from a question about job prospects for college students to talk about Romney’s opposition to the bailout of the auto industry in 2009. “We would have lost a million jobs,” under Romney’s approach, he said. The sharply worded exchanges bore out pre-debate predictions that Obama would more aggressively challenge Romney in this debate than he had in the first one. After a distinctly lackluster performance in the first debate, which left Democrats demoralized, Obama was under great pressure to try to create a turnaround in the second encounter. As the debate became increasingly heated, moderator Candy Crowley several times had to admonish the candidates to stay on topic.
ommended. The restructuring unfolded with a huge government bailout, a critical difference from Romney’s recommended path. He wanted private financing to rescue the automakers in bankruptcy. Few think the private sector, raked then by the financial crisis, would have nursed Detroit back to health without a massive infusion of federal aid. In late 2008, banks weren’t making many loans, much less to companies that were out of cash. ••• OBAMA: “And what I want to do is build on the 5 million jobs that we’ve created over the last 30 months in the private sector alone.” THE FACTS: As he has done before, Obama is cherry-picking his numbers to make them sound better than they really are. He ignores the fact that public-sector job losses have dragged down overall job creation. Also, he chooses just to mention the past 30 months. That ignores job losses during his presidency up until that point. According to the Labor Department, about 4.5 million total jobs have been created over the past 30 months. But some 4.3 million jobs were lost during the earlier months of his administration. At this point, Obama is a net job creator, but only marginally.
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Also Tuesday, the board appointed special counsel to investigate and determine whether or not a teacher should be fired after an allegation of misconduct was filed. The board unanimously approved a resolution to hire attorney Mark C. Walsh at an hourly rate of $150 per hour to investigate “whether dismissal proceedings should be initiated” against the teacher and, if so, “to prosecute the charges before the board” at a hearing. It was obvious the move was in response to a teacher telling a student “It’s day 13 and I can’t stand you already.” The exchange was recorded on a student’s cellphone. The unnamed teacher was formally reprimanded according to union contract.
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police officer. “I’m going to spend almost another $200 a year and they want me to take a pay freeze and give up holidays.”
Leighton said the numbers could change by the end of the year if employees decide to forgo a 3 percent pay hike and give back three paid non-federal holidays, saving the city an estimated half-million dollars. Borum said he didn’t bring the issue of the wage freeze up Monday night because he has not heard of any city unions agreeable to the giveback. “Until the others do, we’re not going to discuss it,” Borum said. Layoffs, restructuring Drew McLaughlin, the city’s administrative coordinator, said there are no immediate layoffs planned. But if the unions do not accept the concessions proposed, “restructuring of the city workforce will be unavoidable.” In his budget address, Leighton said all city employees will be affected by the cuts. “I have said from day one that anyone who collects a city paycheck will share in the sacrifice,” he said. “No one is exempt.” McLaughlin said city officials have spoken with Borum, but have not yet heard back from the other unions regarding their position on concessions. Four city employees contacted by The Times Leader on Tuesday said they believe the concessions will be rejected. The employees spoke on condition they not be identified out of fear of retaliation. Each of the employees expressed frustration over what they believe to be wasteful spending by Leighton’s administration. They’re also concerned they would see a double financial hit in the form of the tax increase and wage freeze. “He’s raising taxes and service fees,” said one employee, a
Employees weigh in Three other employees, all members of the Laborers Union, said they believe Leighton’s administrative staff is bloated and cuts should be made there first before going to rank-and-file union members. “You have salaries that are absurd,” said one employee. “You’re paying some of these people $80,000. I think it’s crazy that you’re going to take the low man on the pole.” “There’s so much dead weight,” said another employee. “It’s very frustrating.” Several of the employees said they’re also upset that Leighton seems to be putting the blame for the city’s financial problems on union members. “If the unions don’t give in to his concession, he’ll spin it off negatively to the public to make it look like we’re being greedy,” said the police officer. If there are going to be layoffs, the employees said they’re hopeful some of the more senior staff members who are close to retirement will volunteer. “There are people here 30 or 35 years and they’re 60 years old. It’s time to move on,” said one Laborer’s Union employee. Mike Bilski, president of Local 104 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said several members are looking into the retirement package or voluntary layoff. “We have guys interested in retiring or taking a layoff,” Bilski said. “I don’t know the exact number, but two are definitely retiring and a bunch are looking into it. They’ve asked for the calculations.” Leaders of the city’s other two unions, Teamsters Local 401 and the Police Benevolent Association, did not return phone messages.
VIOLATE
up for renewal every year, she said. “It’s not like the county didn’t have a chance to correct this. EvContinued from Page 1A ery single year there was an opers allowing them to live in pri- portunity to name a resident to vately owned rental units, Yar- that board,” she said. Fagula was out of the area on mel said. Federal officials added the res- authority business Tuesday and ident board requirement to in- unavailable for comment, auvolve participants in the admin- thority representatives said. Council is filling the seat of Miistration, operation and management of facilities and services, chael Rozitski and will ask the according to a publication of the authority to figure out a way to U.S. Department of Housing and notify and seek applications from interested resiUrban Development, dents. Citizens alor HUD. “It’s not like ready interviewed Lisa Wolfe, a HUD the county for the opening can’t public affairs officer, be considered until said her agency had didn’t have a questioned the au- chance to cor- another seat becomes available, thority in the past council members about its failure to rect this. Evmeet the regulatory ery single year said. Citizens Lucille requirement. AuthorMaziarz, Louis F. ity officials told HUD there was an they had informed opportunity to Goeringer, Robert Saxe and John Bolin commissioners of the also serve on the mandate, and com- name a resiboard. missioners “declined dent to that Council also has to appoint” a resident board.” requested the artimember, she said. Wolfe endorsed the Linda McClosky cles of incorporation Houck for the housing aucurrent administraCounty Council Vice thority, which have tion’s willingness to Chairwoman not been supplied to correct the deficiency date, McGinley said. and said there will be This is the second issue that’s no sanctions against the authorrecently surfaced over the makeity for its past noncompliance. McClosky Houck questions up of county boards. The county why the requirement wasn’t district attorney and manager communicated to council in Ja- are seeking a court ruling that nuary, when information about could remove four of the five bylaws and board members was county Flood Protection Authorrequested from all outside coun- ity members. Council had unsuccessfully ty boards. She has been spearheading asked the four flood authority council’s efforts to corral and members to give up their seats post data about these boards on because the state never approved pre-home rule article of the county website. McClosky Houck also wants incorporation changes amendto know what efforts were made ing the board’s structure. A judge will decide whether by Fagula to obtain compliance in the past. An authority seat is the four are eligible to serve.
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