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THE TIMES LEADER timesleader.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

No budging at budget-cut deadline $85 billion trimmed amid stalemate

Sequestration impacting region

By ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com

By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON — Gridlocked once more, President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders refused to budge in their budget standoff Friday as $85 billion in acrossthe-board spending cuts bore down on individual Americans and the nation’s still-recovering economy. “None of this is necessary,” said the president after a sterile White House meeting that portended a long standoff.

Obama formally enacted the reductions a few hours before the midnight deadline requiredb-

AP PHOTO

President Barack Obama pause as he speaks in the White House briefing room Friday.

See BUDGET, Page 10A

On Thursday, 150 Tobyhanna Army Depot employees were honored with an early retirement party. It was a retirement the region’s largest employer offered as a way to scale back spending in the face of the looming mandated federal budget cuts known as sequestration.

The budget concerns impacting Tobyhanna are playing out throughout the region as federal government

employees and agencies — and even programs supported by federal funds such as Head Start, police departments and small businesses — are bracing for the government’s ax to slice 15 percent or more of across-the-board funding.

“This is a serious issue,” said Austin Burke, the head of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, who was among a group of officials who spoke at a Scranton press

See TEACHER, Page 2A

See PHONES, Page 10A

By MATT HUGHES mhughes@timesleader.com

Fred Adams/For The Times Leader

Capt. Scott Bowman of the state Department of Corrections, left, hugs Russ Reuthe, human resource manager for the Federal Penitentiary at Canaan, outside the viewing of corrections officer Eric Williams on Friday in Nanticoke.

father, Donald Williams, initial reports indicate Eric Williams did not trigger the alarm. It remains unclear why.

The FBI is investigating his homicide, which occurred on federal property.

Those who worked with him remembered Williams as a soft-spoken and easygoing coworker and friend.

“It’s absolutely a shame this has happened,” said corrections officer Jon Kojtek, of the Canaan penitentiary. “He

was a great guy. He did his job; he did his job well … It’s something we’re going to be battling for a while, to get back to normal.”

“He was a very likeable person,” said Lt. Paul Granville, of the penitentiary.

“He was the type, if you had a bad day, he would lighten up your spirit. He always made the best of the situation.”

See WILIIAMS, Page 10A

Ex-special education teacher sentenced for improper photos ‘You took advantage of her,’ mother tells David Shuga at his sentencing.

By EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE -- Former Dallas Middle School teacher David Shuga was in the middle of apologizing in Luzerne County Court for taking inappropriate pictures of female students when he was inter-

INSIDE

Shuga

rupted by a mother on Friday.

“You broke my child,” the mother cried to him.

“I’m sorry, I’m very sorry,” Shuga,

50, said.

Shuga was sentenced by Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough to three years probation

A NEWS: Local 3A Nation & World: 5A Obituaries: 6A, 7A Editorials: 9A

on a child corruption charge, a first-degree misdemeanor. He could have been sentenced to up to five years in state prison.

Dallas Township police and Luzerne County detectives said Shuga, as a special-education specialist, used his cellphone to take pictures of “intimate parts” of female students under desks. Another student took a picture of Shuga taking inappropriate pictures that led to the investigation.

Mauled Bears down Penguins SPORTS, 4B

Students told investigators they believed Shuga had taken pictures on his cellphone from December 2011 to June 5, 2012.

Shuga resigned from the Dallas School District and surrendered his state teacher license, his attorney Frank Nocito said. “He will never teach again,” Nocito said.

Prior to Vough imposing the probationary sentence that includes the first six months on

Weather: 10A B SPORTS: 1B B BUSINESS: 7B Stocks: 7B

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER tmorgan@timesleader.com

house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet, two mothers spoke about the trauma, embarrassment and social damage their daughters have faced.

One mother said she was forced to remove her daughter from the school district because she was being bullied and teased. Her daughter stopped playing with friends,

A ‘Fallen brother’ honored

liams had filed for another role within the prison. “He was actually selected for the position,” Reuthe said.

But Williams never got the chance at the promotion he had earned.

During his shift Monday, Williams, 34, of Nanticoke, was reportedly beaten and stabbed by an inmate at the prison near Waymart. Federal corrections officers are equipped with an alarm system on their bodies that they can trigger if they are in danger, but according to his

City canceled some calling contracts and will instead provide stipends.

WILKES-BARRE — Three months after a Times Leader analysis of city cellphone bills raised questions about cost and possible abuse, city officials have cancelled the plans in lieu of a stipend system they say will save more than $13,000 a year.

But a review of the newly W H O G E T S implemented S T I P E N D S program rais- The city has deteres questions mined 28 employof whether ees and elected further sav- officials are eligible to be paid a stipend ings could be of $40 or $80 to achieved if a compensate them less-generous for business use stipend were of their personal offered to cellphones. employees to Employees who will c o m p e n s a t e receive the $40 them for busi- stipend: ness use of Health department: Jim Elias, Paul their personal Ginter, Ed McDade, phones.

Delphine Torbik S t i p e n d s Code department: were divided Frank Kratz, Fred Joann Seinto two cate- Pape, menza, Carol Smith gories: $40 per Operations: Pete month for em- Monka, Dennis ployees who Sabestinas, Leon were deemed Schuster to need only Employees who will a basic cell- receive the $80 phone with stipend: talk/text, and Elected officials: Tom Leighton $80 a month Mayor Adminstration: for employ- Greg Barrouk, Marie ees who were McCormick, Drew deemed to McLaughlin need a smart- Operations: Butch Frati, Dave Lewis, phone with Chuck Pahler, Ken talk/text and Pahler, Mike Simondata, which son will allow Police: Gerard Dessoye, Robert them to access Hughes, Phil Myers email and the Fire: Jay Delaney Internet.

Information technolThe city has ogy: Lou Lau approved 11 Purchasing: Mike Dunleavy employees for Human Resources: the $40 sti- Melissa Schatzel pend, at a cost Health Department: $5,280 per Ted Kross year, and 17 for the $80 stipend, at a cost of $16,320 per year, for a total of $21,600. The city will maintain one data device and four phones on a city-plan (two shared in the police department and two with the ambulances) at a cost of $2,016 per year, for a grand total of $23,688.

That’s a significant reduction from the $39,831 records show the city paid for 60 city-owned cellphones in 2012, and the $32,337 it paid in 2011.

Questions remain, however, regarding how the city determined the amount of the stipend, and whether it’s reasonable.

A review of cellphone plans offered by several major carriers shows that, in some instances, the stipend could result in an employ-

See IMPACT, Page 10A

Viewing for Eric Williams draws officers from across nation

NANTICOKE - Hundreds of corrections officers from Pennsylvania and around the nation lined up Friday evening to pay respects to fallen corrections officer Eric Williams, a man many called “a fallen brother.”

The Greater Nanticoke Area School District provided its high school gymnasium for Williams’ viewing in expectation of a large turnout from the corrections and law Williams enforcement communities; an expectation that was met.

“It’s incredible,” said Russ Reuthe, human resources manager for the U.S. Penitentiary at Canaan in Wayne County, gesturing to the line that wound through the parking lot. “It’s true honor. It’s a sea of love.”

Reuthe, who hired Williams 18 months ago, remembered him as “a quiet guard,” but one with “a heart of gold” whose service to the prison will have “a lifetime effect.”

Though Williams’ time there was brief, said Reuthe, he distinguished himself. Reuthe was clearing paperwork from his desk earlier Friday when he came across an application that Wil-

Can W-B cellphone plan cost less cash?

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timesleader.com

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

Man sues driver in Denny’s crash Dennis Thacker was pinned under table during Jan. 14 Kidder Street crash.

Times Leader staff

WILKES-BARRE — A man who was injured when an allegedly drunken driver crashed a vehicle into the Denny’s Restaurant on Kidder Street has filed a lawsuit against the driver and a woman who rented the vehicle.

Dennis Thacker and his wife, Anna, of Rinker Road, Northampton, are seeking damages from Alrick Taylor for injuries Dennis Thacker suffered in the Jan. 14 crash.

The suit, filed by attorney Michael Cefalo, says Dennis Thacker was seated at a table at Denny’s when Taylor, driving a rented Ford Escape,

veered across several lanes of traffic on Kidder Street and slammed into the side of the building.

Thacker was pinned under a table that collapsed, causing him to suffer four broken bones in his left foot, a crushed left heel, ligament tear and rib injury.

Taylor, 22, of Brooklyn, N.Y., did not have a driver’s license, police said. Police suspect he was under the influence of alcohol.

Taylor was charged on Feb. 7 with aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence, accidents involving injury, driving under the influence, driving without a license, trespass by vehicle and three traffic citations.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Taylor and Roman.

Hazleton school directors question construction costs Future Academy of Sciences Tony Bonomo.

Board member Steven Hahn building carries costly change warned the recent submission orders from Quandel. of additional costs associated

By STEVEN FONDO Times Leader Correspondent

HAZLETON — Several Hazleton Area School District directors expressed concern Thursday over a number of proposed change orders to an ongoing construction project at the future home of the Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences.

The district purchased the structure, a CAN DO Inc. building built in 2004 for $6 million by Quandel Corp., in 2011 for $4.4 million. The school board contracted with Quandel to act as project manager for the ongoing refurbishment of the property.

“I find it troubling that the contractor who originally built this structure is now profiting from the mistakes that they made during the initial construction,” said board member

TEACHER Continued from Page 1A

gained weight and withdrew from social and athletic activities such as cheerleading and soccer.

“She was vulnerable, and you took advantage of her,” the mother told Shuga. “I pray every day to God to remove the shame.”

police blotter LUZERNE COUNTY — The Wilkes-Barre office of the state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement cited the following establishments for allegedly violating the state liquor and crimes codes by possessing or operating gambling devices or paraphernalia or permitting gambling or lotteries, pool selling and/or bookmaking on the premises: • Shawnee Plymouth Post No. 425 Veterans of Foreign Wars Home Association, 111 W. Main St., Plymouth, on Aug. 30, 2012.

• Dorothy M. Rygiel — Rygiel’s Pub, 178 Main St., Dupont, on Nov. 22, 2011 and June 7, 2012.

• McVetz Inc., operating as Two-G’s Restaurant, 3381 Bear Creek Blvd., Bear Creek Township, on Jan. 27.

with the project are “just the tip of the iceberg.”

One official expressed dismay that Quandel representatives wanted to receive additional compensation to attend meetings of the board’s Construction Committee to discuss the costs for the unexpected changes.

In other business, the board: -Approved $91,500 for asbestos removal at the its Maple Manor building.

-Voted unanimously to approve the 2012-13 school year calendar, with classes set to begin on Sept. 5.

-Announced the donation of a 2012 Nissan Altima worth $20,995 from Abeloff Nissan Dealership for use in the district’s automotive program.

The purchase of metal detectors and accompanying security personnel at a proposed cost of $280,000 was briefly discussed before being tabled.

The other mother said Shuga, “was using these pictures for his own sexual preferences,” describing how difficult it was to send her daughter to school and trust other teachers.

“In one act of stupidity, sir, you threw your life away,” Vough told Shuga when imposing the sentence.

Vough said Shuga is not to have any unsupervised contact with children under 18 during his probation.

SCRANTON — Federal drug charges have been filed against a Pittston man as the result an investigation into an alleged Pittston-area drug ring.

Frank Suriano, 44, has been charged with conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine hydrochloride and with distributing cocaine on numerous occasions, according to a Wednesday announcement by Peter J. Smith, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

If Suriano is found to be guilty, he could face a maximum of up to 60 years in prison, a term of supervised release and a fine.

The indictment marks a continuation of an investigation into a Pittston-area drug ring by FBI agents, state police and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

www.timesleader.com TIMES LEADER

King’s team delivers hope

LOTTERY MIDDAY DRAWING DAILY NUMBER - 4-2-4 BIG 4 - 7-1-4-2 QUINTO - 0-5-4-9-5 TREASURE HUNT 02-09-13-24-30 EVENING DRAWING DAILY NUMBER - 8-0-3 BIG 4 - 0-6-2-8 QUINTO - 8-6-5-6-5 CASH 5 07-12-21-26-27 MEGA MILLIONS 17-30-38-43-51 MEGABALL - 20

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

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pencer Shuman, 9, of Lakeville, receives a ‘Jared Box’ from students of Pocono Mountain School District and the King’s College baseball team in his hospital room Thursday at the Janet Weis children’s wing of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township. The students delivered more than 1,000 of the shoebox-sized boxes filled with small gifts, toys, games and more to children in the wing. King’s involvement with the Jared Box Project is organized by Monarch head baseball coach Jerry Greeley, who also doubles as a life skills support teacher in the Pocono Mountain School District. At right, Tim Marchetti and other members of the King’s College baseball team deliver several dozen Jared Boxes.

By ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE — A preliminary hearing for a man charged by city police with twice raping a woman at knifepoint in September has been scheduled for May 2.

Police alleged Travis Kental Webb, 33, was standing in the woman’s dark kitchen on Coal Street waiting for her to come home on Sept. 28. She turned on the lights and was startled by

OBITUARIES

Webb wielding a knife and wearing only underwear, according to the criminal complaint.

The woman said Webb terrorized her for several hours, threatened to cut her into pieces and raped her twice while holding the knife to her throat, the complaint alleges.

Webb was charged with three counts each of robbery, simple assault and indecent assault, two counts each of rape and aggravated indecent assault, and

one count each of burglary, aggravated assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, terroristic threats and reckless endangerment. He remains jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $100,000 bail.

The preliminary hearing had been scheduled before District Judge Martin Kane on Thursday but was delayed for two months at the request of attorneys.

Pittsburgh mayor won’t seek re-election Luke Ravenstahl said he’s not issues.”

That led reporters to camp outtarget of FBI probe, but found side the mayor’s office Thursday rumors tiring. for an announcement that never

By JOE MANDAK and KEVIN BEGOS Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl on Friday abandoned his bid to seek reelection, blaming the “grueling demands” of the job on his family and friends while discounting suspicions that an ongoing federal investigation was a key to the decision.

“It’s not, because I’ve done nothing wrong, and that will be proven over time,” Ravenstahl said, adding later, “I know for a fact I did nothing wrong, and that’s not why the decision was made.”

Ravenstahl called a news conference after speculation fueled by his recent absence from public appearances and an aide’s comments earlier this week that the mayor would soon be calling a news conference to discuss “some

came, and was fueled by reports that his mother, Cynthia, 57, was battling cancer.

Ravenstahl has struggled with family-related issues in office before. His seven-year marriage to a high school sweetheart ended in 2011, with Ravenstahl saying his wife was uncomfortable with his political career and the limelight.

Ravenstahl is also dealing with a federal investigation of city police business that prompted him to ask for the resignation of the city’s police chief. Ravenstahl has said he’s not a target of the FBI probe, which is believed to center on a fund the police bureau kept for fees that bars and other businesses paid the city for using its off-duty police officers as security guard. That money was then spent on various city activities, including expense accounts for the mayor’s bodyguards.

Ravenstahl said the rigors of denying wrongdoing in the wake

A Civitas

of such reports played a large part in his decision saying he and his staff were “spending more time doing things or responding to things that are simply false that are harmful and hurtful” than on city business.

“It’s something that is the nature of the business, but something that, you know, clearly is what I guess I enjoy the least about the business,” Ravenstahl said.

The mayor also said reports that his mother’s health led to his decision were untrue, gesturing to his left where she stood without detailing those problems.

“Also as you can see, my mom is great, she looks amazing. … She does have some medical issues that she is dealing with, but I am confident that she will overcome and defeat them,” he said.

Ravenstahl became the city’s youngest-ever mayor at age 26.

He took office in 2006 because he was City Council president when Mayor Bob O’Connor died, and won a special election in 2007 to finish that term and was re-elected to a full four-year term in 2009.

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No player matched all five numbers in Friday’s “Cash 5” jackpot drawing. Saturday’s jackpot will be worth $325,000.

Lottery officials reported 111 players matched four numbers, winning $174.50 each; 3,877 players matched three numbers, winning $8 each; and 41,404 players matched two numbers, winning $1 each.

Hearing on rape charges continued

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IN BRIEF PLAINS TWP.

Spellers to compete Sunday

M

ore than 20 spellers representing area schools will compete in the 2013 Times Leader/Scripps NEPA Regional Spelling Bee at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Woodlands Inn and Resort, Route 315.

The winner of the regional bee will take part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May in Washington, D.C., where he or she will be sponsored by The Times Leader and compete against spellers from across the country.

The public is welcome to attend the regional bee.

WILKES-BARRE

Is it time to confess?

timesleader.com

Saturday, March 2, 2013

LOCAL City needs green for St. Pat parade Sponsorships accepted through March 16 for W-B’S $30,000 event

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE — With two weeks to go until its St. Patrick’s Day parade, the city isn’t rolling in the green to cover the $30,000 budgeted for the event.

Sponsors have come up with $19,000 for the 33rd an-

nual parade as of Friday, said Drew McLaughlin, the city’s administrative coordinator.

Sponsorships will be sought until the March 16 parade date.

There are no plans to cancel the parade if the full amount can’t be raised, McLaughlin said. The city will make up the balance out of its general

“Bless Me, Father, For I Do Not Go To Confession” will be the topic of a Wine & Spirit adult theological discussion set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Uptown II, Courthouse Square Towers, Wilkes-Barre.

Christopher Carr of the theology department at Misericordia University in Dallas will lead the conversation, which will focus on the topic of why Catholics seem to dislike the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The event is sponsored by St. Andre Bessette Parish in Wilkes-Barre and open to the public. Cost is $5 and includes a mix of served appetizers.

Reservations are requested by Monday.

Call the St. Andre Bessette Parish Office at 823-4988 or Sandy at 288-1293.

fund.

“This is a huge day for downtown businesses,” he said.

An estimated 20,000 people attend the event and spend money in the downtown at businesses, restaurants and bars and with vendors. It’s also a time to show off and market what the city has to offer, McLaughlin said.

“We’re very proud that Wilkes-Barre’s parade is a familyfriendly event,” he said. The city does not waive open con-

tainer rules and allow drinking alcoholic beverages in public.

The money raised through solicitations pays for bands, sponsors each division and for city police, public works and emergency medical personnel. Police are on hand to close streets and direct traffic.

The city’s emergency medical services staff has to be fully staffed because of the crowd size.

Public works bring up the rear to clean trash left by parade

Rebate help for seniors

State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, announced her office has scheduled a workshop to provide residents of a senior citizen community in Hazleton with free assistance in filling out applications for Pennsylvania’s Property Tax/ Rent Rebate program and voter registration forms.

The workshop will take place at 1 p.m. March 12 at the Laurels Senior Living Community, 23 Faith Toohil Dr. A member of Toohil’s staff will join a staff member from state Sen. John Yudichak’s, D-Plymouth Township, office in providing the free service.

Residents are asked to provide all the necessary income, property tax or rental information required to process rebate claims quickly and accurately.

Eligible participants in the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program can receive a rebate of up to $650 based on their rent or property taxes paid in tax year 2012.

More information on program, including eligibility requirements, can be obtained by contacting Toohil’s district office in Hazleton at 453-1344, or at her website, www.RepToohil.com.

PITTSTON

Final year for daffodils

Greater Pittston Daffodil orders are being taken by calling 817-2311.

This will be the last year for the event, organizers said.

Flowers will be delivered March 20, and volunteers are needed to help. If interested in helping, call 562-9749, Ext. 342.

WHITE HAVEN

Walter Dam details pending

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District will host a meeting to announce this year’s Francis E. Walter Dam recreation program at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mountain Laurel Resort off Route 940 in White Haven.

The meeting will detail scheduled dam releases for whitewater events and fisheries.

See PARADE, Page 4A

Business group hears updates on $1 million improvement plan and Hotel Sterling.

Flood buyout meeting set

HAZLETON

goers.

On paper, the sponsorships are marked down as revenue and disbursed to pay the parade’s expenses. “The largest expense is city personnel,” McLaughlin said. Much of it is overtime; but this year will be cheaper due to the parade date. “It is a Saturday,” he said, and the rate is at time and a half. If the parade was held on a Sunday, as in the past, the rate would be double

W-B hub in store for fixes this year

PLYMOUTH TWP.

The nearly 30 residential township property owners who applied for the second stage of buyouts from September 2011 flooding are urged to attend an informational meeting on Wednesday scheduled by state and federal emergency management agencies.

The meeting is not for property owners who applied for the first round of funding for substantially damaged structures, said township Supervisor Gale Conrad.

The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. in the township municipal building, 925 W. Main St.

Page 3

By BILL O’BOYLE boboyle@timesleader.com

PETE G. WILCOX PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER

Tristan Saunders, a member of the PA Backyard Beekeepers Association in the Harrisburg area, studies an old piece of a beehive he pulled from a catalpa tree Friday in Dureya.

All abuzz in Duryea Honeybee colony will have new home

By JOE SYLVESTER jsylvester@timesleader.com

P o i n ts o n bees

Leona Brensha and her neighbors can stop worrying about the colony of honeybees living in a tree in the Duryea woman’s yard.

With the help of bee enthusiasts, PPL and Asplundh Tree Expert Co., the bees are safe and eventually will find a new home near the community garden at the Butler Township Community Center in Drums.

Those entities came together Friday morning to remove about a 10-foot section of a catalpa or catawba, tree for transport to the Harrisburg area, where beekeepers plan to secure the colony for the winter before they bring the bees back to Luzerne County.

“Basically for now, we will stand it up against another tree,” said Tristan Saunders, a Middletown landscaper

Honeybees directly or indirectly help produce up to 80 percent of humans’ food supply by pollination and seed production.

The best “green” sweetener on Earth is honey produced by beekeeping neighbors and friends, producers say.

Apitherapy is the use and benefit of honeybees and beehive products for health benefits.

Source: Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc. For more information on honeybees, visit www.pennapic.org.

and a hobbyist beekeeper who is a member of the Pennsylvania Backyard Beekeepers’ Association, Lewisberry.

When the weather warms, Saunders and his fellow beekeepers will transSee BEES, Page 4A

Luke Cline of the PA Backyard Beekeepers Association prepares a bee smoker while the catalpa tree containing a bee hive is moved.

Judge allows use of stolen gun evidence at trial Samuel Reyes allegedly discarded .45-caliber pistol as he fled police.

By EDWARD LEWIS elewis@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE - City police had “reasonable suspicion” to stop and frisk Samuel Reyes while investigating a report last year that a woman was threatened, Luzerne County Judge Lesa Gelb ruled on Friday.

Reyes’ attorney, John Sobota, had claimed police illegally stopped, arrested and searched his client on May 29

in the area of Wood Street and Carey Avenue.

Police responded to a report that a woman received a threatening text message and was threatened by a Hispanic man dressed in all black clothing wielding a handgun.

Reyes, a Hispanic dressed in black, was encountered on Wood Street, about a block from where the woman resides. Reyes was ordered to place his hands on the police cruiser’s hood.

When he got several feet from the cruiser, Reyes fled, running through yards on Wood Street and Carey Avenue, police said. During the

foot chase, police alleged Reyes reached into his pants and pulled out a black gun.

He ran across Carey Avenue before he was caught by other officers arriving at the scene, according to the criminal complaint.

Police said in the complaint they recovered a loaded .45-caliber pistol near a fence in a yard through which Reyes had run. The firearm was reported stolen, police said.

Gelb said police had reasonable suspicion to stop and question Reyes based on clothing and gender descriptions as well as proxim-

ity to the woman’s residence.

“There is no reason to suppress the gun that was (allegedly) abandoned in the unprovoked flight,” Gelb opined.

Reyes’ trial on charges of receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a firearm, firearms not to be carried without a license, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest is scheduled to begin March 11.

Police said Reyes has a prior criminal conviction that prohibits him from possessing and owning a firearm. He remains jailed at the county correctional facility for lack of $25,000 bail.

WILKES-BARRE — Butch Frati, the city’s director of operations, told about 30 members of the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association on Friday that work on sidewalk replacement and other improvements around Public Square will begin in late March or early April and end in October.

Frati said the $1 million project — Streetscape V — calls for new sidewalks, landscaping and curbing and will begin near Rodano’s restaurant and end at North Main Street by Mimmo’s Pizza.

Funding for the improvements will be provided through a combination of federal and state grants, said Drew McLaughlin, the city’s administrative coordinator. Federal highway funds and a $600,000 grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program make up the bulk of the project cost, he said.

“There will be no general fund money used in the project,” McLaughlin said. “And these grant sources do not require a local match.”

The city did secure financing for construction costs because the RACP program requires that expenses be incurred and then reimbursed, McLaughlin said.

Frati said the project is an extension of the completed four phases of the streetscape downtown improvement project. This phase will begin at Rodano’s and extend to the Kirby Center, then down East Market Street to North Washington Street. The project will then flow back up East Market, past the Geisinger building to the former bank on North Main Street.

“The goal is to have a uniform look to Public Square,” McLaughlin said. “The ultimate goal is to complete the Ramada side of the exterior of the Square and also remodel the public park space. The timeline for those phases is dependent on project funding, which currently has not been secured, but we continue to pursue avenues to get them funded.”

McLaughlin and Frati said the city will coordinate with the business owners to minimize the impact of the project during construction.

Frati also told the business association’s members that the city has decided to re-bid the demolition of the Hotel Sterling. When See DOWNTOWN, Page 4A

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Saturday, March 2, 2013

PARADE Continued from Page 3A

time.”

Still to be determined is whether a green line will be painted along the parade route.

The cost would be covered by sponsors.

The parade starts at 2 p.m. at the intersection of South and South Main streets, travels on South Main to Public Square, around the Square toward the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, past the reviewing stand and onto North Main Street to the intersection with Union Street, where marchers fall out.

S C R A N TO N ’S PA R A D E For the past two months, seven Marywood University students have been working on an oral history project on Scranton’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which kicks off this year at 11:45 a.m. March 9.

The students are members of history instructor Alisha Hoffman’s “Digital Techniques for Public History” class. They’ve been interviewing area residents, documenting their memories, thoughts and insights about the parade.

“There is a lot that makes this project unique,” Hoffman said. “I have yet to find a large, oral history project that has been done on the parade.”

When complete, the interviews will be archived at the Albright Memorial Library in Scranton for public use.

The list of interviewees to date include: Patrick Murphy, past historian and past president of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Association of Lackawanna County; Austin Burke, president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and current Parade Association President; Chester Kulesa, site administrator of the Anthracite Museum; James Munley, U. S. District Judge; and Gary Duncan, Parade Association historian.

Hoffman hopes the information could one day form the basis of a larger project, such as a book.

For now, she and her students will continue to build an oral history of the parade through the conversations and stories of those who experience it.

If you are interested in being interviewed for the Marywood University St. Patrick’s Day Oral History Project, please contact the social sciences department at 348-6288.

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Home expo draws builders, remodelers

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE — Scott Ryan and his wife Ronnia plan to remodel their bathroom, so Friday night found them at the 109th Field Artillery Armory looking for ideas and advice.

There were no Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers offering their expertise in latrine makeovers, but more than 50 vendors packed the Builders & Remodelers Home Expo, there to inform the public of their services and products, everything from construction and window installation to retractable awnings and central air units.

The Ryans, of Old Forge, were there “to see what they have in lines of bathrooms — showers, cabinetry,” Scott Ryan said.

“There were a couple prospects, some helpful information as far as contract people to get more ideas.”

Ryan was disappointed there wasn’t much on display in terms of actual bathroom fixtures, but he was happy for the chance to enter a drawing for a free ShopVac from Lowe’s Home Center.

George Whibley, a sales/project consultant with Lowe’s in Edwardsville, said the company wanted a presence at the expo “primarily to get the word out that Lowe’s installs” many of the items it sells, “and answer questions. It gives us an idea of what we need to do based on what the consumer is looking for,” he said.

Representatives of manufacturers of items sold at Lowe’s also manned the booth. Kris Bubel, a sales rep with Pella, said he was “amazed by the foot traffic” in just the first 90 minutes of the expo. He said most

BEES Continued from Page 3A

AMANDA HRYCYNA/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Scott Ryan of Old Forge enters a drawing to win a Shop-Vac from Lowe’s, while Lowe’s employee George Whibley talks with Scott’s wife Ronnia during the Home Building and Remodeling Expo in Wilkes-Barre.

people he spoke with wanted to replace their windows with more energy-efficient models.

Joe Yenason, of Yenason Mechanical in Wilkes-Barre, agreed that folks are looking to improve energy efficiency in their homes. He told visitors to his booth about rebates that UGI and some appliance manufacturers are offering to folks who convert to gas heat or appliances.

UGI’s rebates range from $250 on a clothes dryer to $1,455 on a furnace or boiler. The IRS offers a $500 tax credit, too.

Noting that senior citizens had free admission to the expo on Friday, Yenason said many were interested in his ductless heat pumps and cooling units because central air wasn’t available when their homes were built. Installing ductless units is “a heck of a lot cheaper and less disruptive (than central heat and air),” he said.

Janet Campis, office manager for the Building Industry Association of Northeastern

Pennsylvania, which has sponsored the expo for more than 25 years, said the best thing about it is that “it serves not only as a home expo, but a community service.”

Proceeds from the wine tasting today and some food sales benefit Candy’s Place, the Center for Cancer Wellness, in Forty Fort. A military families food stand benefits that organization as well. And some non profit agencies also have booths at the expo, which continues today and Sunday.

IF YOU GO What: Builders & Remodelers Home Expo, sponsored by the Building Industry Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: 109th Field Artillery Armory, Market Street, WilkesBarre Admission: $10 for wine tasting; $5 general admission; $3 general admission if you donate non-perishable food item; free for children.

the bees in a beehive box to Butler Township’s community garden at the Center for Landscape Design and Stewardship. It’s a way to save the bees at a time when honeybees are struggling to survive because of disease and pesticides.

Saunders wasn’t sure how many bees were in the colony, but he said a colony could include as many as 15,000 to 20,000 bees in the winter and grow to 60,000 to 80,000 in the summer.

“Another week or two and the female will start laying eggs,” said Saunders who, with other beekeepers Bill Fisher and Luke Cline, cares for the beehives at the governor’s mansion.

PPL got involved because the tree is adjacent to a utility pole by an alley near the rear of the home. Neighbors, including one with a young child, were concerned about bees being so close. They contacted the borough and, in turn, the borough contacted the utility company, according to PPL spokesman Rich Beasley.

Brensha, who said she wasn’t even aware the bees were there until neighbors said the bees were bothering them in their yard, wanted the bees to be safe. She plans to move from her York Avenue home, where she grew up, and was worried someone would harm the colony.

“I’m more fearful of human vandalism,” said Brensha, 78.

The tree, which stood about 50 feet high, had broad leaves

and grew long green pods that would turn brown and fall to the ground. The backyard tree had been there since she was a child, she said.

Don Ritter of of the beekeepers association, also known as Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc., was called in as a scout for the group and contacted Brensha.

“We (the group) decided to present it as a media event,” he said.

After the 10-foot section of the tree, from about 5 feet off the ground, was marked and wire screens placed over holes in the tree for transport, the Asplundh tree cutters trimmed the tree of its branches.

Then a top section was cut off, straps were attached to the top and PPL’s auger truck, used for drilling holes for utility poles, used a hook to pull up the section of tree by the straps, after it was cut from the bottom section.

With smoke from a small pot of burning wood shavings wafting through the air to calm any bees that might awaken, the arm of the auger truck slowly swung the tree to the beekeepers’ landscaping company trailer. Workers trimmed off ends of the tree to make it fit. Some old honeycombs could be seen near the top of the tree, where the bees had been before moving farther down the tree.

“This is a pretty unique experience for PPL,” said Beasley, who’s worked for the utility company for 30 years. “In the past, we’ve helped with the habitats of eagles, falcons, but never bees.”

“It’s a great example of everyone coming together,” said Joe Nixon, another PPL spokesman.

DOWNTOWN Luzerne County opted out of the agreement, he said, the city decided to seek new bids with the hope it could be done cheaper.

The low bid received came in around $450,000.

The building continues to deteriorate from the inside out, said Frati, and while he feels it isn’t in danger of collapse, it must come down. “We have no other choice but to take it down,” he said. “We have to make that area safe; and when that happens, the city will have a marketable property.”

Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, told the group that the Hampton Park Building at South Washington and East Northampton streets is near completion. He said 13 loft condominiums will be available — three already have been sold.

Newman said a coffee shop and physician’s office, will open on the first floor. He said two smaller retail spots are available.

D&D Realty Group of Scranton purchased the building, and the $1.5 million improvement project is expected to add to the activity in center city spurred by another mixed-use development, University Corners, located a few steps away.

The condos will be priced between $135,000 and $210,000 and range from 750 square feet to 1,250 square feet. All of them have 12-foot ceilings and 8-feetby-8-feet window openings. Finished units will have hardwood flooring, open floor plans and individual heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. The plumbing and electrical systems will be upgraded and a new elevator will be installed.

The association announced the dates for upcoming events: March 16, St. Patrick’s Day Parade; March 23, Easter Egg Hunt; and June 21-23, Wyoming Valley Riverfest and Dragon Boat Racing.

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TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

&

W O R L D

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

Vatican enters transition

IN BRIEF

‘Vacant see’ brings key Roman Catholic officials to forefront to lead church during transition.

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

AP PHOTO

Fire, but no firearms

A sign outside of Roy’s General Store in Traverse City, Mich., advertises for an M-16 grill igniter modeled after the military assault rifle, but some recently took it the wrong way. Manager Rob Hentschel says most regular customers took it as a joke, knowing that the store sells ammunition but not guns. Some people, however, inquired about guns at the store.

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican took the first steps of governing a Catholic Church without a pope on Friday, making some ceremonial and practical moves to formalize the end of one pontificate and prepare for the conclave to start the next.

Benedict XVI’s resignation Thursday opened what is known as the “sede vacante” or “vacant see” — the transition period between papacies when a few key Vatican officials take charge of running the church.

The dean of the College of Cardinals formally summoned his fellow “princes” of the church to Rome for an initial preconclave meeting on Monday — something of a formality given that many of them are already there. But in a letter Fri-

day, Cardinal Angelo Sodano also made clear that the conclave date won’t be set until they have all arrived, meaning it might still be some time before a date is settled on.

Separately, the deputy to the camerlengo — who administers the Vatican during the transition — took symbolic possession of one of the papal basilicas in Rome. For obvious reasons, the camerlengo will not take possession of the main papal residence outside Rome — Castel Gandolfo — since that is Benedict’s current retirement home.

In one of his last acts as pope, Benedict loosened the rules on the timeframe for the camerlengo to take possession of papal holdings, precisely to allow him to live out his first few months in retirement in what is an official papal residence.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the chamberlain, took over the day-to-day running the Holy See as soon as the papacy ended.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the dean of the College of Cardinals, oversees pre-

Army GI confesses to leaking secrets Admission Thursday was the first by Bradley Manning, accused in WikiLeaks scandal.

By BEN NUCKOLS Associated Press

AP PHOTO

Pope Benedict XVI delivers his last blessing Thursday at the pontiff’s summer residence of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome

conclave meetings, at which the problems of the church are discussed.

WASHINGTON

Illegal immigrants released

T

he Homeland Security Department released from its jails more than 2,000 illegal immigrants facing deportation in recent weeks due to looming budget cuts and planned to release 3,000 more during March, The Associated Press has learned.

The newly disclosed figures, cited in internal budget documents reviewed by the AP, are significantly higher than the “few hundred” illegal immigrants the Obama administration acknowledged this week had been released under the budget-savings process.

The states where immigrants were released include Arizona, California, Georgia and Texas.

NEW YORK

TV actress Franklin dies

Bonnie Franklin, the pert, redheaded actress whom millions came to identify with for her role as divorced mom Ann Romano on the long-running sitcom “One Day at a Time,” has died.

She died Friday at her home in Los Angeles due to complications from pancreatic cancer, family members said.

She was 69.

Franklin Developed by Norman Lear and cocreated by Whitney Blake — herself a former sitcom star and single mother raising future actress Meredith Baxter — the series was groundbreaking for its focus on a young divorced mother seeking independence from a suffocating marriage.

JORDAN, Minn.

Cops in some Minn. schools

One small-town Minnesota school district is taking a unique approach to keeping students safe: The police are moving in.

In Jordan, south of Minneapolis, officials looking at school security after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut decided the police would set up satellite offices in public schools. Officers will conduct some of their daily work from the schools, including taking calls and filling out paperwork, while still going out into the community to patrol or respond to emergencies. The hope is the armed officers, with their squad cars in school parking lots, will discourage — or meet — any wouldbe attackers.

HARRISBURG

Gov. candidate emerges

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz says she’ll set up a state fundraising committee as the first step toward a likely 2014 campaign for Pennsylvania governor.

The fifth-term Democratic congresswoman stopped short of declaring her candidacy, but told The Associated Press Friday that she intends to run for governor and will file papers to create a political-action committee in the next few weeks.

Schwartz says her federal campaign committee has about $3 million that can be transferred to a state committee.

She would face competition for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. Former state Environmental Protection secretary John Hanger declared his candidacy in November.

AP PHOTO

This citizen journalism image, which has been authenticated, shows a Syrian child injured by heavy bombing from military warplanes, in the town of Hanano, Syria.

Syrian rebel calls for weapons Food and drink won’t help Syrian opposition win 2-year-old uprising, rebel general says.

By ZEINA KARAM Associated Press

BEIRUT — The head of Syria’s rebels said Friday that the food and medical supplies the United States plans to give his fighters for the first time won’t bring them any closer to defeating President Bashar Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war.

“We don’t want food and drink, and we don’t want bandages. When we’re wounded, we want to die. The only thing we want is weapons,” Gen. Salim Idris, chief of staff of the opposition’s Supreme Military Council, told The Associated Press by telephone.

The former brigadier in Assad’s army warned that the world’s failure

to provide heavier arms is only prolonging the nearly 2-year-old uprising that has killed an estimated 70,000 people.

In what was described as a significant policy shift, the Obama administration said Thursday it was giving an additional $60 million in assistance to Syria’s political opposition and said it would, for the first time, provide nonlethal aid directly to rebels battling to topple Assad.

The move was announced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at an international conference on Syria in Rome. In the coming days, several European nations are expected to take similar steps in working with the military wing of the opposition to increase pressure on Assad to step down and pave the way for a democratic transition.

But the frustration expressed by Idris is shared by most of his colleagues

PAGE 5A

in the Syrian opposition, as well as by scores of rebels fighting in Syria. They feel abandoned by the outside world while the Assad regime pounds them with artillery and bombs.

The main rebel units, known together as the Free Syrian Army, regrouped in December under a unified, Westernbacked command headed by Idris and called the Supreme Military Council, following promises of more military assistance once a central council was in place.

Despite those pledges, opposition members say very little has been delivered in terms of financial aid, and more importantly, in weapons and ammunition.

The international community remains reluctant to send weapons, fearing they might fall into the hands of extremists increasingly gaining ground among the rebels.

FORT MEADE, Md. — After almost three years in custody, the Army private accused in the biggest leak of classified material in U.S. history said he did it because he wanted the public to know how the American military was fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with little regard for human life.

Bradley Manning, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday at a military hearing at Fort Meade, Md., to 10 charges that could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Prosecutors plan to pursue 12 more Manning charges against him at court-martial, including a charge of aiding the enemy that carries a potential life sentence.

“I began to become depressed at the situation we found ourselves mired in year after year. In attempting counterinsurgency operations, we became obsessed with capturing and killing human targets on lists,” the former intelligence analyst in Baghdad told a military judge.

He added: “I wanted the public to know that not everyone living in Iraq were targets to be neutralized.”

It was the first time Manning directly admitted leaking the material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and detailed the frustrations that led him to do it.

The slightly built soldier from Crescent, Okla., read from a 35page statement through his wirerimmed glasses for more than an hour. He spoke quickly and evenly, showing little emotion even when he described how troubled he was by what he had seen.

The judge, Col. Denise Lind, accepted his plea to 10 charges involving illegal possession or distribution of classified material. Manning was allowed to plead guilty under military regulations instead of federal espionage law, which knocked the potential sentence down from 92 years.

He will not be sentenced until his court-martial on the other charges is over.

Manning admitted sending hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan battlefield reports, State Department diplomatic cables, other classified records and two battlefield video clips to WikiLeaks in 2009 and 2010. WikiLeaks posted some of the material, embarrassing the United States and its allies.

He said he did not believe the release of the information he downloaded onto a thumb drive would harm the United States.

Fla. man disappeared down sinkhole, is presumed dead Jeff Bush was in his home’s bedroom when 20-foot-deep hole opened late Thursday.

The Associated Press

SEFFNER, Fla. — A sinkhole 20 feet across and 20 feet deep opened under a man’s bedroom and swallowed him up without a trace, taking his bed, TV set and dresser, too, as he screamed for help.

Jeff Bush, 37, was presumed dead after the concrete floor caved in about 11 p.m. Thursday as everyone in the house was turning in for the night.

It gave way with a loud crash that brought his brother running.

Jeremy Bush said he jumped into the hole but couldn’t see his brother and had to be rescued Jeff Bush himself by a sheriff’s deputy who reached out and pulled him to safety as the ground crumbled around him.

“The floor was still giving in and the dirt was still going down, but I didn’t care. I wanted to save my brother,” Jeremy Bush, 36, said through tears Friday in a neighbor’s yard. “But I just couldn’t do nothing.”

He added: “I could swear I

AP PHOTO

An engineer surveys a home where a sinkhole opened Thursday in Seffner, Fla., presumuably killing a man.

heard him hollering my name to help him.”

Officials lowered equipment

into the sinkhole and saw no signs of life, said Hillsborough County Fire Rescue spokes-

woman Jessica Damico.

The dresser and the TV set had vanished down the hole.

“All I could see was the cable wire running from the TV going down into the hole.

I saw a corner of the bed and a corner of the box spring and the frame of the bed,” Jeremy Bush said.

Engineers worked to determine whether the ground was stable enough to support heavy machinery to help them recover the body. They said they might have to demolish the small, sky-blue house, even though from the outside, there appeared to be nothing wrong with the four-bedroom, concrete-wall structure, built in 1974.

C MY K

GERALD BLASKI, 72, of Wilkes Barre, passed away Friday, March 1, 2013.

Funeral arrangements are pending from the S.J. Grontkowski Funeral Home, 530 W. Main St., Plymouth. To submit online condolences, please visit www. sjgrontkowskifuneralhome.com.

JOSEPH BOYTIN, 94, of Hanover Township, passed away early Friday morning at Little Flower Manor, Wilkes-Barre.

Funeral arrangements are pending from the George A. Strish Inc. Funeral Home, 105 N. Main St., Ashley.

Alice M. Costello March 1, 2013 Alice M. Costello, 84, of West Pittston, passed away on Friday, March 1, 2013 at the Manor Care Nursing

Home, Kingston.

Born in Pittston, she was a daughter of the late Robert A. and Anna Brady Judge.

She was a graduate of West Pittston High School and a member of Corpus Christi Parish at Immaculate Conception Church, West Pittston.

Alice enjoyed crocheting and baking and was an avid bingo player and reader.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard, in 2006; and her brother, Robert Judge, in 2007.

Surviving are her son, Leonard Jr. and his wife, Kristen Costello, West Pittston, and their daughter, Carly Costello; sister, Nancy and her husband, Harry Ardoline, Bethlehem; sister-in-law, Kathy Judge, Bethlehem; two nieces and two nephews.

A memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Parish at Immaculate Conception Church, West Pittston, with Monsignor John Sempa, pastor, as celebrant. The family will receive friends from 8:30 a.m. until the time of service at the church. Interment will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Carverton.

The family gives special thanks to the staffs at Geisinger Hospital, Manor Care and Heartland Hospice for the excellent services that they provided.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Gubbiotti Funeral Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter.

To send the family an expression or an online condolence, please visit www.gubbiottifh. com.

William F. Amie Feb. 26, 2013

W

illiam F. Amie, 95, of Kingston, died peacefully at home on Feb. 26, 2013, in the company of his wife, Tillie, and family.

A veteran of World War II, William served with the U.S. Third Army Headquarters Co. of the 6th Armored Division, Combat Command B. As a radio operator with the call sign “One-Zero-Operator” within Combat Command B, he frequently communicated with the famous U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton, who led the Third Army in the European Theater. William partook in the 1944 invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day. He also participated in the major Battle of the Bulge, which took place in Belgium, France and Luxemburg between December 1944 and January 1945.

He was born Oct. 19, 1917, in Kingston, to parents Benjamin and Alice Amielanchic. William graduated from Kingston High School in 1934. Aside from his prolific English language skills, he was also fluent in Polish and Latin.

William married Tillie Januskiewicz in 1948 at Saint Hedwig’s Church in Edwardsville. He was also a member of The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Kingston.

Surviving are his wife, Tillie, 93; daughters, Miriam Amie and Eloise Laubach, married to the Rev. Harry Laubach; three grandchildren, Sean, Neal and Amie Kern.

A viewing with memorial service will be held Monday between 6 and 8:30 p.m. at the Kopicki Funeral Home, 263 Zerby Ave., Kingston, where friends and family can offer condolences. A funeral mass will be held at The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, 339 N. Maple St., Kingston, on Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m.

More Obituaries, Page 7A

Anne Marie Gurnari

Carl H. Kretchmer

Feb. 28, 2013

Feb. 28, 2013

A

nne Marie Gurnari, 74, of the Miners Mills section of Wilkes-Barre, passed away Thursday morning at St. Luke’s Villa, WilkesBarre.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, she was a daughter of the late Stanley and Marie (Hale) Zimmerman.

She was a graduate of James M. Coughlin High School, WilkesBarre, class of 1955, and was employed as a seamstress for Leslie Fay, Plains Township, Gail’s Fashions of Miners Mills and for the Wyoming Valley Health Care System.

She was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church, Miners Mills, and its Altar and Rosary Society, and a current member of St. Benedict Parish, Parsons. She served as secretary of the Miners Mills Little League and was a member of the Miners Mills Crime Watch.

She and her husband, Alfred J. Gurnari, celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary on June 27, 2012.

She was preceded in death by her brother, Jack Zimmerman.

Surviving, in addition to her husband, Al, are her children, Nina Deno and her husband, Lloyd, of Ashley, Alan Gurnari, WilkesBarre, Patti Zendarski and her husband, Bob, of Glen Lyon, and Joseph “Jody” Gurnari and his wife,

parish cemetery. Military services will be conducted by the AMVETS Honor Guard of Greater Pittston.

Relatives and friends may pay their respects during a celebration of Timothy’s life on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Baloga Funeral Home Inc., 1201 Main St., Pittston (Port Griffith), and Saturday from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Palliative Care Unit, c/o Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, 1000 E. Mountain Dr., WilkesBarre, PA 18711, or the WilkesBarre VA Medical Center, 1111 East End Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711.

For directions or to leave an online condolence, please visit www. balogafuneralhome.com. services 8:45 a.m. today at Victor M. Ferri Funeral Home, 522 Fallon St., Old Forge. Mass 9:30 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, Pittston.

KANIA - Gregory, funeral services 9 a.m. today at Graziano Funeral Home, Pittston Township. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. in Nativity BVM Church, Tunkhannock.

MARTIN - Clyde, funeral services 11 a.m. Monday at Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home Inc., corner of routes 29 and 118, Pikes Creek. Friends may call 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

MARTIN - Lawrence, funeral 9 a.m. today at Yanaitis Funeral Home Inc., 55 Stark St., Plains Township. Mass of Christian Burial 9:30 a.m. in Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Plains Township.

NAPIERKOWSKI - Theodore, funeral 9 a.m. today at Kopicki Funeral Home, 263 Zerby Ave., Kingston. Mass of Christian Burial 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, North Maple Avenue, Kingston.

NARSAVAGE - Frank, Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. today at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, parish of St. Robert Bellarmine. All attending Mass should assemble at church by 9:45 a.m.

PAHLER - Geraldine, funeral services 10:30 a.m. today at McCune Funeral Home, 80 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top. REMETZ - Theodore, memorial service 3 p.m. March 9 at Sheldon-Kukuchka Funeral Home Inc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock. Friends may call 1 p.m. until time of service.

RISHCOFF - Roscoe, funeral services 11 a.m. today at S.J. Grontkowski Funeral Home, Plymouth. Friends may call 9:30 a.m. until time of services.

SHUGDINIS - Stella, funeral services 10:30 a.m. today at Howell-Lussi Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, William Street, Pittston. Friends may call 9:30 a.m. until time of services at the funeral home.

SKVARLA - Margaret, funeral services 9:30 a.m. Monday at Kielty-Moran Funeral Home Inc., 87 Washington Ave., Plymouth. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. in All Saints Parish, Willow Street, Plymouth. Friends may call 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m Sunday.

SUTTON - Kathryn, funeral services 10:30 a.m. today at Shavertown United Methodist Church, Shavertown. Friends may call 9:30 a.m. until time of service.

TEDESCO - Mae, funeral Mass 12:30 p.m. today at St. Eulalia Church, Elmhurst. Friends may call noon until time of services at the church.

TEEL - Kenneth, funeral services 11 a.m. today at Harding-Litwin Funeral Home, 123 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock.

WILLIAMS - Eric, Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. today in St. Faustina Kowalska Parish/ Holy Trinity Church, 520 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke.

WINTERS - Louis, funeral services 11 a.m. Sunday at SheldonKukuchka Funeral Home Inc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock.

Friends may call 4 to 6 p.m. today.

YURKSZA - Barbara, funeral services 10 a.m. today at SheldonKukuchka Funeral Home, 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock.

ZALEWSKI - Andrea, funeral services 8:30 a.m. today at George A. Strish Inc. Funeral Home, 105 N. Main St., Ashley.

Mass of Christian Burial 9 a.m. in Holy Family Church.

Bobbi Jo, Hudson; 10 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; sister, Rita Mercado, Scranton; aunt, Jule Novak, Kingston; nieces and nephews.

Funeral will be held Monday at 9:30 a.m. from the Corcoran Funeral Home Inc., 20 S. Main St., Plains Township, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Plains Township. Interment will be held in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hanover Township. Friends may call Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke’s Villa, 80 E. Northampton St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

Online condolences may be made at www.corcoranfuneralhome.com.

Timothy Gerard Dillon Feb. 28, 2013

T

imothy Gerard Dillon, 50, Port Griffith, passed away Thursday evening, Feb. 28, 2013, in Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township.

Born in Kingston, he was a son of Joseph J. Dillon Sr., Port Griffith, with whom he resided, and the late Mary Geraldine Langan Dillon. Timothy was a graduate of Pittston Area High School, class of 1980. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. Tim also was a member of St. John the Evangelist Church, Pittston, the American Legion Post 585, Duryea, the PAV, Plains Township, and the Disabled American Veterans. Prior to his illness, he was a manager at the Hard Rock Cafe, Miami.

Tim was a beloved son, brother and uncle who was cherished by his family and many friends. His memory will live on in the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved him. He was an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan.

In addition to his father, Timothy is survived by his sister, Patti Allford and her husband, Hal, Gettysburg; brother, Joseph J. Dillon Jr. and his wife, Suzanne, Aledo, Texas; several nieces and nephews; aunts, uncles and many cousins.

A memorial Mass will be held on March 9 at 9:30 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 35 William St., Pittston. Interment will be in the

FUNERALS BIENIAS - Sophie, funeral services 9:30 a.m. Monday at Charles V. Sherbin Funeral Home, 630 Main Road, Hanover Green, Hanover Township. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. in Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church. Friends may call 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

BUCHOLA - Nettie, funeral 9:30 a.m. today at E. Blake Collins Funeral Home, 159 George Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. in St. Benedict’s Church, Austin Avenue, Wilkes-Barre.

CORKER - Charles, celebration of life 1 p.m. Sunday at his home, 212 Sweitzer Lane, Plymouth.

CORRIDONI - Lawrence Sr., Mass of Christian Burial 10:30 a.m. today in Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish, Pittston. Friends may call 9 a.m. until time of Mass.

COX - Margaret, funeral services 11 a.m. Monday at Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., 517 N. Main St., Old Forge. Friends may call 10 a.m. until services.

CRONAUER - Joseph, funeral services 9 a.m. Monday at Nat & Gawlas Funeral Home, 89 Park Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Mass of Christian Burial 9:30 a.m. in St. Nicholas Church, 226 S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre. Friends may call 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

CZOPEK - Joseph, funeral services 9:30 a.m. today at Kielty-Moran Funeral Home Inc., 87 Washington Ave., Plymouth.

Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. in All Saints Parish, Willow Street, Plymouth.

DAUTRICH - Kenneth Jr., funeral services 11 a.m. March 16 at Corcoran Funeral Home Inc., 20 S. Main St., Plains Township.

Friends may call 10 a.m. until time of services.

GRIGLOCK - Joseph, funeral

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Feb. 28, 2013

Feb. 23, 2013

R

ose Marie Sherinsky Stewart, 79, passed away peacefully after a battle with cancer on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, at The Meadows in Dallas.

Born in Harding on Aug. 31, 1933, she was a daughter of the late Alexander and Rose Pacovsky Sherinsky. Rose Marie and her mom shared the same birthday: August 31.

Rose Marie served in the U.S. Air Force and retired as staff sergeant. She also was a senior flight attendant for Eastern Airlines out of Miami.

She was married to Thomas W. Stewart, who preceded her in death in August 1999. Together they traveled the world but always loved coming home to Pennsylvania. After their retirement, they moved to Mountain Shadows in Chattanooga, Tenn. Recently, Rose Marie moved back home to Pennsylvania.

Rose Marie had an unconditional love for dogs, especially her Profit, then Molly and Waggles.

She always was seen walking through Mountain Shadows with one of her dogs or one of the many neighbors’ dogs for which she cared.

Preceding her in death, in addition to her parents and husband, Tom, were her brothers, Vince, Edward and Alex; and sisters, Mary, Helen and Leona Graboski.

Rose is survived by her brother, Joseph M. Sherinsky and his wife, Joan, West Pittston; sister-in-law, Ann Sherinsky; and niece and

caregiver, Barbara Sherinsky, Exeter.

The family thanks the staff at The Meadows in Dallas and Hospice of the Sacred Heart, along with Dr. Boonin and Mary Jo Grimes for the exceptional care they gave to Rose Marie.

A special thanks to her longtime best friend, Fay Perry, and to Dick King. A special thanks also to her devoted friends, Julia and Mack Parker, Maria and Mike Wright and Karen Peoples in Chattanooga. Thanks also to longtime friends Linda and Bill Scott of Indiana, John Marks and Cheryl Graziani.

“Brother Joe, for the last time, I Y S.” There were no calling hours.

Arrangements were entrusted to Kizis-Lokuta Funeral Home, 134 Church St., Pittston.

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All Decorations and Arrangements, Including Artificial, Will Be Removed and Discarded Beginning On or After

PLEASE REMOVE ANY AND ALL VALUED ITEMS PRIOR TO MARCH 11, 2013

he was an avid Philadelphia Phillies and Penn State fan.

He recently was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Dorcas Bray Kretchmer, who died in December 2012; a brother, Paul Kretchmer and his wife, Fran; sisters, Florence Miller and Gertrude; and brother-in-law, Joseph Kushner.

Surviving are his daughters, Linda D. Cook and her husband, Christopher, Auburn, Ala., and Pamela D. Palmer, Kingston; grandchildren, Jonathan Fritzges, Kimberly Dushane, Kevin Fritzges, Caitlyn Cook, Jeffrey Palmer, Nicholas Cook and Tyler Palmer; great-grandchildren, Brody, Taylor, Conrad, Avery, Ella and Destin; sister, Mrs. Doris Kushner, Port Allegheny; and several nieces and nephews.

The family extends sincere thanks to Celtic Community Care and the Visiting Angels for the kindness extended to Carl during his illness.

A military funeral will be held Monday with service at 11 a.m. at the H. Merritt Hughes Funeral Home Inc., a Golden Rule Funeral Home, 451 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre. The Rev. Anne M. Emery, pastor, Wyoming Valley Presbyterian Church, Wilkes-Barre, and Greg J. Emery, pastoral associate, will officiate. Interment will be in Fern Knoll Burial Park, Dallas. Friends may call Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. Coalville Lodge will conduct Masonic services Sunday and the Irem Chanters will attend Sunday in a group.

The Kretchmer family has a great love for flowers and would appreciate having them at his service. Also, if desired, memorial donations in his name may be made to Shriner’s Hospitals or to the Irem Transportation Unit, both c/o Irem Shrine Center, Box 307, Dallas, PA 18612.

Edward A. Uranowski Jr., 56, of Drums, died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at Hospice Community.

Eddie won his fight against pancreatic cancer by not allowing the disease to break his spirit and by living the last year of his life with great strength and courage.

Every extra minute was a blessing to him and his loving wife and family.

Eddie loved the peace and solitude of nature. He enjoyed fishing with his best friend Lenny “Lucky” Letukas on the Susquehanna and Lehigh rivers and golfing with the Back Mountain Golf League at Sand Springs Golf Course, Drums. Eddie was courageous, hardworking and loving.

The world is forever diminished by the loss of him.

Born in Hanover Township, he was a graduate of Hanover Memorial High School and a member of Saint Jude’s Church, Mountain Top. Edward was employed by Phoenix Truck Bodies/American’s Body Co. as a welder for 23 years. He was most recently employed by Valmont Industries of Hazleton.

He was preceded in death by his nephew, Neil L. Bellanca, Kingston Township; and brothers-in-law, John Bressler, Taylor, and John Brody, Mountain Top. He is survived by his loving wife of 23 years, Diane JoivellUranowski; his parents, Edward A. and Lillian R. (Narsavage) Uranowski; brother, Richard, Hanover Township; sisters, Christine, Tampa, Fla., Ruth Brody, Mountain Top, and Dr. Mary Ann Uranowski, Tampa; nieces, Kristin and Jessica Joivell; Valerie and husband, Michael; Lindsay, and Alex and Abby Morris; and great-niece, Abagail Pye-Joivell.

Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in St. Jude’s Church, Mountain Top. Interment will follow in Albert Cemetery. Friends may call at McCune Funeral Home, 80 S. Mountain Blvd., Mountain Top on Monday from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Fox Chase Cancer Center at www. fccc.edu. Click on “donate” to make a tribute donation.

Rose Marie Sherinsky Stewart

MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2013

825.6477

Edward A. Uranowski Jr.

C

arl H. Kretchmer, 80, a resident of Ashley and of Harveys Lake, a well-known painting contractor, died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at his home following a lengthy illness.

Mr. Kretchmer was born in Wilkes-Barre, son of the late Paul H. and Margaret Bergstrasser Kretchmer. He was a graduate of G.A.R. High School, Wilkes-Barre, class of 1950. He also received a bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University.

Carl proudly served as a corporal with the Headquarters Battery, 78th Field Artillery Battalion, U.S. Army, during the Korean War as a member of the occupation forces in Germany. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the German Occupation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

Mr. Kretchmer had worked for the Schrader Home Builders, Ashley, for several years and later worked with W. W. Davis Co. Painting Contractors, WilkesBarre, for more than 30 years, retiring in 1992.

Carl was very active in the First Welsh Presbyterian Church, Wilkes-Barre, serving as a deacon, elder and member of the Session of the church for many years. He was a devoted Mason and member of Coalville Lodge No. 474, Free and Accepted Masons, Sugar Notch, for more than 50 years, the Caldwell Consistory, Ancient Accept Scottish Rite Masons, Bloomsburg, and the Irem Shriners, Dallas. In his “Synopsis of My Being A Shriner”, Mr. Kretchmer wrote: “36 years ago, I became a Shriner after receiving 32 degrees in Masonry, a requirement. Shortly after, I took a singing test and became a member of the Irem Chanters, an all-male chorus at Irem Shrine. Being a Shriner meant that I took part in parades, raised money for my unit, uniforms, transportation and to support the 22 Shriners hospitals, in which crippled and burned children are treated, without charge.

“Each year, the uniformed units of Irem hold a circus, the money from which supports not only the local Shrine, but also the various Shrine charities. As a chanter, I was involved in the circus, attended chanters rehearsals and sang at rest homes, church functions and many more. I also served as a representative for the chanters at meetings of the executive board, which makes decisions regarding the Shrine. I also participated in several Shrine conventions at which the chanters competed with other Shriners. We brought many trophies back to Irem. I was also able to enjoy my wife’s company in the Order of the Eastern Star, the Shrine Auxiliary and the Chanters Ladies.”

In addition to his Masonic work,

Certified As an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation

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LEONARD PRIBULA, 86, of West Pittston, died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Arrangements are by Anthony Recupero Funeral Home, 406 Susquehanna Ave., West Pittston.

A full obituary will appear in Sunday’s newspaper.

Estate & Medicaid Planning; Wills; Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts: Estate Probate and Administration; Guardianships; and Special Needs Trusts.

C MY K N E W S

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Margaret A. (Miller) Nocito

M

The Associated Press

F

their three daughters, Michelle, Jamie and Jillian; son, James; son, attorney Joseph and wife, Kristine, and their four sons, Sam, Nick, Jude and Joe; son, attorney John and wife, attorney Jennifer, and their two sons, Will and Luke; and her many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Immaculate Conception Church, Luzerne Avenue, West Pittston at 10 a.m. on Monday. Friends and relatives may call at the church from 8:30 a.m. until the time of Mass. Private interment will be in St. John’s Cemetery, Pittston.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 51 N. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701.

Arrangements provided by the Recupero Funeral Home, 406 Susquehanna Ave., West Pittston.

Dolores M. Tucker March 1, 2013

D

olores M. (Wydra) Tucker, 82, of Edwardsville, passed into eternal life early Friday morning, March 1, 2013, in the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, after being stricken ill at home.

Born Dec. 31, 1929 in WilkesBarre, she was a daughter to the late Stanley and Suzanne (Sidelko) Wydra. She was educated in the Pringle and West Side schools.

Until her retirement, Mrs. Tucker worked in the local garment industry as a sewing machine operator for several years. More recently, she worked part-time with the Wilkes-Barre Window Cleaning Co. She was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Kingston, where she remained active and faithful for many years. In her spare time, she volunteered at the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Senior Citizen Center, Wilkes-Barre.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Constantine S. Pokaladic; son, Thaddeus; and sisters, Roberta Malarky and Evelyn Wydra.

Surviving are her children, Helena Ferantti and her husband, Carl, of Luzerne, Connie Jane and her husband, David, of Kingston, Stanley Pokaladic, at home, C.J. Wydra, Wyoming

Feb. 28, 2013

rank Thomas Leono, of WilkesBarre, passed away, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

Born Feb. 16, 1943 in WilkesBarre, he was a son of Mertle Marie Farrell Bozek of Wilkes-Barre.

Frank attended Coughlin High School, Wilkes-Barre, and was self-employed as a painter in the area for many years. He enjoyed going to the horse races at Pocono Downs.

He is survived by his daughters, Shirley Leono, Patricia Curry and her husband, Patrick, and Mary Sherlinski and her husband, Martin, all of Wilkes-Barre; companion, Brenda Banaszek; grandchildren, Jill Kreuter and her husband, Corey, of Drums, Benji Matthew Benjamin, of Wilkes-Barre, Jamie Simmons and her husband, Brian, of Exeter, and Stephanie Curry, Wilkes-Barre; several nieces and nephews; and his good friend, Gene Plantamura, Wilkes-Barre.

Funeral services will be held

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A federal judge says the insurance carrier for the children’s charity that Jerry Sandusky founded doesn’t have to cover him for acts of abuse.

U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane’s ruling issued Friday says Sandusky wasn’t acting as an employee or executive of The Second Mile when he abused and molested boys.

Kane says Sandusky’s behavior today at 9 p.m. at the Jendrzejewski Funeral Home, 21 N. Meade St., Wilkes-Barre, with the Rev. George Kropp officiating. Family and friends may call from 7 p.m. until the time of services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the SPCA, 524 E. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, or to the American Cancer Society, 101 W. Frack St., Frackville, PA 17931.

Feb. 27, 2013

J

ohn J. Smutko, 63, of West Wyoming, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, surrounded by his wife, son and other family members.

John was a very devoted husband to his wife of 41 years, the former Ann Marie Pellegrini. His favorite pastime was spending his weekends outdoors with his son, Johnny.

John was a U.S. Navy veteran, having served during the Vietnam era and began his career working for more than 30 years at Schott Glass Technologies in Duryea. He began his career as a machinist, was elected vice president of their union and was later promoted to a supervisory position. He was also credited with a prestigious award for his successful efforts to increase workplace efficiency. His last employment was at Don’s Machine Shop in West Pittston.

John willingly served as a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, Assembly No. 1928, secretary of West Wyoming Hose Co. No. 1 and was also a PIAA umpire, where he served on the executive board.

John was loved very much throughout his life. He enjoyed spending time with his wife and son, family and friends and was always pleased to offer a helping hand wherever he could.

John was preceded in death by his brother, James, in 1987, and a

Feb. 23, 2013 obert W. Stover Jr., 52, of Denver, Colo., died Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013.

Born Nov. 2, 1960 in Kingston, he was a son of Robert W. Stover of Falls and Beryle (Cordes) Stover of Pittston. He was a 1978 graduate of West Side Vocational-Technical High School and a U.S. Army veteran, serving with the 82nd Airborne Division from 1980 to 1984. He was a member of the Special Forces Rangers and participated in the rescue mission of the captive hostages during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980.

Robert was employed as an industrial welder in Colorado for many years. He was a member of the Falls United Methodist Church.

Surviving, in addition to his parents, are his son, Robert W. Stover

III, Lake Winola; two sisters, Pastor Ginger Daubenhauser and husband, Jack, Dunmore, and Terri Remetta of Wilkes-Barre; one nephew and six nieces.

A celebration of life and military honors will be conducted Monday at 11 a.m. in the Howard J. Snowdon Funeral Home, 1810 Sanderson Ave., Scranton, with the Rev. Arthur W. Davis as officiating clergy. Friends may call Monday from 10 a.m. until time of service. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family.

Memorial contributions can be made to Trinity Baptist Church, 1546 Monsey Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.

For online condolences, visit www.duffyandsnowdon.com.

More Obituaries, Page 6A

Valley, and Lori Tucker and Eileen Brown, both of Edwardsville; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; brother, Robert Wydra, Kingston; sisters, Beverly Wydra, Edwardsville, and Phyllis Hopko, Maryland; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Mrs. Tucker will be private and at the convenience of her family from the John V. Morris Family Funeral Homes Inc., Wilkes-Barre. There will be no formal public calling hours.

To send the family online words of comfort, support and friendship, please visit the funeral home’s website at www.johnvmorrisfuneralhomes.com.

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sister, Agnes.

In addition to his wife, Ann Marie, West Wyoming, and son, John, Conshohocken, he is survived by numerous nieces and nephews as well as cousins.

Relatives and friends may pay their respects on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Gubbiotti Funeral Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter. A memorial Mass will be held Monday at 10 a.m. at Holy Family Parish Church, Bennett Street, Luzerne, with the Rev. Michael Zipay as celebrant.

Memorial donations may be made to the Pancreatic Action Network at www.pancan.org.

To send the family an expression of sympathy or an online condolence, please visit www.gubbiottifh. com.

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was personal in nature and performed in his individual capacity.

She sided with Federal Insurance Co. Sandusky is appealing after being convicted of 45 criminal counts and sentenced to 30 to 60 years. He met victims through The Second Mile.

Sandusky’s appellate lawyer Norris Gelman says he’s sticking with his client, but “without money it’s going to be a little tough.”

John J. Smutko

Robert W. Stover Jr.

R

PAGE 7A

Insurer not obliged to cover Sandusky

Frank Thomas Leono

March 1, 2013

argaret A. (Miller) Nocito, 80, of West Pittston, died on Friday, March 1, 2013, at the Wesley Village Nursing Home in Pittston at the age of 80, surrounded by her family.

Born in West Pittston on Sept. 3, 1932, she was a daughter of the late William and Ethel (Davis) Miller.

She graduated from West Pittston High School in 1950 and from the Wyoming Seminary School of Business in 1952.

She married James A. Nocito in 1956. The couple lived in West Pittston, where they raised five children. Prior to her marriage, she worked at the Bureau of Employment Security in Pittston. She was later employed at Diversified Records Services in West Pittston.

Mrs. Nocito was a longtime parishioner of the Immaculate Conception Church in West Pittston.

She was fortunate in her friendships and her greatest pleasure was spending time with her family.

The family thanks the nurses and aides of Wesley Village for their kindness and compassion over the past four years, as well as Monsignor John Sempa for the comfort he provided to the family.

In addition to her loving husband of 56 years, she is survived by her brother, attorney William D. Miller; son, attorney Frank and wife, Lori; daughter, Peggy Balberchak and husband, Michael, and

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C MY K N E W S

PAGE 8A SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

police blotter WILKES-BARRE — State police at Wyoming on Tuesday filed drunken-driving charges against Kevin S. Lockman, 52, of Shavertown, after investigating a crash on the North Cross-Valley Expressway.

Lockman allegedly drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic, crashing into two vehicles on Dec. 18, according to the criminal complaint.

State police allege Lockman had a blood alcohol level of .243 percent after the crash.

A driver is considered legally intoxicated in Pennsylvania with a BAC of .08 percent.

Two counts of driving under the influence and five traffic violations were filed with District Judge Martin Kane in Wilkes-Barre.

WILKES-BARRE — City police filed an arrest warrant for a man suspected of firing

a gun at the Sherman Hills apartment complex during a domestic dispute on Monday.

Police responded to Building 332 after receiving a report of a domestic dispute involving a shot fired at 10:40 a.m. Officers were advised that the suspect, Sherman Wilborne, was no longer at the scene and that the argument had been about money, police said.

The dispute began as a pushing match, but the suspect had a gun in his hand that discharged a .45-caliber bullet into an interior wall, police said. No one was injured.

Police could not locate Wilborne on Monday.

On Tuesday, police filed an arrest warrant charging him with prohibited possession of a firearm, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, making terroristic threats and disorderly

conduct, according to court records.

Wilborne, 29, is described as black, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 150 pounds, and was last seen wearing white baseball shorts, a white T-shirt, a blue jacket and a blue winter hat.

Anyone with information should call police at 826-8111 or dial 911.

WILKES-BARRE — City police reported the following: • Ray Motyka, of 72 N. Fulton Court, reported on Monday that someone threw a piece of concrete through an upstairs bedroom window at about 1:30 a.m. that morning.

• Police cited Oreste Ruotolo, 36, with harassment after responding to a reported fight at 268 N. Pennsylvania Ave. at 5:40 p.m. Monday.

Toni Root, Ruotolo’s mother, reported that her son started arguing with her and slapped her in the face several times, police said.

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TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

See it - Touch it - Smell it - Taste it Talk about and Do it at the Builder’s / Remodeler’s

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Admission is only $5.00 or $3.00 with a non-perishable food donation Saturday Only, Wine/Cheese/Candy tasting 11-7pm $10.00 (includes admission to show) Features include: Approx. 100 booth spaces featuring builders, remodelers, suppliers, mortgages and “For the Home Services” • Live Froggy, WILK, The Mtn. and KRZ all weekend • Free Electronic recycling Sat & Sun • One box of free paper shredding Sat & Sun • Free CFL light bulbs from Dollar Services while supplies last • Free smoke alarms from Mastic Building Products while supplies last • 109th Military family food stand • Free Parking GIVEAWAY: Four Day Cruise for Two plus $2,000 Sponsored by Pollock Nissan Commercial Vehicles, the BIA and Entercom Communications

Special Show Event: A gigantic basket raffle benefiting The Center for Cancer Wellness, Candy’s Place. Plus a silent auction of an Aquascape waterfall from Edward’s Landscaping & Garden center with all proceeds going to Candy’s Place.

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TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Editorial

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Page 9A

Our opinion: A FAREWELL

W. Curtis Montz: Prodigy to legacy

W.

Curtis Montz started out as a whiz kid in Hazleton schools.

“They had a nutty thing if you did very well in school,” he reminisced as his 100th birthday approached in 2011, “they promoted you in the middle of the year. I went through six grades in three years.”

From the start, he was a man who knew his limitations. Born with a fear of heights, he managed to paint bridges for two summers in his teens until the foreman ordered him up the trestles of the old Eighth Street Bridge.

Montz recounted the moment: “I said,’You’re kidding.’

He said, ‘No, I’m not.’ I said ‘I quit.’ ” Then he added what now seems the ultimate irony: “Getting up in the stratosphere was more than I bargained for.”

As smart as he was humble, as active as he was durable, and recognized by any who met him as the quintessential gentleman, Curtis Montz climbed into this community’s stratosphere decades ago.

And he did it the old fashioned way: Commitment and unimpeachable work ethic.

Montz spent 50 years employed at downtown Wilkes-Barre’s retail outlet anchor, Fowler,Dick and Walker -- The Boston Store,

staying on when Al Boscov bought the place and gave it his name.

When Boscov spearheaded the effort to save what is now the city’s entertainment jewel, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, Montz not only joined the fight, he became a fixture at the Center, serving there until he turned 99. The Center’s annual film series bears his name.

“He came to work every day in a suit and tie,” Kirby Center Executive Directors Marilyn Santarelli said last Sunday upon news Montz had died at the age of 101. “He was our rock.”

Back in 2011, as the man’s centenarian celebration approached, Santarelli called Montz a “rudder” who brought “a calming sense to decision making.”

W. Curtis Montz grew up being too bright for his own age.

He graduated from Wyoming Seminary the year the Great Depression began. He poured a lifetime of quiet service into this region. He was both product and pillar of all that is best in our community. He never commanded attention, but he did earn it.

So here is a tip of the hat to the passing of a true gentleman.

quote of the day

“I’m not here for the sympathy or the pat on the back. I’m here to speak up for my son.”

Neil Heslin Whose 6-year-old son, Jesse, was among those cut down at a Connecticut elementary school in December, asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to ban assault weapons like the one that killed his child.

other opinion: SECTION 5

Time to update Voting Rights Act

T

HE U.S. Supreme Court appears ready to tamper with the Voting Rights Act of

1965.

The justices will hold oral arguments Wednesday on a case brought by Shelby County, Ala., to overturn Section 5 of the law, which requires the U.S. Justice Department to approve any changes in voting laws and regulations proposed by state and local governments in nine states. Most of the states are in the South.

Section 5 has withstood legal challenges before, but court watchers predict that this Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, is inclined to jettison this section of the law as undue federal intrusion into states’ rights.

We have to step back into the 1960s to understand why Section 5 exists. Southern states were bound and determined to deny the vote to blacks and used every power at their disposal, including literacy tests, poll taxes and personal intimidation. In 1966, the new law was upheld by the Supreme Court as a legitimate response to the “insidious and pervasive evil” of denying

Editorial Board

black citizens the right to vote.

The Voting Rights Act empowered black voters nationwide, forever changing the political landscape in America, culminating in the election and re-election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first black president.

Exactly the point, say opponents of Section 5. The bad old days are long gone. Blacks’ political power extends even into the White House. Still, two things need to be said.

First: Even today, Section 5 has been used by the federal government to sidetrack voting laws that it determined would have a discriminatory effect. As late as last year, a federal judge invoked Section 5 in overturning a Texas voterID law.

Second: The opponents of Section 5 have a point. These are not the bad old days, when white supremacy was enforced with billy clubs at the courthouse steps.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a bold step to address the problems of those times.

We need a Voting Rights Act of 2013 to address the problems of today.

Philadelphia Daily News

PRASHANT SHITUT President and CEO / Impressions Media JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President / Executive Editor

What should we really expect from our preschools?

Each morning at Sinan Road Kindergarten in Shanghai, a child stands in front of the class and tells a story. One morning, I watched as 4-year-old Ziyu told a 10-minute story about a group of animals frightened by a strange sound. When he finished, his teacher asked the class: “Shall we make him Storytelling King? Did he do a good job?”

Children called out criticisms. “His voice was too soft.” “It was like a story we’d heard before.” Still, when teacher Wong called for a vote, Ziyu was elected Storytelling King by a 16-4 margin.

We shot video of Ziyu that morning as part of a cross-cultural research project on the different approaches to preschool education in China, Japan and the United States. Many American teachers who later watched this scene worried that the criticism would be harmful to the storyteller’s self-esteem. As one teacher put it, “I’m 35 years old, and if I were criticized like that, I would cry!” But another of the teachers saw things differently: “If we had learned in preschool to give and receive criticism, maybe we could handle it better as adults.”

I thought about Ziyu the other day after President Obama issued his call for making “high-quality preschool available to every child in America.” As we found in our research, the definition of “highquality preschool” varies widely from one society to another, and a wide range of approaches can serve children well. It all depends on what we view as the goals of early education.

In Kyoto, Japan, for example, older children at the Komatsudani Childcare Center spend an hour each afternoon caring for the babies and toddlers. This activity is seen as equally important for the younger and older children.

In one scene in our video, a 5-year-old boy, Kenichi, teaches 2-year-old Taro

COMMENTARY JOSEPH TOBIN how to use the urinal. Positioning Taro in front of the toilet, Kenichi reminds the younger boy to aim and to hold up his shirt tails. He then warns Taro that he is about to flush. When he does flush, the boys scream in a mock display of surprise.

They were both having fun, and many of the American teachers who watched this video lamented that such interactions were impossible in their age-segregated classrooms.

The Storytelling King and the urinal lesson are both examples of how preschools help children develop ways of thinking and acting valued by their cultures. The Storytelling King activity combined early literacy skills with public speaking, active listening, and giving and receiving criticism. The urinal lesson was an opportunity not just for 2-year-old Taro to learn an important skill from an older child; it also gave 5-year-old Kenichi a chance to practice empathy, and to remember what it was like to be 2 years old.

Chinese educational experts told our research team that they encourage activities like the Storytelling King to teach individual expression and creativity, skills they hope will help develop the kind of entrepreneurial skills China needs to compete in the global marketplace. The morning exercise incorporates a new Chinese focus on self-expression, a traditional Chinese emphasis on mastery of performance and a communist practice of self-improvement through group critique.

Contemporary Japanese preschools, in contrast, emphasize continuity rather than change. Preschools in Japan are key sites for children to be introduced to traditional

Japanese values, such as empathy and social-mindedness, values that are seen as at risk in a rapidly changing society.

What is taught in preschool — or not taught — helps shape the ethos of a society’s future citizens. As our country debates Obama’s proposal, we need a thoughtful discussion of what that would mean in the United States.

Because the preschools of each country reflect that country’s cultural beliefs and values, it would be a bad idea to simply copy wholesale another country’s approach. But examining the strengths of preschools in other cultures can help us define what is possible and desirable to aim for in our own.

In a country as culturally, socially, economically and ideologically diverse as the United States, there isn’t likely to be a one-size-fits-all approach that will satisfy everyone. Scholars, policymakers, teachers and parents are already debating the proper balance of academics and play for a preschool curriculum, along with examining how the two can best be combined.

The voices of parents and other community members need to be brought into these discussions.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that preschool teachers and administrators should do whatever parents want. Part of a school’s job is to educate parents as well as children, and to explain, for example, how a play-based curriculum can support cognitive as well as social and emotional development. But this communication should not be unidirectional. Parents will stop coming to school if they sense their views are disrespected.

Joseph Tobin, a professor at the University of Georgia, is the author of “Preschool in Three Cultures Revisited” and the forthcoming book “Children Crossing Borders: Immigrant Parent and Teacher Perspectives on Preschool.” He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.

MAIL BAG | LETTERS FROM READERS

Rep. Cartwright sounds like predecessors I

t came as no surprise to me that freshman representative Matt Cartwright would say that the budget sequester would throw Northeastern Pennsylvania right back to the days when Old King Coal abdicated his throne. It is ludicrous to think that shaving two and half percent off a federal budget that has grown over 50 percent in the last decade will lead to widespread hardship for the local populace. The fact of the matter is that unless a machete is taken to the federal budget this whole country will at some point resemble Greece.

Cartwright has some big shoes to fill if he ever wants to earn the reputation of some of his local predecessors like Dan Flood or Paul Kanjorski, but it won’t stop

MALLARD FILLMORE

SEND US YOUR OPINION • Email: mailbag@timesleader.com • Fax: 570-829-5537 • Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711

him from trying. Those two crooks and influence peddlers in two generations turned what was once the proudest and most industrious people that perhaps ever graced the face of the earth and reduced them to the one of the laziest, obese (both figuratively and literally), and utterly dependent hatchlings a state has ever seen.

Unfortunately there are not enough of us that produce anymore and the hatchlings will always vote for the one that promises them the worm. Matt Cartwright knows this and knows if our country is able to survive long enough, that he too, may have some buildings named after him.

Tim Mullen Kingston Twp.

DOONESBURY

County tax system a move to progress L

et me first commend the council members who voted to consolidate the tax collection system in the county. I am hoping this is a first move to the future of regionalizing and consolidation of many types of services in cities towns and the county. In an age of technology, these alternatives and similar moves certainly make a great deal of sense. Regionalization in police, fire, sanitation public works and others are positive steps. You will find in progressive counties these ideas have already been adopted. For those politicians who can make these a reality please let your constituents move into the 21st century.

Robert (Doc) Phillips Kingston

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IMPACT Continued from Page 1A

conference called Friday by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton.

While many are calling the cuts “major,” Burke opted for another term.

“I would substitute ‘dangerous’ for ‘major,’ ” Burke said.

He said that in an already dicey time for the nation’s economy, to cut back on people’s pay or terminate their jobs could have a trickle-down effect on the entire financial web.

“It could spiral out of control,” Burke said.

Because Republicans and Democrats in Washington could not reach an agreement to avert the sequestration by Thursday’s

BUDGET Continued from Page 1A

quired bylaw. Yet their impact had been felt thousands of miles away well before then.

In Seattle, the King County Housing Authority announced it had stopped issuing housing vouchers under a federal program that benefits “elderly or disabled households, veterans, and families with children.”

The president met with top lawmakers for less than an hour at the White House, then sought repeatedly to fix the blame on Republicans for the broad spending reductions and any damage that they inflict.

“They’ve allowed these cuts to happen because they refuse

WILLIAMS Williams’ influence also extended outside the walls of the prison where he worked, said workers from other area institutions.

“It’s affected one of our own, said Sgt. Mike Rostkowski, one of a large contingent of corrections officers from the Luzerne County Correctional Facility attending the viewing.

“One of our officers was godfather to his child.”

“Anything we can do for a fellow officer is the least we can do,” said Lt. Karl Ashley of the U.S. Penitentiary at McKeane, Bradford County, adding that Williams’ death was “a travesty that should have never happened.”

Corrections officers from as far afield as California, Oregon, Texas, Florida and Mississippi traveled to the viewing to pay respects and show solidarity.

“It’s obviously very tragic,” said Capt. Ned McCormick, of the Connecticut State Department of Corrections.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Officer Williams and the whole federal corrections system, especially the officers at USP Canaan.”

Some who came from around the country were members of the Corrections Peace Officer Foundation, an officers’ benevolent organization akin to the Fraternal Order of

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deadline, a previously agreed upon budget-cutting scheme known as sequestration will go into effect. Rather than cutting targeted programs that might be able to withstand the loss of funding in the short term, the cuts are across the board and broad.

“We need to cut spending but in a smart way,” said Casey.

“The indiscriminate nature of the sequester will be harmful to Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Congress needs to come together on an alternative to the sequester that will reduce our deficit, keep the economy moving forward and protect the vital needs of our region, including our defense industry, our police and our small businesses.”

Tobyhanna Army Depot, which employs more than to budge on closing a single wasteful loophole to help reduce the deficit,” he said, renewing his demand for a comprehensive deficit-cutting deal that includes higher taxes.

Republicans said they wanted deficit cuts, too, but not tax increases. “The president got his tax hikes on Jan. 1,” House Speaker John Boehner told reporters, a reference to a $600 billion increase on higher wage earners that cleared Congress on the first day of the year.

Now, he said after the meeting, it is time take on “the spending problem here in Washington.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was equally emphatic. ” I will not be part of any back-room deal, and I will absolutely not agree to increase taxes,” he

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vowed in a written statement.

At the same time they clashed, Obama and Republicans appeared determined to contain their disagreement.

Boehner said the House will pass legislation next week to extend routine funding for government agencies beyond the current March 27 expiration.

“I’m hopeful that we won’t have to deal with the threat of a government shutdown while we’re dealing with the sequester at the same time,” he said, referring to the new cuts by their Washington-speak name.

Obama said he, too, wanted to keep the two issues separate.

Under the law, Obama had until midnight to formally order the cuts. Barring a quick deal in the next week or so to call them off, the impact even-

It remains unclear what effect the sequester will have on a number of area human service organizations and agencies, but among those expected to be impacted are: Meals on Wheels, The Luzerne County Housing Authority, the supplemental food program known as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Child Care Assistance Program, federal student loan programs and Head Start.

Subsidized housing affected Dave Fagula, executive director of the county housing authority, said there’s no doubt subsidized housing programs will be affected. He expects the authority’s $2 million modernization subsidy will be clipped by about $200,000, and the $4 million subsidy for housing could be an $800,000 shortfall. tually is likely to be felt in all reaches of the country.

The Pentagon will absorb half of the $85 billion required to be sliced between now and the end of the budget year on Sept 30, exposing civilian workers to furloughs and defense contractors to possible cancellations. Said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, only a few days on the job: “We will continue to ensure America’s security” despite the challenge posed by an “unnecessary budget crisis.”

The administration also has warned of long lines at airports as security personnel are furloughed, of teacher layoffs in some classrooms and adverse impacts on maintenance at the nation’s parks.

A funeral for corrections officer Eric Williams will be held today at St. Faustina Kowalska Parish, formerly Holy Trinity Church, at 520 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke. He will be laid to rest at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Hanover Township.

Police, which sent a 13-member honor guard to perform “Amazing Grace” on horn during Williams’ viewing.

“It’s paying our respects to a fallen brother,” said Corp. Dan Weber, of the Oregon State Department of Corrections.

“We’re a corrections family nationwide. The Corrections Peace Officer Foundation motto is ‘taking care of our own,’ so I do.”

Col. Steve Dizmon, a retired corrections officer from California’s Folsom State Prison, said he has attended 122 funerals of officers who died while on duty during his 25 years as a member of the organization.

He said it’s important for corrections officers to show their support during such tragedies.

“The public sees (police and firefighters), but they don’t see the corrections officers because we work behind the wall,” Dizmon said.

But police and other emergency responders, including officers from area departments, U.S. Marshals, Pennsylvania state troopers and state police academy cadets did turn out Friday in large

ALMANAC

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TEMPERATURES High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low PRECIPITATION 24 hrs ending 7 p.m.

Month to date Normal m-t-d Year to date Normal y-t-d HEATING DEGREE DAYS

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Degree days are an indicator of energy needs. The more the total degree days, the more energy is necessary to heat.

Yesterday Month to date Season to date Last season to date Normal season to date

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RIVER LEVELS

In feet as of 7 a.m. Friday.

Rain and snow possible

5,000, is still trying to figure out how to best handle the pressing budget cuts, spokeswoman Jacqueline Boucher said. Some estimates have pegged the loss for the depot at more than $300 million.

Furloughs are on the table — with one scenario resulting in every employee being scaled down to a four-day work week, meaning a loss of 20 percent of a weekly paycheck. Boucher said multiple options are on the table and nothing had been finalized as of Friday.

While the macro focus of some people has been the impact the cuts would have on national parks, the IRS during tax season and the military, at the micro level, the cuts might be felt by those who can least afford it.

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

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Hundreds of corrections and other law enforcement officers gather at Greater Nanticoke Area High School.

numbers.

Gov. Tom Corbett also extended the lowering of all Pennsylvania flags at the state capitol and at state facilities in Luzerne County to half-staff in honor of Williams through sunset today, the date of Williams’ funeral. Corbett first ordered the flag lowering Wednesday.

The American flag outside Greater Nanticoke Area High School remained at half-staff throughout the viewing.

A number of the area’s elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, DMoosic, attended the viewing.

“It’s not a part of my job that I relish,” Cartwright said.

“This is a tragedy; a tragedy that could have been avoided.”

Cartwright called it “ironic” that he learned Friday, in the same week as Williams’ death,

SUN & MOON Sunrise Today 6:36 a.m.

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that the Justice Department’s Bureau of Prisons had expanded issuing of pepper spray to certain guards at all high-security federal prisons, a move Cartwright said he supports.

But the congressman also added that “the problem is not just what weapons guards use but that there’s not enough guards, (and) they’ve been on a pay freeze for two years.”

Cartwright also worried that the sequester could lead to more cuts to federal prison staffing, putting more officers in harm’s way.

“They’re talking about (a budget reduction of) 5 percent in 2013 across the board, and that’s going to affect personnel. We’ve got to put a stop to this sequester,” he said, “and that’s something I’m working on.”

New

by HUD,” he said.

Because the federal government doesn’t allow authorities to raise rents on low-income people, said Fagula, he doesn’t know how the differences will be made up. He guessed that reduced building maintenance would be the first option.

Trula Hollywood, executive director of the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne/Wyoming Counties, said she is awaiting direction from the U.S. Administration on Aging, which she doesn’t expect to receive until early next week.

Sequestration should have “no immediate impact” on services provided through the Aging Network, said Hollywood, “but many of our services such as home-delivered meals are administered by the Older Americans Act and may be affected at some point.” The agency’s budget for home-delivered meals and meals at senior centers is $2.5 million.

phones

when it had its own plan. Officials believe the stipend system is the best way to go because, overall, it will save money.

An analysis conducted by the IT department showed the city was paying an average of $3,053 per month for phones it had through a contract with Verizon Wireless. The stipend system will reduce that cost to $1,968 a month, for a savings of $1,085 per month, or $13,020 per year.

In addition to the savings in monthly fees, the city will no longer have to pay for new equipment, upgrades or other costs should a phone be lost or damaged, McLaughlin said.

The stipend system also will eliminate any questions regarding whether employees are improperly using a city-owned phone for personal business.

An article that appeared in The Times Leader in December raised questions regarding whether some employees were abusing the phones. The newspaper reviewed cellphone usage in 2011 and 2012 and discovered several employees who worked day shift used an excessive amount of night and weekend minutes. Other employees used a large amount of data that was inconsistent with their job descriptions.

Frank Sorick, president of the Wilkes-Barre Taxpayer’s Association, said he thinks the stipends are overly generous. He questioned whether employees should be getting any stipend, given that many cell plans now provide for unlimited texts/ minutes, which means the employee would not incur any additional charge if their supervisor calls them on city business.

“I don’t see the need to pay an employee for something that’s not costing the employer any more to use,” he said.

McLaughlin said the city doesn’t believe it can mandate employees to have personal cellphones for their jobs without compensating them. He likened it to the practice of paying employees mileage for use of their personal vehicles.

“If you are not provided a city-issued car and you go somewhere on city business, you are reimbursed for your use of private property,” he said.

Continued from Page 1A

ee receiving more money than he or she pays for the plan.

For instance, the “share everything” plan through VerizonWireless offers a basic cell phone for $30 per month (excluding taxes and fees) with unlimited talk/text (no data). Even with taxes and fees added in, that bill would still be less than the $40 stipend for a basic phone that will now be paid.

There also are a number of pre-paid phone companies, including Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile and Straight Talk, that offer smartphone plans with unlimited talk/text/data ranging from $45 to $55 per month — less than the $80 stipend being offered for smart phone users.

A review of cellphones records from last year also shows that, in many cases, the amount of the stipend to be paid is more than what the city had been paying for a city-owned phone.

That’s particularly true for employees in the code enforcement office. Cellphone bills from last year show the city paid between $19.99 and $28.98 per month for most of those phones.

The same holds true for the 17 employees who will get the $80 rate. The city paid from $49.35 to $62.19 per month for the city-owned phones of those employees last year.

Drew McLaughlin, administrative coordinator, said officials in the information technology department considered a variety of factors in determining the amount of the stipend.

“We looked at the average cellphone cost of an individual’s plan and established a system based off of that that would compensate them for the workrelated expense but not fully pay for the phone,” he said. “We believe $40 and $80 is a reasonable compensation level, but it is by no means ironclad … If it’s proven we may be compensating more than necessary, we can adjust it.”

McLaughlin also acknowledged that in some cases the city is now paying more per phone with the stipend than it did

ACROSS THE REGION TODAY Syracuse 32/22

Shown is today’s weather.

Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

NATIONAL FORECAST

Albany 39/26

Winnipeg 27/18

Seattle 54/39

Binghamton 33/20

Billings 58/35

Towanda 36/22

Scranton Poughkeepsie 40/25 36/24 Wilkes-Barre Williamsport 38/25 New York Mar 4 Mar 11 37/25 43/31 Pottsville First Full State College 37/25 Allentown 36/22 40/25 Harrisburg Reading Philadelphia 41/26 Mar 19 Mar 27 38/27 43/29 THE POCONOS Highs: 29-35. Lows: 17-23. Breezy today with variable cloudiness.

Partly cloudy tonight.

THE JERSEY SHORE Highs: 41-47. Lows: 28-34. Some sunshine giving way to clouds today.

Partly cloudy tonight. Clouds and sun tomorrow.

THE FINGER LAKES Highs: 29-35. Lows: 19-25. Cloudy today and tonight with a snow shower in spots. Breezy and cold tomorrow with flurries.

NEW YORK CITY High: 43. Low: 31. Some sunshine giving way to clouds today. Partly cloudy tonight. Times of clouds and sun tomorrow.

PHILADELPHIA High: 43. Low: 29. Breezy today with some sunshine giving way to clouds. Partly cloudy tonight. Clouds and sun tomorrow.

Last

“I doubt if we’ll be able to put any new people on the Section 8 (subsidized housing) program,” he said. “It could affect up to 80 families who (otherwise) might have gotten assistance.”

Fagula said the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development funded 92 cents on the dollar operating subsidies in January and February, but he was informed Friday that the subsidy would be cut to 80 cents for March. He also was informed HUD would furlough all full-time employees a total of seven days between May and August.

Fagula said HUD requested $750 million less in its 2013 budget than needed to meet its own operating formulas and effectively raided the reserve funds of housing authorities by reducing subsidies to authorities that had them. “I was hit for about $1.3 million that I needed for operations because we are constantly underfunded

San Francisco 62/47

Toronto 28/15

Minneapolis 29/17 Chicago 31/18

Denver 58/32

Kansas City 36/24

Los Angeles 84/56

Detroit 30/18

New York 43/31 Washington 46/31

Atlanta 46/28

El Paso 64/41 Chihuahua 64/40

Montreal 34/28

Houston 58/34

Miami 70/49

Monterrey 73/46

Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation today. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

Summary: Chilly showers and thick clouds are in store for the Deep South today with snow showers from the southern Appalachians to New England. Rain will soak northwest Washington. The Plains and Southwest will be dry.

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THE TIMES LEADER

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

DISTRICT 2 GIRLS BASKETBALL

GAR tops Lakeland to earn trip to states

By JOHN MEDEIROS jmedeiros@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE — A lot of folks may have written off GAR’s girls basketball team entering the District 2 tournament.

There’s only eight players listed in the scorebook.

The last time the Grenadiers won a district playoff game, now sophomore starters Majeedah Neely and Brea Seabrook were in fifth grade.

They won six games total last season, and were just 11-10 during this regular season.

GAR proved itself during the

50

district’s Class 2A tournaGAR ment, eanring a trip to states for the first LAKELAND time since 2008 with a 5046 victory over Lakeland.

“We’ll take the underdog name,” GAR senior Julianna Leco said. “We’ve proved we’re not the underdogs.”

GAR (14-11) moves on to play the District 4 champions next Friday in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

The matchup between the

46

BOYS BASKETBALL

No. 2 seed Grenadiers and No. 8 Chiefs featured nine lead changes and five ties, yet GAR appeared in control throughout.

The Grenadiers’ full-court pressure forced 23 turnovers and GAR owned the glass, posting a 35-23 rebounding edge.

“This is just amazing,” Seabrook said. “We’re a lot more athletic than people think we are.”

“We’re one of the most athletic teams around,” Leco said.

“People see we’ve got just seven See GAR, Page 5B

GAR’s Marie Skrepenak (right) came through with a double-double against Lindsey Jones and Lakeland Friday night.

AMANDA HRYCYNA/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

REGIONAL WRESTLING

Grenadiers outgunned in 3A finals

WVC shines at Class 3A meet

By JOHN ERZAR jerzar@timesleader.com

SCRANTON — The strategy early was the obvious choice later in the game.

And GAR couldn’t stop it either time Friday night.

Abington Heights carved up the GrenaABINGTON HEIGHTS diers inside, with center Jason Bamford scoring a GAR game-high 25 points in the 58-37 victory for the District 2 Class 3A boys basketball title.

Both teams will continue play next Friday in the PIAA state tournament with games at District 2 sites. Abington (25-2) will face the District 4 runnerup, either Milton (15-8) or Shikellamy (14-11). Those teams play tonight for the D4 championship.

GAR (17-9) will face District 3 third seed Donegal (26-2). Donegal was the second seed in the D3 tournament.

“We’ve got to regain focus in practice and practice harder,” GAR junior guard Lamont Twyman said, “and come out with a good mindset and finish.”

Abington accomplished those

58 37

See GAR, Page 5B

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

Ryan Monk of Dallas struggles with Brandon Vigo of William Allen on his way to a win in his 285-pound bout Saturday during the PIAA Class 3A Wrestling Regionals in Bethlehem.

Seven advance to semifinals DAVE ROSENGRANT drosengrant@timesleader.com

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

GAR’s James Holmes, left, hangs in the air as he drives past against Abington Heights’ J.C. Show in the District 2 Class 3A boys basketball championship game at Scranton High School on Friday night.

DAVE ROSENGRANT drosengrant@timesleader.com BETHLEHEM – The Wyoming Valley Conference seems to pick certain weights every year that are stacked.

This year is no different.

That was evident on Friday at the Class 3A Northeast Regional Tournament as seven wrestlers advanced to the semifinals and within one win of advancing to the PIAA Championships. And six of those grapplers are from three weight classes.

Dallas’ Ryan Monk and Coughlin’s Brad Emerick are on opposite ends of the 285-pound bracket semifinals. So are Wyoming Valley West’s Kyle Krasavage and Hazleton Area’s Larry Romanchik at 126, and Crestwood’s Matt Hammerstone and Berwick’s Kevin Laubach at 145. The

other semifinalist from the conference is Crestwood’s Dan Ritz at 132.

“This is the easy way, win one and (advance),” Hazleton Area coach Keith Maurer said. “(Hershey’s) the sweetest place on earth.)

Several WVC wrestlers will have to take the hard way trying to win four matches this morning to claim the third-place medal and advance. Action begins this morning at 9:30 with the second round of consolations, while the semis are scheduled to begin at 11 and the finals are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

For Monk, all season he had to settle for second-best to Emerick. On Friday, he bested the unbeaten Crusader by winning two times to Emerick’s one to move to this morning’s semifinals, which begin at 11.

Monk, a sophomore who struggled in

the Class 2A regional last season for the Mountaineers, already surpassed that performance on Friday with two wins at Liberty High School. But now he has to face Nazareth’s Aaron Bradley, who was state runner-up last year at 220 and is ranked highly in the nation.

“I’m just going to wrestle as hard as I can for three periods and give everything I have,” Monk said. “It’s my goal to get to the finals and do everything I can to get there.”

Krasavage (36-0), who like Emerick (35-0) is also undefeated, was challenged early in his quarterfinal match against Easton’s James Saylor as a flurry of points led to Krasavage leading 10-5 after the first period. After that though, he cruised to a 17-8 victory.

See CLASS 3A, Page 6B

DISTRICT 2 SWIMMING

Spencer breaks District 2 record

By JAY MONAHAN For The Times Leader

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Marcus Wagner competes in the 200 yard freestyle final during Friday’s District 2 Class 2A Championships at the CYC in Wilkes-Barre. Wagner finished in first place with a time of 1:47.13.

WILKES-BARRE — Tunkhannock’s Ben Spencer knew it was going to be close.

Even before he lifted his head to see his time, he could feel he was on target.

Spencer’s instincts were spot on. The Tunkhannock senior broke a 23-year old district record in the 200 IM Friday at the District 2 Class 2A Swimming Championships at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth

B

CLASS 2A Center. Spencer clocked in at 1:58.09, breaking former Bishop Hoban star Mark Bellow’s 1990 record of 1:58.94.

“I knew I could do it,” Spencer said. “I could feel when I was in the water that I was on the right pace. It’s an amazing accomplishment.”

Both 200 IM records fell as Scranton Prep’s Mia Nonnenberg broke her own record with a 2:03.24 time that was 2.6 sec-

onds faster than her prior district record.

The Holy Redeemer girls and Dallas boys lead the team standings after the first day of competition. The Royals own a 33-point lead over Scranton Prep. The Mountaineers have a 35-point lead over the Cavaliers. Swimming resumes at noon today.

The Mountaineer men were led by individual wins for MarSee SWIMING, Page 5B

PAUL NEWBERRY

OPINION

The Bronx is burning? No, just aging IT’S HARD TO bet against the New York Yankees.

All the legends. All the history. All the champion-

ships.

But it’s time to declare their time has passed, at least for this season.

All of a sudden, the Yankees have grown old. Real old. So old they should try to work out some sort of sponsorship deal with AARP. Heck, it’s going to seem like old-timer’s day all summer at Yankee Stadium.

The only way you’ll be able Sorry, there’s to tell any just no way to difference is see this group when Yogi Berra rides out of bangedin a car, which up geezers means it actugetting back ally is old-timer’s day. (Then to the playagain, he’s only offs, unless 87; the Yanks everyone else might have in the AL East plans to put him behind the falls apart. plate.)

Sorry, there’s just no way to see this group of banged-up geezers getting back to the playoffs, unless everyone else in the AL East falls apart.

“If we win, then we’re experienced,” shortstop Derek Jeter said the other day, still in the midst of his comeback from a broken ankle. “If we lose, we’re old.”

We’re betting on the latter.

You can’t ignore those numbers on the birth certificates.

Closer Mariano Rivera is 43 and coming off major knee surgery. Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte is closing in on his 41st birthday. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is 39. Jeter, the Yankees’ shortstop and captain, will turn 39 before the All-Star break.

“It makes me feel kind of young,” quipped outfielder Matt Diaz, who’ll turn 35 on Sunday.

If there were a true mix of old and young, that would be one thing. Experience has its place, a very valuable place. But the Yankees, with their neverending quest to win yesterday, have found themselves saddled with a long-in-the-tooth roster that is highly unlikely to hold up over the grind of a 162-game schedule. It’s struggling just to answer the bell for spring training — the Yanks lost their seventh straight exhibition game on Friday.

The opening-day lineup is expected to include only two players in their 20s — outfielder Brett Gardner (who will turn 30 before the season ends) and catcher Francisco Cervelli. The average age of the regulars will be nearly 33, and that doesn’t include Alex Rodriguez, who’s 37 but played like he was 137 last October.

A-Rod is still recovering from hip surgery and not expected back until around midseason, though that’s probably a Bronx Blessing (other than having to pay him all that money). Rodriguez has grown old faster than anyone on a team filled with aging stars, perhaps because of all that junk he was putting in his body years ago.The pitching staff is much the same story.

Ace CC Sabathia is a relative youngster at 32, but he’s still recovering from offseason surgery to remove bone spurs from his left elbow. Next up are 38-yearold Hiroki Kuroda and Pettitte, who’s already retired once and come back. There’s some kids at the end of the rotation, but Phil Hughes is sidelined with a bulging disc, Ivan Nova pitched poorly down the stretch last season, and David Phelps is unproven.

C MY K B A S E B A L L

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

IN BRIEF Indians

All-Star closer Perez has shoulder strain GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Indians AllStar closer Chris Perez could be sidelined one month because of a strained shoulder.

Perez, who saved 39 games last season, will not throw for the next week to 10 days. Once he resumes his program, the Indians estimate he will be pitching in games in three or four weeks.

It is the second straight spring training Perez has been injured. He strained a muscle in his left side during his first bullpen session on Feb. 23 last year but recovered in time for opening day, when he allowed three runs in the ninth against Toronto in a game the Blue Jays won in 16 innings.

“I’m not saying nothing,” Perez told reporters Friday as he drove out of Cleveland’s spring training complex.

He later tweeted: “Small hurdle at an in-opportune time. I feel better now than I did last year with the oblique..

Still plenty of time.”

Rangers

Outfielder Cruz is hospitalized over chest issue SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz has been hospitalized over what team doctors diagnosed as a muscle strain in his chest.

Assistant general manager Thad Levine said Friday that Cruz was sent to a hospital to rule out anything more serious than a muscle problem.

Cruz was set to leave Sunday to join the Dominican Republic for the World Baseball Classic. He leads the Rangers with five RBIs this spring training, although he’s hitting just .214.

The 32-year-old Cruz played a career-high 159 games last season, hitting .260 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs. REDS

Mark Prior inks minor league contract SURPRISE, Ariz. — Mark Prior is making yet another pitch to return to the big leagues.

The 32-year-old Prior has signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, marking the fourth straight spring the oft-injured righty has tried a comeback.

Prior has not been in the majors since 2006. He pitched for Boston in Triple-A last season, making 19 relief appearances with a 3.96 ERA. This move reunites Prior and Reds manager Dusty Baker. They were together with the Chicago Cubs several years ago, and Prior was an All-Star in 2003 when the team came close to reaching the World Series.

“He called me in the winter. We talk sometimes. He sends my wife updates on the kids,” Baker said Friday. “He never asked me for anything. He said, ‘Hey man, I’d like to try it one more time.’ I told him, ‘If I can help you, I’ll make the opportunity.’”

DODGERS

Crawford could miss opener due to elbow GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dodgers outfielder Carl Crawford could miss his team’s April 1 opener against San Francisco after leaving spring training to have his elbow examined in Los Angeles.

Recovering from elbow ligamentreplacement surgery on Aug. 23, Crawford felt nerve irritation in his left arm. The Dodgers said Friday he was examined a day earlier by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and told Crawford to rest.

Crawford was back in camp Friday and will not take batting practice or throw for about seven days, according to Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

Marlins

Lowell says team can win back angry Florida fans JUPITER, Fla. -- Mike Lowell grew up in Miami, helped the Marlins win a World Series and knows all too well about the franchise’s tradition of humble payrolls and modest crowds.

Back in uniform this week as a special instructor, Lowell says the team can win again and win back fans, but it will take time. And he sympathizes with fans angry that the Marlins this season will likely have baseball’s smallest payroll -- again.

The return to a tight budget comes after a brief spending binge and only one year in the long-sought new ballpark that was supposed to transform the franchise.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013 Page 3B

Cano says contract status not a distraction The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano says his contract status is on his mind, though not a distraction.

Cano is due $15 million in the final season of what became a $57 million, six-year deal and is eligible for free agency after the World Series.

A day after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team had made a significant offer during the offseason to Cano’s agent, Scott Boras, Cano declined to address the matter Friday but did say: “It’s never going to go out of your head.”

“I don’t want to be a distraction to the team,” Cano added. “Just focus on playing baseball.”

He hit .313 with 33 homers and 94 RBIs last year but was 3 for 40 (.075) with no homers and four RBIs during

the playoffs, including a postseasonrecord 0-for-29 skid.

“I have one more year on my contract,” Cano said. “I have to perform and help the team win another championship.”

Cano plans to leave ’ camp this weekend to join for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

Cashman termed his confirmation of the proposal to be a “Biden gaffe,” a reference to Vice President Joe Biden’s habit of off-script remarks.

“I think it’s fairly normal for when a guy is a free agent to think about his contract,” manager Joe Girardi said.

“I think Robby will be able to block it out. I think Robby will go out and have a good year, and play well. He might have to answer questions a few times about it, but I’m sure it will all die down once the season starts.”

AP PHOTO

The Yankees’ Robinson Cano runs to third base against the Philadelphia Phillies during a MLB spring training baseball game Friday in Tampa, Fla.

Mets say Niese may get nod for opener

Phils’ Halladay allows one run against Yanks The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. — Roy Halladay allowed one run and three hits in 2 1-3 innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Yankees 10-5 Friday, New York’s seventh straight spring loss.

Halladay is coming off an injuryplagued year in which he had his fewest wins (11) since 2004 and the second-worst ERA (4.49) of his career.

The righty missed nearly two months in the middle of the season because of a strained back muscle near his shoulder.

The 35-year old Halladay gave up one run in two innings during his first spring training start against Detroit. In a 44-pitch outing Friday, he struck out three and walked one.

Hiroki Kuroda allowed four runs — one earned — and three hits over 1 2-3 innings in his initial exhibition game start for the Yankees.

By MIKE KERWICK The Record (Hackensack, N.J.)

Orioles 6, Pirates (ss) 5

SARASOTA, Fla. — Brian Roberts had three hits and a home run, and Nolan Reimold and Wilson Betemit hit consecutive home runs Friday to lead the Baltimore Orioles over a Pittsburgh Pirates’ split squad.

Gaby Sanchez homered twice for the Pirates.

Limited by concussions, back surgery and hip surgery to 115 games during the past three seasons, Roberts hasn’t hit a regular-season home run since 2011. He connected in the first against James McDonald.

Cardinals 8, Astros 8

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Joe Kelly opened his bid for a spot in the St. Louis Cardinals’ starting rotation with two hitless innings, and Adron Chambers hit a three-run homer in Friday’s 8-8 tie against the Houston Astros.

Among three candidates to replace the injured Chris Carpenter in the Cards’ rotation, Kelly walked one hitter in each inning.

Blue Jays 5, Rays 4

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Brett Lawrie and Ricardo Nanita homered in the second inning off Jake Odorizzi, helping the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays.

Making his second start of spring training, Mark Buehrle allowed one run and three hits in two innings, struck out two and walked two.

Twins 8, Marlins 7

JUPITER, Fla. — Minnesota Twins right-hander Vance Worley was satisfied with his pitching but unhappy with the results in his team’s victory over the Miami Marlins.

Making his second start, Worley allowed four runs — three earned — and six hits in two innings. He said felt good and threw the ball well, but the Marlins kept finding holes.

Henderson Alvarez allowed three runs and six hits in two innings in his second spring training start, and his last with the Marlins for a while. He’s now off to join the Venezuelan team for the World Baseball Classic.

Mets 6, Tigers 2

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Detroit ace Justin Verlander pitched three perfect innings in the Tigers loss to the New York Mets.

Verlander fanned three, including a three-pitch strikeout of Mets star David Wright, who never swung during the at-bat in the first inning.

Wright played his final game before leaving to join Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. He later hit an RBI single.Mets starter Jonathon Niese threw three scoreless innings in his

AP PHOTO

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay delivers a pitch to the New York Yankees during a spring training game Friday in Tampa, Fla.

spring debut. He allowed three hits and struck out three.

Justin Turner and Marlon Byrd each had two hits for the Mets.

Prince Fielder got two hits for the Tigers and Avisail Garcia hit a two-run homer.

the lineup after a bizarre setback. He was scratched the previous day with what the team called “sensitivity in his left arm” — apparently caused by an elaborate tattoo.

Andrus will now join Team Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic.

Royals 3, Reds 2

Diamondbacks 6, Cubs 2

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Ervin Santana pitched a pair of scoreless innings in his Royals debut, and Brett Hayes’ eighth-inning homer helped Kansas City to a victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Chris Getz also homered for the Royals, who improved to 7-0-1 and remain the only team without a spring training loss. Salvador Perez drove in a run and also threw out two base runners.

Giants 13, Athletics 9

PHOENIX — Jarrod Parker pitched two scoreless innings in his first spring start, a 13-9 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Friday.

Brandon Belt had three hits and drove in a run for the Giants, who scored seven times in sixth inning against reliever Travis Blackley.

Chris Young, in his first appearance in a week, added two hits for the Athletics.

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija, a candidate to start opening day at Pittsburgh, pitched out of enough trouble to get through three innings with the lead in Chicago’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Samardzija walked three, including two when he loaded the bases with none out in the second inning.

It was his second spring start and he became the first Cubs pitcher to get through three innings so far this spring.

Indians 9, White Sox 7

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chris Sale struck out three over 2 1-3 scoreless innings in his spring training debut as the Chicago White Sox lost to the Cleveland Indians.

Sale, a 17-game winner last year, allowed two hits — both singles — struck out one and walked none.

Padres 7, Dodgers (ss) 5

TEMPE, Ariz. — Josh Hamilton hit his first home run in an Angels uniform, connecting off Hyun-Jin Ryu in a big-money Los Angeles matchup during the first inning of a win over a Dodgers’ split squad.

Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, left Texas to sign a $125 million, five-year deal with the Angels. After going 0 for 3 against Arizona on Tuesday in his first spring training game, he was 2 for 2 against the Dodgers, adding a thirdinning single against Matt Palmer.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Zack Greinke was hit hard in his second spring training appearance, allowing three doubles and a triple over three innings as a Los Angeles Dodgers’ split squad lost to the San Diego Padres.

After pitching two scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox in his first game after signing a $147 million, six-year contract, Greinke allowed two runs and five hits.

He avoided more runs when a runner was thrown out at the plate in the first and he escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the third.

Mariners 8, Rangers 6

Rockies 5, Brewers 2

Angels 16, Dodgers (ss) 8

PEORIA, Ariz. — Jason Bay, Michael Morse, Michael Saunders and Carlos Peguero homered Friday and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-6.

The Mariners lead the majors in homers this spring. They have connected for 18 in eight games.

Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus doubled and walked in his return to

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Carlos Gonzalez drove in his first three runs with a homer and double, leading the Colorado Rockies over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Gonzalez was 2 for 9 going into the game.

He lined a two-run double in the third inning and homered off Ariel Pena in the fifth.

POINT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Terry Collins still hopes to have Johan Santana ready for opening day. But if Santana is unavailable, Collins will turn to Jon Niese.

Collins was pressed to clarify the situation after a Friday afternoon appearance on WFAN with Mike Francesa.

“He said, ‘Would it be (Matt) Harvey?’ and I said, ‘No, it’ll probably be more of a veteran guy,’” Collins said. “‘And if it was anybody, I’d probably lean toward Jon Niese.’”

Santana long tossed from 120 feet on Friday. Collins said he is still expected to throw batting practice Tuesday. On Thursday, Collins said he was still on track to make his spring training debut on March 10 or 11.

Meanwhile Niese is off to a nice start this spring. He threw three scoreless innings in Friday’s 6-2 Mets victory over the Detroit Tigers. Niese was trading zeroes with Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

“I wasn’t throwing against him,” Niese said. “I was throwing against the hitters. But yeah, it was cool to be on the same mound as him. But I was just working on getting their hitters out.”

DUDA SITS: The strange spring of Lucas Duda took another twist Friday morning.

Duda was a late lineup scratch when he went to see a doctor for an undisclosed medical issue.

“Nothing wrong,” Duda said.

“Just went to the doctor. Everything’s fine.”

Duda said he hopes to play this afternoon against the Miami Marlins, but Collins said he will not know until this morning.

BRIEFS: Daniel Murphy took swings Friday, according to Collins, but the manager still thinks he could be 10 days away from returning to game action… Pedro Feliciano threw a short bullpen Friday. Feliciano continues to wear a heart monitor.

AP PHOTO

New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana throws while working out before the Mets’ spring training game against the Detroit Tigers on Friday in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

C MY K S P O R T S

PAGE 4B SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

district 2 class 4 a girls bas k etball

w bs pe n gui n s

Slow start buries Penguins

Mann breaks Spartans’ hearts

By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com

By PAUL SOKOLOSKI psokoloski@timesleader.com

SCRANTON — Bridgette Mann said she felt the time was right to test her long-distance shooting accuracy.

That’s when things went all wrong for Wyoming Valley West.

Her path under the baswallenpaupack ket continually blocked, Mann stepped outside and nailed valley west two pivotal three-pointers on Friday, lifting Wallenpaupack to a 44-42 overtime win against the Spartans in the District 2 Class 4A championship game at Lackawanna College.

“The three was gutsy on my part,” Mann said. “I knew I had to take it. When you feel it, you feel it.”

Her expert shooting from long distance made the upstart Spartans feel sick.

“The kids are highly disappointed,” Valley West coach Paul Appel said. “We were right there.”

Behind 6-foot-2 center Olivia Hoffman, the Spartans — seeded second in the tourney behind Wallenpaupack — went above and beyond.

They trailed 23-17 at halftime, but Hoffman became an unstoppable force out of intermission.

The smooth junior scored 12 of her 14 points during the third and fourth quarters, registered 10 rebounds and blocked five shots after halftime.

Her driving layup tied the game at 25-25 halfway through the third quarter, then Hoffman followed that with a short fall-away jumper to boost Valley West to a 27-25 lead.

“She’s turning into one of the best players,” Appel said.

2

44 42

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Wyoming Valley West’s Cassie Smicherko, left, drives to be basket against Wallenpaupack’s Paige Hiller in the District 2 Class 4A girls basketball championship game at Lackawanna College in Scranton on Friday night.

the lead, then sewed it up her team’s second straight district title and trip to states with a free throw.

“Satisfaction and relief,” Mann said is what she felt.

“Looking at the scoreboard, I knew if I hit this it’d put us up by one, or up by two. Me being the type of person I am, I want to put my team on top.

“We knew they were a difficult team. Last year we won it and it was just that great of a feeling, we wanted to do it again.”

Meanwhile, the Spartans plan to try again next year after winding up two points short of the PIAA tournament.

“It’s a great learning experience for them,” Appel said. “We just tell them to try and take a lesson from it. We learned, so we can bring it into next year.”

WYOMING VALLEY WEST (42): Tara Judge 2 0-0 4, Cassie Smicherko 6 0-0 13, Olivia Hoffman 7 0-0 14, Megan Kane 4 1-2 9, Cheyenne Reese 1 0-0 2, Savannah Piazza 0 0-0 0, Lauren Lupinski 0 0-0 0, Emily Tyler 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 1-2 42.

WALLENPAUPACK (44): Alexis Roman 10 3-4 23, Bridgette Mann 5 1-2 14, Reanne Erhardt 1 0-0 3, Katelyn Ragonese 1 0-0 2, Danielle Palazzi 1 0-0 2, Paige Hiller 0 0-0 0, Nickole Mann 0 0-1 0. Totals 18 4-7 44.

Wyo. Valley West 12 5 13 10 2 — 42 Wallenpaupack 14 9 4 13 4 — 44 Three-point goals: WVW 1 (Smicherko); WAL 4 (B. Mann 3, Erhardt)

class 2 a regi o n al w restli n g

Magnificent 7 remain in contention

By CASEY SNYDER For The Times Leader

WILLIAMSPORT — Of all the District 2 qualifiers, only seven advanced to the championship semifinals of the PIAA Class 2A Northeast Regional wrestling tournament.

Of the local wrestlers, only Wyoming Area’s Nick Heck won by pinfall. Andrew Schutz won his match by technical fall, and GAR’s A.J. Luton and Zachary Faust and Lake-Lehman’s Austin Harry won their matches by decision.

Luton wrestled a tough match against Southern Columbia’s Brett Shepard to take a 9-3 decision, a match that was tougher than the score displayed.

“It was a big win for me. I’m going to take it one match at a time. I did it at districts, and I came out on top,” Luton said.

Luton faces the tough task of wrestling 15th ranked Taylor Johnson of Central Columbia, the District 4 runner up.

“I’m going to see tougher kids, and it gives me a good outlook at what I will face at states,” Luton said. “I just need to bang heads with my opponents.”

Teammate Zac Faust wrestled a tough match with Shamokin’s Zach Biddiscombe. Faust was already battling illness before the match, and defeating Biddiscombe proved to be no easy task.

“I really didn’t feel good before the match,” Faust said.

“After I got done puking, I was ready.”

But during the match, Faust needed a few breaks to regroup before going back out.

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — Facing a Hershey Bears team that trailed them by three points in the division standings, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins knew that Friday’s meeting was a big one.

And they played like it, too.

Aside from the first 10 minutes.

T h a t ’ s when Hershey scored three times to put the Penguins bears in an early hole that, no matter how well they penguins played for the rest of the way, was just too much to overcome.

For the sixth straight game the Penguins couldn’t produce more than two goals and on Friday it led to a 3-2 loss to the Bears.

The loss drops the Penguins to 29-24-2-1 and allows Hershey to move within one point of their hold on third place in the East Division. The Penguins are now 4-6-1 against the Bears this season with one more game remaining in the series.

With 20 games left in the season, the Penguins are starting to feel the pressure of battling for playoff position — or to simply make the postseason to begin with.

“It’s the first time you look at the standings and it’s a big game,” veteran forward Warren Peters said. “A huge tilt for both teams.”

At the start, the ice was titled Hershey’s way as the Bears mounted a big lead with a trio

3

“We made some adjustments. It was more of an adjustment (of) where she was on the floor. We got her the ball in good spots.”

Then Mann started spotting up.

Her drives to the hoop were swatted away time and again by Hoffman in the second half, so Mann just reversed course and took another route.

As Valley West appeared ready to pull away in the fourth quarter, Mann nailed a three early in the period to forge a 36-36 tie.

Her basket with under two minutes to play in regulation gave Wallenpaupack a 40-38 lead, but Hoffman tossed in the tying basket with 58 seconds on the clock to force overtime.

“No complaints about the effort,” Appel said. “Got the lead for a little while, the kids played super. It says a lot about the character of our kids. It was whoever had the ball last.”

It turned out Mann made the last big shots.

After Tara Judge scored the first bucket to put the Spartans ahead in overtime, Mann responded with her third trey of the night to give Wallenpaupack

“I was really gassed,” Faust said. “It really sucks wrestling sick. But at this stage, you just have to go through it and keep going.”

Faust withstood a late surge

by Biddiscombe to take the 8-7 decision and now faces Dylan Otis of Wyalusing, who pinned Kody Pachamovitch of LakeLehman in less than a minute.

Heck came out strong in the second period against Bloomsburg’s Sam Miller and pinned him in 3:00. Schutz needed close to the entire match to put 16 points on Tanner Ebright of Midd-West to solidify his spot in the 126-pound semifinals.

Harry took an 11-4 decision over Milton’s Zack Bennett and now faces a tough wrestler in Central Columbia’s Jesse Shannon, the District 4 runner up.

Northwest’s Matt Welliver and Logan Womelsdorf, who wrestle for Benton, continued their streak in the postseason.

Both wrestlers won by decision, but Welliver’s sluggish start was very uncharacteristic to his regular, tenacious style.

“My head was out of it. I was not ready,” Welliver said. “I’m glad I got the first match out of the way and get my head back in it.”

Team key: Benton (Be); Bloomsburg (Bl); Blue Ridge (BR); Bucktail (Bu); Canton (Ca); Central Columbia (CC); Elk Lake (EL); GAR; Hanover Area (HA); Hughesville (Hu); Lackawanna Trail (LT); Lake-Lehman (LL); Lewisburg (Le); Line Mountain (LM); Meyers (My); Midd-West (MW); Mifflinburg (Mf); Milton (Mt); Montgomery (Mg); Montoursville (Mr); Montrose (Mn); Mount Carmel (MCA); Muncy (Mu); Nanticoke (Na); North Penn (NP); Sayre (S); Scranton Prep (SP); Shamokin (Sh); South Williamsport (SW); Southern Columbia (SCA); Towanda (To); Troy (T); Warrior Run (WR); Wellsboro (We); Western Wayne (WW); Williamson (Wi); Wyalusing (Wy); Wyoming Area (WA).

Championship quarterfinals 106: Zack LeBarron, WR, p. Corey Stauffer, MW, 3:45; Cameron Newman, LM, tf. Zack Meckes, HA, 16-0 (5:25); Angelo Barberio, Mu,

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p. Ronald Mrsich, WW, 1:21; Brian Friery, Le, p.

Patrick Heck, WA, :39.

113: A.J. Luton, GAR, d. Brett Shepard, SCA, 9-3; Taylor Johnson, CC, p. Brad Glazenski, HA, 3:35; Ethan Calkins, T, d. John Tomasura, LL, 9-6; Eric Hunt, WR, p. Cooper Wagner, Mf, 4:52.

120: Matt Welliver, Be, md. Kobe Galentine, Mg, 23-15; Collin Edsell, Wy, md. Zeb MacMillan, LL, 13-0; Dalton Hogle, BR, p. Lewis Williams, CC, 1:43; Zach Fry, Hu, tf. Carm Mauriello, WA, 15-0 (3:34).

126: Kent Lane, SCA, d. Andrew Gipe, SW, 9-4; Keith Batkowski, Mr, d. Kashif Alston, My, 9-2; Logan Everett, Wi, p. Toby Maby, BR, 1:19; Andrew Schutz, WA, tf. Tanner Ebright, MW, 16-0 (5:47).

132: Cole Walter, Mf, p. Nate Jones, SW, 3:19; Trevor McWhorter, Wi, d. Zach Edwards, BR, 6-2; Jesse Shannon, CC, d. Charlie Johnson, WA, 6-4; Austin Harry, LL, d. Zack Bennett, 11-4.

138: Zain Retherford, Be, p. Blake Panko, MCA, 2:28; Demetri Probst, Bu, d. Morgan Fuller, WW, 4-2; Seth Lansberry, LM, md. William Lee, LT, 163; Nick Heck, WA, p. Sam Miller, Bl, 3:00.

145: Colt Cotten, Be, d. Garrett Hoffman, Mr, 9-7; Aaron Johnson, CC, d. Josh Winters, LL, 8-3; Billy Barnes, Wi, p. Victor Rosa, LT, 2:55; Zach Heeter, MW, d. Manny Mirailh, WW, 10-3.

152: Ryan Preisch, Mt, md. Dayton Wickwire, To, 14-0; Kyle Barnes, Hughes, p. Robert Wright, LL, 2:50; Blake Marks, SCA, p. Maurice Wood, Na, 1:07; Nick Stephani, T, tf. Beau Fuller, WW, 16-1 (5:32).

160: Ty Walter, Mf, tf. Max Reed, Le, 15-0 (5:12) Isaiah Bobotas, Mg, md. Lucas Karnick, WW, 134; Jeric Kasunic, Be, p. Jamaar Taylor, GAR, 3:57; Kyle Post, S, d. Tracey Cistrunk, My, 3-0.

170: Brandon Lontz, Be, md. Derek Dragon, LL, 9-0; Ben Minich, NP, md. Nick O’Brien, WA, 112; Brandon Hadden, WW, d. Rexford, Hunter, Wi, 9-6; Justin Knee, SW, d. Alex Lieberman, MW, 4-3.

182: Troy Hembury, Mu, p. Justin Griffith, Wy, :59; Garrett Wesneski, Ca, p Isaiah Ofalt, EL, 3:24; Garrett Moser, WR, p. Thomas Bogarowski, HA, 1:12; Logan Womesldorf, Be, d. Brady Butler, LL, 8-3.

195: Ryan Solomon, Mi, md. Phillip Hettes, LL, 14-3; Chad Daugherty, We, p. Michael Wiercinski, SP, 3:05; Skyler Ebner, Mu, md. Connor Rosensweet, WW, 13-9.

220: Brandon Smith, Le, p. Connorr Bassett, Mr, 1:44; Eric McCracken, CC, d. Austin Swoyer, WW, 6-5; Dylan Otis, Wy, p. Kody Pachamovitch, LL, :54; Zac Faust, GAR, d. Zach Biddiscombe, Sh, 8-7.

285: Nazar Mironenko, Mf, d. Dalton Chilson, Wy, 11-6; Jake Becker, SCA, d. Elijah Gresham, GAR, 6-2; Alex Shiber, CC, d. John Shaffer, Mn, 7-2; Nathan Kriner, NP, d. Dustin Jones, LL, 4-1.

Team standings: 1. Benton (Be) 18; T2. Central Columbia (CC) 12; T2. Warrior Run (WR) 12; T4. Muncy (Mu) 10; T4. Williamson (Wi) 10; 6. Mifflinburg (Mf) 9.5; T7. Lewisburg (Le) 8; T7.

Southern Columbia (SCA) 8; 9. Hughesville (Hu) 7.5; T10. Milton (Mt) 7; T10. Wyalusing (Wy) 7; T12. Wyoming Area (WA) 6.5; T12. Line Mountain (LM) 6.5; 14. Troy (T) 5.5; T15. North Penn (NP) 5; T15. South Williamsport (SW) 5; T17. Blue Ridge (BR) 4; T17. Canton (Ca) 4; T17. Wellsboro (We) 4; T17. GAR (GAR) 4; 21. Montgomery (Mg) 3; T22. Bucktail (Bu) 2; T22. Lake-Lehman (LL) 2; T22. Midd-West (MW) 2; T22. Montoursville (Mr) 2; T22. Sayre (S) 2; T22. Western Wayne (WW) 2; T28. Bloomsburg (Bl) 0; T28. Elk Lake (EL) 0; T28. Hanover Area (HA) 0; T28. Lackawanna Trail (LT) 0; T28. Meyers (My) 0; T28. Montrose (Mn) 0; T28. Mount Carmel (MCA) 0; T28. Nanticoke (Na) 0; T28. Scranton Prep (SP) 0; T28. Shamokin (S) 0; T28. Towanda (To).

of goals in an eight-minute span.

Boyd Kane, Jeff Taffe and Ryan Potulny scored for Hershey to send goaltender Brad Thiessen to an early exit in favor of Jeff Zatkoff. Thiessen stopped four of the seven shots he faced on the night.

Penguins coach John Hynes said the 3-0 deficit was the result of several factors.

“It was a combination of Hershey had a good start, us not being good in those areas and giving up scoring chances, and we didn’t get a stop,” he said.

The Penguins were forced to regroup in the second half of the period. And they did.

After a stretch of five straight games without a first-period goal, the Penguins snapped the streak with a historic score.

With Hershey’s Casey Wellman in the box for boarding, the Penguins’ power play went to work in the offensive zone, cycling the puck behind the net before sending a pass out to Chad Kolarik on the point.

Kolarik’s shot was stopped by Dany Sabourin, who allowed a rebound out to Trevor Smith at the corner.

Smith deked a Hershey defender and slid the puck underneath Sabourin, where Bears defenseman Kevin Marshall stopped it with his stick just before it crossed the goal line.

Before Marshall could clear, Tom Kostopoulos rushed in and slammed the puck home to get the Penguins on the board.

The goal was Kostopoulos’ 100th as a Penguin and cut Hershey’s lead to 3-1.

The Penguins picked up steam in the second period, outshooting Hershey 16-2 and drawing within one thanks to a slapshot from new captain Joey Mormina.

Mormina’s goal, his second of the season, made it 3-2 and the Penguins entered the third

within striking distance.

Throughout the final two periods the Penguins succeeded in areas that had previously been troublesome. They got plenty of pucks to the net, jumped on rebounds and went to the crease with a purpose.

“It was a level of game that we haven’t seen for a while with this club,” Peters said. “That part’s encouraging.”

The Penguins had a golden opportunity to tie it late in the third with a power play opportunity, and they came close when Peters tipped a shot that went just wide of the post.

Before that, Jayson Megna pounced on a rebound in front and fired a shot at the open net only to have Sabourin kick the puck away at the last second.

No matter how hard the Penguins worked, however, they couldn’t get the equalizer in a game during which they dominated for most of the night.

While they can’t take away a win, the Penguins surely can take away plenty of positives.

“It stings in the sense that we got to a game that we took over for 50 minutes and didn’t get rewarded. But if anything its motivating. That’s the way I prefer to look at it,” Peters said.

“I think we’re going to score more goals than two goals if we continue to do that on a nightly basis.”

Hershey 3, Penguins 2 Hershey 3 0 0 — 3 Penguins 1 1 0 — 2 First period—Scoring – 1. HER, Boyd Kane 12 (Oleksy, Stafford) 4:45. 2. HER, Jeff Taffe 13 (DiSalvatore) 8:45. 3. HER, Ryan Potulny 11 unassisted 9:30. 4. WBS, Tom Kostopoulos 3 (Smith, Kolarik) power play 15:15. Penalties – WBS, Megna (tripping) 2:43; WBS, Farnham (misconduct) 9:14; HER, Brouillette (tripping) 10:18; HER, Wellman (boarding) 14:14.

Second period—Scoring – 5. WBS, Joey Mormina 2 (Peters, Payerl) 7:37. Penalties – None.

Third period—Scoring – None. Penalties – HER, McNeill (slashing) 12:10.

Shots on goal—Hershey – 9-2-4-1 Penguins – 9-16-9-34. Power-play opportunities—Hershey – 0 of 1 Penguins – 1 of 3. Goaltenders— Hershey – Dany Sabourin 8-8-3 (32 saves – 34 shots) Penguins – Brad Thiessen 12-10-1 (4-7); Jeff Zatkoff – 9:34 of the first period, (7-7).

Referee—Trevor Hanson. Linesmen—Bob Goodman, Jud Ritte. Attendance—7,417

district 2 class 3 a b o ys bas k etball

Shooting woes sink Comets

By DEREK LEVARSE dlevarse@timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE — Chris Fazzini got the ball on the low block in the game’s opening minute, battled through traffic and scored off the glass.

The bucket would be Crestwood’s only points of the first quarter.

Playing for a shot at the state tournament , the Comets went cold scranton prep for a second straight game, falling 53-29 CRESTWOOD to Scranton Prep on Friday in the District 2 Class 3A thridplace game at Scandlon Gymnasium.

Crestwood had also been held to 29 points in a semifinal loss to GAR earlier in the week.

The Comets’ season ended at 17-9.

“I don’t think we really had good shots and we couldn’t create any shots,” Crestwood coach Mark Atherton said. “And their guys were just physically stronger. When they missed a shot, they got a rebound and put it in.

“Everything snowballed into a bad, bad game.”

Scranton Prep, the No. 4 seed in the bracket, claimed the district’s third and final berth to the PIAA Class 3A tournament.

The Cavaliers (18-8) will play the District 4 champion — the winner of tonight’s game between Shikellamy and Milton — next Friday at a District 4 site.

Down 13-2 after one quarter, the third-seeded Comets fell behind 19-2 before a Cole Wasco three-pointer snapped a scoreless drought of 9:45 that the team never recovered from.

Prep led 28-11 at halftime

53

29

AMANDA HRYCYNA/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Brian Markowski (24) of Crestwood tries to drive past Matt Knowles of Scranton Prep during their District 2 Class 3A tournament game Friday at King’s.

and even hit a buzzer-beating three at the end of third quarter to go up 39-19. The Cavaliers led by as many as 26 points in the final frame.

Back in December, Crestwood had edged Prep 44-42 in Scranton. The Cavaliers were also coming off a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Abington Heights in the district semifinals.

Neither experience weighed them down on Friday.

“Defensively we just did an outstanding job,” Prep coach Joe Ferguson said. “Crestwood’s a very well-coached team. We knew they were going to play hard. And they beat us at home, so we had a little extra motivation.

“Everybody was talking about a letdown after losing at the buzzer the other night. But we’re playing really good basketball right now.”

Leading the Cavaliers was Noah Beh, who controlled the paint at both ends of the floor, scoring a game-high 18 points.

The 6-foot-6 center has major scholarship offers for football but looked plenty comfortable on the hardcourt, leading the team in rebounds and blocks.

Beh’s presence made it tough

for the Comets to go inside when their perimeter game faltered.

“We kept telling them — you gotta get the ball to the basket.

Drive it,” Atherton said. “Apparently they weren’t real confident taking it in with some of their bigger guys. That’s what happens. You get your shot blocked once or twice, next thing you know you’re a little intimidated taking it in there.”

Fazzini was the only Crestwood player in double figures, finishing with 12 points. Wasco added eight and Brady Gallagher had six.

Matt Knowles scored 17 for the Cavaliers. James Fives had eight points, including two on an early jumper that keyed Prep’s 19-2 run.

“You can’t go through the motions against a team like Prep,” Atherton said. “We didn’t come out with that fire.”

SCRANTON PREP (53): James Fives 3 0-0 8, Mac Temples 1 0-0 2, Matt Knowles 7 2-2 17, Tim Rose 2 0-0 4, Noah Beh 7 4-6 18, Kevin Bannon 0 0-0 0, Bobby Casey 1 0-0 2, Cory Kopicki 0 0-0 0, Jerry Walsh 0 0-0 0, Zach Brandt 1 0-0 2, John O’Boyle 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-8 53.

CRESTWOOD (29): Brady Gallagher 2 1-2 6, Cole Wasco 3 0-0 8, Brian Markowski 0 1-2 1, Steve Roberts 0 0-0 0, Chris Fazzini 5 1-1 12, Robbie Hopkins 1 0-0 2, Jason Dotzel 0 0-0 0, Josh Malkemes 0 0-0 0, Brandon Cole 0 0-0 0, Dylan Truschel 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 3-5 29.

Scranton Prep 13 15 11 14 — 53 Crestwood 2 9 8 10 — 29 3-point field goals— SP 3 (Fives 2, Knowles); CRE 4 (Gallagher, Wasco 2, Fazzini)

C MY K S P O R T S

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D i s t r i c t 2 C l a s s 2 a s w i mm i n g

DISTRICT SWIMMING

A record day for Spartans senior

By JAY MONAHAN For The Times Leader

WILKES-BARRE — Morgan Hanadel had more than enough time to envision the 100 yard butterfly race. And after eight events and an excruciatingly long 10-minute break, waiting seemed to be the hardest part.

She just wanted to swim.

She had a district record on her mind.

When her time finally came, the Wyoming Valley West senior did what she does best. Hanadel broke a 32-year old district record with a 58.86-second finish in the 100 butterfly at the District 2 Class 3A Swimming Championships Saturday at the Wyoming Valley Catholic Youth Center pool. She broke Wyoming Area graduate A’lisa Woicicki’s 1981 record of 59 seconds flat by 14-hundreths of a second.

In full disclosure, Hanadel admitted to be surprised when she looked up at the leaderboard.

“I had no idea that I was going that fast,” she said. “I’m going to states, so I can’t get much faster than that.”

Hanadel was at it again a race later. She was part of a 200 free relay team — along with Desiree Holena, Alexandria Plant and Lydia Ellsworth — that shaved 4.34 seconds off its seed time for a mark of 1:43.16 that won district gold.

Hazleton Area remains atop the girls team standings after day one with 170 points and a 25-point advantage over Delaware Valley. The Warriors took over the Cougars in the last two races and hold a 19-point edge.

The final day of competition resumes at 6 p.m. today.

Wyoming Valley West’s Ed Zawatski led his Spartans team to two wins in the Friday’s final three boys races. Zawatski swam at lightning speed to a 21.01-second victory in the 50 free that, according to the heat sheets, seemed to be one-hundreths of a second behind the pool record. The Times Leader records show that the Delaware Valley’s Jamie Grennan actually holds a pool record of 20.67 seconds in 2008.

Zawatski turned in a rousing performance to win the 200 free relay. The Spartans sophomore trailed Delaware Valley’s Collin Deans by nearly a half-second when he took over as the anchor. Zawatski swam his leg in 20.53 seconds to secure a

GRENADIERS Continued from Page 1B

factors early. Bamford established himself inside despite being five inches shorter than GAR’s 6-foot-10 Christian Skrepenak. The Comets threatened to make the game a rout as Bamford’s follow-up basket increased the lead to 22-9 with 6:02 left in the second quarter.

“He’s a great player,” Bamford said of Skrepenak. “He’s much bigger than I am and he’s much stronger than I am. I just wanted to stay in front of him and run the floor well.”

Abington’s attempt to run the Grenadiers out of the gym had a reverse effect. The Comets abruptly became impatient on offense and had eight of their 16 turnovers in the second quarter.

GAR took advantage, going on an 11-2 run. Twyman connected on a pair of free throws to pull the Grenadiers within 22-20 with about three minutes left until halftime.

Abington bumped the lead to 26-20 by halftime, then a pair of inside baskets by T.J. Murray to start the third put the lead back to double digits. Once Skrepenak picked up his fourth foul, the Comets attacked at will inside with Bamford and Murray.

At one point, Bamford found himself guarded by 6-foot Willie Winstead.

“It’s much easier to score from five feet than three-pointers,” Abington coach Ken Bianchi

1:29.21 regional championship victory. He and his teammates Robert Jacobs, Cory Himlin and Thomas Missal owned a 78-hundreths win after trailing by a half second throughout most of the race “Right from the get-go, Delaware Valley experience the biggest leap,” Zawatski said. “We started a half body down. I give all dues to my teammates. As soon as I made the turn after 25 yards, I saw him right next to me and I knew I had it going my way.”

Hazleton Area enjoyed a successful day in the pool with four boys wins and two girls wins.

Two Cougars swimmers earned close wins over Wyoming Valley West’s Missal. Ryan Paisley outraced Missal by three-tenths of a second with a 53.02-second win in the 100 butterfly. The Cougars’ Tyler Farley won a regional championship in the 200 IM in 2:01.56. Paisley held Missal off despite being winded after the breaststroke and relying on his less-dominant freestyle stroke.

“Well, I was really hurting after the breast. I was in a lot of pain,” Paisley said. “But I wanted to go to states.”

Jeff Hicks touched the wall first in the 200 free despite being “seriously sick” all week, according to Hazleton Area coach Michele Yakubowski. As less than 100 percent, Hicks recovered enough to handily win a regional championship in a time of 1:49.62.

“Honestly, I don’t know how he did it,” Yakubowski said. “He could barely walk after sprints.

We’ve been resting him as much as possible.”

Hazleton Area swept both the boys and girls 200 medley relays. The girls team of Hailey Kendall, Katelynn Pleban, Rebecca Yannes and Shelby Sanko took Delaware Valley to the wire with a 1:53.45 victory. Paisley and Farley teamed up with Troy Valkusky and Ed Kovac to secure a trip to PIAAs with a 1:40.48 time.

Hazleton Area’s Hailey Kendall clocked in a 25.29 seconds in a 50 free race that garnered the senior’s first career individual championship and first trip to states.

With both boys and girls teams in the title hunt, Yakubowski said her teams need strong efforts from the back-end swimmers to surpass Delaware Valley said. “Our inside guys are pretty good passers and look for each other. And J.C. (Show) looks for everybody, so if you’re open he’ll get you the ball.”

Aside from the second-quarter burst, GAR’s offense was plagued by inconsistent shooting. The Grenadiers were 7-of23 from the field in the second half and 2-of-12 from three-point range in those quarters. Isaiah Francis paced GAR with 14 points. Darius Washington came off the bench to score eight.

“Tonight the offense didn’t look good at all,” GAR coach Paul Brown said. “We didn’t get the movement we’ve had in practice the last two days or against the teams we’ve played the last couple times. I thought our last two practices went well, but it’s hard to mimic the matchup. I thought we had a good gameplan coming in, but we were a little bit slow moving and had people standing around.”

The championship was Abington’s second in a row and third in the last four seasons. GAR was seeking its first district title since winning the Class 2A crown in 2002-03.

GAR (37): Isaiah Francis 6 2-2 14, James Holmes 1 0-0 2, Lamont Twyman 1 2-2 4, Willie Winstead 1 0-0 2, Christian Skrepenak 2 0-1 4, Darius Washington 3 0-0 8, Jahlil Harvey 1 0-0 3, Greg Skrepenak 0 0-0 0, Brandon Norbert 0 0-0 0, Nigebo Francis 0 0-0 0, Tydus Winstead 0 0-0 0.

Totals 15 4-5 37.

ABINGTON HEIGHTS (58): J.C. Show 4 3-4 13, Kevin Elwell 0 0-0 0, Jason Bamford 12 1-4 25, T.J. Murray 5 0-1 10, Jamie Egan 1 0-0 3, Nate Hollander 0 0-0 0, Evan Maxwell 1 0-0 2, Joe Carroll 1 0-1 2, Tim Toro 0 1-3 1, Jamie Henzes 0 0-2 0, Chase Wickenheiser 1 0-0 2, Ethan Danzig 0 0-0 0, Matthew Huggler 0 0-0 0, Clay Basalyga 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-15 58.

GAR 6 14 6 11 — 37 Abington Heights 18 8 16 16 — 58 Three-point FGS: GAR 3 (Washington 2, Harvey); AH 2 (Show 2)

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013 Page 5B

Girls Results Team Standings: 1. Holy Redeemer (HR) 146; 2. Scranton Prep (SP) 113; 3. Abington Heights (AH) 108; 4. Valley View (VV) 78; 5.

Tunkhannock (TUN) 65; 6. Dallas (DAL) 62; 7.

Pittston Area (PA) 58; 8. Hanover Area (HAN) 55; 9. Coughlin (COU) 37; 10. Berwick (BER) 30; 11. Lake-Lehman (LL) 25; 12. Meyers (MEY) 21; 13. Wyoming Seminary (SEM) 17; 14. Holy Cross (HC) 16; 15. Nanticoke (NAN) 4; MMI Prep (MMI); Dunmore (DUN); West Scranton (WS); Crestwood (CRE); Wyoming Area (WA); Elk Lake (ELK); Honesdale (HON) 200 Medley Relay: 1. HR (Mahle, BChmil, Reilly, Finnegan), 1:52.07; 2. SP (Nonnenberg, Voitik, Harach, Stahl), 1:52.13; 3. AH (Smertz, Gualtieri, Furiosi, Muller), 1:55.7; 4. TUN (Venn, AKasmierski, CKasmierski, Manglaviti), 1:55.94; 5. HAN (Belles, Bogart, Pericci, Keating), 2:01.55; 6. PA (Brady, Hazlet, Nardone, Smith), 2:02.47; 7. DAL 2:03.47; 8. SEM 2:04.88; 9. VV 2:06.17; 10. MEY 2:06.22; 11. COU 2:06.3; 12.

BER 2:08.73; 13. ELK 2:14.64; 14. NAN 2:16.86; 15. WA 2:24.64; 16. DUN 2:29.44; 17. WS 2:32.26; 18. HC 2:26 200 Free: 1. SP Katie Voitik 1:56.52; 2. HR Rachel Finnegan 1:57.75; 3. VV Bailey Babarsky 2:04.43; 4. MEY Eilish Hoban 2:05.68; 5. SP Abby Dempsey 2:06.73; 6. LL Sami Sabol 2:06.83; 7. AH Krista Brickel 2:06.83; 8. VV Kendra Farrell 2:06.84; 9. AH Chloe Sweeney 2:06.92; 10. VV Vanessa LaTorre 2:08.06; 11.

HR Lucy Reilly 2:08.59; 12. HR Kellan Katra 2:08.98; 13. SP Kathryn Neville 2:11.73; 14.

DAL Amanda Schwerdtman 2:11.78; 15. DAL Abby Berger, 2:12.36; 16. DAL Lauren Finnegan 2:13.47; 17. HAN Bryanna Eichler 2:14.02; 18.

AH Maria Gibson 2:14.7; 19. WA Amy Alder 2:18.33; 20. DAL Joy Nave 2:!9.9; 21. AH Catherine Simakaski 2:20.35; 22. LL Symantha Sharon 2:21.21; 23. BER Lizzie Dyer, 2:22.65; 24. WS Alexis Williams, 2:29.32 200 IM: 1. SP Mia Nonnenberg 2:03.24; 2.

HR Julie Ann Mahle 2:15.03; 3. HR Bethany Chmil 2:19.62; 4. PA Mia Nardone 2:23.34; 5.

AH Sydney Gualtieri 2:23.88; 6. VV Lauren Merli 2:29.97; 7. DAL Sarah Fasulka 2:30.4; 8. SEM Lily Williams 2:32.11; 9. NAN Connie Medura 2:32.74; 10. DAL Krista Vivian 2:33.2; 11. HAN Alicia Saltz 2:33.83; 12. SP Emily Donlon 2:34.04; 13. SEM Sarah Cole 2:34.14; 14. HR Stephanie McCole 2:34.18; 15. WS Morgan Williams 2:34.94; 16. AH Hannah Conahan 2:34.97; 17. AH Kasey Feather 2:36.77; 18. HR Carissa Wozinski 2:39.68; 19. Pa Kassity Roche 2:39.82; 20. VV Julia Sklareski 2:42.03; 21. VV Haley Mulherin 2:43.68; 22. MEY Julia Kerr 2:45.21; 23. DAL Lauren Rando 2:45.42; 24.

BER Veronica Shoemaker 2:48.39 50 Free: 1. HC Megan Carey 25.56; 2. VV Claire Sebastianelli 25.68; 3. COU Carly Ray 25.7; 4. TUN Morgan Manglaviti 25.75; 5. AH Morgan Muller 25.89; 6. AH Kristie Furiosi 26.2; 7. HAN Kayla Keating 26.47; 8. HR Alexis Davison 26.57; 9. VV Kasey Franchak 26.84; 10. PA Tiffany Smith 26.85; 11. CRE Abby Way 27.06; 12. TUN Cheyanne Kasmierski 27.07; 13. DAL Felicia Brittian 27.17; 14. WW Samantha Giombetti 27.53; 15. BER Alicia Skeath 27.56; 15. AH Aleza Selznick 27.56; 17. TUN Elissa Stretch 27.61; 18. ELK Leah Ofalt 27.72; 19. HAN Sara Belles 27.88; 20. HR Mallory Kusakavitch 27.93; 21. VV Samantha Mulherin 28.01; 22. DAL Nell Adams 28.05; 23. AH Jessa Sablan 28.06; 24.

LL Kristen Cope 28.19; 25. MEY Kelly Mahalak 28.49; 26. WS Joelle Sweeney 28.52; 27. ELK Kati VanEtten 28.93; 28. LL Jolisa Copeman 28.97; 28. Rebecca Sisson 28.97; 30. WS Natalie Sederovitz 29.06 100 Butterfly: 1. SP Katie Voitik 58.61; 2.

PA Mia Nardone 1:01.26; 3. HAN Kim Pericci 1:02.17; 4. DAL Kaylin Augustine 1:02.65; 5.

COU Kylee McGrane 1:03.96; 6. SP Janel Ha-

SWIMMING Continued from Page 1B

cus Wagner and Brian Stepniak, as well as a first in the 200 free relay. Wagner and Stepniak teamed up with Patrick Gelso and Jack Matusiak for a 1:31.15 time in the 200 free relay.

“I think it’s surprising that they did well,” Dallas coach Romayne Mosier said. “I was happy with their times, that kind of surprise. They work hard, and it’s paying off.”

Wagner edged out an upstart performance from Crestwood’s Joe Grzech in the 200 free, touching the wall at 1:47.13.

It marks Wagner’s third career district championship.

“I was a little bit nervous (before the meet),” Wagner said. “I was just trying to swim on my own and not worry about any other swimmers.”

His teammate Stepniak claimed his seventh career dis-

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Rachel Finnegan of Holy Redeemer competes in the 200 yard Freestyle final during Friday’s District 2 AA Championships at the CYC in Wilkes-Barre. Wagner finished in second place with rach 1:05.5; 7. TUN Kandis Venn 1:06.39; 8. AH Kristie Furiosi 1:07.15; 9. HR Nell Chmil 1:07.58; 10. LL Julia Baur 1:07.78; 11. SEM Sarah Cole 1:07.79; 12. SP Emily Donlon 1:09.82; 13. DAL Amanda Lopez 1:10.07; 14. MEY Julia Kerr 1:10.95; 15. SEM Bailey Disler 1:11.69; 16.

AH Jess Sablan 1:13.3; 17. MMI Ashley Acri 1:13.37; 18. AH Hannah Conahan 1:13.47; 19.

HR Stephanie McCole 1:13.98; 20. VV Santina Possanza 1:15.15; 21. DAL Wendy Greenwood 1:15.32; 22. ELK Kati VanEtten 1:15.42; 23.

DAL Amanda Rando 1:16.97; 24. HR Carissa Wozinski 1:17.16 200 Free Relay: 1. HR (BChmil, Finnegan, Reilly, Mahle), 1:41.69; 2. AH (Sweeney, Furiosi, Muller, Gualtieri), 1:43.58; 3. VV (LaTorre, Franchak, Babarsky, Sebastianelli) 1:44.28; 4.

TUN (Venn, Stretch, CKasmierski, Manglaviti), 1:47.1; 5. DAL (Finnega, Brittain, Berger, Augustine), 1:47.78; 6. SP (Harach, Dempsey, Donlon, Neville), 1:49.4; 7. HAN 1:51.53; 8. LL 1:51.76; 9. BER 1:53.12; 10. COU 1:53.82; 11. MEY 1:54.35; 12. PA 1:55.1; 13. WS 1:55.82; 14. ELK 1L56.93; 15. WA 2:00.56; 16. NAN 2:01.08; 17.

SEM 2:04.96; 18. DUN 2:08.88; 19. HC 2:13.78 Boys Results Team Standings: 1. Dallas (DAL) 146; 2.

Scranton Prep (SP) 111; 3. Tunkhannock (TUN) 100; 4. Abington Heights (AH) 78; 5. Holy Redeemer (HR) 77; 6. Wyoming Seminary (SEM) 46; 7. Valley View (VV) 42; 8. Lake-Lehman (LL) 31; 9. Elk Lake (ELK) 26; 10. Hanover Area (HAN) 25; 11. Holy Cross (HC) 23; 12. Berwick (BER) 19; Crestwood (CRE); Honesdale (HON); Pittston Area (PA); Meyers (MEY); Wyoming Area (WA); West Scranton (WS) 200 Medley Relay: 1. SP (Robinson, Evans, Sebastianelli, Pfaeffle), 1:40.95; 2. TUN (Spencer, Moffitt, Miller, Proulx), 1:41.17; 3. AH (Kohn, Shapiro, Fazio, Bruzzano), 1:44.57; 4. DAL

(Moore, PLuksic, RLuksic, GLuksic), 1:49.57; 5. SEM (Levandoski, Sours, Gagliardi, Olsen), 1:50.76; 6. HAN (Temperine, Williams, Qiu, Saltz), 1:57.07; 7. HC 1:57.11; 8. BER 2:02.75; HR DQ; VV DQ 200 Free: 1. DAL Marcus Wagner 1:47.13; 2.

CRE Joe Grzech, 1:48.33; 3. VV Ryan Franchak 1:51.11; 4. AH Jason Kohn 1:53.55; 5. SP Ben Evans 1:53.82; 6. SP Nico Lastauskas 1:54.2; 7.

HR George Evans 1:55.06; 8. DAL Grant Luksic 1:55.33; 9. HR Jason Hauze 1:57.21; 10. TUN James Proulx 1:58.61; 11. ELK Codie Malloy 1:59.89; 12. DAL Owen Kiluk 2:00.89; 13. SP Cooper Legg 2:00.99; 14. AH Sam Vale 2:01.21; 15. SEM Noah Brewer 2:02.35; 16. AH Walker Kay 2:03.88; 17. TUN Tim Breen 2:05.92; 18.

DAL Jared Krawetz 2:09.57; 19. BER Tracy Talanca 2:09.59; 20. HAN Sean Connelly 2:15.28; 21. AH Sean Albright 2:15.28; 22. VV Jake Kraycer, 2:15.41; 23. HR Reid Skiro 2:16.93 200 IM: 1. TUN Ben Spencer 1:58.09; 2.

SP Michael Robinson 2:05.57; 3. DAL Jack Matusiak 2:05.71; 4. TUN Joe Moffitt 2:08.91; 5.

HR Cody Smith 2:10.94; 6. DAL Porter Luksic 2:14.62; 7. DAL Reid Luksic 2:16.7; 8. HAN David Williams 2::16.97; 9. TUN Jacob Skoronski 2:17.18; 10. AH Matt Pettinato 2:17.84; 11. AH Pat Conahan 2:18.59; 12. SEM Andrew Levandoski 2:18.91; 13. AH Noah Shapiro 2:21.97; 14.

HR Scott Roper 2:22.5; 15. ELK Brad Grosvenor 2:23.32; 16. SEM Isaac Sours 2:23.33; 17. BER Troy Stair 2:27.04; 18. AH Luke Fazio 2:31.54; 19. HR Austin Smith 2:36.57; 20. HC Vito Scocozzo 2:37.39; 21. HR Connor Murray 2:37.71; 22. BER Brandon Seely 2:40.16; 23. BER Billy Zaruta 2:55.12 50 Free: 1. DAL Brian Stepniak 21.88; 2.

CRE Chris Lukasewski 22.28; 3. HON Tom Hewlett 23.01; 4. Michael Dubinski 23.23; 5.

TUN Matt Miller 23.27; 6. PA Brandon Winters 23.33; 7. AH Matt Bruzzano 23.43; 8. ELK Alex

Manzek 23.56; 9. HR Connor Thole 23.9; 10.

BER Mike Rehrig 23.92; 11. TUN Jason Linden 23.95; 12. HC Tom Marino 24.46; 13. VV Jason Conaboy 24.61; 14. HC Drew Magda 24.7; 15. WA Michael Murphy 24.96; 16. ELK Matt Sterner 25.29; 17. MEY Conor Gallagher 25.37; 18. TUN Connor Hemme 25.38; 19. AH Andrew Barren 25.39; 20. AH Max Voyce 25.42; 21.

SEM Kristian Olsen 25.48; 22. ELK Seth Carney 25.54; 23. VV Josh Pfeiffenberger 25.62; 24.

DAL Patrick Madaya 25.76; 25. VV Josh Schack 25.84; 26. VV Tom Swift 25.96; 27. MEY Robert Robertson 25.98; 28. MEY Matt Snyder 26.0; 29. PA Kristopher Litton 26.02; 30. ELK Gabe Habernick 26.45; 31. HR Chris Evans 26.6; 32.

BER Nate Eskin 26.61 100 Butterfly: 1. CRE Josh Grzech 53.02; 2. SP Eddie Pfaeffle 55.88; 3. SP Ryan Sebastianelli 56.85; 4. HR Terry Vrabec 58.24; 5. TUN Matt Miller 58.29; 6. DAL Patrick Gelso 58.87; 7.

AH Luke Fazio 59.62; 8. CRE Robbie Keenan 1:10.1; 9. HR Patrick Lehman 1:00.16; 10. WA Ryan Murphy 1:00.92; 11. SEM Gavin Gagliardi 1:01.05; 12. ELK Brad Grosvenor 1:01.43; 13.

TUN Tim Breen 1:01.68; 14. SEM Kristian Olsen 1:01.91; 15. BER Troy Stair 1:04.56; 16. AH Max Voyce 1:05.13; 17. HR Michael Pahler 1:08.42; 18. AH Dan Stevens 1:08.95; 19. DAL Dominic Augustine 1:09.23; 20. DAL Ayman Aris 1:13.72; 21. AH Andrew Barren 1:17.6; 22. HAN Johnny Qiu 1:21.73; 23. TUN Seth Cain 1:27.9 200 Free Relay: 1. DAL (Matusiak, Wagner, Gelso, Stepniak), 1:31.15; 2. HR (Dubinski, Thole, Smith, Evans), 1:32.86; 3. AH (Kohn, Fazio, Shapiro, Bruzzano), 1:34.01; 4. SP (Lastauskas, Pfaeffle, Legg, Sebastianelli), 1:34.27; 5. VV (Conaboy, Schack, Franchak, Kraycer), 1:35.2; 6. ELK (Carney, Manzek, Grosvenor, Malloy), 1:35.77; 7. TUN 1:36.75; 8. SEM 1:40.47; 9. HC 1:44.03; 10. BER 1:45.06; 11. LL 1:47.43; 12. HAN 1:48.82; 13. WS 1:57.63

trict championship, posting a time of 21.88 seconds in the 50 free. Stepniak edged out Crestwood’s Chris Lukasewski by four-tenths of a second.

“It’s a really short race so everything is important,” Stepniak said. “At the start, you have to everything down.”

Crestwood had a competitive day all around on the boys side.

Josh Grzech picked up his first career district gold with a victory and won handily in 53.02 seconds.

“It feels great,” Josh Grzech said. “I came close last year and the year before so I’m thrilled with the result. It wasn’t exactly the time I was hoping for. But it’s my fastest time ever and it’s my first district championship.”

On the girls side, Holy Redeemer’s quartet of Bethany Chmil, Julie Ann Mahle, Lucy Reilly and Rachel Finnegan paved the way with a pair of wins in the 200 medley and 200 free relays. The group outpaced Scranton Prep by six-hundreths

of a second in the 200 medley, winning in a time of 1:52.07.

The 200 free relay was much less dramatic as they swam to a 1:41.69 mark and won by nearly two seconds over Abington Heights.

“Lucy Reilly did an incredible job in the relays,” Holy Redeemer coach Mara Pawlenok said. “It took a lot of bravery to swim that hard.”

Pawlenok said the team benefited greatly off the efforts of its full lineup. Despite not taking any individual races, the Royals did not relinquish their lead throughout the first session. Finnegan and Mahle each placed second in the 200 free and 200 IM, respectively.

Bethany Chmil dropped nearly seven seconds off her seed time in the 200 IM. Alexis Davison jumped from 23rd to eighth in the 50 free.

“Up and down in the pool, they are swimming really fast,” Pawlenok said. “These little ones can go ahead and pull it. I

always said you never win a district meet on the fast kids. You win it on the next group.”

The rest of the field wasn’t without their share of big moments. Meyers’ Eilish Hoban’s 2:05.68 performance in the second heat of the 200 free enabled her to jump to fourth place on the medal stand.

Coughlin’s Carly Ray and Tunkhannock’s Morgan Manglaviti took third and fourth in a crowded 50 free field. Pittston Area’s Mia Nardone was upset

by Scranton Prep’s Katie Voitik in the 100 butterfly, and Hanover Area’s Kim Pericci trailed in third place.

Voitik won the 200 free in addition to her 100 fly win. Holy Cross’ Megan Carey pulled off another upset to pick up her fourth district championship and her first in the 50 free.

“Honestly, in past years, I’ve gotten so nervous that I’ve taken the fun out of it,” she said.

“So I tried to relax and enjoy it from here.”

District 2 Class 3a

NHL

Sobotka leads Blues past Oilers The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS — Vladmir Sobotka put St. Louis ahead early in the third period and added an assist for the Blues, who rallied from two goals down to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Friday night.

David Backes added an insurance tally with 5:20 to go, and Jaroslav Halak was strong throughout in net for the Blues, who trailed 2-0 after the first period.

They had been 1-5-1 in their previous seven at home while getting outscored 26-11. The Blues totaled just three goals the previous four games and were shut out twice.

Kevin Shattenkirk scored the tying goal late in the second to snap St. Louis’ 0-for14, power-play drought. Jaden Schwartz also scored for the Blues, who lost six home games in regulation last season but are 5-5-1 there this year.

Taylor Hall and Ryan Whitney scored in a span of 23 seconds late in the first period for Edmonton, which played the third game of a nine-game trip. The Oilers, who ended a six-game losing streak against the Dallas Stars with a 5-1 victory on Thursday, have lost six in a row in St. Louis.

Halak made his fourth straight start with slumping Brian Elliott on the bench for the eighth straight game. Halak made just 15 saves in the win after losing to Chicago on Thursday.

Elliott is likely to return Sunday at Dallas.

Sobotka, who plays on a checking line, wheeled around the net and scored his second of the season from a sharp angle with a shot that deflected off goalie Devan Dubnyk’s pad at 4:58.

Sobotka also had the first assist on Shattenkirk’s tying goal from the point late in the second.

Hall slipped a rebound between the legs of teammate Justin Schultz and past Halak to put the Oilers up with 2:30 left in the first. Whitney, a healthy scratch the previous four games, cashed in on Edmonton’s shot with his first of the season to make it 2-0.

In the second period, they dominated throughout, outshooting Edmonton 11-4 and tying it at 2 on goals by Schwartz and Shattenkirk.

Schwartz scored his second of the season on the rebound of T.J. Oshie’s shot off a defender early in the period.

Girls Results

TEAM STANDINGS – Hazleton Area (HAZ) 170; 2. Delaware Valley (DV) 145; 3. Wyoming Valley West (WVW) 132; 4. Williamsport (WILL) 130; 5. Scranton (SCR) 79; 6. Wallenpaupack (WALL) 71 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. HAZ (Kendall, Yannes, Pleban, Sanko), 1:53.45; 2. DV (Llewellyn, Hutzelmann, Marcucci, Narvarte), 1:54.06; 3. WALL (K. Vanderhoof, B. Vanderhoof, Lutfy, Hawkins), 2:04.62; 4. WILL (Hepler, Zicolello, Good, Drum), 2:05.04; 5. WVW (Winton, Chipego, Gaylets, Wood), 2:09.63; 6. SCR (Hiller, Voldenberg, Molitoris, Paszek), 2:12.28 200 FREE – 1. SCR Erin Kazmierczk 2:01.06; 2. HAZ Alexandra Podlesny 2:01.56; 3. DV Janel Llewellyn 2:04.61; 4. WILL Pamela Niditch 2:05.43; 5. WVW Desiree Sheppard 2:05.97; 6. WILL Hannah Sheppard 2:09.41; 7. HAZ Donti Matrone 2:09.48; 8. WVW Nicole Chipego 2:12.90; 9. HAZ Ayla Triano 2:15.47; 10. DV Allison Reibel 2:16.03; 11. WILL Rebecca Hepler 2:17.77; 12. DV Jessia Keveson 2:18.55; 13. SCR Natalie Bennington 2:19.58; 14. SCR Rebecca Voldenberg 2:21.44; 15. DV Yakira Mirabito 2:22.13; 16. WILL Madison Fink 2:22.34; 17. HAZ Nikki Esbensen 2:51.27 200 IM – 1. WALL Baileigh Vanderhoof 2:13.10; 2. HAZ Shelby Sanko 2:19.65; 3. DV Stephanie Marcucci 2:22.97; 4. WILL Natalie Zicolello 2:27.33; 5. HAZ Katelynn Pleban 2:27.74; 6.

WVW Brianna Gaylets 2:28.11; 7. WILL Megan Hepler 2:31.54; 8. WALL Katherine Lutfy 2:32.38; 9. DV Noel Vellekamp 2:32.38; 10. WVW Elizabeth Wood 2:35.45; 11. DV Alexandra DeVilliers 2:36.36; 12. WALL Catherine Hepler 2:37.63; 13. DV Tessa’N Walters 2:38.13; 14. HAZ Rachel Dzuranin 2:38.68; 15. WVW Sarah Stanitis 2:41.54; 16. HAZ Mikayla Begg 2:45.16; 17. WVW Hannah Rogers 2:48.48 50 FREE – 1. HAZ Hailey Kendall 25.29; 2. DV Aspen Narvarte 25.68; 3. WVW Lydia Ellsworth 26.16; 4. HAZ Morgan O’Hara 26.19; 5. WILL Kristina Reis 26.70; 6. DV Paula Munera 27.14; 7. WALL Jolene Drum 27.50; 8. DV Krista Cabany 27.66; 9. DV Jessica Keveson 27.76; 10. WALL Annalyn Hehir 28.43; 11. SCR Andrea Molitoris 29.34; 12. WILL Allison Rothrock 29.35; 13. WILL Allie Lavelle-Harris 29.36; 14. HAZ Candace Ferrari 29.41; 15. WVW Clare Winton 29.66; 16.

WALL Alexa MNihalik 30.85; 17. WALL Olivia Couthamel 32.09; 18. WVW Nicole Holena 32.24; 19. HAZ Emily Kurchock 33.00; 20. WVW Caitlin Prebish 34.87 100 FLY – 1. WVW Morgan Hanadel 58.86; 2.

HAZ Felicia Grego 59.84; 3. HAZ Rebecca Yannes 1:01.31; 4. DV Amanda Hutzelmann 1:03.91; 5.

SCR Elizabeth Babinski 1:04.12; 6. WVW Lydia Ellsworth 1:04.56; 7. DV Paula Munera 1:05.46; 8. DV Noel Vellekamp 1:05.87; 9. WILL Natalie Zicolello 1:07.69; 10. WALL Sadie Hawkins 1:11.58; 11. WALL Annalyn Hehir 1:12.17; 12.

WILL Catherine Hepler 1:12.45; 13. DV Krista Cabany 1:13.22; 14. HAZ Rache Dzuranin 1:16.63; 15. WVW Emily Greskewicz 1:30.46; 16. WVW Caitlijn Prebish 1:31.84 200 FREE RELAY – 1. WVW (Holena, Ellsworth, Plant, Hanadel) 1:43.16; 2. HAZ (Grego, Podlesny, O’Hara, Matrone) 1:44.00; 3. SCR (Belles, Babinski, Paszek, Kazmierczak) 1:46.50; 4. WILL (Reis, Drum, Hepler, Niditch) 1:47.81; 5.

DV (Munera, Brandt, Cabany, Vellekamp) 1:50.14;

6. WALL (B. Vanderhoof, Lutfy, Hehir, K. Vanderhoof) 1:50.59

Boys Results

TEAM STANDINGS – Delaware Valley (DV) 166; 2. Hazleton Area (HAZ) 147; 3. Wyoming Valley West (WVW) 137; 4. Williamsport (WILL) 128; T-5. Scranton (SCR) 78; T-5 Wallenpaupack (WALL) 78 200 MEDLEY RELAY – 1. HAZ (Paisley, Valkusky, Farley, Kovac) 1:40.48; 2. WALL (K. Usbeck, E. Usbeck, Keane, Denniston) 1:43.66; 3. WILL (Schwoyer, Smith, Hillman, Pellegrinio), 1:44.79; 4. DV (Leili, Prudhoe, Wihlborg, Riexinger) 1:46.12; 5. SCR (Jimcosky, Santorsa, Myers, Babinski), 1:51.94; 6. WVW (McGlynn, McQueen, Guarilia, Greenwald) 1:53.89 200 FREE – 1. HAZ Jeff Hicks 1:49.62; 2.

WVW Robert Jacobs 1:52.46; 3. WILL John Good 1:53.78; 4. SCR Alex Hoban 1:54.29; 5. WVW Andrew Greenwald 1:54.850; 6. WILL Chet Schwoyer 1:55.47; 7. SCR Aaron Grier 1:56.56; 8. DV Evan Gutman 1:58.54; 8. DV Jonathan Ramirez 1:59.11; 10. SCR Cody Jimcosky 1:59.81; 11. WILL Mitchell Smith 2:01.54; 12. WILL Nate Kendal 2:03.62; 13. HAZ Tyler Palma 2:03.97; 14. SCR William Craven 2:05.26; 15. DV Jamil Mirabito 2:08.69; 16. DV Alex McGinley 2:10.03; 17. WALL Chase Osborne 2:12.69; 18. HAZ Randy Pineda 2:21.15; 19. HAZ Hamlet Ventura 2:26.51 200 IM – 1. HAZ Tyler Farley 2:01.56; 2.

WVW Thomas Missal 2:02.55; 3. DV David Larson 2:05.20; 4. WILL Ryan Hartzell 2:12.27; 5.

DV Jonathan Leili 2:15.82; 6. DV Colin Naturale 2:16.02; 7. HAZ Kyle Steiner 2:19.83; 8. WVW Sean McQueen 2:20.60; 9. WILL Sam Williams 2:20.88; 10. HAZ Dakota Jespersen 2:24.39; 11.

WILL Jasper Van Dyck 2:24.64; 12. DV Anthony Makhnin 2:25.45; 13. WILL Dalton Shank 2:40.81 50 FREE – 1. WVW Ed Zawatski 21.01; 2.

HAZ Troy Valkusky 22.13; 3. DV Luke Riexinger 23.10; 4. DV Rian Fowler 23.26; 5. WALL Kyle Usbeck 23.28; 6. HAZ Edward Kovac 23.51; 7.

DV Brendan Panasiuk 23.54; 8. WILL Nick Pellegrinio 23.59; 9. SCR JP Myers 23.67; 10. WILL Bryan Kavanaugh 24.41; 11. HAZ Charles Dzuranin 24.56; 12. WALL Pat Keane 25.09; 13. WALL Chase Osborne 25.41; 14. WILL Jerod Barone 25.42; 15. HAZ Berny Pena 25.62; 16. DV Fox Wihlborg 25.86; 17. SCR Matt Babinski 25.89; 18.

WALL Donald Punger 26.60; 19. WILL Dylan Confair 27.04; 20. WVW Andrew Guarilia 28.38 100 FLY – 1. HAZ Ryan Paisley 53.02; 2. WVW Thomas Missal 53.32; 3. WALL Eric Usbeck 53.72; 4. WILL Shaun Smith 54.05; 5. DV Collin Deans 54.79; 6. WILL Scott Smith 55.93; 7. DV Sean Prudhoe 58.35; 8. WALL Nicholas Denniston 58.40; 9. SCR John Domenick 59.27; 10.

WILL Brett Kavanagh 59.70; 11. DV Brian Vaivada 1:01.61; 12. WVW Llyam McGlynn 1:01.68; 13.

WVW Sean McQueen 1:01.84; 14. WILL Ben Hillman 1:02.75; 15. HAZ Tyler Palma 1:04.32; 16. HAZ Andy Acosta 1:04.69; 17. DV Greg Giliberti 1:06.12; 18. WALL Donald Punger 1:08.72; 19.

HAZ Tyler Mintz 1:15.26 200 FREE RELAY – 1. WVW (Jacobs, Missal, Himlin, Zawatski) 1:29.21; 2. DV (Riexinger, Fowler, Larson, Deans) 1:30.03; 3. WALL (E. Usbeck, K. Usbeck, Osborne, Denniston) 1:34.17; 4. WILL (Schwoyer, Good, Kavanagh, Smith), 1:34.59; 5.

HAZ (Hicks, Acosta, Kovac, Steiner) 1:35.14; 6.

C MY K

CLASS 3A Continued from Page 1B

prove from there,” Krasavage said. “It was great (getting tested) I came here to wrestle… the harder the kids I have the better.”

Romanchik was in a similar situation against Southern Lehigh’s Adam Ziegler. The sophomore was in a close match in the first period as the two were countering moves back and forth. But Romanchik turned out to be too much eventually racking up back points for a 9-2 win after getting the initial takedown then turning his opponent for back points.

“I just got to stay focused just take it one match at a time.

Can’t look ahead because I got a tough kid ahead of me,” Romanchik said. “If I keep wrestling like I’m wrestling, no reason I can’t contend. Even be there for the final.”

Ritz, who was district runnerup , racked up a pair of victories in which he allowed just two points to each opponent. Like Monk and Romanchik he will see the top seed in his bracket to attempt to reach the regional finals, slated for 6:30 tonight and a berth in the state tournament, which starts Thursday at Giant Center in Hershey.

After wrestling for the WVC and District 2 titles, Hammerstone and Laubach could be on another collision course. Both looked good in their respective matches on Friday. Top-seeded Hammerstone, who handed Laubach his first loss of the season in the district final, defeated Parkland’s Michael Marano 5-3 and will see Easton’s Kyler Kilpatrick in the semis.

Laubach, who used a pin in 1:57 and a major decision, to advance, will face Southern Lehigh’s Matt Mirth in the bracket’s final four.

Mirth needed to hold down Valley West’s Cody Cordes in the ultimate tiebreaker overtime period to pull out a 4-3 victory.

“I got hungrier. The monkey’s off my back. It’s time to go

get it.” said Laubach on his approach after being hit with his first loss last weekend. “It’s nice to have the motivation for this because this is a tournament that means more.”

Class 3A Northeast Regional Tournament at Liberty H.S., Bethlehem Team Scores: 1. Parkland (Park) 49; 2.

Easton (East) 47.5; 3. Nazareth (Naz) 32; 4.

Northampton (North) 24.5; 5. Wyoming Valley West (WVW) 23.5; 6. Father Judge (FJ) 22; 7.

Delaware Valley DV) 21.5; 8. Sroudsburg (Str) 20; 9. Freedom (Free) 19.5; 10. Liberty (Lib) 15; 11. LaSalle (LS), Pottsville (Potts) 14; 13.

Pocono Mountain East (PME) 13.5; 14. Coughlin (Cou), Southern Lehigh (SL) 13; 16. Dallas (Dal) 11; 17. Crestwood (Cre) 10; Emmaus (Emm) 10, Hazleton Area (Haz) 10, Pleasant Valley (PV) 10, St. Joseph’s (SJ) 10; 22. Berwick (Ber) 9; 23.

Blue Mountain (BM) 8.5; 24. Abington Heights (AH), Northeast (NE), Wallenpaupack (Wall) 8; 27. Honesdale (Hon) 7.5; 28. East Stroudsburg South (ESS), West Scranton (WS) 7; 30. Bangor (Bang), Dieruff (Dier), Whitehall (White) 6; 33.

Mastery Charter (MC) 5, 34. Roman Catholic (RC), Scranton (Scr), Valley View (4); 37.

Monsignor Bonner (MB) 3.5; 38. Archbishop Wood (AW), Mariana Bracetti (MB), Tunkhannock (Tun) 2; 41. Central (Cen), Olney (Olney), Washington (Wash) 1; 44. Cardinal O’Hara (COH), Frankford (Frank), Franklin Towne (FT), Lincoln (Linc), Martin Luther King (MLK), Pittston Area (PA), Pocono Mountain West (PMW), William Allen (WA) Preliminaries 106 – James Wright (WVW) pinned Zach Robles (Cen) 3:13; Dylan Brown (Free) pinned Sean Lyons (SJ) 4:42; Jake Jones (Str) dec Richie Koslower (DV) 5-0; Tim McCall (FJ) pinned Nick Yankoski (Cou) 1:55; Michael Scheetz (North) pinned Ahmad Ibrahim (NE) :22; Jacob Lizak (Park) pinned John Fasti (AW) 1:16 113 – Bobby Hawkins (Cou) maj dec Mike Maloney (COH) 15-3; Todd Hetrick (North) maj dec Sal Anderson (LS) 17-3; Luke Gardner (Potts) dec Jake Lang (DV) 8-4; Chad Haegele (AW) dec Greg Pascale (AH) 7-2; Kenny Yanovich (PV) pinned Jonathan Guevara (Cen) 1:00; Evan Fidelibus (East) pinned Adam White (FJ) 3:05 120 – Albert Le (RC) dec Jimmy Fayocavitz (AH) 10-8; James Felipa (PV) dec Kyle Mallon (MB) 5-3; Chase Gallick (Wall) dec Anthony Parsi (East) 13-7; P.J. Testino (DV) dec Pat McGinley (LS) 1-0; Zach Valley (North) pinned Larry Lewis (Cen) 1:48; Tyler Tarsi (Naz) tech fall Tyler Sloan (Linc) 16-0, 2:43 126 – Billy Poray (Cou) maj dec Walter Shaw (Cen) 14-0; Adam Ziegler (SL) pinned Tyler Oliver (COH) 1:49; Larry Romanchik (Haz) pinned Christian Gosch (BM) 4:41; Evan Kennedy (Hon) pinned Andrew McLaren (LS) 3:49; Chase Zemenak (Naz) dec Vince Manzi (FJ) 9-2; James Saylor (East) pinned Carlos JoaquinMartinez (Linc) 3:28 132 – Travis Roper (WVW) pinned Jim Lux (Wash) 1:14; David White (FJ) dec Jacob Younger (Emm) 9-7; Dan Ritz (Cre) dec Garrett Gouger (PV) 7-2; Greg Konieczy (LS) pinned Tyler Barress (WS) 2:32; Ian Evans (Park) forfeit Ameen Smith (Olney); Maron Byrne (ESS) dec Connor Mauriello (SJ) 7-1 138 – Nathan Cheek (WVW) pinned Sage Karam (Naz) 4:45; Nick Senuk (AH) dec Connor Waite (SJ) 5-2; Charles Sell (Bang) pinned Ronald Palmer (MB) :28; Cole Franklin (EMM) pinned Frank Carrozza (DV) 5:40; Kyle Baker (East) pinned Andre Butts (NE) :14; Chris Lovallo (Scr) pinned Hashim Abdulrasool (Linc) 1:12 145 – Michael Marano (Park) dec Ryan Keifer (MB) 6-0; Matthew Carr (AH) maj dec Davon Clark (NE) 14-1; Kyler Kilpatrick (East) pinned Ryan Shane (FT) 1:17; Ardis Smith (Lib) dec Bob Endy (SJ) 6-5; Kevin Laubach (Ber) pinned Jansen Grabowski (Emm) 1:57; Cody Cordes (WVW) tech fall Joe Sullivan (LS) 16-0 3:31 152 – Ben Siegel (Tun) dec Ryan Robert (FT) 11-5; Vickson Krah (FJ) dec Gordon Daichendt (EMM) 9-2; Billy Hoh (Park) dec Derrick Simms (WVW) 10-7; Joe DePhillipo (MB) tech fall Zach Macosky (Dal) 16-0, 3:45; Dyvon Gibson (East) dec Hakim Coles (NE) 12-8; John Jakobsen (Str) pinned Kolby Stein (LS) :59 160 – Kevin Leyland (RC) dec Dalton Ray (Tun) 7-4; Nathan Christman (Park) dec Declan Haggerty (WS) 3-1; Jamal Powell (dec Adam Rusek (SL) 9-4; Lucas Markowitz (DV) maj dec

S P O R T S Tyler Keller (FT) 9-1; Bobby Fehr (north) maj dec Joe D’Imperio (FJ) 12-4; Matthew Bonshak( white) pinned Mike Cipilewski (VV) 3:23 170 – Tom Johnson (SJ) dec Dan Favaro (DV) 7-6; Jake Young (Free) pinned Ibragim Ibrgimov (Wash) 5:59; Zach Smith (Hon) tech fall Dennis Rivas (Dier) 17-1, 3:44; Will Masteller (Ber) dec Idris White (FJ) 11-5; Nicolino Sevi (Naz) pinned Victor Prez (Olney) 1:36; Mitch Myers (BM) tech fall Dwayne Cooley (NE) 16-0, 1:44 182 – Connor Martinez (Dal) pinned Joe Love (MB) 5:58; James Palmisano (Str) pinned Kemran Fayikov (NE) 5:59; Jared Wehemann (Wall) maj dec Connor Williams (Naz) 11-3; Anthony Piscopo (LS) pinned Dylan Crusen (Scr) 5:10; Tyler Greene (East) tech fall Eldar Karmiev (Wash) 17-2; Shawn Cicero (Potts) pinned Wilfredo Cruz (Olney) 3:56 195 – Taylor Schermerhorn (Haz) pinned Jim Galasso (FJ) 2:21; John Callahan (Free) pinned Frankell Mack (MC) 5:49; Troy Uhrin (VV) dec Jason Kocher (North) 1-0; Ty Robinson (Cre) dec Luis Ortiz (NE) 10-3; Omar Haddad (Park) pinned Darnell Moore (MLK) 3:50; Patrick Pierson (East) pinned Ryan Hoffman (COH) 3:48 220 – Darius Barnhardt (MC) pinned Myles Robbins (Scr) 1:35; Stanley Burke (Potts) dec Sam Reid (Cen) 7-6; Ian Moran (WVW) dec Imad Azar (North) 4-3; Jason Manning (WS) dec Antonio Pelusi (LS) 4-3;Jake Gunning (Lib) pinned Valen Jaramillo (RC) 1:34; Shaun Heist (Park) pinned Eric Trainer (COH) 1:02 285 – Kamron Van Wert (Scr) dec Stephane Eugene (Wash) 9-3; Jeremy Candelario (PME) pinned Jonathan Walsh (Olney) 7:14; Ryan Monk (Dal) dec Brandon Vigo (WA) 4-1; Paul Johnson (SJ) pinned Calvin Kreiter (Wall) 2:20; Cody Cooper (Str) pinned Tim Coyle (COH) :51; Daulton Romano (SL) pinned Joshua Gordon (Cen) 3:24 Quarterfinals 106 – Klump (Naz) pinned Wright (WVW) 2:21; Jones (Str) dec Brown (Free) 5-2; Scheetz (North) maj dec McCall (FJ) 13-4; Lizak (Park) pinned Forsette (WS) 1:04 113 – Lizak (Park) pinned Hawkins (Cou) 3:36; Hetrick (North) dec Gardner (Potts) 9-6; Yanovich (PV) dec Haegele (AW) 9-2; Fidelibus (East) maj dec DeGraba (Dal) 8-0 120 – Gonzalez (Lib) pinned Le (RC) 1:58; Felipa (PV) dec Gallick (Wall) 5-3; Valley (North) tech fall Testino (DV) 18-2, 2:59; Tarsi (Naz) tech fall Lutecki (PA) 18-2, 3:48 126 – Ems (ESS) maj dec Poray (cou) 12-3; Romanchik (Haz) dec Ziegler (SL) 9-2; Zemanek (Naz) pinned Kennedy (Hon) 3:04; Krasavage (WVW) maj dec Saylor (East) 17-8 132 –Rizzolino (East) dec Roper (WVW) 11-4; Ritz (Cre) dec White (FJ) 8-2; Evans (Park) dec Konieczny (LS) 5-4; Palmer (DV) dec Byrne (ESS) 11-10 138 – Galasso (FJ) pinned Cheek (WVW) 1:24; Sell (Bang) dec Senuk (AH) 4-1; Franklin (Emm) dec Baker (East) 6-0; Ortman (Park)maj dec Lovallo (Scr) 21-9 145 – Matt Hammerstone (Cre) dec Marano (Park) 5-3; Kilpatrick (East) dec Carr (AH) 3-2; Laubach (Ber) maj dec Smith (Lib) 12-3; Mirth (SL) dec Cordes (WVW) 4-3, UTB 152 – Nicosia (PME) tech fall Siegel (Tun) 4:19, 16-1; Krah (FJ) dec Hoh (Park) 12-10 OT; Gibson (East) pinned DePhillipo (MB) 5:55; Jakobsen (Str) dec Lussi (PA) 9-8 160 – DiSora (East) pinned Leyland (RC) 3:56; Powell (NE) dec Christman (Park) 6-4; Fehr (North) dec Markowitz (DV) 11-5; Bonshak (White) dec Ezzo (LS) 6-3 170 – Fogle (PME) dec Johnson (SJ) 6-3; Young (Free) dec Smith (hon) 6-1, OT; Sevi (Naz) dec Masteller (Ber) 7-2; Myers (BM) dec McNally (Scr) 4-2 182 – Haddad (Park) pinned Martinez (Dal) 1:50; Palmisano (Str) dec Wehrmann (Wall) 5-4; Greene (East) maj dec Piscopo 11-2; Cicero (Pots) pinned Strenk (DV) 5:56 195 – Reyes (Dier) maj dec Schermerhorn (Haz) 13-3; Uhrin (VV) dec Callahan (Free) 3-2; Haddad (Park) pinned Robinson (Cre) 4:53; Wagner (DV) dec Pierson (East) 8-7, OT 220 – Evan Kaufmann (Free) tech fall Barnhardt (MC) 15-0, 1:51; Burke (Potts) dec Moran (WVW) 10-5; Gunning (Lib) maj dec Manning (WS) 11-0; Jack Fagan (DV) dec Heist (Park) 6-4 285 – Aaron Bradley (Naz) pinned Van Wert (WS) :51; Monk (Dal) pinned Candelario (PME) 3:12; Johnson (SJ) pinned Cooper (Str) 3:31; Brad Emerick (Cou) pinned Romano (SL) :46

www.timesleader.com TIMES LEADER

NBA

Anthony’s 30 points help Knicks beat Wizards The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Even if the New York Knicks were looking ahead to their game against the Miami Heat, Carmelo Anthony made sure his team still picked up a victory over the Washington Wizards along the way.

Anthony scored 30 points, Raymond Felton added 23, J.R. Smith chipped in with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and some strong defense allowed the Knicks to beat the Wizards 96-88 Friday night.

Rookie Bradley Beal led the Wizards with a career-high 29 points, falling just short of giving the team its first 30-point performance this season. But after his 3-pointer with about 4 minutes left pulled Washington within 87-86, the Knicks held the Wizards without a field goal the rest of the way.

Rockets 118, Magic 110

ORLANDO, Fla. — James Harden had 24 points, and Chandler Parsons and Carlos

Delfino added 21 apiece as the Houston Rockets rallied in the fourth quarter for a victory over the Orlando Magic.

Pacers 93, Raptors 81 TORONTO — Paul George had 22 points and 10 rebounds, David West had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors.

Celtics 94, Warriors 86 BOSTON — Paul Pierce had 26 points, Jeff Green scored 14 of his 18 in the second half and Boston Celtics overcame foul trouble and some erratic freethrow shooting to beat Golden State.

Mavericks 98, Nets 90 NEW YORK — Dirk Nowitzki and former Nets guard Vince Carter each scored 20 points, and Dallas avoided another late collapse.

Hornets 100, Pistons 95 NEW ORLEANS — Greivis Vasquez capped a 25-point, nine-assist performance by hitting a running floater off the

backboard with 12 seconds left, and New Orleans snapped a two-game skid.

Clippers 105, Cavaliers 89 CLEVELAND — Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, making a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Chris Paul had 15 assists as the Clippers ran away in the final period for their first win in Cleveland since 2002.

Spurs 103, Kings 102 SAN ANTONIO — DeJuan Blair scored 16 points off the bench to pace eight players in double figures, and San Antonio overcame the loss of Tony Parker to beat Sacramento.

950

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570-239-3887

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LINEUP ASUCCESSFULSALE INCLASSIFIED! Doyouneedmorespace?

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Experience Necessary. Join Our Winning Team!

Call or Email: Lester Knight 570-343-1221 Email: Lknight@ tomhesser.com Tom Hesser BMW Scranton

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803942

PAGE 6B SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

Doyouneedmorespace?

A yard or garage sale in classified is the best way tocleanoutyourclosets!

You’re in bussiness with classified!

LAFAYETTE GARDENS

WYOMING

575 Susquehanna Avenue

SAVE MONEY THIS YEAR! 113 Edison Street Quiet neighborhood.

2 bedroom apartments available for immediate occupancy. Heat & hot water included.

1 Bedroom $550 2 Bedroom $650.

Call Jazmin

944

FOR SALE BY OWNER NEVER

FLOODED 4 bedroom, 2 full bath in a great neighborhood.

New windows entire home, finished lower level, detached garage, 4 season sunroom. Master suite has new full bath and large walk in closet.

New above ground pool with deck. Must see!

PRICED TO SELL $179,000 570-885-6848

LINE UP A GREAT DEAL...

IN CLASSIFIED!

Looking for the right deal on an automobile?

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570-829-7130

Commercial Properties

COMMERCIAL RETAIL PROPERTY FOR RENT: 900 Sq. Ft. STORE RETAIL SPACE Will be vacant as of January 1, 2013 200 Spring St. Wilkes-Barre Great for a Barber Shop!

Call Michael at 570-239-7213

950

MOUNTAIN TOP/DRUMS S S ANDS

PRINGS

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Room with private bath. Kitchen, deck, washer/dryer.

410-707-7473

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3 bedrooms. Newly remodeled with yard & large patio.

Washer & dryer hookup, wall to wall carpeting, Wood flooring in the living room and dining room. $600/ month & deposit required.

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Call 829-7130 to place an ad.

ONLY ONL NLY ONE N LEADER. LEA L LE E DER D . timesleader.com

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THE TIMES LEADER

IN BRIEF Best Buy narrows losses

Best Buy Co. lost less money in the fourth quarter as efforts by new CEO Hubert Joly to make the company more efficient showed glimmers of paying off.

The struggling electronics chain also said Friday that it did not receive a buyout bid from its co-founder Richard Schulze by the deadline Thursday, ending one question mark that had been hovering over the Minneapolis company.

The retailer’s fourth-quarter results beat expectations, but Best Buy gave a cautious outlook on the first quarter because it is ramping up investments and the timing of some sales has changed from last year.

Best Buy has cut jobs, invested in training employees and started matching online prices.

U.S. revenue in stores open at least 14 months rose 0.9 percent, the best performance in 11 quarters, Joly pointed out in an interview with The Associated Press.

Construction spending dips

Spending on U.S. construction projects fell in January by the largest amount in 18 months as home construction stalled and spending on government projects fell to the lowest level in more than six years.

The dip was viewed as a temporary setback with construction expected to keep moving higher this year.

Construction spending fell 2.1 percent in January compared with December, when spending had risen 1.1 percent. It was the biggest one-month decline since July 2011, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Residential construction stalled in January with no gain in activity following a 1.7 percent rise in December.

USAID embezzler sentenced

A former contractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for embezzling more than $1 million from a program to address global health problems like AIDS. Mark Adams received a 51-month sentence, and his wife, Latasha Bell, received five years of probation, with the first six months to be served under home confinement. Both had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud last year.

The couple, of Fort Washington, Md., admitted to using the money to renovate their home and purchase a luxury car.

GAS PRICES Average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline: YESTERDAY MONTH AGO YEAR AGO

$3.79

$3.65

PA G E 7 B

$3.77

RECORD

$4.06 7/17/08

Source: AAA report for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton area

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

Bank the high bidder for Snö

By ANDREW M. SEDER aseder@timesleader.com

The future of Snö Mountain is in the hands of a Berks County bank, which had been the cash-strapped resort’s largest creditor. And though one of the resort’s main competitors was not the bigh bidder, it doesn’t mean it’s out of the picture.

During a four-hour auction Thursday in Philadelphia, three bids were made for the 30-year-old ski resort, the 440acre property it sits on and all its assets including Snö Cove water park.

The runner-up bid was made by Montage Mountain Resort LP, which involves some of the mountain’s current owners and “some new money,” said Gary F. Seitz, a Philadelphia attorney whom the court appointed as trustee to oversee the ski mountain and water park.

Montage Mountain Resort LP offered $3.5 million to start and increased its bid to $4.5 million. It fell short of the winning bid made by DFM Realty, an affiliate of National Penn Bank, of Boyertown, which bid $4.6 million.

In an email, Catharine Bower, a spokeswoman for National Penn Bank, declined to comment on what the bank has planned for the property. It could cease operations, put it up for sale on its own or continue to operate the amenities.

Federal Judge Jean FitzSimon still needs to sign off on the auction result; a court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia.

Seitz, who has been a court-appointed operator after Snö Mountain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October after piling up $24.2 million in debt, said that more than a dozen

potential bidders were involved in the process but ultimately only three made bids.

The lowest bid came from CBH20, a group backed by Arthur Berry III, the owner of Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, Monroe County.

Seitz said he was surprised that group opened with a $1 million bid and never raised it.

Once the dust settles, Camelback could reach out to the bank to once again express an interest in owning the property.

A message left with Berry was not returned Friday.

Seitz said he received approval from the bank on Thursday to keep the resort open through the current ski season, which typically concludes at the end of March. What will happen with Snö Cove this summer, however, isn’t as clear, Seitz added.

Auto sales up despite gas cost, politics

By DEE-ANN DURBIN and TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writers

DETROIT — Americans want new cars and trucks, and they’re not going to let higher gas prices or political dysfunction in Washington stand in their way.

General Motors, Toyota, Ford and most other automakers posted at least modest sales gains for February. Industry analysts estimate last month’s sales rose about 7 percent from a year earlier as pent-up demand and cheap financing kept the U.S. auto sales recovery powering along.

GM sales rose 7 percent, while Ford’s increased 9 percent. Chrysler and Volkswagen also reported increases, but both slowed from the torrid pace of the past two years. Chrysler sales were up 4 percent over a year earlier, while VW sales were up 3 percent. Toyota sales were up just over 4 percent, while Hyundai posted a 2 percent gain.

Of the major automakers, Nissan and Honda were down. Nissan sales were off almost 7 percent from a record February of 2012, while Honda blamed its 2 percent drop on the winter snowstorm in the Northeast.

Auto industry analysts say that higher Social Security taxes, rising gas prices and looming government spending cuts failed to keep buyers away from showrooms.

“I think these little speed bumps aren’t big enough to slow down the momentum right now,” said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive, an industry consulting firm.

That momentum comes from a number of factors, including the need to replace aging cars and trucks, historically low interest rates and steady improvement in hiring and hourly pay.

But while sales for 2013 are expected

AP PHOTO

Meredith Havens looks at Volkswagens recently at a dealership in Richardson, Texas. Industry analysts saw improved vehicle sales in February.

to top last year’s figures, monthly increases are likely to be smaller than the double-digit gains the industry has regularly posted as sales recovered from historic lows following the recession.

Still, GM’s sales were the best since February 2008, led by the Chevrolet Silverado pickup with an increase of 29 percent. Kurt McNeil, the company’s U.S. sales chief, said the recovery in new home construction is helping to boost the economy and pickup sales.

When home construction thrives, businesses tend to invest more to replace vehicles. The average age of a U.S. pick-

up truck is just over 11 years.

Ford also reported strong sales of its F-Series pickups, up 15 percent. The company also posted record February totals for the Escape SUV and Fusion sedan. Fusion sales were up 28 percent and Escape sales rose 29 percent. Together, the Escape and Fusion made up more than a quarter of Ford’s monthly sales.

Ford also said it plans to increase North American production by 9 percent in the second quarter compared with the second quarter of 2012.

Workplace bullying pushback

By SAM HANANEL Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Margaret Fiester is no shrinking violet, but she says working for her former boss was a nightmare.

“One day I didn’t do something right and she actually laid her hands on me and got up in my face and started yelling, ‘Why did you do that?’” said Fiester, who worked as a legal assistant for an attorney.

Fiester doesn’t have to worry about those tirades anymore, but she hearssimilar stories in her current role as operations manager at the Society for Human Resource Management, where she often fields questions about the issue of workplace bullying.

On-the-job bullying can take many forms, from a supervisor’s verbal abuse and threats to cruel comments or relentless teasing by a co-worker. And it could become the next major battleground in employment law as a states consider legislation that would let workers sue for harassment that causes physical or emotional harm.

“I believe this is the new claim that employers will deal with.

This will replace sexual harassment,” said Sharon Parella, a management-side employment lawyer in New York.

Many companies already recognize workplace bullying as a problem that can sap morale, lead to increased employee turnover and even affect the bottom line.

One reason the issue has attracted more attention in recent years is that parents who deal with school bullying realize it can happen in the workplace, too.

More than a dozen states — including New York and Massachusetts — have considered anti-bullying laws in the past year that would allow litigants to pursue lost wages, benefits and medical expenses and compel employers to prevent an “abusive work environment.”

Business groups have strongly opposed the measures, arguing they would open the floodgates to frivolous lawsuits.

“We would look at a bill like this as overreaching,” said Marc Freedman, executive director of labor law policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He said the bill would punish an employer for acts of its employees that it may not be able to anticipate.

C MY K

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THE TIMES LEADER

SECTION C

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

Liven up that little bathroom

By LISA SCHMITZ The Kansas City Star

The Mulholland and Jubilee collections of Kelly Wearstler for Pickard tableware are displayed in Julie Falzett’s ‘overthemoon baby, home, dog’ in Scranton.

This table setting by John Mackey Designs of Scranton is based on Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’

It is a scaled-down version of what John Mackey created.

Trousdale mixes and matches with the Jubilee collections in this elegant arrangement by Kelly Wearstler for Pickard tableware.

Inspired eating

BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

A closer look at one of the place settings in John Mackey’s design for Dinner by Design.

Choosing the perfect ingredients to make that place setting special

By JOE SYLVESTER jsylvester@timesleader.com

Table settings are for more than just meals. They create atmosphere, even a story.

Nearly a dozen stories are on display this weekend at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, host of the third annual “Dinner by Design.”

Professional designers spent hours this week creating their exotic table settings in various rooms of the cultural center for all who come to indulge in the elegance. The event began Friday night and continues today and Sunday. Its purpose is to raise money for the center and the Lackawanna Historical Society.

Veteran designer John Mackey, one of the show’s founders, planned to transform the space in the Casey Library into dining elegance.

“We’re actually building a canopy over the table completely covered in flowers,” he said last week as he prepared for the show. “We’re doing a spin-off of Shakespeare, of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ “ In a description he wrote about the design, he says, “The play is set in a dreamlike world of the forest under the light of the moon, where fairies and woodland spirits come to life. My design draws on the deep, rich colors of the forest and the serenity of a night illuminated by the energy of its inhabitants.”

Mackey, who has been designing for 17 years and holds degrees in architecture, interior design and event planning, said he likes symmetry in table settings.

“Things don’t always have to be a match. I like when See EATING, Page 2C

IF YOU GO What: Dinner by Design, creative and exotic dinner settings set up by professional designers When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today; noon to 5 p.m.

Sunday Where: Scranton Cultural Center, 420 N. Washington Ave., Scranton Admission: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

More info: 344-1111 or www.scrantonculturalcenter.org

Folks, we spend a lot of time in the bathroom. A few simple steps help make a little bathroom seem light, large and clean.

Can lights or overhead lights are good for general illumination, but primping requires the proper lighting.

Vanity lighting should wash over your face evenly, providing a flattering glow. Sconces on either side of the mirror at eye level are best at eliminating unsightly shadows. Incandescent and halogen lamps on dimmers allow for low-level mood lights or bright levels for makeup or shaving.

A window in the shower?

Looking out at treetops while showering is a great way to start the day. Higher windows help avoid splashing, but steam and moisture are Vanity lightenemies to ing should wood. Many new extreme- wash over ly waterproof your face paints are evenly, available to providing a protect woodflattering work. For privacy, instead glow. of fussy lightblocking shades or curtains, insert a textured glass panel or apply frosted privacy adhesive film (Gila brand). It will last quite a while and can be easily and cheaply replaced after a few years.

Shower space sharing a standard 5-foot tub is much less expensive than a longer bathtub. A tiled ledge can fill in a larger bathroom width while opening a shower area.

A ledge leaves room for sitting, shower products, towels or propping up a leg for shaving.

A glass shower enclosure can open up a space and expose accent tile. Tinted penny tiles can add a punch of color and texture. Tiny tiles are perfect for walls where the large amount of grout does not get as dirty as it would on the floor.

Kids can be really messy, especially little boys. Cleaning up splashes is easy with tiled walls around the toilet and shower. Adjacent vanity surfaces are protected, too.

By shrouding a cabinet with a solid surface (Corian), you can create a seamless surface from sides to sink. Just wipe it clean.

Add a hue of blue to your decor this spring

By KIM COOK Associated Press

Bringing new colors into our homes can help refresh and recalibrate our spirits. This spring, blues may be just the tonic we need.

Many color marketing and manufacturing groups have named some version of blue among their 2013 colors of the year. AzkoNobel likes indigo; Pantone’s top palette includes Monaco Blue, a mix of royal and navy; Color Marketing Group chose mid-range blues. That means that lots of home retailers will be singing the blues this spring, in a good

way.

Blues range from energetic to restful.

They can call to mind the graduated blues of the sky or those of the oceans, rivers and lagoons.

Blues play well with most colors, textures and room styles.

Rustic woven elements bring indigo home with a traditional, often global sensibility. Canadian designer Windsor Shaw pairs indigo silk drapes with a jute rug, for example. Sleek lacquerware and silver accessories take blue into smart city-modern territory.

Blue and white is a combination

with lots of possibilities. Sara Peterson, HGTV Magazine’s editor in chief, says, “We love soft blue-grays in master bedrooms, with white linens and dark wood furniture. Light blue is really pretty on painted kitchen cabinets with white countertops. In a kid’s room, cobalt blue is fun when paired with painted white furniture and bursts of bright accent colors, like fuchsia or lime green.”

RH Baby and Child has a reversible navy and natural braided wool rug, while Restoration Hardware offers Ben Soleimani’s heathered navy pinstripe rug; both would be great bases for other

navy touches in a room. (www.rhbabyandchild.com ; www.rh.com ) Crate & Barrel and CB2 have some peppy peacock-blue pieces in the spring collections. The latter has the low-slung Avec sofa, skinny John floor lamp, and the Yolo flat-weave rug in a fresh, fun peacock and white circle print. (www. crateandbarrel.com ) At C&B there’s the little Willa wooden chair in perky peacock, and the Kruger patio side table and stool come in a deep ultramarine called Harbor Blue. (www.

See BLUES, Page 2C

C MY K F E A T U R E S

PAGE 2C SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013

www.timesleader.com TIMES LEADER

eating

COOL DIGS

Continued from Page 1C

AP ILLUSTRATIONS

A three-bedroom-plus, two-and-a-half-bath Grand Style home with a two-story entryway.

To build this house, order a complete set of construction documents at www.houseoftheweek.com or call toll free (866) 772-1013 and reference the plan number.

BLUES Continued from Page 1C

cb2.com ) This spring, Target’s Threshold collection includes an array of landscape blues, focusing on one in particular.

“As we traveled through Europe and Asia on our trend trips, teal started to become more prominent,” says Julie Guggemos, vice president of product development.

Target’s spring collection includes an ikat print shower curtain, a floral door mat and

HMAFAPW00734 DETAILS: Bedrooms: 3+ Baths: 2 full, 1 half Upper floor: 671 sq. ft.

Main floor: 2,137 sq. ft.

a ceramic lamp in teal. ( www. target.com ) Indigo, an inky shade often found in dyed textiles, works with a variety of interior styles.

It anchors neutrals less harshly than black, and it’s a sophisticated counterpoint to bright colors or pastels.

Homegoods has well-priced, indigo printed upholstered chairs, fabric-covered storage boxes and ikat patterned towels. (www.homegoods.com ) Deep water or blueberries come to mind with Monaco Blue. It pops against many of the season’s more playful shades, such as nectarine, pea

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Total Living Area: 2,808 sq. ft.

Garage: 620 sq. ft.

Dimensions: 75-6 x 62-6 Exterior Wall Framing: 2x6

green, violet, poppy red and lemony yellow.

Turquoise, which held sway over much of 2012’s color story, stays strong into spring. The color’s pretty, yet carries an edge. Modern décor looks great in turquoise: Ikea’s Klippan sofa comes in a version that will have you thinking of the tropics. Go with that vibe by pairing it with textural white and cream acces-

sories evoking sandy beaches, nubby shells and palm bark. (www.ikea.com ) Safavieh offers the Paris ceramic table lamp in a gentle light blue or the more emphatic navy. An upholstered ottoman in powder or ink would be a chic addition. (www.safaviehhome. com )

171 RACE ST., W-B (Off Hanover Street) 825-9166 Website www.grumposwarehouse.com

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strive for a captive appearance at all events,” he said.

Julie Falzett, owner of “overthemoon baby, home, dog” in Scranton, in business since Oct. 1, is another first-time participant.

“The theme of her tablescape is ‘Just Married,’ and it will showcase an intimate table for two and a table for their ringbearer and the flower girl,” said Falzett’s mother, Anne Falzett, who works at the gift shop and bridal registry and serves on the cultural-center board. “That (latter table) will kind of focus on or showcase some of the children’s things she has in the show. The other will showcase china, crystal.”

She said interior designer Kelly Wearstler’s collection for Pickard China was the inspiration for the Just Married tablescape.

“She uses a kind of neutral pallete mixed with metallic,” Falzett said.

She hoped people will come to see the four floors of tablesetting designs in the cultural center. The event benefits two good organizations, said Sweeney, whose late husband, Alan Sweeney, was a longtime president of the historical society.

“It promotes local business as well,” she added.

Rachael Fronduti, the cultural center’s public relations and marketing coordinator, said 11 designers and their assistants were signed up to fill the four floors with their designs. The show raised more than $10,000 last year, which the center and historical society shared, she said.

“We split it after expenses,” Fronduti said.

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If the first impression is what counts the most, this home, Plan HMAFAPW00734 from Homeplans.com, makes it in grand style.

The design covers 2,808 square feet on two levels.

Soaring entertaining spaces make it seem larger than it is.

The two-story entryway and double doors to the foyer lead inside, where the view extends straight back through the living room to the rear lanai. Formal living areas grab your attention both here and in the semi-enclosed dining room.

The family room, complete with a fireplace, offers open access to the kitchen and breakfast nook. There’s seating for three at the angled island. The nearby “recipe corner” includes a built-in desk, the perfect place to charge your phone or tablet.

On the left side of the plan, the master suite opens to a private lanai with room for a hot tub. Other amenities in this luxurious haven include a whirlpool bath, separate shower and walk-in closet.

Nearby, the den could easily double as a nursery or craft room.

Two bedrooms, a full bath and a loft are located upstairs.

things do repeat; it keeps people together. …Whatever you’re doing on one end of the table you do on other.”

Judith Sweeney of Scranton, who is seeking a publisher for a book on “tablescapes” she did with her daughter Rachel, a photographer, is displaying a “tablescape” design for the second year at the cultural center. She did the spring-themed tablescape with her daughter as well.

“I realize how the idea of dinners and family are connected to child development,” said Sweeney, who is director of student teaching at Keystone College in LaPlume and a former kindergarten teacher.

Her book on tablescapes is intended to show how to use elements from the home to make the table a warmer and richer place.

“We put 12 months of tables together,” she said of the book.

Sweeney said she got involved with the show when she was asked to enter a table last year. Her goal is to make a tablescape inviting and warm.

People should look at it and say they’d love to eat off the table or become inspired to do their own table at home, she said.

“It’s just the idea of making it a place where people want to come and sit and share their conversations,” she said.

John Phillips of MCR Productions, Kingston, was looking forward to participating in the show for the first time.

“We look to create a modern atmosphere that is very NYC style,” he wrote in an email earlier this week. “The only hint that we will give away is that we base many things around light for our event.” The MCR design will be in Shopland Hall because it needed a lot of space.

A musician for many years who also has worked in the catering industry and production, he also credits his wife in the design work.

“When it comes to design, my wife and I are a team that feed off of each other’s creativity and

She hoped people will come to see the four floors of table-setting designs in the cultural center. The event benefits two good organizations, said Sweeney, whose late husband, Alan Sweeney, was a longtime president of the historical society.

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C MY K

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Conquest Cash is available on leases or purchases. Must trade any non-Toyota car, truck, van or SUV. See dealer for details. College grad and military rebates are not included. Prior sales excluded. With approved credit only. Some restrictions may apply. See dealer for details. Pictures may not represent actual units. Dealer not responsible for typographical errors. 2013 Impact Advertising 13TSS-NFC-WTL030213-PresidentsDayExtended

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SHAVERTOWN Ultra kitchen & beautiful updates throughout this 4BR New England Colonial in cul-de-sac with finished lower level. MLS# 12-3975 TRACY Z. 696-6674 or JOAN 696-0887 $289,000

WYOMING NEW LISTING Beautiful model of efficiency. New tile & granite kitchen, new tile baths in best high & dry location.

MLS# 13-546 DEANNA 696-0894 $159,750

FORTY FORT NEW LISTING Spectacular Mid-Century Masterpiece - Floor to ceiling glass, exposed stone walls, exceptionally crafted marble & wood, well placed atriums & skylights & stunning period fixtures highlight this 9000+SF, 1964 Ranch home. A remarkable free form, indoor pool, studio, dark room, office, tennis court & gardens on 2+acre property. MLS# 13-600 RHEA 696-6677 or MARGY 696-0891 $795,000

DALLAS NEW LISTING This gracious Traditional home w/bright spacious rooms has been renovated with flair. Stunning kitchen, marble Island on 4+acres. MLS# 13-511 RHEA 696-6677 $895,000

SHAVERTOWN REDUCED Woodbridge II - 2yrs old open floor plan. HW floors, FR w/2story FP, LL finished w/wet bar, movie theatre, exercise room. Breathtaking views.

Upgraded landscaping with 3 waterfalls.

MLS# 12-4215 GERI 696-0888 $599,000

LEHMAN 4BRs, 4 baths, stone-wood burning FP in LR, gas FP in kitchen. Computer nook off kitchen w/pantry. Sunroom or exercise rm off MBR w/sliding doors to balcony. 3 car garage. 2.8acres! Many upgrades. Minutes from Huntsville Golf Club. MLS# 12-2205 EMMA 714-9223 or RAE 714-9234 $575,000

SHAVERTOWN Windsor Farms - Fabulous home with 4 or 5BRs, 4 baths, cherry cabinetry with granite counters, 2 story great room w/floor to ceiling stone FP, generous room sizes. MLS# 13-305 MARY D. 696-0729 or RHEA 696-6677 $574,000

MOUNTAIN TOP Exquisite 4BR, 3 bath 2-story in Heritage Woods. Custom kitchen offers granite countertops & SS appliances, 9ft ceilings & HW on 1st floor. Office or 5th BR, FP in FR. Luxury Master Suite w/whirlpool bath.

MLS# 12-3889 DONNA S. 788-7504 $369,900

SHAVERTOWN Gorgeous almost new in “Slocum Estates” - This custom built home offers 4BRs, 4 baths, intricate mouldings throughout, HW floors, finished walk-out basement. MLS# 12-4092 GERI 696-0888 $499,000

MOUNTAINTOP Spectacular listing in Bow Creek Estates! Cherry kitchen, granite countertops, 4BRs, 4 baths, 3 car garage, finished lower level.

MLS# 13-228 CORINE 715-9331 $443,000

MOUNTAINTOP NEW LISTING Wonderful features in this 4BR home in lovely Greystone Manor! Flat lot on .77acres having berry bashes & walking trails nearby! MLS# 13-633 LISA 715-9335 $354,900

DALLAS NEW LISTING Inviting home in picturesque 2acre setting - Elegant yet comfortable - LR has soaring ceiling, beautiful walnut walls & stone FP - Handsome plank floors throughout - Cozy library, bright breakfast rm, huge screened porch, spacious BRs & in-door pool. MLS# 13-642 RHEA 696-6677 $345,000

MOUNTAINTOP STUNNING BRAND NEW MOVE-IN READY BI-LEVEL HOME IN GREAT LOCATION! FEATURES 3-4 BRs, HUGE LL FR, GRANITE COUNTERS, TILE & HW FLRS, 2.5 BATHS, MBR SUITE W/WALK IN CLOSET. SCREENED PORCH OVERLOOKS BACK YARD. ALL CONCRETE WALKS & DRIVEWAYS. LANDSCAPING & SEEDING COMPLETE. DON’T MISS THIS ONE! MLS# 12-3972 ANN LEWIS 714-9245 $265,000

MOUNTAIN TOP NEW LISTING Meticulously maintained 2-story located on Blue Ridge Trail Golf Course. Great for entertaining this spacious home features beautiful kitchen, updated baths, finished lower level, screened porch, pool. MLS# 13-631 CORINE 715-9331 $334,900

MOUNTAINTOP REDUCED Beautiful 4BR, 3 bath Split Level with vaulted ceilings, skylights, 2FPs. Kitchen has granite countertops & tile backsplash. LL FR w/FP & dry bar. Situated on a large lot w/inground pool & privacy fence. Great for entertaining! MLS# 12-4508 DEB R. 714-5802 $259,900

FORTY FORT Gracious 3BR, 3 bath Cape Cod. HW floors, crown molding, large eatin kitchen, large lot. Create family memories here! MLS# 12-2007 LESLIE 696-0841 $249,900

MOUNTAINTOP REDUCED Spacious 4BR, 2.5 bath, 2-story features tile kitchen & baths, DR, LR, FR, gas FP, 2 car garage. Must see. 1yr Home Warranty included. MLS# 12-4640 EVELYN 715-9336 $239,900

WYOMING NEW LISTING Spacious 4BR, 3 bath home w/modern kitchen & baths. Wyoming Area School District.

Bonus income from 2BR apartment over garage. Charming Gazebo. Large lot. MLS# 12-4131 LESLIE 696-0841 $229,000

SHAVERTOWN Lovely 2 story home with charm throughout. HW floors in LR & DR, built-in bookcases, gas FP, screened sun porch, detached garage.

MLS# 12-2144 SALLY 714-9233 $225,000

MOUNTAINTOP Brand new Twin w/’’walk-out’’ lower level in Woodberry Manor. Many upgrades: HW flrs on whole 1st flr & 2nd flr hall, 9ft. ceilings, granite kit. w/center island & stainless appl. 3BR, 2.5 tiled baths, composite deck, gas heat, C/A, a beautiful staircase to include crn molding & picture frame molding up to & incl. the 2nd flr. hall. Quality Hallmark Homes Construction! MLS# 13-59 LISA 715-9335 $222,500

HANOVER TWP. NEW LISTING Updated Ranch on corner lot - 3BRs, 1.5 bathsmain bath has whirlpool plus shower stall. Gorgeous updated kitchen w/Corian countertops, garage. MLS# 13-638 NANCY PALUMBO 714-9240 $94,900

KINGSTON Spacious 3BR, 1.5 bath w/large yard, garage & carport. All HW floors, full attic & basement. Perfect for your family! MLS# 12-3734 LESLIE 696-0841 $69,900

PLAINS Spacious home on corner lot in convenient location. 3 BR’s, 3 baths, DR, LR, eat-in kit, FR, detached 1 car gar. Must see! MLS# 12-2900 DEBORAH KROHN 696-0886 $68,000

DALLAS NEW LISTING 2-story, 5BR Architectural beauty w/ vaulted FR, 400SF kitchen, 10FT stone FP, 5 baths & sauna.

MLS# 13-530 DEANNA 696-0894 $439,500

C MY K F E A T U R E S

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013 Page 5C

IN BRIEF CONYNGHAM: Conyngham United Methodist Church, 411 Main St., is offering a free Alpha course from 5-7:30 p.m. on March 10 for anyone interested in exploring the meaning of life.

A free meal, music and an informative DVD will be provided.

The course is open to any denomination. Childcare available upon request. To register call the church at 788-3960.

Juliana P. Ziomkowski Abigail E. Mikus Juliana Paige Ziomkowski, daughter of Stan and Bonnie Ziomkowski, Sugar Notch, is celebrating her sixth birthday today, March 2. Juliana is a granddaughter of Frank and Effie Patts and Bernice Ziomkowski and Joe Kus, all of Sugar Notch.

She is a great-granddaughter of Francis Patts, Dallas, and the late Joan Patts. Juliana has a brother, Blake, 3.

Abigail Elizabeth Mikus, daughter of Chris and Lisa Mikus, Sugar Notch, celebrated her second birthday Feb. 24. Abby is a granddaughter of Charles and Pamela Seiger, Sugar Notch; Cathy and George Kutyna, Exeter; and the late Vince Mikus.

She is a great-granddaughter of MaryLou Widman, Wilkes-Barre.

Abby has a sister, Kaitlyn, 5.

Ashlynn Dudek Ashlynn Dudek, daughter of Mark and Shannon Dudek, Wilkes-Barre, is celebrating her second birthday today, March 2. Ashlynn is a granddaughter of John and Shirley Noonan, Weatherly, and Robert and Karen Dudek, Plains Township.

She has a brother, Connor, 7.

FORTY FORT: The Forty Fort United Methodist Church, 26 Yeager Ave., is conducting a new, contemporary worship service from 5-6 p.m. on March 16.

The service will be informal and everyone is welcome. New contemporary worship songs and old favorites will be sung. The scripture, sacrament and word of God will also be shared.

LAFLIN: The seventh annual celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday on April 7 in the Pittston area has been relocated from the Oblates of St. Joseph Seminary to St. Maria Goretti Parish, Laflin Road. Principal celebrant is the Rev. Richard Cirba, assistant pastor, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Pittston.

This year’s theme celebrates the 75th anniversary of St. Faustina’s entering into eternal life.

Remarks and excerpts from the diary of St. Faustina will be given by Cathy Mack, coordinator of the feast and Cennacle Leader of the Eucharistic Apostles of Divine Mercy, before the service.

Itinerary includes: sacrament of reconciliation with five priests at 1 p.m.; veneration of the image followed by Mass at 2 p.m.; and exposition of the blessed sacrament, chaplet of divine mercy in song, holy rosary, benediction and individual blessing of the first class relic of St. Faustina at 3 p.m.

See BRIEFS, Page 6C

MEETINGS Food drive benefits St. Leo’s Food Pantry

Monday

Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church, Buttonwood, Hanover Township, recently held a Thanksgiving food drive to benefit St. Leo’s Food Pantry in Ashley. With some of the donations, from left, are Dominic Adameck and Kyle Cunard, altar servers.

PITTSTON: St. John the Evangelist Parish Altar and Rosary Society, 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

TOBACCO SALE

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Our Lady of the Eucharist celebrates Catholic Schools Week Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish recently celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a special Mass with students from the parish community who attend schools in the Holy Redeemer Catholic School System. The students served in leadership roles at the parish liturgy. Joleen Lazecki, Margaret Kishbaugh and Melissa Skutack served as coordinators. They were assisted by Maurita Bartnikowski.

Some of the participants, from left, first row, are Rowan Lazevnick, Jordan Cicon, Abby Lazecki, Avery McNulty, Kendall Tigue, Michael Cicon, Chase Duffy and Liam Lazecki. Second row: Elana Clancy, Gianna Galli, Louis Galli, Elizabeth Kishbaugh, Andrew Skutack, Jack Clancy and the Rev. Thomas Maloney, pastor. Third row: Victoria McNulty, Trevor Tigue, Taryn Ashby, Ashton Ashby, Peyton McNulty, Andrew Casper, Michael Skutack and Vienna Donnelly. Also participating were MacKenzie, Makaylee and Morgan Crake, Meghan and Joseph Corridoni, Thomas Day, Isabel Grudzinski, Joseph and Courtney June, Tyler Mozeleski, Samantha Scalzo and Nicole Wartella.

BIRTHDAY GUIDELINES Children’s birthdays (ages 1-16) will be published free of charge Photographs and information must be received two full weeks before your child’s birthday.

Your information must be typed or computer-generated. Include your name and your relationship to the child (parent, grandparent or legal guardians only, please), your child’s name, age and birthday, parents’, grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ names and their towns of residence, any siblings and their ages. Don’t forget to include a daytime contact phone number. Without one, we may be unable to publish a birthday announcement on time.

We cannot guarantee return of birthday or occasions photos and do not return community-news or publicity photos. Please do not submit precious or original professional photographs that require return because such photos can become damaged, or occasionally lost, in the production process.

Email your birthday announcement to people@timesleader.com or send it to: Times Leader Birthdays, 15 North Main St., WilkesBarre, PA 18711-0250.

Essay contest winners from St. Jude School announced Pennsylvanians for Human Life’s Scranton chapter recently sponsored its annual Youth for Life Art and Essay Contest. Students in grades 7-12 who attend public, private, parochial and home schools participated. The theme for the 2012 contest was, ‘How can I show love and respect for unborn babies and elderly and disabled persons?’ Several students from St. Jude School, Mountain Top, were winners. Youth for Life Art contest winners included Randie Kuhar, second place; Rachel Jones, tied for third place; and Emily Hons, sixth place. Autumn Kaminski tied for sixth place in the Youth for Life Senior Division Essay Contest. Winners, from left, are Kaminski, Kuhar, Jones and Hons.

PHONE: (570) 823-2211 FAX: (570) 824-0553

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1/4 lb. split Maine Lobster Tail - $5.99 Martinis - $4.99 from our martini menu

Tuesdays

1/2 pound Lobster Tail Dinner - $17.99 Martinis - $4.99 from our martini menu

Wednesdays

1/2 pound Lobster Tail Dinner - $17.99

Thursdays

1 dozen large u-peel shrimp - $5 1 dozen buffalo wings - $5

Fridays

Steamed Maine Clams - $1 a dozen 1/4 lb. split Maine Lobster Tail - $5.99

Saturdays

Big Brazilian Lobster Tail Dinner.

Almost a pound - $24.99

WATERFRONT 304 KENNEDY BLVD. PITTSTON • 654-6883

189 N. Main St., Old Forge

630 Market St., Kingston

451-2020

288-2020

795747

BUCK A SHUCK OYSTERS DAILY 5 TO 7

C MY K F E A T U R E S

PAGE 6C saturday,march 2 , 2013

BRIEFS Continued from Page 5C

LEHMAN TWP.: River of Life Fellowship Church, 22 Outlet Road, is hosting “The Bible 30Day Church Experience” based on the television mini-series, “The Bible.” Services will take place at 10:30 a.m. on March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.

For more information visit www.rolfministries.org or call 675-8109.

MOUNTAIN TOP: St. Paul’s Lutheran Church announces the following: •Lenten services are being held every Wednesday during Lent. There are two services, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. A potluck luncheon is served after the morning service and desserts are available after the evening service.

•The “Book of Faith” Bible study series will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday. The movie “The Passion of Christ” will be shown, followed by a discussion period.

•The Metropolitan Lutheran Council of Wyoming Valley is supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center during the Lenten season.

Donations requested are toothpaste, tooth brushes, disposable razors, shaving cream (3 oz.), after shave lotion (3 oz.), body wash (no bar soap), deodorant, chap stick, small packs of tissues, shampoo (without conditioner) hair brushes, combs and socks. No glass containers.

ALL JUNK CARS & TRUCKS WANTED

Highest Prices Paid In Cash.

Free Pickup. Call Anytime.

288-8995 •

786270

VITO & GINO

Forty Fort

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BUY 1 DOZEN DONUTS

GET 6 FREE 16 oz. COFFEE

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at participating locations with this coupon. 1 coupon per customer

Expires 3/31/13

Your Power Equipment Headquarters

Deadline is March 31.

•Unwanted cell phones are being collected for the Orphan Grain Train.

Phones can be deposited in the box on the table by the pastor’s office.

SHAVERTOWN: The Huntsville United Methodist Church, 2355 Huntsville Road, announces the following events: •March 9: 8-11 a.m., a breakfast buffet with scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, ham,

Apostolic

Apostolic Faith Tabernacle 536 Village Rd, Orange Pastor Frank Chorba 333-5172 Sunday School 10 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship 7 p.m.

Bible Study Wednesday 7:30 p.m.

Messages-To-Go Ministry apostolicfaith.net

Assembly of God

SUNDAY

Morning Worship (Main Sanctuary) 8:00AM, 9:45AM, 11:00AM (Harvest Cafe Bldg) 9:45AM, 11:00AM

Kids Church

8:00AM & 11:00AM Sunday School: 9:45AM

SUNDAY EVENING WORSHIP (Main Sanctuary) 6:30PM

WEDNESDAY EVENING (Harvest Cafe Bldg) FUEL Youth Ministry 6:30PM We have various Ministries available for Men, Women, Youth and Children.

First Assembly Of God

424 Stanton Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702

SUNDAY SERVICES Celebration Service 10:15AM Sunday School 9AM Christian Education 9AM Kidz Church 10:15AM Intercessory Prayer 8:15AM Sunday Evening 6:30PM TUESDAY Women’s Bible Study 10AM WEDNESDAY Family Night Ministries 7PM THURSDAY Evidence Youth Group 6:30PM 570-829-0989 www.wilkesbarreag.com

FAIR

DO IT CENTER Just Off Coal Street On Walter’s Way Established 1948 823-1406 Mon. - Fri. 9-6 | Sat. 9-5

BEL L ES

C O N S TRU C TIO N C O . IN C .

THE BES T RO O FING , S IDING ,W INDO W S & C ARPENTRY N ATIO N AL AW ARD W IN N IN G C O M PAN Y

824-7220 FREE ES TIM ATES PA012959

105 HILL ST...WILKES-BARRE Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Service 11 a.m.

We offer Children’s Church Prayer Service Wednesday 7p.m.

Bible Study Wednesday 8 p.m.

Rev. Michael E. Brewster, Pastor

First Baptist

48 S. River St. W-B Pastor Shawn Walker 822-7482 Sunday Service at 11 a.m.

Sunday School 10:00 a.m.

“The Place for a New Beginning..”

First Baptist Church

Water Street Pittston 654-0283 Rev. James H. Breese, Pastor Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m.

Children’s Sun School 9:45 a.m.

Adult/Teen Sun School 10:45 a.m.

Bible Study/Prayer Meeting Wed at 7:15 p.m.

Chairlift Available www.fbcpittston.org

Assembly of God

Luzerne Assembly of God 649 Bennett St. 570-338-2415 SUNDAY WORSHIP 11AM COME WORSHIP CHRIST JESUS. All Are Welcome.

Baptist Baptist Tabernacle

63 Division St., W-B Kenneth P. Jordan, Pastor Chris Hamilton, Youth Pastor Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School 10:45 a.m.

570-823-3083

Bible Christ Community Church

100 West Dorrance St. Kingston, PA 18704 Sunday School/ABF 9:30 a.m.

Sun Worship 10:30 a.m.

Radio Ministry “Searching the Scriptures” Sunday 7:30-8:30 AM WRKC 88.5 FM website: www.ccchurchtoday.org Pastor: John Butch Phone: 283-2202

Cross Creek Community Church

MEADE ST. BAPTIST

Dallas Baptist

Harvey’s Lake Highway, Dallas 639-5099 Pastor Jerry Branch Sun. Worship 9:15 & 11 am www.dallasbaptist church.org

1024 Exeter Avenue Exeter, PA 18643 Pastor Guy Giordano (570) 388-5213 SUNDAY SERVICES Intercessory Prayer 9:30am Worship Service 10:00am Sunday School/ Nursery Provided WEDNESDAY SERVICES Bible Study & Prayer 7pm Visitors Welcome!

Encounter Christ in a historical church in a new & relevant way.

River Of Life Fellowship Church 22 Outlet Road Lehman, PA 675-8109 www.rolfministries.org Sunday School 9:15am Service 10:30am Nursery provided Thursday Night 6:30pm Bible study & Youth Groups Coffee house Fridays 6 to 9 pm with live music.

Grace Community Church A Bible Teaching Ministry Memorial Hwy. Dallas Sunday Services: 11 a.m., 6 p.m.

(570) 675-3723 www.gracechurchdallas.org

Living Hope Bible Church

WHERE HOPE COMES TO LIFE AND THE SON ALWAYS SHINES 35 S. Main St. Plains, PA Pastor Mark DeSilva Sunday Service 10:00 a.m.

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 a.m.

Mid Week Bible Study every Wed at 6:30pm Youth Group Men’s & Women’s Bible Studies For information call 570-406-4295 www.lhbcpa.org

Episcopal

weather according to school cancellations.

Clothing is offered free to the community. Gently used clothing can be donated at any time in the shed in the church parking lot.

For more information contact the church office at 654-2500.

•The Men’s Ministry is holding its 10th annual “Beast Feast” Sportsman’s Dinner at 6 p.m. on March 9 in the Church Fellowship Hall. Brent Haggerty, sportsman and hunter from

373 N. Main Street, W-B Father Timothy Alleman, Rector SUNG SUNDAY EUCHARIST - 9:00 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL - 9:00 AM SATURDAY HOLY EUCHARIST - 4:30 PM WEDNESDAY - 7:00 PM HEALING SERVICE & HOLY EUCHARIST

Lutheran Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Catholic St. John The Baptist Church 126 Nesbitt St. Larksville, PA 18651 570-779-9620 A WELCOMING, GROWING, FAITH COMMUNITY Saturday 4 p.m.

Sunday 7 a.m., 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Ample, Easy Parking Handicapped Accessible Confessions: Saturday 3 p.m.

St. Stephen’s

Episcopal Pro- Cathedral 35 S. Franklin St., W-B Holy Communion 8:00 Church School 10:00 Choral Eucharist 10:30 Nursery 9:00 - 12:15 Call 825-6653 for information about Worship Music Programs and Community Ministries

Catholic SAINT MARY’S CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 134 S. Washington Street, Downtown Wilkes-Barre (570) 823-4168

Saturday 4 PM Sunday 8 AM, 10 AM, 12:10 PM, 7 PM Monsignor Thomas V. Banick, Pastor Catholic

• 4:00 p.m. at Holy Saviour Worship Site, 56 Hillard St, East End (570)823-4988 • 5:30 p.m. at St. Stanislaus Worship Site, 668 N. Main St., North End

Sunday

• 8:30 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Worship Site, 668 N. Main St., North End • 10:30 a.m. at Holy Saviour Worship Site, 56 Hillard St, East End

Weekday Mass

• 7:00 a.m. at Holy Saviour Worship Site, 56 Hillard St, East End • 8:00 a.m. at St. Stanislaus Worship Site, 668 N. Main St., North End

Confessions

• 3:00 p.m. at Holy Saviour Worship Site, 56 Hillard St, East End • 4:30 p.m. at St. Stanislaus Worship Site, 668 N. Main St., North End

Christian Wyoming Ave. Christian 881 Wyoming Ave., Kingston 570-288-4855 Pastor Dennis Gray

Come Hear The Word Of God, Let It Change Your Life!

Sunday School 9:45 a.m.

Morning Worship 11 a.m. Communion Every Sunday Sunday Evening Worship At 7 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

ELEVATOR ACCESSIBLE

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON PARISH

Episcopal ST. CLEMENT & ST. PETERS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Warren, N.J., will be the guest speaker. He will share his adventures on hunting expeditions in the United States and Africa.

The event is free and open to the public.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. Contact the church office at 654-2500 and leave a name, address, phone number and number of reservations.

A free-will offering will be received to offset costs of the event. Door open at 5:30 p.m.

165 Hanover St., W-B 822-8043 The Rev. John C. Major Priest-In-Charge Holy Eucharist 9am Sunday School 9:00am WELCOME ALL TO GROW IN GODS LOVE www.stclementstpeter.org

St. Martin In-The-Fields 3085 Church Rd., Mountaintop Rev. Dan FitzSimmons

CHORAL EUCHARIST 10AM HEALING SERVICE Last Sunday each month

Serving through Faith, Praise & Good Works

Friends & Quakers Journeys End 610 Sterling Road Newfoundland, PA December 23 10 AM Meeting Worship http://northbranch. quaker.org

Rev. Debby North Holy Communion Sunday 8 am & 9:30 am Christian Education 10:30 am Christian Coffee House Every 4th Fri 7-9PM

Saint Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church 905 South Main Street Wilkes-Barre Very Rev, David Hester Deacon John Karam Saturday - Great Vespers 6 p.m.

Sunday - Divine Liturgy 10 a.m.

Parish Office 824-5016 All Are Welcome Website: www.antiochian.org

Independent Second Welsh Congregational Church

COMMUNITY CHURCH 301 Delaney St. Hanover Township

LOOK/LEARN/LOVE/LEAD Sunday School 9:30 am Worship Service 10:30 am Nursery/Children’s Church 570-NEW-LIFE (639-5433) Pastor: Gideon Gaitano newlifefamily.org

Forty Fort United Methodist Church

Church Office 287-3840

Wyoming Presbyterian Church

Loyalville Rd. Lake Township Sunday Worship 9:30 am 570-477-3521

105 Irem Rd, Dallas Wyoming & Yeager Ave Rev. Dr. Philip Sunday School 9:30 T. Wanck Accessible Worship Service: Handicapped 10 am Traditional Worship 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School 9 am Pastor Newborn-Adults Prayer Line Kathleen Jamhoury 283-8133 Nursery Provided Loyalville United 570- 675-3131 Methodist Church

New Life Community Church

570 South Main Rd., Mountaintop, PA 868-5155 Pastor Dave Elick Sunday School 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service 8:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

Bible Services Wed. 7 p.m.

All Are Welcome

United Methodist

Askam United Methodist Church

Luzerne United Methodist Church

446 Bennet St., Luzerne Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

Church School during Worship Carol E. Coleman Pastor 287-6231

Shavertown United Methodist Church shavertownumc.com 163 N. Pioneer Ave., Shavertown Phone-a-prayer 675-4666 Pastor: Rev. M. Lynn Snyder Organ/Choir Director Deborah Kelleher Saturday Service 5:30 p.m.

Chapel Service Sunday Service 9:30 a.m. - Worship Service Sunday School - 10:30 a.m.

Prayer & Praise Service - 2nd Monday of the month at 7 p.m.

Nursery Care Available during Sunday Service For more information call the office at 570-675-3616

2811 S. Main St., Hanover Twp. Pastor: George Price 570-823-6467 Sunday Services at 9 A.M. Kids Korner available during worship.

Presbyterian

First United

St. Marks Presbyterian Lutheran Church Church 56 S. Hancock St., W-B Pastor - Rev. Mary Lauffer Sunday Worship 9:15 a.m.

Sunday School 10:15 a.m.

115 Exeter Ave., West Pittston 654-8121 Worship 11:00 AM at St. Cecilia’s Roman Catholic Church, Wyoming Avenue, Exeter Rev. James E. Thyren, Pastor

45 Hilderbrandt Rd. Dallas St. Matthew Sundays WORSHIP - 10:30 a.m. Lutheran Church 667 N. Main St., W-B Equipping Class - 9 a.m.

822-8233 Wednesday Evenings Worship Schedule: Pioneer Clubs (K-5th) Sun 7:30 a.m. 9:45 a.m.

6:30 p.m.

Sunday School 10:45 a.m.

Men’s Study - 6:30 p.m. Adult Bible Class 11:00 a.m.

Women’s Study - 6:30 p.m.

Rev. Gary Scharrer (Nursery provided For All) Chairlift Available Thursdays Missouri Synod Women’s Study - 9:30 a.m.

St. Paul TNT (Youth 6th-12th Grade) First Lutheran Church 6 p.m.

474 Yalick Road Presbyterian For More Information (Rt. 118) Church Please call Dallas, PA Rev. Charles Grube S. Franklin & 675-6426 or Sat. Worship Northhampton Sts., W-B Visit Us Online at 5:30pm 10:00 a.m. Worship www.fellowshipfreechurch.org Sunday Worship Rev. Dr. Robert M. 8:30 & 11am Senior Pastor: Zanicky, Minister Sunday School Dwight Hodne 11 am Sunday School 9:45am Nursery provided Associate Pastor: 570-675-3859 Handicapped Access Marc Ramirez

NEW LIFE

Friends & Quakers

410 S. River St. Wilkes-Barre Worship 11 AM Office Phone 823-7139

www.NanticokeLutheran.org

475 Hazel St., Wilkes-Barre 829-3790 Sunday Services 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. Sunday School 6 p.m. Sunday Eve Wednesday 7 p.m. Bible Study Prayer and Youth Groups Limited Van Service Available, Please Call.

Independent...

Fundamental...

Friendly

Church of Christ Uniting

St. John’s Lutheran Church

Orthodox Church In America 401 East Main St., W-B Phone: 825-6540 Rev. David Shewczyk Sunday Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m.

Feast Days 9:00 a.m.

Saturday Vespers: Summer 6:00 p.m. - Winter 4:00 p.m.

United Methodist

Trinity Presbyterian

Primitive Methodist

Holy Trinity Messiah Russian Lutheran Church Orthodox Church 453 S. Main Street, W-B Rev. Mary E. Laufer Sunday Holy Communion 8:00 and 10:45 a.m.

Presbyterian

Wyoming Ave. at Institute St., 570-693-0594 Laura Lewis, Pastor Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Sunday School: 10 a.m.

813 Wyoming Avenue, Kingston Saturday Contemporary Holy Communion 5:30 Sunday Traditional Holy Communion 10:00 Rev. Paul Metzloff Handicapped Accessible

231 State St. Office 735-8531

Fellowship Church

Orthodox Church In America 591 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre Very Rev. Joseph Martin, Pastor 822-7725 Saturday Vespers 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m.

Feast Day Vespers 6 p.m.

Feast Day Divine Liturgy 9:00 a.m.

ALL ARE WELCOME web site: www.oca.org

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Nanticoke

Evangelical Free Church

Orthodox Holy Resurrection Cathedral

190 S. Main Street, W-B Pastor Peter D. Kuritz Pastor Janel D. Wigen Saturday Service 5:00 p.m.

Sunday Service 8:30 & 11 a.m.

SCS 9:45 a.m.

570-824-2991

St. John’s Lutheran

116 Hughes St., Swoyersville Masses: Saturday 4:00 & 5:30 pm Sunday 830, 10:00, 11:30 am Daily: 8:00 am Confessions: Saturday 3:15 pm www.setonpa.com 287-6624

Church Of Christ Uniting

MERGED PRESBYTERIAN & METHODIST Corner of Market St. & Sprague Ave. Kingston 570-288-8434 Devotional Line: 570-288-2334 Rev. Dr. Carol Ann Fleming Rev. Dr. James L. Harring Morning Worship 10:00 AM Youth Sunday School During Worship Adult Sunday School 11:30 AM Child Care Provided Choirs - Children, Adult, Bell Ringers Air Conditioned www.churchofchristuniting.org

Lutheran

Holy Cross Episcopal Church

Our Lady of Fatima Parish

Vigil (Saturday)

Sunday Services 9am & 10:45am With Jr. Church & Nursery Available.

First Baptist Wed 6:30 Family Night 52 E. 8th Street, Wyoming with Awana for ages 18 Sunday School All Ages 9:30 months - 6th grade.

Worship Service 10:45 a.m.

College & Career, Tues 7 p.m. prayer meeting CrossRoads for Teens, 693-1754 Deaf Ministry, Small Visitors Welcome Groups, Men’s & Women’s Ministry, Groups.

Celebrate Recovery for Hurts, Habits, Hang-Ups Tuesday’s 6:30pm 50 S. Meade St. Discover the difference!

Wilkes-Barre, PA 370 Carverton Road, Chester F. Dudick, Pastor Trucksville 696-0399 (570) 820-8355 www.crosscreekcc.org SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:30 a.m.

WORSHIP SERVICE 10:30 a.m.

PRAYER, BIBLE STUDY & PIONEER CLUB Wed 6:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP 2nd Tuesday of the month 6:30 p.m.

AFTERNOON FELLOWSHIP 12 noon last Sunday of the Month EXPOSITORY PREACHING: EXPLAINING GOD’S TRUTH, ONE VERSE AT A TIME.

Bible

Slocum Chapel

PARISH OF ST. ANDRE BESSETTE

1919 Mountain Road, Larksville 570-371-4404 www.highpoint church.info SUNDAY 9:30AM Bible Studies for All Ages 10:30AM Worship and Rootz Children’s Ministry WEEKLY Small Group Bible Studies Adult/Teen Ministries Cub Scouts/ American Heritage Girls www.highpointchurch.info

Sunday March 3 10am - 5pm

Walter’s Hardware

Mt. Zion Baptist Church

“For the Glory of God and the Proclamation of His Word”

CD & RECORD

WE HAVE THE PARTS TO FIX IT!

Pastor Don Hartsthorne 822-3372

High Point Baptist Church

2965 Memorial Hwy., Dallas

LEAKY FAUCET?

Sunday Worship 10 a.m.

Sunday School 11:15 a.m.

Bible Study Wed 6:30 p.m.

Baptist

570-675-3003

GOT A

75 Prospect St. Nanticoke 735-3932 Pastor Tim Hall www.nebobaptist.org Worship Service Sun. 8:30 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Sun School 9:45 a.m.

Nursery Junior Church Youth Groups Great Bible Seminars Everyone is Welcome

Parish & Loomis St. W-B

340 Carverton Rd. • Trucksville Pastor Dan Miller 570-696-1128 www.bmha.org

EQUIPMENT

FREE ADMISSION

Baptist Nebo Baptist Church of Nanticoke

Welsh Bethel Baptist

Lawntractors • Mowers • Trimmers Blowers and more

Dealers/Selling/Buying All Types of Music!

100,000 CDs, DVDs, Records, etc. FOR SALE Bargains & Rarities

WEST PITTSTON: The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, 317 Luzerne Ave., announces the following events: •The Breaking Bread Soup Kitchen is serving free meals from 5-6:30 p.m. on Mondays for individuals and families in the community.

•The Christ Community Clothes Closet will be open from 5-6:30 p.m. on Mondays; 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. The closet is closed for

Religious Service Calendar

CubCadet • Stihl • Ariens Troybilt • Gravely

The Woodlands Rt. 315 - Plains, PA 1-607-427-9698

pancakes, toast and beverage.

Cost is $7. Free for seniors and children.

•March 23: 7 p.m., concert with Mike Lewis and William Doney. Donation is $5 at the door.

•April 13: 8-11 a.m., breakfast buffet. Cost is $7. Free for seniors and children.

•April 27: 8 a.m.-4 p.m., a community yard sale. Vendors needed. $10 to reserve a spot.

Call Kris at 477-3748. Kitchen will also be open.

www.timesleader.com TIMES LEADER

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church 1000 S. Main St., W-B 823-7332 Vacancy Pastor Matthew Rasmussem Sun. Worship 11 AM Sunday School & Adult Bible Study 9:30 AM Missouri Synod

Mennonite

John Vaida Minister of Music Pamela Kerns Christian Education Director A Friendly Inclusive, & Welcoming Church

Audio Sermons available on the web www.fpcwb.com

WE HAVE MOVED!!

52 E. 8th Street, Wyoming Pastor Bryan Rosenberg Sunday Worship 9 am Children’s Church & Child Care Provided.

570-821-2800 Everyone is Welcome!

Central United Methodist 65 Academy Street, W-B Rev. Dr. Paul C. Amara SUN. WORSHIP SERVICE 11:15 am Sunday School 9:45 a.m.

Child Care Provided For Infants & Toddlers 822-7246

CHRIST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

175 S. Main Road Mountain Top Pastor Rev. Stephen Sours Sunday Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am Sun School 9:30 am Nursery Available 570-474-6060

Dallas United Methodist

Sunday School 9:15am Church Service 10:30am

112 Prospect St. Sunday Celebration 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School - Sept. - May 9:00 a.m.

Pastor D. Pegarella 735-1700

Mountain View Church Of The Nazarene

39 East Poplar S.t West Nanticoke Sunday Worship 10:30 am Children’s Church School Everyone Welcome George Price, Pastor.

570-735-1514

4 Parsonage Street, Dallas Pastor: Rev. Robert G. Wood 675-5701

Nanticoke Christian Fellowship

Nazarene

Calvary United Methodist

675-0122

Handicapped Accessible

Forty Fort Presbyterian Church

1224 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort Pastor William Lukesh 287-7097 Sunday School 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

6 p.m. Praise Band Handicap Accessible Nursery Provided Air Conditioned Visitors Welcome

Firwood United Methodist Church Cor. Old River Rd. & Dagobert St.

Rev. Barbara Pease Safe Sanctuary Policy Sunday School 9:45 Morning Service 11:00 a.m.

Handicap Elevator Available You are invited to attend.

823-7721

To Advertise Your Church, Call Caitlin, 970-7374

Trucksville United Methodist

Marian E. Hartman, Pastor Dr. Stephen L. Broskoske, Director of Music “Making Disciples for Jesus Christ” Sunday Worship Schedule 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Sunday School, Nursery to Adult and Special Needs 9:45 a.m.

17 West Church RD off Route 309, Trucksville, take left up hill at light at Carverton RD Grief Support 7PM 3rd Wednesday Every Month Phone: 570- 696-3897 Fax: 570-696-3898 Email: office@trucksvilleumc.com

Wyoming United Methodist 376 Wyoming Ave Rev. Marcelle Dotson Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School 10:30 a.m.

570-693-2821 Ample Parking

United Church Of Christ

St. Luke’s UCC 471 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre • 822-7961 Rev. Justin Victor Sun. Worship 10:00 Sunday School 10:15 A.M. Communion service the 1st Sunday of every month.

TRANSPORTATION: CALL

Miner Congregational UCC 137 Abbott St. PLAINS Pastor Joan Mitchell Sun. Service 9am Sun School 10am

570-829-6363

Unity

Unity: A Center for Spiritual Living 140 S. Grant St., W-B Rev. Dianne Sickler Sunday Service & Children’s Church 10 a.m.

Church 824-7722 Prayer Line 829-3133 www.unitynepa.com

C MY K F E A T U R E S

TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Saturday, March 2, 2013 Page 7C

High-achieving home-schooled teen suffers bullying by other kids Dear Abby: I am a 14-year-old female from the West Coast.

I am home-schooled and don’t have many friends because I score high in tests.

On the rare occasion that I mingle with children my own age, they call me unpleasant names, play pranks on me and otherwise torture me. I had to change my emergency cellphone number and start using my sister’s because there have been so many immature and insulting prank calls.

I hate it. I refuse to degrade myself by dumbing down my actions and speech because they can’t handle their insecurities.

— High IQ

DEAR ABBY ADVICE Dear High IQ: being “different” isn’t easy, and clearly you are very intelligent. But you and your parents should understand that crank calls are not “pranks” — they are a form of bullying and should have been reported when they happened.

Most parents who home-school also network with other home-schooling parents so their children can socialize with peers. If your parents haven’t done this, I recommend you discuss it with them. You might also meet more intellectually advanced young people if you joined special-interest groups

UNIVERSAL SUDOKU

for older students.

Your high IQ might be less threatening to the students who have given you trouble if you volunteer to tutor some of them who need help with their schoolwork. (Just don’t fall into the trap of doing it FOR them.)

Dear Abby: I have been with my boyfriend, “Dan,” for almost five years.

He’s wonderful and we have a great relationship. We have talked about spending our lives together, but had mutually agreed in the beginning that marriage wasn’t a priority for either of us. He has said for years that he never wanted to marry — which is fine with me.

I now suspect that he’s planning to propose to me on our fifth anniversary. (He has never been great at hiding

CRYPTOQUOTE

surprises.)

I’m thrilled that he wants to make that kind of commitment, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with him, but the thought of marriage scares me. I don’t know if it’s nerves about the pending proposal or that I have never planned on marriage and now I have to think about all the stress and strife that comes with planning a wedding.

I want to say yes, but I love the way things are right now, and I know that marriage will change things. What, if anything, do I say to him?

— Cold Feet? in Salt Lake City Dear Cold Feet?: I wish you had mentioned why you think being married to Dan would “change things.”

If you’ve been happy together for

five years, it’s unlikely that making a formal commitment would damage the special relationship you have together.

Perhaps this is “old school,” but I feel that if couples plan to bring children into the world, they should be married. Because you want nothing more than to spend the rest of your life with Dan, and are concerned about the stress of planning a wedding, when he pops the question, I suggest you say, “Yes — why don’t we elope?”

To receive a collection of Abby’s most memorable — and most frequently requested — poems and essays, send a business-sized, selfaddressed envelope, plus check or money order for $3.95 ($4.50 in Canada) to: Dear Abby’s “Keepers,” P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Postage is included.)

HOROSCOPE

BY HOLIDAY MATHIS

GOREN BRIDGE WITH OMAR SHARIF & TANNAH HIRSCH PREVIOUS DAY’S SOLUTION

ARIES (March 21-April 19). If you’re not sure whether you can make a situation better, at least make it more memorable. It’s not always clear how to steer a scene in a positive direction, but you have a good idea of how to turn up the general intensity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You may go from being tired to having more energy than you know what to do with. And tonight you’ll be awakened by your own interesting thoughts.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ve been playing it rather low-key.

No one is waiting for you to come up with answers, which increases the likelihood that you’ll surprise and delight with your off-the-wall solutions.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Feeling good about your place will depend on your ability to relate to those around you. So the energy you put into creating rapport with your “people” will be well spent.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your time is priceless. If you could put a price tag on it, there are many who wouldn’t be able to afford it. So you’re not about to just give it away to unworthy endeavors.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). If you succeed at something that doesn’t matter to you, whose success is it? You need time to yourself so you can sort out what really counts in your mind, heart and world.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You trust the strong, silent type. Quiet people around you know more than they let on. The smart ones won’t broadcast the fallacies of others.

CROSSWORD

ON THE WEB For more Sudoku go to www.timesleader.com

MINUTE MAZE

JUMBLE

BY MICHEAL ARGIRION & JEFF KNUREK

HOW TO CONTACT: Dear Abby: PO Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll be moved by what you witness.

A sad smile or the kind gesture of a lonely person puts you in touch with your own humanity.

We need each other.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21).

You know that life is what you make of it, but it’s not like you can stay in constant production, either. You need to rest, too, especially after endeavors that required intense focus.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19).

Perhaps there’s not a lot you can control in terms of what happens in another person’s life, but to the extent that you can have an effect, you will. And today, you’ll invest a good amount of time in the welfare of others.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You don’t take your associations lightly. But once you decide that you are ideologically aligned with a group of people, you’ll be quick to join in their activities and work toward their goal.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You believe in free speech, but that doesn’t mean you have to listen to all that’s projected in your direction. Besides, some opinions are toxic. Put your filters up, and be ready to run to your own quiet sanctuary for refuge.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (March 2).

You can do anything, but you have to decide. Formulate several possible long-term plans; think of it as an exercise in alternative realities. Then in April, commit with your whole being to one of them. Magic touches you now, in June and in October. Mergers happen in May. Your lucky numbers are: 5, 23, 49, 38 and 16.

C MY K F E A T U R E S

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Giuliana & Bill (TVPG) After The Soup There’s Something About Mary (R, ‘98) ›› Burning After Chelsea Lately Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller.

Love (N) Lately Lately College Basketball Miami at Duke. (N) College GameDay College Basketball Arizona at UCLA. (N) SportsCenter (N) ESPN (Live) (N) (Live) (CC) (Live) (Live) (CC) NASCAR Racing College Basketball Kansas State at Baylor. College Basketball Vanderbilt at Auburn. Basketball ESPN2 (N) (Live) (N) (Live) Lady and the Tramp (5:45) Gnomeo and Juliet (G, ‘11) ›› Voices Despicable Me (9:25) (PG, ‘10) ››› Bolt ››› FAM (G, ‘55) ›››, Barbara Luddy of James McAvoy. Premiere.

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Center Series Racing Auction Auction Auction Auction Auction Auction Auction Auction Savage Savage Savage Savage SPIKE Hunters Hunters Hunters Hunters Hunters Hunters Hunters Hunters Diggers Diggers Diggers Diggers Outlander The Mist (R, ‘07) ›› Thomas Jane. A deadly fog Contact (PG, ‘97) ››› Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey.

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(1:10), (3:50), 7:00, 9:35 ***Jack the Giant Slayer in RealD 3D PG-13 - 125 min.

(1:10), (3:50), 7:00, 9:35 *Jack the Giant Slayer 2D - PG-13 - 125 min.

(2:00), (4:45), 7:30, 10:05 *21 and Over - R - 100 min.

(2:30), (4:45), 7:15, 9:40 *The Last Exorcism Part II - PG-13 - 95 min.

(2:30), (4:45), 7:20, 9:35 *Phantom - R - 105 min.

(1:05), (4:15), 7:40, 10:00 Dark Skies - PG-13 - 105 min.

(2:30), (4:45), 7:35, 9:50 Snitch - PG-13 - 120 min.

(2:30), (5:00), 7:30, 9:55 A Good Day to Die Hard - R - 105 min.

(2:00), (4:30), 7:45, 10:00 ***Escape From Planet Earth - PG - 100 min.

(1:30), (3:50), 7:00 Escape From Planet Earth in RealD 3D PG - 100 min.

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(2:00), (4:20), 7:10, 9:30 (The 2:00, 4:20 will not be shown on Saturday March 2nd) Silver Linings Playbook - R - 130 min.

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Avoid the lines: Advance tickets available from Fandango.com Rating Policy Parents and/or Guardians (Age 21 and older) must accompany all children under 17 to an R Rated feature *No passes accepted to these features. **No restricted discount tickets or passes accepted to these features. ***3D features are the regular admission price plus a surcharge of $2.50 D-Box Motion Seats are the admission price plus an $8.00 surcharge First Matinee $5.50 for all features (plus surcharge for 3D features).

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You must be 17 with ID or accompanied by a parent to attend R rated features.

Children under 6 may not attend R rated features after 6pm

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (10:15) (PG-13, ‘11) ››› Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint. (CC) Real Time With Bill Game of Thrones Arya has a surprise Maher (CC) (TVMA) visitor. (TVMA) The Long Kiss Goodnight (R, ‘96) ››› Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Malahide. Premiere. (CC)

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STARZ (5:30) ›› (CC)

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Bear Creek Community Charter School Accepting New Students Bear Creek Community Charter School is now accepting pre-enrollment applications for new students for the 2013-2014 school year. Bear Creek Community Charter School is a free public school. There is no tuition, and free transportation is provided to students residing in most Wyoming Valley communities. Bear Creek Community Charter School emphasizes academic achievement, parental involvement and environmental education.

805338

To learn more about enrollment for the new school year, visit the school’s web site at www.bearcreekschool. com or call (570) 820-4070. Space is limited and the pre-enrollment process ends on March 15, 2013.

Bear Creek Community Charter School is an equal opportunity educational institution.