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VCU shocks Kansas; Kentucky tops N.C. to reach Final Four.

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Cinderella is still dancing

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WILKES-BARRE, PA

California looks at Ciavarella outcome

NATO takes over operation targeting Gadhafi’s air defenses. U.S. vessel reportedly leaves area.

By ROBERT BURNS AP National Security Writer

AP PHOTO

WILKES-BARRE – The federal corruption trial of former Judge Mark Ciavarella was at the center of attention of Luzerne County.

The story made local headlines first. Then, the national press and news shows such as ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “20/ 20” and NBC’s “Today” aired stories.

Now, the case is being read by California lawyers, after the California Bar Journal published an article about the trial in its March edition.

The article is headlined “Could it happen here?” and is written by Janice M. Brickley, a legal advisor to commissioners at the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

“The case, an alarming story of judicial corruption and failures throughout the justice system that lasted two years, should raise a question in the minds of Californians: Could it happen here?” she wrote.

Brickley outlined the outcome of the trial, including Ciavarella’s conviction on 12 of 39 counts, including racketeering and mail fraud, as well as the indictment against Ciavarella.

The article mentions Ciavarella’s co-defendant, former Judge Michael Conahan, and implicated attorney Robert Powell.

“In addition to his Draconian sentencing practices, Ciavarella See CALIFORNIA, Page 10A

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on NBC News’ ‘Meet the Press’ on Sunday.

Lyra Lulu Howell Sunny. High 37, low 15.

Details, Page 8B

With an April 4 deadline fast approaching for all Luzerne County municipalities to adopt a plan to prevent flooding problems and improve the watershed, only three municipalities have complied.

The state Department of Environmental Protec- Read a storm water

J

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

oe Marx receives get well wishes for his daughter Mackenzie from Jeannie Scorey of Wilkes-Barre during a benefit for Mackenzie at Rodano’s on Sunday. Mackenzie is being treated for leukemia. For the story, see Page 3A.

Bufalino says he’ll stand up for county citizens Former Democratic Party head says voters should focus on legal experience as he wants to help amid scandal.

By SHEENA DELAZIO sdelazio@timesleader.com

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Mark Bufalino, a candidate for a Luzerne County judge seat.

5

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK

you’d have overweight people who dance with the stars to lose weight on a deserted island with Donald Trump. Or, you’d have network TV’s prime-time lineup. ABC has “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday AND Tuesday. NBC’s “Biggest Loser” sheds pounds on Tuesday. “Survivor: Redemption Island” votes people off on CBS Wednesday. And “Celebrity Apprentice” gets down and dirty on Sunday night. Whatever happened to sitcoms and cop shows?

09815 10011

Times Leader’s endorsement board.

“I thought it was the right time,” Bufalino said of his run for one of six open seats, in response to the ongoing corruption probe in Luzerne County. “I thought I could do something to help.”

The former head of the Luzerne County Democratic Party, he said voters should concentrate on his legal experience rather than his time as chairman of the Democratic Party because that was only one aspect of his life.

WILKES-BARRE – The youngest of five boys, attorney Mark Bufalino said that while growing up he always stood up for himself.

Now, at 40, the Trucksville resident wants to stand up for the citizens of Luzerne County and become a Court of Common Pleas judge, Bufalino told The See BUFALINO, Page 10A

>> REALITY BITES: In the ultimate reality TV show,

6

Deadline nears for flood plans

By STEVE MOCARSKY smocarsky@timesleader.com

B SPORTS: 1B

WEATHER

WASHINGTON — In a sign of U.S. confidence that the weeklong assault on Libya has tamed Moammar Gadhafi’s air defenses, the Pentagon has reduced the amount of naval firepower arrayed against Libya’s leader, officials said Sunday.

The move, not yet publicly announced, reinforces the White House message of a diminishing U.S. role — a central point in President Barack Obama’s national address tonight on Libya. The White House booked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on three Sunday news shows to promote the See LIBYA, Page 10A

All municipalities must adopt storm water management ordinances by April 4.

A NEWS: Obituaries 2A, 6A Local 3A Nation & World 5A Editorials 9A

D CLASSIFIED: 1D

administration’s case ahead of the speech.

Coalition hits Yet Gates, asked whethGadhafi er the military operation stronghold, 7A might be over by year’s end, said, “I don’t think UP NEXT: President’s speech anybody knows the anis set for 7:30 p.m. swer to that.”

At least one of the five Navy ships and submarines that have launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Libyan targets from positions in the Mediterranean Sea has left the area, three defense officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive military movements.

That still leaves what officials believe is suffi-

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U.S. reduces Libya mission role

State bar journal article about judge’s trial, asks “Could it happen here?”

By SHEENA DELAZIO sdelazio@timesleader.com

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

>> DRESSING DOWN: Are you tired of stuffing yourself

into that over-starched suit you wear to work every day?

Well, this Thursday, break out that Hawaiian garb (or whatever form of “comfy wear” you like) and dress CASUAL. The best part is that it’s all for a good cause. The good folks over at The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute are sponsoring the eighth annual CASUAL Day to raise awareness of colon cancer. If you want more info, just call 1-800-424-6724 or visit www.cancernepa.org.

>> PUT ME IN, COACH: Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and a brand-new pair of shoes? Well then, you’re not a major leaguer. Those guys got some serious salary action going on and can afford better equipment. So maybe you can’t play, but you can do what millions of baseball fans do this week and welcome the boys of summer back for another season. Thursday is

tion has mandated managethat all municipal- ment ordinance that ities must adopt Hazleton storm water man- City Council agement ordinanc- passed last es within six week on months of the first reading county adopting a at www.timesleaderplan, and the coun- .com. ty did so on Oct. 4, said county Senior Planner Nancy Snee.

So far, Snee said, only Dallas Township and the boroughs of Nescopeck and Harveys Lake have notified her of storm water plans being adopted. Because Luzerne was among those counties identified as a “high-priority” for flooding issues, the county received $350,000 in funding from DEP to coordinate the project before funding was frozen.

The laws will affect new construction and redevelopment.

For most people, that means the construction of a new home or even a garage or a shed as well as the replacement of a roof on an See FLOOD, Page 10A

Opening Day for Major League Baseball with six games on tap – including the Yankees hosting the Tigers at 1 p.m. Phillies fans have their opening day at 1 p.m. Friday, when Roy Halladay takes the mound against Houston. Play ball, fellas.

>> BIG MAJOR NEWS: Guess what Friday is? That’s

right. It’s “International Give Money to the Guy Who Writes ‘5 Things You Need to Know’ Day” It’s a new holiday just signed into law at The Hague in the Netherlands. OK, so that’s not true. But if you fell for it, just for a second, then you better stay indoors on Friday. It’s April 1, better known as “Buy Beer for the Guy Who Writes ‘5 Things …’ ” ALL RIGHT. The truth is, it’s April Fool’s Day. So dust off the whoopie cushion and itching powder and go to town.

>> AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR: It’s an in-

teresting mix in the Men’s NCAA Tournament’s Final Four.

There are two storied schools -- Connecticut and Kentucky – and two Cinderella teams -- Butler and Virginia Commonwealth – left standing. If you picked these four teams in your office pools then you probably cheated, lied or had a working crystal ball. The Final Four is in Houston this year and the first game tips off at 6 p.m.-ish on Saturday. The second game starts at 8:49 p.m.

K PAGE 2A

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

THE TIMES LEADER

Wyoming Seminary is Pa. Mock Trial champ Kingston school’s team headed to national H.S. championship event in May in Phoenix.

Times Leader staff

HARRISBURG – The team from Wyoming Seminary on Saturday won the 28th Annual Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition.

Team members are Lina Bader, Leah Goldberg, Amanda Immidisetti, Dustin Magaziner, Logan May, Ellie McDougal, Renata O’Donnell and Caroline Reppert. The teacher coaches are Adam Carlisle and Justin Naylor.

The attorney advisors are Frank Brier, Cathy O’Donnell and Neil

O’Donnell.

Wyoming Seminary will represent Pennsylvania in the 2011 National High School Mock Trial Championship taking place May 5-7 in Phoenix.

Wyoming Seminary played the role of defense and St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, Philadelphia County, played the role of plaintiff in the final round of competition Saturday. Judge John E. Jones III, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, served as presiding judge.

“It takes teamwork and strong communication and analytical skills to be among the top 12 teams of this statewide competition,” said Lisa M.B. Woodburn, chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers

Edward James Cawley March 27, 2011

Andrew D. Gugliotti March 26, 2011

A

ndrew D. Gugliotti, 79, of Wilkes-Barre, died Saturday evening, March 26, 2011, at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on September 29, 1931, he was a son of the late Vincent and Mary (Dennis) Gugliotti.

Andrew enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an avid bowler in the Rush Inn League, a huge New York Mets and New York Giants fan, and a professional drummer for several years, playing in the band Lefty & Polka Chaps.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by son, Robert Roberts; sisters Catherine Gugliotti, Mary and her husband Ronald Dierolf; and brother Joseph Gugliotti.

Andrew is survived by his wife, Stella M. Gugliotti; daughters, Emily Henry, Anna Wadas and husband Mark, all of Wilkes-Barre; grandchildren, Joshua and Allison Henry, Shane and R.J. Farrell; great-grandchild, Mackenzie Farrell; sisters Rosemary Czerpak and husband Robert, Wilkes-Barre; Connie Zuranski,

Hanover Township; brother Anthony and wife, Sophie, Ashley; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services are entrusted to the Kniffen O’Malley Funeral Home Inc., 465 S. Main St., WilkesBarre, and will be held at 10 a.m.

Wednesday. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Pastor Janell Wigens will be officiating. Interment will be at Chapel Law Memorial Park, Dallas.

Online condolences can be sent to www.BestLifeTributes.com.

Chester M. Zielinski March 24, 2011 hester M. Zielinski, 86, of C Wilkes-Barre, died peacefully Thursday afternoon, March 24,

2011, at Hospice Care of the VNA Inpatient Unit at Heritage House.

Born in Wilkes-Barre Township, on January 15, 1925, he a son of the late John and Eva (Borysko) Zielinski.

He was a graduate of WilkesBarre Township High School and had attended Wilkes College.

Chester was a U.S. Navy veteran.

Prior to his retirement, he had been employed with United Office Equipment.

He had a great love and passion for reading.

Chester was preceded in death by his brothers, John, Edward, Joseph, and Eugene; and his sisters Mary Shepanski, and Alice Zyskowski.

Surviving are his wife of 60 years, the former Frances Okrasinski; daughter, Diane Lerman, and husband Bruce, Monte Sereno, Calif.; son, David Zielinski, Chicago, Ill.; grandsons, Justin Lerman, Campbell, Calif.; Griffin Lerman, Newport Beach, Calif.; brother Walter More Obituaries, Page 6A

Zielinski, Iselin, N.J.; sister Jane Stoshak, Sugar Notch; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday from the Bednarski & Thomas Funeral Home, 27 Park Ave., Wilkes-Barre, with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 10:30 a.m. in Our Lady of Hope Parish. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Maternity Cemetery, West Wyoming. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Earlier Saturday, competing in the semifinal round of competition with Wyoming Seminary and St. Joseph’s Preparatory School were Scranton Preparatory School, Lackawanna County, and Strath Haven High School, Delaware County.

The Pennsylvania Cable Network will air the final round of the competition statewide on the following dates and times: Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, is providing funding support for the broadcast. Also, DVDs of the final round will be available for purchase from the network’s Web site at www.pcntv.com.

to the Super Glue Corp.’s website.

Cyanoacrylate, the chemical name for the glue, was first uncovered Coover in 1942 in a search for materials to make clear plastic gun sights for World War II. But the compound stuck to everything, which is why it was rejected by researchers, the website said.

President Barack Obama honored Coover in 2010 with the National Medal of Science.

Coover died Saturday at his home in Kingsport, Tenn. He was born in Newark, Del., and received a degree in chemistry from Hobart College in New York before getting a master’s degree and Ph.D., from Cornell.

He worked his way up to vice

president of the chemical division for development for Eastman Kodak. Coover and the team of chemists he worked with became prolific patent holders, achieving more than 460. The work included polymers, organophosphate chemistry, the gasification of coal and of course, cyanoacrylate.

Coover also had a part in early television history, appearing with Garry Moore for "I’ve got a Secret." Moore, the show’s host, and Coover were hung in the air on bars that were stuck to metal supports with a single drop of his glue during a live television broadcast.

The Industrial Research Institute, for which he served as president in 1982, honored Coover with a gold medal and the U.S. Patent Office inducted him into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio in 2004.

North Franklin Street, will be charged with violating the terms of a protection from abuse order after he allegedly KINGSTON – Police said contacted his former girlfriend, three people were involved in a Patricia Racine, 45, by teledeal to sell heroin Saturday phone early Sunday morning. within the boundaries of the • Muta Duncan, 29, of North drug-free zone of the Chester Empire Court, will be charged Street middle and elementary with harassment for allegedly schools. threatening and harassing AuGeorge Smith and Donna tumn Whispell of Pittston SunDotter of Luzerne, and Holly Barziloski of Kingston Township day morning.

• A 19-year-old man Saturday face numerous charges and are afternoon said he was choked held in the county prison for and sexually assaulted by two lack of $30,000 bail each. They were on probation at the time of men at a Pershing Street residence. their arrests.

• Ada Nin-Deperalta, 43, of Police said: Wood Street, said Sunday afterSmith, Dotter and Barziloski conspired to deliver heroin to an noon that the contents of her purse were stolen. unidentified person on Warren • Deron Isaac, 21, of Logan Avenue. Smith was given $140 Street, was charged Sunday to purchase heroin and along with Dotter and Barziloski went night near the intersection of Anthracite and Parrish streets to Warren Avenue to deliver it. for allegedly possessing a small Dotter handed over six bags of amount of marijuana. heroin.

After the sale, they were stopSUGARLOAF TWP. – State ped and taken into custody on Chester Street. Smith had three police at Hazleton said Joseph bags of heroin in his possession, Fetchen IV, 41, of Sugarloaf, crashed a Chevrolet Astro van police said. on Prospect Road on Friday All three face charges of conafternoon. spiracy to deliver a controlled Fetchen lost control of the substance, conspiracy to comvan, drove into a ditch and mit possession with intent to struck a large rock, damaging deliver a controlled substance, the vehicle, police said. Fetchen possession of a controlled subwore a seatbelt and was not stance and possession of drug injured. State police said chargparaphernalia. es will be filed against Fetchen Smith and Dotter also face as a result of the crash. The van charges of delivery of a conwas towed from the scene. trolled substance, possession with intent to deliver a conHAZLE TWP. – A 14-year-old trolled substance and criminal male student at the Hazleton use of a communications facilArea Ninth Grade Center was ity. Barziloski also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit charged with theft and receiving stolen property for allegedly possession of a controlled subtaking another student’s Apple stance. iPhone from her purse on March The investigation was con3. ducted by Kingston and EdState police at Hazleton said wardsville police and members the teenage boy took the phone of the state Office of Attorney and passed it to another student General Luzerne County Drug to remove it from the school.

Task Force.

The phone was recovered and returned to the 15-year-old feWILKES-BARRE – City male student from Butler Townpolice reported the following: ship who reported it missing.

• Todd Shiloh, 38, of North Empire Court, was charged with HAZLE TWP. – A 16-year-old retail theft after he left the student at Hazleton Area High Sheetz gas station on WilkesSchool reported his Apple iPod Barre Township Boulevard late Touch player missing. He told Friday night without paying, state police at Hazleton that he police said. Police were able to left it unattended in a classroom identify Shiloh from video suron March 22 and when he reveillance that showed his vehiturned it was gone. cle and license plate.

• Terry Yarbrough, 33, of

HAZLE TWP. – Two clothing drop-off boxes of F&S Used Clothing were stolen between 9 a.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Friday, state police at Hazleton said. The white boxes were located in the All Phase parking lot on state Route 309 near the fruit stand by the Pardeesville entrance and the KNBT parking lot in Hazle Township.

The Associated Press

for their special care of Edward.

Funeral will be held at 9 a.m.

Wednesday from the Corcoran Funeral Home Inc., 20 S. Main St. Plains Township, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Holy Savior Church, East End section of Wilkes-Barre. Interment will be held in Saint Ignatius Cemetery, Pringle. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Scranton Pocono Highway, Scranton, PA 18505, to ProLife, 201 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702, or to the charity of one’s choice.

mutated cancer cells. The case was written by Jonathan A. Grode of Philadelphia and Paul W. Kaufman of Philadelphia.

Jane E. Meyer of Harrisburg edited the final version of the case.

This year, 331 teams from 285 high schools competed in the district and regional levels of Pennsylvania’s mock trial competition -- one of the largest in the nation. After the local competitions, 12 high school teams advanced to the state mock trial championships. All 12 teams competed in two quarterfinal rounds on Friday.

Through the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of a case in an actual courtroom before a judge.

Inventor of Super Glue dies at 94 Harry Wesley Coover Jr. recognized potential in adhesive after an accident.

dward James Cawley, 59, of Wilkes-Barre, died Sunday E morning, March 27, 2011 at the De-

partment of Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Plains Township, following a lengthy illness.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, on May 5, 1951, Edward was a son of the late Harold P. and Anna (Stubbs) Cawley.

He was a 1969 graduate of James M. Coughlin High School, WilkesBarre, and was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, Vietnam Era, serving in the Mideast from 1970 to 1972.

Edward was a member of numerous religious and civic organizations in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. He was very active in the Pro-Life movement in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

He was also a Eucharistic minister, and a member of the Fraternal Order of the Franciscan Fathers, and was a member of the Wilkes-Barre Barber Shop Quartet.

Edward is survived by a brother, Harold P. Cawley; and sisters, Ellen Liparula, and Annmarie McGraw and husband Tim, all of WilkesBarre; as well as nephews, nieces, great-nieces, great-nephew, and cousins.

The family would like to thank the staff of the VA Medical Center

Division, which organizes and oversees the event.

“We congratulate the students for being among the ‘best of the best’ in this year’s competition.

We also thank their teachers and lawyer coaches who voluntarily step forward to prepare the students for competition. This event would not be possible without their support,” Woodburn said.

Co-chairpersons of the state Mock Trial Executive Committee are Ryan Blazure of WilkesBarre and Jennifer J. Walsh of Scranton.

This year’s hypothetical trial case is a civil action involving a pathologist who enters into a contract with a dying and impoverished elderly woman to obtain

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Harry Wesley Coover Jr., known as the inventor of Super Glue, has died.

He was 94.

Coover was working for Tennessee Eastman Company, a division of Eastman Kodak, when an accident helped lead to the popular adhesive being discovered, according to his grandson, Adam Paul of South Carolina. An assistant was distressed that some brand new refractometer prisms were ruined when they were glued together by the substance.

In 1951, Coover and another researcher recognized the potential for the strong adhesive, and it was first sold in 1958, according

POLICE BLOTTER

HAZLE TWP. – State police at Hazleton said Santo Guzman, 33, of Hazleton was arrested on evidence of drunken driving early Saturday morning on state Route 309.

Guzman allegedly committed several traffic violations and was stopped by a state trooper. The trooper said he determined Guzman was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage.

Guzman was taken into custody and taken to Hazleton General Hospital, where he submitted to a blood alcohol test. The investigation remains open pending the test results.

DORRANCE TWP. – Linda Thomas of Hollow Road told state police at Hazleton that her residence sustained minor damage from a fire set close to it sometime between 6 p.m.

March 21 and 6 p.m. Saturday.

DORRANCE TWP. - Anthony DiMaria said someone tried to break into his residence on Sunset Road between 6:30 a.m.

Thursday and 6:30 a.m. Friday.

DiMaria told state police at Hazleton that the screen to a rear window was cut, but the residence was not entered. State police said there is a suspect in the case.

FOSTER TWP. -- Nancy Margaret Cordick, 51, of Hillary Drive, will be charged with harassment, said state police at Hazleton. State police allege she sent threatening text messages the night of March 19 that alarmed William Stephen French, 47, of White Haven.

HANOVER TWP. – Lois Rabbas told police that an object hit her windshield, cracking it, while she was driving east on Ashley Street near the Hanover Area high school on Friday afternoon. Juveniles were seen in the area from where the object came, Rabbas said. The juveniles were not located.

www.timesleader.com

DETAILS LOTTERY MIDDAY DRAWING DAILY NUMBER – 9-8-8 BIG 4 – 6-8-4-3 QUINTO - 9-5-2-1-1 TREASURE HUNT 02-03-07-17-27 NIGHTLY DRAWING DAILY NUMBER - 7-2-8 BIG 4 - 3-3-3-9 QUINTO - 6-1-3-3-0 CASH 5 04-25-27-35-40 HARRISBURG – No player matched all five winning numbers drawn in Sunday’s “Pennsylvania Cash 5” game so the jackpot will be worth $330,000.

Lottery officials said 51 players matched four numbers and won $320.50 each; 1,948 players matched three numbers and won $14 each; and 25,724 players matched two numbers and won $1 each.

•None of the tickets sold for the Powerball game Saturday evening matched all six numbers drawn, which were: 04-10-11-19-33 Powerball: 27 Power Play: 4 Players matching all five numbers and the Powerball would have won or shared the $125 million jackpot. The prize goes to an estimated $153 million for Wednesday.

Tickets that match the first five numbers, but miss the Powerball, win $200,000 each, and there were twelve of those. They were sold in: Colorado(1), Connecticut(3), Delaware(1), Iowa(1), Illinois(1), Louisiana (1), Maryland(1), Missouri(1), New York(1) and Wisconsin (1).

There were two Power Play Match 5 winners in Texas(2).

OBITUARIES Bartolomei, Louis Cawley, Edward Evans, David Franchelli, Joseph Garrison, Helen Gugliotti, Andrew Horst, Megan Hurst, Joseph Jr. Jones, Joseph Kellow, Wayne Mazur, Florence Spangenburg, John Urban, Arthur Weiskerger, Barbara Zielinski, Chester Page 2A, 6A

BUILDING TRUST The Times Leader strives to correct errors, clarify stories and update them promptly.

Corrections will appear in this spot. If you have information to help us correct an inaccuracy or cover an issue more thoroughly, call the newsroom at 829-7242.

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

Issue No. 2011-087 Advertising

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 PAGE 3A

LOCAL

Back Mountain church café offers refreshments, work experience

Serving up coffee and community

By SARA POKORNY spokorny@timesleader.com

KINGSTON TWP. -- The staff of the Harvest Café, in Trucksville, is more than happy to serve you a variety of smoothies and hot and cold coffee drinks.

Or maybe you’d like to venture downstairs, where there’s a stage surrounded by a fully functioning light and sound system, as well as three screens and a computer area.

This isn’t a part of a college campus or an independent coffee house downtown. It’s the Back Mountain Harvest Assembly’s outlet to give back to the community, as well as its own parish.

The BMHA celebrated the newly renovated

Leniency for Kulick requested

Citizens’ Voice owner’s lawyer cites Kulick’s help in getting retrial in defamation case.

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@timesleader.com

“We’re hoping that with this, we can provide a venue for kids to come and hang out.”

Doug Chapman Youth pastor

six months the entire facility has become a venue for worship services, church activities and an aid for those involved in BMHA. “The computers downstairs are equipped with music and video editing programs,” Chapman said. “We have some kids that work on such academic tracks in school, so the software is available to them here.”

There is also Internet access available for students who may not have it at home.

There are two televisions and one large projection screen in the garage.

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER “They can be utilized for presentations,” said Chapman. “We can also have movie Back Mountain Harvest Assembly Associate Pastor Raymond

youth center during an open house on Sunday.

Youth Pastor Doug Chapman designed the space with efficiency in mind.

“By design, it can facilitate a number of activities,” he said. “Everything here is multipurpose.”

The former two-car garage was the meeting place for the church’s youth group. In the past See CAFE, Page 8A

Mackenzie Marx of Hanover Township is battling a form of leukemia

Community on her side

Petts addresses the congregation at the Sunday morning worship service in their new Harvest Cafe in Trucksville.

A giant picture of Mackenzie Marx is displayed at Rodano’s restaurant during Sunday’s benefit.

By STEVEN FONDO Times Leader Correspondent

An attorney for the owner of The Citizens’ Voice urged leniency at the resentencing of Robert Kulick for his assistance in the appeal of a multimillion-dollar defamation verdict against the newspaper company in Luzerne County Court in 2006.

Kulick, 62, of Bear Creek Township, has been in custody since November 2009, serving a 37-month Kulick sentence for his guilty plea to a charge of a felon in possession of a firearm.

An appellate court last year ruled that the length of the imprisonment was improperly calculated and ordered resentencing that has been scheduled for Wednesday by U.S. District Judge James M. Munley in Scranton.

Federal prosecutors advocated for a 30-month sentence for Kulick. Defense attorneys, however, asked that Kulick be sentenced to time served and placed on supervised release to ensure he completes an alcohol abuse treatment program.

Attorney J. Timothy Hinton wrote Munley a letter Thursday saying that The Scranton Times would not have gotten the state Supreme Court to order a new trial without Kulick’s help. The re-trial is scheduled for May 2.

“I would therefore urge the Court, when imposing a sentence upon Mr. Kulick, to consider his extraordinary, voluntary and substantial assistance in uncovering and correcting a significant miscarriage of justice in Luzerne County,” wrote Hinton.

The attorney added he intends to subpoena Kulick to testify as a

WILKES-BARRE -- Area people turned out in force in WilkesBarre on Sunday for a fundraiser to benefit a 7-year-old girl recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Mackenzie Marx of Hanover Township is currently at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia undergoing her first round of chemotherapy for the illness.

Marx family “This fam- friend and event organizily’s been er Amy Martin said more than through 400 people quite a planned to attend the benelot.” fit at Rodano’s Amy Martin Pizza on PubFamily friend, supporter lic Square. At around 4:30 p.m., a line of people, eager to support the cause, began to form and stretched around the block to South Main Street within a few minutes.

“We posted the event on Facebook and the response has been unbelievable,” Martin said. “My e-mail have been full of people calling to express their support for Mackenzie. The word of mouth has spread throughout the valley. Even people outside the area have called to offer their support and encouragement.”

“When I visited Mackenzie and her family at the hospital in Philadelphia recently, I was struck by the enormous expense they were incurring,” Martin said. “I mean, just eating three meals a day, seven days a week at the hospital cafeteria is outrageously expensive. I wanted to help.”

In 2004, Joe and Angie Marx’s older daughter, Jenna (then 6), was treated for a severe form of viral encephalitis that left her

See KULICK, Page 10A

See BENEFIT, Page 10A

Current carrier objects to Joyce Group’s bid and gets picked up for another year.

By JIM MORRISSEY Times Leader Correspondent

PETE G. WILCOX PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER

Joe Marx receives get-well wishes for his daughter Mackenzie from Sandy Kish of Hanover Township during a benefit for Mackenzie, who is undergoing treatment for leukemia.

Group looking to raise funds for bulletproof vests for cops money for bulletproof vests.

Fallen Officers Remembered “The Police Memorial in was founded by 2 area sisters Washington, D.C., holds the in honor of their late brother. names of over 19,000 fallen offiBy STEVEN FONDO Times Leader Correspondent

Since Virginia Beach police officer Rodney Pocceschi, a Pittston Area High School graduate, was killed in the line of duty in June 2003, his two area sisters, Jaclyn Pocceschi Mosley and Gina Pocceschi Boyle, have worked tirelessly to honor their brother’s sacrifice and help protect his fellow officers by raising

cers," said Mosley. "We want to honor their memory and bring their fellow officers home safely every day.”

The Laurel Run resident will be traveling to South Carolina in April along with a group of “fellow survivors” to skydive with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights as a way to raise money and awareness for her foundation.

“I’m deathly afraid of heights,” Mosley joked. “but if I can raise enough money for a

Hazleton Area renews insurance

Mosley

Boyle

few more vests, I’m willing to give it a try.”

In 2003, Mosley and Boyle started an organization called Fallen Officers Remembered, which provides funds to purchase bulletproof vests for police officers in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

“A decent vest costs about $1,500,” Mosley said, “and many smaller police departments don’t have the funds to provide one for each officer.”

Mosley said the sisters have an arrangement with WilkesBarre retailer Kranson’s Uniform to purchase the vests at cost for $600.

In 2006, their organization began a fundraising program called “Adopt-A-Cop,” which seeks local sponsors to pledge the total cost of a single vest. ”Since 2006, we’re proud to say that our ‘Adopt-a-Cop’ program has provided 108 bullet-

proof vests for local officers,” Mosley said.

“Still over 70 percent of the cops in this area are unprotected. We’re trying to change that.”

In an effort to raise awareness the organization participates in parades and fundraisers and sponsors an annual scholarship that awards $500 to a local student majoring in criminal justice.

The sisters plan to take their “Adopt-a-Cop’’ vest initiative to a national audience in the near future.

Donations can be made at FallenOfficersRemembered.org.

HAZLE TWP. – Hazleton Area School Board members voted last week to renew insurance coverage for the district for a year, effective April 1, by renewing a contract with its current carrier.

The board had planned to approve a $192,574 bid from the Joyce Insurance Group of Pittston at the Thursday night Dryfoos Group meeting, but Llewellyn F. complained Dryfoos III, the process of president of the selection was Dryfoos Group, Hazleton, the compromised. district’s current insurer, objected. Dryfoos said district Business Manager Tony Ryba, realizing that Joyce may have not understood or realized the specifications of coverage needed by the district, and to save money for the district, had allowed the company to resubmit its proposal. The Joyce Group bid came in lower than the Dryfoos offer of $198,440.

Dryfoos complained, though, the process of selection was compromised. The board listened and discussed the issue in executive session, then decided because Dryfoos Group had submitted its proposal on time and met all the specifications, it would award that company the contract.

In other business, the board voted down a motion to appoint a construction project manager to be on-site full time, at a cost of $5,000 per month, at the McAdoo Elementary School construction project. Board member Steve Hahn said he opposed hiring an architect to oversee another architect.

Carl Yorina, district director of operations, said hiring the manager would significantly reduce architect-driven change orders currently being absorbed by the district. Yorina also believed it would prevent cost overruns and would ultimately save the district a substantial amount of money.

The board will review the issue.

School officials also noted senior Keenan Monks, 17, won a $25,000 scholarship in the 2011 National Intel Science Talent search competition for a math equation that can improve Internet security and cryptography.

Keenan came in sixth in the nation in the contest.

Keenan did research last summer on the equation with University of Wisconsin professor and adviser Ken Ono and has been accepted at MIT and Harvard to study mathematics.

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Review: Folk cures I-95 cameras capture controversy for colic don’t work

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer

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CHICAGO — That nonstop crying of a baby with colic has some parents turning to popular folk remedies. Unfortunately, there’s no good evidence they work, according to a review of 15 studies.

The results don’t surprise New York City mom Leni Calas, 32.

She tried many treatments studied, including fennel extract, sugar drops and massage, and says nothing worked for baby Roxy, who cried almost nonstop for six months. “Our daughter would wake up and cry literally morning to night without napping,� Calas said. “She would just literally scream herself purple, and then throw up because she had been screaming so much.�

Calas said she and her husband couldn’t accept what doctors told them — that there was nothing wrong with their baby and that she’d outgrow the crying spells.

But that’s exactly what happened.

And that’s what most doctors believe about colic, which affects up to roughly 20 percent of U.S. babies, usually in the first few months of life.

If a physical problem can be found, the condition is usually not considered colic. Gastric reflux and protein allergies are among conditions that can cause digestive upsets and crying spells in babies, and are often mistakenly called colic.

That may explain why some remedies thought to ease digestive problems may not work in babies with true colic, including alternative treatments containing fen-

nel, herbal teas and probiotics, which all were included in the medical review.

Alternative remedies are not tested and approved by the federal government, and the purity and amounts of their ingredients are not always verified. Parents should always check with their pediatricians if they plan to give their children an alternative treatment, said Dr. Jatinder Bhatia, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics nutrition committee.

The study by researchers at the University of Exeter in England was published online Monday in Pediatrics. The researchers analyzed results from 15 studies on various alternative remedies, massage and chiropractic methods advertised as effective against colic. Overall, almost 1,000 infants were involved.

Few of the studies were rigorously conducted and all had “major limitations,� the researchers said. “Thus, the notion that any form of complementary and alternative medicine is effective for infantile colic is currently not supported from the evidence� studied, they said.

None of the studies reported side effects, but one involving an herbal remedy listed vomiting, constipation and other symptoms possibly related to the treatment.

Although there were promising signs with a few treatments, including fennel extract, herbal teas and sugar solutions, better research is needed to provide conclusive evidence, said researcher Rachel Perry, the review’s lead author.

Her own two children had colic, but it disappeared around the time she tried giving them an over-the-counter herbal liquid promoted as effective against colic.

By BRUCE SMITH Associated Press

RIDGELAND, S.C. — As Interstate 95 sweeps past this small town along South Carolina’s coastal plain, motorists encounter cameras that catch speeding cars, the only such devices on the open interstate for almost 2,000 miles from Canada to Miami.

The cameras have nabbed thousands of motorists, won accolades from highway safety advocates, attracted heated opposition from state lawmakers and sparked a federal court challenge.

Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges said the cameras in his town about 20 miles north of the Georgia line do what they are designed to do: slow people down, reduce accidents and, most important, save lives.

But lawmakers who want to unplug them argue the system is just a money-maker and amounts to unconstitutional selective law enforcement.

"We’re absolutely shutting it down," said state Sen. Larry Grooms, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Earlier this month, Ridgeland police officer David Swinehamer sat in a van beneath an overpass as a radar gun in a thicket of electronic equipment outside clocked passing vehicles: 60, 72, 73, 67.

Then a Mercedes with South Carolina tags sped by going 83 —

AP PHOTO

The speed camera system operated by the town of Ridgeland, S.C., is deployed beside Interstate 95 in the town limits.

13 mph over the speed limit. A camera fired and pictures of the tag and driver appeared on a monitor in the van. The unaware motorist continued north, but could expect a $133 ticket in the mail in a couple of weeks.

"I just don’t think it’s right," said James Gain of Kissimmee, Fla., one of the lawsuit plaintiffs who got a ticket last year while driving between his home and Greensboro, N.C. "If you get a ticket you should be stopped by an officer, know you have been stopped and have an opportunity to state your case."

Gain paid the fine, saying it was less expensive than driving six hours back to Ridgeland for court.

Motorists do get a warning. As they enter town, a blue and white sign says they are entering an area with "Photo-Radar Assisted Speed Enforcement."

Speed cameras are used in 14

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states and the District of Columbia, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The only other place with a camera on I-95 is in a Maryland work zone.

The cameras have sparked controversy in other places around the nation as well.

Last year, Arizona ended a two-year program with cameras on Phoenix-area expressways and other roads, in part because of perceptions they were being used to raise revenue.

But Cedar Rapids, Iowa, began using cameras last summer on busy I-380. Police there said during the first month of operation, violations dropped 62 percent.

Hodges said since Ridgeland, working with iTraffic Safety, became the first community in South Carolina to deploy cameras in August, motorists are also driving slower along the 7 miles of I-95 passing through the town

limits.

From January to July of 2010, there were 55 crashes and four fatalities. From August through the end of last month, there were 38 crashes and no deaths. And since the cameras started operating until last month, there has been almost a 50 percent drop in the number of motorists driving 81 or more.

"You can’t argue with the results and the only reason you would be upset is because you are speeding," said Tom Crosby, a spokesman for AAA Carolinas.

"All it’s doing is enforcing the law, and even then you have to be doing over 80 to get a ticket."

Police use driver’s license photos or physical descriptions from licenses such as a driver’s hair, eye color and weight to identify the motorist. No ticket is issued if there is any question about the driver’s identity.

Grooms, the legislator, said since not all speeders are ticketed, it’s selective enforcement. He added that while the system may issue a ticket, it doesn’t get violators off the road.

"You are driving down the road at 100 mph or you are driving down the road drunk. The camera takes your picture and three weeks later you get a ticket in the mail. There is no element of public safety," he said.

Grooms said the cameras are only a money-maker for the town. Hodges discounts that, saying the town just wants to recover the cost of police and ambulance service for millions of motorists passing through. Twothirds of ticket money goes to the state, he said.

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Most doctors believe that children will outgrow the crying spells.

The cameras have nabbed motorists, but lawmakers want them unplugged in S.C.

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Erik Knudsen leads teammate Neils Knudsen of the Falmouth, Maine, fire department as they compete in the 21st Annual Firefighters Fundraising Race on Sunday at the Sunday River ski resort in Newry, Maine. Teams of five wearing firefighting gear carried a 50-foot hose while negotiating a giant slalom race course.

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Wal-Mart Social Security COLA unlikely sex-bias case hits top court Rise in Medicare premiums probably will wipe out slight increase

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press

All fired up to go skiing

I

WASHINGTON — Millions of retired and disabled people in the United States had better brace for another year with no increase in Social Security payments.

The government is projecting a slight cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits next year, the first increase since 2009. But for most beneficiaries, rising Medicare premiums threaten to wipe out any increase in payments, leaving them without a raise for a third straight year.

About 45 million people — one in seven in the country — receive both Medicare and Social Security. By law, beneficiaries have their Medicare Part B premiums, which cover doctor visits, deducted from

their Social Security payments each month.

When Medicare premiums rise more than Social Security payments, millions of people living on fixed incomes don’t get raises. On the other hand, most don’t get pay cuts, either, because a hold-harmless provision prevents higher Part B premiums from reducing Social Security payments for most people.

David Certner of AARP estimates that as many as three-fourths of beneficiaries will have their entire Social Security increase swallowed by rising Medicare premiums next year.

It’s a tough development for retirees who lost much of their savings when the stock market collapsed, who lost value in their homes when the housing market

crashed and who can’t find work because the job market is weak or they are in poor health.

"You just don’t have the words to say how much this impacts a person," said Joyce Trebilcock, a retired legal secretary from Belle, Mo., a small town about 100 miles west of St. Louis.

Like most U.S. retirees, Trebilcock, 65, said Social Security is her primary source of income. She said a back injury about 15 years ago left her unable to work, so she applied for disability benefits. Now, she lives on a $1,262 Social Security payment each month, with more than $500 going to pay the mortgage.

"I’ve cut back on about everything I can, and I take the rest out of my savings," Trebilcock said. "Thank God I’ve got that.”

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Defense system is deployed deployed a cutting-edge rocket defense system on Sunday, rolling Ioutsrael the latest tool in its arsenal to stop

a recent spike in attacks from the neighboring Gaza Strip.

Israel hopes the homegrown Iron Dome system will provide increased security to its citizens, but officials warned that it can’t do the job alone.

The system went into operation shortly after an Israeli aircraft struck a group of militants in Gaza, killing two. Israeli said they were about to fire a rocket.

Iron Dome uses sophisticated cameras and radar to track incoming rockets, determine where they will land, and intercept and destroy them far from their targets.

BERLIN

Conservatives suffer defeat

German chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives have suffered a historic defeat in a state ballot after almost six decades in power there, preliminary results showed Sunday, in an election that amounted to a referendum on the party’s stance on nuclear power.

The opposition anti-nuclear Greens doubled their voter share in BadenWuerttemberg state and seemed poised to win their first-ever state governorship, according to preliminary results released by the state electoral commission.

Representatives of all parties said the elections were overshadowed by Japan’s nuclear crisis, turning them into a popular vote on the country’s future use of nuclear power — which a majority of Germans oppose as they view it as inherently dangerous.

WASHINGTON

Flights resume in Alaska

Alaska Airlines and its Horizon Air affiliate said Sunday they have resolved a computer outage that led to the cancellation of 150 flights a day earlier, disrupting travel plans for more than 12,000 passengers.

The company said in a statement that most of its flights are now operating on time, though about a dozen have been delayed due to crew scheduling issues. The company recommends passengers check their flight’s status online or by calling 1-800-ALASKAAIR .

Passengers are boarding the next available flights at no charge, and in some cases are flying with other airlines, the company said.

“On behalf of the 13,000 Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees, I offer my profound apology to customers inconvenienced by this disruption,” said Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden in a statement.

ROME

Pope prays at memorial

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday prayed at the memorial to victims of a 1944 massacre that was one of the worst atrocities by German occupiers in Italy during World War II and denounced what he called the “abominable” legacy of violence unleashed during war.

The visit won Jewish praise that Benedict had taken yet another step to heal centuries of painful Vatican-Jewish relations.

The German-born pontiff visited the Ardeatine Caves on the outskirts of Rome to mark the anniversary of the killings of 335 civilians in Rome.

Among those in attendance were children and other relatives of the victims, with some of the elderly family members weeping at the memory of their loss and clutching flowers.

AP PHOTO

Earthquake and tsunami evacuees attend a yoga class Sunday at a shelter in Fukushima, Japan, as officials struggle to cope with the growing problems posed by the region’s damaged nuclear power plant.

Nuclear obstacles mount Reports of immense radiation figures retracted, but huge problems remain.

By YURI KAGEYAMA and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press

TOKYO — Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and inadequate storage tanks for huge amounts of contaminated water, stymied emergency workers Sunday as they struggled to nudge Japan’s stricken nuclear complex back from the edge of disaster.

Workers are attempting to remove the radioactive water from the tsunami-ravaged nuclear compound and restart the regular cooling systems for the dangerously hot fuel.

The day began with company officials reporting that radiation in leaking water in the Unit 2 reactor was 10 million times above normal, a spike that forced employees to flee the unit. The day ended with officials saying the huge figure had been miscalculated

AP PHOTO

Smoke billows from Unit 3 at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi, Japan, Sunday.

and offering apologies.

“The number is not credible,” said Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Takashi Kurita. “We are very sorry.”

A few hours later, TEPCO Vice President Sakae Muto said a new test had found radiation levels 100,000 times above normal — far better than the first results, though still very high.

But he ruled out having an

independent monitor oversee the various checks despite the errors.

Officials acknowledged there was radioactive water in all four of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex’s most troubled reactors, and that airborne radiation in Unit 2 measured 1,000 millisieverts per hour, four times the limit deemed safe by the government.

Those high airborne readings — if accurate — would make it very difficult for emergency workers to get inside to pump out the water.

Officials say they still don’t know where the radioactive water is coming from, though government spokesman Yukio Edano earlier said some is “almost certainly” seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units.

The discovery late last week of pools of radioactive water has been a major setback in the mission to get the crucial cooling systems operating more than two weeks after a massive earthquake and tsunami.

The magnitude-9 quake off Japan’s northeast coast on March 11 triggered a tsunami that barreled onshore and disabled the Fukushima plant, complicating a humanitarian disaster that is thought to have killed about 18,000 people.

A top TEPCO official acknowledged it could take a long time to clean up the complex.

Woman makes claim vs. top retailer in largest job discrimination lawsuit ever.

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Christine Kwapnoski hasn’t done too badly in nearly 25 years in the Wal-Mart family, making more than $60,000 a year in a job she enjoys most days.

But Kwapnoski says she faced obstacles at Wal-Mart-owned Sam’s Club stores in both Missouri and California: Men mak- “It is the ing more than women and get- “biggest ting promoted litigation faster.

She never threat Walheard a supervi- Mart has sor tell a man, ever as she says one told her, to “doll faced.” up” or “blow Brad Seligman the cobwebs California-based off” her makelawyer up.

Once she got over the fear that she might be fired, she joined what has turned into the largest job discrimination lawsuit ever.

The 46-year-old single mother of two is one of the named plaintiffs in a suit that will be argued at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. At stake is whether the suit can go forward as a class action that could involve 500,000 to 1.6 million women, according to varying estimates, and potentially could cost the world’s largest retailer billions of dollars.

But the case’s potential importance issue goes well beyond the Wal-Mart dispute, as evidenced by more than two dozen briefs filed by business interests on WalMart’s side, and civil rights, consumer and union groups on the other.

The question is crucial to the viability of discrimination claims, which become powerful vehicles to force change when they are presented together, instead of individually. Class actions increase pressure on businesses to settle suits because of the cost of defending them and the potential for very large judgments.

Columbia University law professor John Coffee said the high court could bring a virtual end to employment discrimination class actions filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, depending on how it decides the WalMart case.

Illustrating the value of class actions, Brad Seligman, the California-based lawyer who conceived of and filed the suit 10 years ago, said the average salary for a woman at Wal-Mart was $13,000, about $1,100 less than the average for a man, when the case began. The company has fought the suit every step of the way, Seligman said, because “it is the biggest litigation threat Wal-Mart has ever faced.”

A trial judge and the federal appeals court in San Francisco, over a fierce dissent, said the suit could go forward.

Syrian army out to put down unrest Also in the Midest, Yemen’s president scraps offer to step down from power.

By HUSSEIN MALLA and ZEINA KARAM Associated Press

LATAKIA, Syria — Syria’s army was out in force Sunday in a port city scarred by unrest aimed at symbols of the government, which is struggling to put down an unprecedented nationwide outbreak of protest and dissent.

President Bashar Assad’s regime has responded by both fatally shooting protesters and

promising reform, and a lawmaker told The Associated Press on Sunday that he expected Assad to soon announce that he was lifting a nearly 50-year state of emergency.

The timing remained unclear.

Syria has been rocked by more than a week of anti-government demonstrations that began in a drought-parched southern agricultural city and exploded nationwide on Friday, a once-unimaginable development for one of the Mideast’s most repressive governments.

Security forces have opened fire on demonstrators in at least

six places, leading to dozens of deaths.

Also in the Mideast, Yemen’s president, clinging to power despite weeks of protests, scrapped an offer to step down by year’s end on Sunday, as Islamic militants taking advantage of the deteriorating security took control of another southern town.

Opponents of President Ali Abdullah Saleh — a group that started with university students and has expanded to include defecting military commanders, politicians, diplomats and even Saleh’s own tribe — had immediately rejected his offer a week ago to

AP PHOTO

Syrian pro-Assad protesters shout slogans Sunday as they carry pictures of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a sit-in in front of the Syrian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.

by both sides to negotiate a leave by the end of this year.

Its formal withdrawal by the transfer of power to end the cripresident indicates an attempt sis has failed.

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LOUIS J. BARTOLOMEI, 91, Old Forge, died Sunday, March 27, 2011. He is survived by his wife, the former Pasquina Antonini. Louis was a son of the late Vincenzo and Esterina Bartolomei. He was preceded in death by brothers, Albert, Gino, and Alfred; and sisters, Anita Gechunis, and Mary Albertelli. In addition to his wife, Louis is survived by his son, Robert L. Bartolomei, Old Forge; daughter, Linda Yantorn, Dunmore; as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The funeral will be at 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday from the Victor M. Ferri Funeral Home, 522 Fallon St., Old Forge, with a Mass at10 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church at Prince of Peace Parish, Old Forge. Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Old Forge. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. To leave an online condolence, visit www.ferrifuneralhome.com.

JOSEPH FRANCHELLI, 92, of Plains Township, died Sunday afternoon, March 27, 2011, at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township.

Arrangements are pending from the Corcoran Funeral Home Inc., Plains Township.

BARBARA WEISKERGER, 75, of West Pittston, died Sunday, March 27, 2011, at the WilkesBarre General Hospital.

Funeral arrangements are pending from Gubbiotti Funeral Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter.

DAVID ROY EVANS, 42, of Hunlock Creek, died unexpectedly, Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

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

Joseph C. Hurst Jr. March 26, 2011 Joseph C. Hurst, Jr., 72, of Wilkes-Barre, died peacefully Saturday afternoon, March 26, 2011, at Hospice Community Care, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

He is survived by his loving wife, the former Barbara Sharon.

Together the couple shared 48 wonderful years of marriage.

Born on July 17, 1938, in Plains Township, he was a son of the late Joseph Sr., and Jennie Spak Hurst.

Joseph was a graduate of Plains High School, class of 1956.

He served proudly in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Prior to his retirement, Joseph worked as a truck driver for Conoco and Ward Trucking, WilkesBarre.

Joseph was a member of St. Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception, Wilkes-Barre.

He was a loving husband, brother, uncle and friend, who will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Joseph’s family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Rodrigo Erlich as well as the nurses from Geisinger, Henry Cancer Center, for the compassionate and wonderful care they provided for Joseph.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Delores Stachowski; and his niece, Lori Stachowski.

In addition to his loving wife, Barbara, he is survived by his brother, Charles Hurst, and wife Mitzi, Hanover; brothers-in-law, Bernie Stachowski, South Carolina; Joseph Sharon and wife Rita, Pringle; sister-in-law Carole Sharon, Pringle; nieces and nephews, Charlene Hurst, Charles Hurst and wife Tanya, Debbie Kady, Karla Fleury and husband David, Holly Pick and husband Damion, Joseph Sharon and wife Gloria; and greatnieces and great-nephews. Joseph is also survived by his faithful companion and best friend, his dog, Kaylee.

The funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday from the Mamary-Durkin Funeral Service Corp., 59 Parrish St., WilkesBarre, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception, 134 S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre, with Monsignor Thomas V. Banick, officiating. Interment will follow in St. Hedwig’s Cemetery, Larksville. Family and friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

OBITUARY POLICY The Times Leader publishes free obituaries, which have a 27-line limit, and paid obituaries, which can run with a photograph. A funeral home representative can call the obituary desk at (570) 829-7224, send a fax to (570) 829-5537 or e-mail to tlobits@timesleader.com. If you fax or e-mail, please call to confirm. Obituaries must be submitted by 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Obituaries must be sent by a funeral home or crematory, or must name who is handling arrangements, with address and phone number.

We discourage handwritten notices; they incur a $15 typing fee.

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Joseph Jones

Florence Rosemary Mazur

March 22, 2011

March 25, 2011

Jones, 77, of Plymouth, Jdiedoseph and formerly of Trucksville, Tuesday, March 22, 2011, at

the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township.

Joe was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre. He was a graduate of GAR Memorial High School, where he played football and pursued other athletic interests.

He was a Korean War veteran serving in the U.S. Army.

Joe was employed by Wilson Foods for most of his adult life, and continued to work in the food industry until his retirement.

He was an avid Penn State fan, as well as a Dallas High School football fan. His roots in GAR High School were always evident, as he greatly enjoyed high school, college and professional football.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Marie Nagle Jones; and his daughter, Shari Jones Amann, both of Trucksville.

Joe will forever be remembered by his two daughters, Patrice and Donna Jones, both of California; his stepchildren, Patricia Nagle Lorah and husband Robert, Trucksville; stepson Bruce W. Nagle, Plymouth; stepdaughter Maureen L. Nagle, Wyoming; and stepson George R. Nagle, and wife Maria, Virginia; his treasured grand-

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children, Robert, Richard and Jonathan Lorah; Bruce J. Nagle and sister Blake, Bruce and Bob Kugler, Joseph and Kevin Reese; and his 11 great-grandchildren; as well as countless other family and friends who were blessed to have known him.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Chapel at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Carverton.

His family asks that flowers be omitted, and respectfully requests that memorial gifts may be sent to the Simon S. Russin Funeral Home, 136 Maffett St. Plains Township, PA 18705.

Helen C. Lange Garrison

lorence Rosemary Mazur, 84, died Friday morning, March 25, 2011.

She was born August 26, 1926, a daughter of the late John and Mary Martin, Larksville.

Florence attended school in Larksville, where she met her husband, Peter. A striking couple, they married in 1943, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1993, and remained married for a total of 67 years, always devoted to their children and to each other.

Family and friends knew Florence as a vibrant, spirited and unselfish woman, and were shocked by her sudden illness and passing.

Before leaving for the hospital, Florence left the words ‘Think Spring’ on the kitchen slate, looking forward to her return home, and to the gardening season.

An amateur astronomer, she made the backyard her observatory at night. Bird watching was an interest, and all who knew her thoroughly enjoyed her feats in the kitchen.

For many years as a member of St. John’s Russian Orthodox Church, she enjoyed and donated much time making pierogies, and other foods for the church.

Florence valued cheerful friends, and loved to laugh, long and hard.

She is survived by her husband,

Peter; children, Suzan Mazur, Linda Mazur, Janet Boylan and husband Kevin, and Peter Mazur Jr. and wife Patricia. She has five grandchildren, Shannon Medico, Joseph Boylan, K. Clancy Boylan, Lauren Mazur, and Natalie Mazur; and three greatgrandchildren, KC Medico, Quinn Medico and Madeline Boylan.

A memorial Mass will be held at St. John’s Russian Orthodox Church, at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hoyt Library, 284 Wyoming Ave., Kingston, PA 18704.

Arrangements are by the Andrew Strish Funeral Home, 11 Wilson St., Luzerne.

March 27, 2011

John M. ‘Jack’ Spangenburg

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elen C. Lange Garrison, of Tunkhannock, died early Sunday morning, March 27, 2011, in the Meadowview Senior Living Center, Montrose, Pa. She was born in Springville, on June 14, 1935, a daughter of the late Arnold Lange and Anna C. Hay Lange Oliver, and step-daughter of John T. Oliver.

As a child, growing up, she lived with her grandparents, the late Kate and Louis Lange, Tunkhannock.

Helen was a member of the Springville Baptist Church. For many years she served as the churches organist.

She was a 1953 graduate of Tunkhannock High School. Prior to her retirement, she worked in the in the Poultry Lab at the Department of Agriculture, Wyoming County; as a school bus contractor for the Tunkhannock Area School, where she also worked as a teachers aide.

For several years Helen was active in the Kiwanis Wyoming County Fair, serving as chairman of the committee to elect the fair queen.

Helen was preceded in death by brothers, Elwood and Robert A. Lange.

Surviving are her husband of 53 years, Clark Garrison; son, Terry Garrison, Tunkhannock; daughter, Cindy Stephens, and husband George, Forked River, N.J.; Pam Eyer and husband Dick, Newville, Pa.; Kim Jennings and Dave, Springville, Pa.; Becky Williams and husband James, Clayton, N.C.; grandchildren, Jeremy G., Joshua R. and Justin M. Stephens; Ben Garrison; Broc and Katie Jennings; and Cameron and McKenzie Williams; step-

March 25, 2011

sisters, Mary Ann Smith and husband Herbert, Meshoppen, Pa., and Jean Hall and companion Jim Byler, Wilkes-Barre; step-brothers, Raymond Oliver and wife Dora, Montrose; David Oliver, Springville, Pa.; Dennis Oliver and wife Connie, Springville, Pa.; Ronald Oliver and wife Judy, Meshoppen, Pa.; sisterin-law, Sally Lange, Binghamton, N.Y.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday from the Springville Baptist Church with the Rev. Roger Rosenau, Pastor of the Springville Baptist Church, and the Rev. George Stephens, son-in-law of Helen, presiding. Interment will be in Sunnyside Cemetery. Friends may call the Sheldon-Kukuchka Funeral Home Inc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday. On line condolences may be sent to the family at www.sheldonkukuchkafuneralhome.com.

Megan M. Horst March 26, 2011 egan M. Horst, 14, of WilkesBarre, died Saturday, March M 26, 2011, at her home.

She was born in Wilkes-Barre, a daughter of Brian and JoAnn Reese Horst.

Megan was currently a junior at Meyers High School.

She was preceded in death by her grandmother, Joanne Henninger.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by sisters, Kimberly and husband Cornell Crawford; Jessica and husband Branden Peterson, both of Wilkes-Barre; Shannon Horst, Exeter; and Kelly Horst, at home; brothers, Brandon and Travis Horst, at home; grandparents, Valerie and Edward Reese, and George and Sandy Horst; as well as three nephews, one niece, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Funeral services will be at 11

time and talents. He served as an officer with the W-BEE Federal Credit Union.

He was a member of the WilkesBarre Knights of Columbus, Council 302, and a member of the Scranton Coin Collectors Club.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his grandson, Aiden James Spangenburg.

Surviving are his wife of 43 years, Ellen Eileen Connell Spangenburg; sons, John Spangenburg and wife Lynese, Boothwyn, Pa.; Mark Spangenburg and wife Aimee, Barnesville, Ohio; grandchildren, Ethan, Tate, Ashlyn and Adalyn Spangenburg; sisters, Mary Marlino and husband Greg Young, Boulder, Colo.; Angela Marlino and husband Michael Schwartz, Boulder, Colo.; Sally Marlino and husband Lynn Saunders, Hillsboro, Ore.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grand-nephews.

Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday from the Nat & Gawlas Funeral Home, 89 Park Ave., Wilkes-Barre, with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 10:30 a.m. in St. Andrew’s Parish at the Church of St. Patrick, 316 Parrish St., Wilkes-Barre. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hanover Township. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Camp St. George, c/o St. Andrew’s Parish, 316 Parrish St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

For more information or to send an online condolence, please go to www.natandgawlasfuneralhome.com.

Arthur ‘Duddie’ Urban March 26, 2011

a.m. Wednesday from the Kopicki Funeral Home, 263 Zerbey Ave., Kingston. Interment will be in the Oaklawn Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre.

Friends may call from 9 a.m. until the time of service on Wednesday.

Wayne H. Kellow March 26, 2011 Wayne H. Kellow, 65, of Dorrance Township, died Saturday, March 26, 2011, at his home.

Born in Pond Hill, he was a son of the late Henry and Dorothy Rockel Kellow.

Wayne attended Newport Township High School and was employed for 42 years at Wise Foods, Berwick, until retiring.

He was a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Pond Hill, a devoted family man, NASCAR enthusiast, and also loved to ride his motorcycle and work in the garage.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 46 years, Christine (Myers) Kellow; children Donald Kellow and wife

John M. (Jack) Spangenburg, 66, of Wilkes-Barre, died Friday March 25, 2011, in Hospice Community Care at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

He was born in Kingston, on August 18, 1944. His father, Second Lieutenant Jack Bright Spangenburg, was killed in the line of duty during World War II. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Anthony J. and Esther McCaffery Marlino.

Jack was a graduate of Scranton Prep High School, class of 1962, and a graduate of the University of Scranton, class of 1966, where he received his degree in history. He received two master’s degrees in education and secondary education from the University of Scranton. Jack continued his post-graduate studies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Jack was a teacher in the Tracey’s Landing School District, Anne Arundel County, Md., prior to being employed as a teacher for 34 years with the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, where he taught for many years at Kistler Elementary, retiring in 2004.

Jack was a member of St. Andrew’s Parish (St. Patrick’s Church), and a member of St. Boniface Church, prior to its closing, where he served as an usher, acolyte and Eucharistic minister.

He was also active with the Camp St. George Committee, where he enjoyed volunteering his

Theresa, Dorrance; Greg Kellow and wife Lisa, Hanover Township; and Deanne Kellow, Dorrance; grandchildren, Julie and Josh; sister, Judy Wida, and husband Drew, Elmira, N.Y.; and brother, Ray Kellow, and wife, Roxanne, Slocum.

A memorial service to honor his life and faith will be held at 11 a.m.

Friday from the Stairville United Methodist Church, Stairville Road, Wapwallopen, with Pastor Scott Ryan presiding. There will be no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be sent to the memorial fund of the church.

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Arthur (Duddie) Urban, 83, of Duryea, died Saturday March 26, 2011, at the Kingston Commons Nursing Facility, where he was a patient the past two weeks.

He was born in Duryea, on June 10, 1927, and was a son of the late Arthur and Mary (Plisko) Urban.

Arthur was a member of the Nativity of Our Lord Church, Duryea.

He was a graduate of the Duryea High School and later attended Bloomsburg University.

He was also a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in the South Pacific during World War II. Arthur retired as captain of security from the FCPI Corp., Moosic.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his two sisters, Helen Marcin, Buffalo, N.Y., and Joan Romaldini, Vestal, N.Y. Arthur is survived by cousins,

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nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the Bayada Nurses, Kingston Commons Nursing Facility, and Hospice Community Care, Kingston, for their compassionate care.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Sacred Heart Church, 529 Stephenson St., Duryea, with Fr. Joseph Elston officiating. Family and friends are asked to go directly to the church. There will be no procession from the funeral home to the church. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Kiesinger Funeral Services Inc., 255 McAlpine St. Duryea. Interment will be held at St. John’s Cemetery, Duryea.

Online condolences may be made to www.kiesingerfuneralservices.com.

BARTOLETTI – Joseph, funeral 9:30 a.m. today from the Metcalfe and Shaver Funeral Home Inc., 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church of St. Monica’s Parish, Wyoming.

BINGHAM – Robert, funeral 9:15 a.m. today from the Thomas P. Kearney Funeral Home Inc., 517 N. Main St., Old Forge. 10 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial and Committal in Divine Mercy Church, Minooka.

ELLIS – Edward III, funeral 9 a.m. today from Kiesinger Funeral Services Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Duryea. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. at SS Peter & Paul Church, Avoca.

FREY – Brett, memorial service 11 a.m. Saturday in the chapel at the Memorial Shrine Cemetery, Carverton.

GAITERI – Matthew, funeral 9:30 a.m. Tuesday from the LehmanGregory Funeral Home Inc., 281 Chapel St., Swoyersville. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Holy Name/St. Mary’s Church, Shoemaker Street, Swoyersville. Family and friends may call 5 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home where a wake service will be conducted.

HOLOD – Daniel Sr., funeral 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday from the SheldonKukuchka Funeral Home, 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. at the Church of the Nativity B.V.M. Friends may call 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

HUMMER – Richard Jr., funeral 9 a.m. today from the MamaryDurkin Funeral Service Corporation, 59 Parrish St., Wilkes-Barre.

Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Holy Family Church, 828 Main St., Sugar Notch.

KAMINSKI – Ann, funeral 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday at the Graziano Funeral Home Inc., Pittston Township. Mass of Christian Burial 10 a.m. at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Dupont. Calling hours 4 to 8 p.m. today.

KLEYNOWSKI – Mary, funeral 9 a.m. today from the Yeosock Funeral Home, 40 S. Main St., Plains Township. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Mary Church, Wilkes-Barre. Friends may call 8 to 9 a.m. today.

MARTZ – James, memorial service 11:30 a.m. today from the Clarke Piatt Funeral Home Inc., 6 Sunset Lake Road, Hunlock Creek.

MONDULICK – Margaret, funeral 11 a.m. today from the Yanaitis Funeral Home, 55 Stark St., Plains Township. Viewing 9 a.m. until the time of services today.

PACZKOWSKI – Paul Jr., memorial Mass 10 a.m. Saturday in Holy Rosary Church, Duryea.

PETTIT- Wayne, funeral 10:30 a.m. today in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Routes 118 and 415, Dallas.

ROMANOWSKI – Francis, funeral 9:30 a.m. Tuesday from the Grontkowski Funeral Home P.C., 51-53 W. Green St., Nanticoke .Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Faustina Parish, St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, 1030 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke. Family and friends may call 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

ROSENKO – Richard Jr., funeral 9:30 a.m. today from the Betz-Jastremski Funeral Home Inc., 568 Bennett St., Luzerne. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Holy Family Parish, Luzerne.

SABATURA – Lucy, funeral 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday from the Harold C. Snowdon Funeral Home Inc., 140 N. Main St., Shavertown. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Therese’s Church, corner of Pioneer Avenue and Davis Street, Shavertown.

Friends may call 5 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home.

SEGEDA- Joseph, funeral 9 a.m. today from the Corcoran Funeral Home Inc., 20 S. Main St., Plains Township. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in SS. Peter & Paul Church, Plains Township.

SKOVRONSKI – Clemence, funeral 9:30 a.m. today from the Grontkowski Funeral Home, P.C., 51-53 W. Green St., Nanticoke. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Faustina Parish, St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, 1030 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke.

VAOW – Harry, funeral 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Harding-Litwin Funeral Home, 123 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock. Friends may call 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.

VIEW – Paul, memorial Mass 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in St. Mary’s Church of the Immaculate Conception, South Washington Street, WilkesBarre.

WEIDOW – Theresa, celebration of life 11 a.m. Saturday at St Jude’s Church, Mountain Top. More Obituaries, Page 2A

In L oving M em ory of

R ichard E .K an e,Jr. Jun e 1 0 , 1 9 6 2 - M arch 2 8 , 1 9 8 4

G od m ust have thought you need ed both of your brothers m ore than m e. B ut he w as w rong because I need ed you three m ore than ever. I can’t im agine how heavy his cross w as because m y heart is in m ore p ain than you can im agine. It’s so hard to keep m y faith but I’m really trying because I w ant you all together and I w ant to be w ith all of you. M y life is unbearable and I d on’t m ake it easier for others around m e. I hop e you’re allhap p y together and p lease ask G od to give m e strength to carry on and take care of G ranny. A nd thank G od for your sister D iane for being by m y sid e through these unbearable tim es. G one but never forgotten.

G od p lease take care ofm y boys.

D eeply L oved , Sad ly M issed by M other, G ran n y, F am ily & F rien d s

CMYK ➛

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 PAGE 7A

Raids hit Gadhafi stronghold Sirte

Pa. lawmakers consider ban on synthetic drugs

It’s first time coalition has targeted Libyan leader’s hometown as rebels move near.

“Bath salts” have been linked to violent incidents and still can be legally purchased.

By RYAN LUCAS and HADEEL AL-SHALCHI Associated Press

RAS LANOUF, Libya — International air raids targeted Moammar Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte for the first time Sunday night as rebels made a high-speed advance toward the regime stronghold, a formidable obstacle that must be overcome for the government opponents to reach the capital Tripoli.

A heavy bombardment of Tripoli also began after nightfall, with at least nine loud explosions and anti-aircraft fire heard, an Associated Press reporter in the city said.

Earlier in the day, rebels regained two key oil complexes along the coastal highway that runs from the opposition-held eastern half of the country toward Sirte and beyond that, to the capital. Moving quickly westward, the advance retraced the steps of the rebels’ first march toward the capital. But this time, the world’s most powerful air forces have eased the way by pounding Gadhafi’s forces for the past week.

Sirte is strategically located about halfway between the rebelheld east and the Gadhafi-controlled west along the coastal highway. It is considered a bastion of support for Gadhafi that will be difficult for the rebels to take and the entrances to the city have reportedly been mined. If the rebels could overcome it, momentum for a march on the capital would skyrocket.

After nightfall, foreign journalists in Sirte reported loud explosions and warplanes flying overheard. They said the city was swarming with soldiers on patrol.

Libyan state television confirmed air raids on Sirte and Tripoli.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he could not offer a timetable for how long the Libya operation could last, as the Obama administration tried

AP PHOTO

Libyan rebels search for pro-Gadhafi forces near Al-Egila on the road to Ras Lanouf, in eastern Libya Sunday. Libyan rebels took back the key oil town of Brega on Sunday and pushed westward.

to bolster its case for bringing the United States into another war in the Muslim world.

The U.N. Security Council authorized the operation to protect Libyan civilians after Gadhafi launched attacks against anti-government protesters who demanded that he step down after nearly 42 years in power. The airstrikes have crippled Gadhafi’s forces, allowing rebels to advance less than two weeks after they had seemed on the brink of defeat.

Now that the rebels have regained control of two key oil ports, they are making tentative plans to exploit Libya’s most valuable natural resource. But production is at a trickle, the foreign oil workers and their vital expertise have fled the country, and even talk of a marketing deal with Qatar seems murky at best.

“As they move round the coast, of course, the rebels will increasingly control the exit points of Libya’s oil,” British Defense Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC. “That will produce a very dynamic and a very different equilibrium

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inside Libya. How that will play out in terms of public opinion and the Gadhafi regime remains to be seen.”

The coastal complexes at Ras Lanouf and Brega were responsible for a large chunk of Libya’s 1.5 million barrels of daily exports, which have all but stopped since the uprising that began Feb. 15 and was inspired by the toppling of governments in Tunisia and Egypt.

On the eastern approach of Ras Lanouf, airstrikes hit three empty tank transporters and left two buildings that appeared to be sleeping quarters pockmarked with shrapnel. Like the oil port of Brega and the city of Ajdabiya before it, Gadhafi’s troops appear to have left in a hurry, abandoning ammunition and disappearing without a fight.

“There was no resistance. Gadhafi’s forces just melted away,” said Suleiman Ibrahim, a 31-yearold volunteer, sitting in the back of a pickup truck on the road between the two towns. “This couldn’t have happened without

NATO. They gave us big support.”

The agreement with the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar could allow the rebels to exploit Libya’s vast oil reserves — most of which are in the eastern territory they control. With no ships coming or going, Libya’s tanks are full to the brim. Until they are emptied, there’s nowhere to store any oil that is pumped from the ground.

Qatar, which has conducted at least one sortie over Libya, is the only Arab country known to have actively joined with the international force.

“We trust them, so basically they are the ones who are going to market our oil for us,” Ali Tarhouni, the rebel finance official, said Friday. “For Qatar there’s no words to describe what they’ve done for the Libyan cause.”

at the chimneys of surrounding homes as his assailants before he was subdued by a stun gun, authorities alleged in court documents.

In central Pennsylvania late The Associated Press last month, state police said a HARRISBURG — Growing man using the drugs told police use of powerful synthetic drugs he ran away from his vehicle belinked to violent episodes has cause he thought it was melting alarmed law enforcement offi- and electricity was chasing him.

In western Pennsylvania, aucials and medical professionals and prompted lawmakers in thorities say the drug was recoPennsylvania and elsewhere to vered from the vehicle of two Warren County men consider legislation who were found to ban them. dead Thursday in Authorities say “Bath salts” the Allegheny Nachemical com- had already tional Forest. Tests pounds containing methylenedioxypy- gained notoriety are being done to determine whether rovalerone (MDPV) in Europe when they had used the and mephedrone drug before they and marketed as they arrived in died of exposure. “bath salts” had al- this country And in West Pittready gained notoearly last year. ston earlier this riety in Europe month a couple halwhen they arrived lucinating from in this country early last year. Snorted to mimic the bath salts nearly cut their 5-yeareffects of cocaine and metham- old daughter with the knives phetamines, they can be pur- they were using to stab "the 90 chased legally in most of the people living in the walls" of country, most often in drug par- their apartment, police said.

The state House is planning a aphernalia stores and on the Infinal vote April 4 on a bill that ternet, officials said.

White House Drug Czar Gil would ban the sale of “bath salts” Kerlikowske last month said the and add other synthetic narcotcompounds can cause hallucina- ics to the list of controlled subtions, extreme paranoia and de- stances. The measure started lusions and called them “a seri- out in January as a ban on salvia ous threat to the health and well- divinorum, a hallucinogenic being” anyone who uses them. herb mixture, and has been Officials in Pennsylvania say amended to include bath salts, they are cropping up in cases of synthetic marijuana and a synbizarre and disturbing behavior thetic cocaine known as “blizzard.” in many areas.

If approved, the bill would go For example, Easton police report getting frantic phone calls to the Senate, which has meaon Christmas Day from a man sures of its own.

Five states have already who said he believed his home was surrounded by armed in- banned sales of MDPV, and New truders. He greeted officers Jersey is among many others armed with a sword and pointing considering such a ban.

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

Pa. appeals court rejects juvenile homicide cases Defense advocates say high court ruling should apply to homicides by juveniles.

The Associated Press

READING — An appeals court has rejected bids by people convicted of homicide in central and eastern Pennsylvania to have their life sentences overturned because they were juveniles at the time of the crimes.

The appeals were among the first seeking to expand the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last year that juveniles convicted of crimes other than homicide cannot be sentenced to life terms.

Defense advocates contend the ruling should also apply to homicides committed by juveniles, citing language in the ruling saying that juveniles have limited moral culpability because adolescent brains are less fully developed.

The state Superior Court on March 18 denied the appeal of a Reading man sentenced to life in 1992 for the death of a man in a road-rage case when the defendant was 17. The three-judge panel also denied the appeal of a Lancaster County man sen-

tenced to a life term in 1995 for the death of a man in a robbery, a crime committed when he was 16. In neither case did an attorney represent the defendant.

Berks District Attorney John T. Adams said the commonwealth does not have a law that would allow a juvenile to be sentenced to life for crimes other than homicide.

“The purpose of the appeals is to equate a non-homicide case to a homicide case,” Adams said. “No appellate case has taken that position.”

Adams said, however, that he would support a law allowing a case-by-case review of juveniles serving life sentences.

Bradley Bridge of the Philadelphia Defenders Association, which is tracking juvenile lifers, said the Florida ruling opened the door to expand the law to include homicide cases, and another such case is pending for the state Supreme Court on the issue.

Pennsylvania has 472 inmates serving life sentences for crimes committed as juveniles, the most of any state in the country.

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Thousands mourn slain Georgia officer Killing prompted days-long manhunt for suspect who surrendered on live TV.

The Associated Press

AP PHOTO

Melissa Christian looks on after a memorial service for her husband, officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian on Sunday, in Athens, Ga.

ATHENS, Ga. — Thousands of people mourned a slain Georgia police officer whose killing led to a days-long manhunt for a suspect who surrendered on live television.

Almost 2,500 people — including law enforcement officers from Georgia and elsewhere — packed the Classic Center theater for the funeral of Athens-Clarke County Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian, the Athens Banner-Herald reported.

Hundreds more lined the streets as a horse-drawn hearse took his body to Evergreen Memorial Park for burial. One of Christian’s hobbies was shoeing horses for friends and family.

Jamie Hood, 33, fatally shot Christian on Tuesday and also shot and seriously wounded Officer Tony Howard, police say.

Hood was taken into custody late Friday after requesting that a news crew document his surrender.

Hood had been holed up with nine hostages at an Athens apartment. Five exited the apartment along with him.

Hours earlier he had released four others.

Randy Crowe, pastor of Hull Baptist Church, where Christian was a member, cautioned relatives, friends and co-workers against letting anger consume them.

As Hood was being taken into custody late Friday, he told WXIA-TV in a brief videotaped interview, “I regret killing that officer.”

When asked what he meant, a handcuffed Hood said, “That officer. That innocent officer. I regret that ...” Asked for more details, Hood said, “You know, they killed my brother. They were going to kill me.”

Hood was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1997 for armed robbery and released in 2009. In 2001, while Hood was serving time, his 22-year-old brother, Timothy Hood, was shot and killed by an Athens police officer. Investigators said at the time that Timothy Hood pulled a gun on an officer and was shot when the weapon jammed.

CAFE Continued from Page 3A

nights.”

The upper level is a recent addition to the garage space.

“This isn’t just a coffee shop,” he said. “We’re training the kids who work here so that they are able to go out and work at a Starbucks or a local coffee house with little training from that company.

They’ll also learn valuable job skills that they can carry with them.”

The coffee shop is open only during church functions.

The construction of the facility is not only for the BMHA parish, but those in the surrounding community as well.

“The basis for building this goes back to Pastor Dan Miller, lead pastor of BMHA, and his vision and belief in blessing the community,” said Chapman.

“In the Back Mountain we don’t have as many places for the youth to go,” he said. “We’re hoping that with this, we can provide a venue for kids to come and hang out.”

“This stage can house bands, plays, presentations,” he said.

“There are a lot of possibilities.”

Although it’s geared towards a younger age group, the youth center sees members of all ages.

“We have people that come to events that range in age from teenagers, up to being in their 50s,” said Patty Petts, who organizes and runs many events for the youth of the parish.

BMHA prides itself on being a place where everyone is welcome to worship.

“We’re here for people who may be hesitant,” said Ray Petts, associate pastor. “We want people to know that they are welcome to come and see what we’re about, no pressure.”

“We have these facilities so that people can expand upon the gifts, talents, and abilities they already have,” Chapman said.

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

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 PAGE 9A●

Editorial

WORLD OPINION

U.S. health care reform worth long political fight

I

T HAS BEEN a year since the first part of President Barack Obama’s health care reforms became law.

Republicans have been vocal in their criticism, but the historical import is undeniable: more vulnerable Americans can now afford health insurance.

If this reform is not derailed, families will no longer have to borrow or mortgage their homes to pay steep hospital bills. Children and adults with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma and high blood pressure, will be covered, when in the past an insurance company could deny payment.

Before health care reforms were enacted, a 2009 Harvard study showed there were 44,800 excess deaths a year in

the United States because people could not get insurance.

Obama’s measures, which require all U.S. citizens to have health insurance by 2014, will give access to the 32 million Americans who could not afford it, through their employer or independently through an insurance company.

Obama has had a rough ride, under fire for everything from the economy to his handling of unrest in the Middle East.

Amid all that he deserves acclaim for his remarkable reforms, providing every American with something closer to the kind of health care Canadians have long taken for granted.

The Toronto Star

QUOTE OF THE DAY “I have no time to even think about next year. I am engaged in making sure the home rule transition goes smoothly.”

Maryanne Petrilla The head of the Luzerne County Commissioners emphasized last week she has not decided to run against state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, as had been incorrectly reported on several political websites.

China must help Japan

W

HAT’S happening now in neighboring Japan is both unfamiliar and familiar to us: We are definitely not familiar with the 10-meter wave that a tsunami could incur and we are not familiar with the formidable power that a nuclear plant could release in an instant.

Yet we do instantly recognize the helpless eyes, the strong desire to live and the longing for a little warmth.

Indeed, we have experienced similar disasters ourselves, in the Sichuan earthquake and in the Zhouqu landslide.

It is always said the values and spirit of an individual or a nation usually are put to the test on occasions like these. We

have suffered terrible losses, but our compassion for the lives of fellow human beings has been awakened like never before.

Bearing our recent history in mind, we often view each other with ambivalent attitudes, to say the least. But the candles lit, the vigils held and the tears shed for the ordinary lives have told a totally different, yet not unexpected, story, which is particularly comforting.

The Chinese government has acted promptly in the most appropriate manner, sending out millions of dollars in emergency aid and a rescue team to help with Japan’s quake relief efforts. More is on the way.

China Daily, Beijing

Yemen unrest troubling

T

HE SITUATION IN Yemen is explosive to say the least. While the protests demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh are escalating to a bloody struggle, the bigger threat is that of al-Qaida capitalizing on the situation.

A split in the military in Yemen as well as defection of high-ranking government officials has further tipped the scale against the embattled president. To add to Saleh’s misery, even the international powers seem to be reviewing their relations and support to him. The French government already has asked him to step down.

A deeply divided tribal society, Yemen is beset with sectarian, tribal and ethnic conflict

and crippling economic deprivation. Extreme poverty and unemployment, dwindling water resources and a repressive and corrupt administration provided ample ground for a resurgent al-Qaida to entrench itself. With the current situation poised to take the country toward a civil war, or at least a violent upheaval, the threat from al-Qaida looms larger than ever.

Yemen’s geo-strategic positioning, especially in context of its sharing borders with oil rich Gulf states makes it particularly vulnerable. It is therefore hoped that all stakeholders look at the broader picture and make full efforts to maintain stability at all costs.

Khaleej Times Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Editorial Board RICHARD L. CONNOR Editor and Publisher JOE BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor

MALLARD FILLMORE

MARK E. JONES Editorial Page Editor PRASHANT SHITUT President/Wilkes-Barre Publishing Co.

MAIL BAG

LETTERS FROM READERS

Taxpayer dollars wasted

by Sterling, reader says

SEND US YOUR OPINION Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number for verification. Letters should be no more than 250 words. We reserve the right to edit and limit writers to one published letter every 30 days.

• E-mail: mailbag@timesleader.com • Fax: 570-829-5537 • Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 1871 1

I

read the article about the Hotel Sterling; it is always sad to see a historically significant building in such disrepair.

It is even more discouraging to find out that it has taken $10 million of taxpayer money to determine it has to be torn down.

It is a perfect example of waste. Thank you, CityVest.

Ron Keener Nanticoke

W-B Twp. mayor takes out-of-town critic to task

O

ur ever insolent, non-resident, nontaxpayer Joe Naperkowski is bashing Wilkes-Barre Township yet again in a recent letter to the editor. This time the issue is that of the former St. Joseph’ s Church and the unanimous decision of the Zoning Hearing Board to allow two developers the chance to convert the former church buildings into a source of tax revenue.

At the same time, these buildings will be kept in repair so they don’t become an eyesore for the community. Joe, why would you propose Wilkes-Barre Township taxpayers purchase the former church? To renovate the church, and even the former high school, would cost our taxpayers millions of dollars that we don’t have.

Why should we have to raise our taxes to purchase something, when at the same time private investors are willing to utilize the buildings for business purposes? Further, as we have seen in many communities, some absentee landlord could have purchased these buildings and turned them into low-income housing or worse, some type of halfway house. But of course, Joe, you wouldn’t worry about that, you don’t live here.

Also, you should know, since you apparently believe you are an expert regarding how our government works, that I as mayor, or Mrs. Yuknavich as our council president, cannot dictate what our Zoning Hearing Board decides to do with these issues. They act in the best interests of our community and listen to the residents’ concerns. Can you say the same about yourself?

Carl Kuren Mayor, Wilkes-Barre Township

W-B Area board needs fresh voice in stalemate

I

believe it was Albert Einstein who concluded that you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

The research must have been done in Wilkes-Barre.

I do not believe that there is one WilkesBarre Area School Board member who would deny that the school board’s credibility is shattered. Thirty three percent of the prior board has admitted to criminal acts. The board elected a president who had been accused, and later admitted, to a crime.

Following the resignation of the board president, the eight remaining members were charged with naming a replacement.

The regulations state that the board has 30 days to accomplish the appointment. If at any time in this board’s history a cohesive team effort was needed, it is now. It did not happen; they split four votes to four votes and time elapsed.

If ever fresh ideas and new blood is needed, it is now. The two finalists, who each garnered four votes, were a retired school district principal and a former school board member rejected by the voters.

Presently two of the eight members are retired school district employees; hence we get more of the same, with the retired principal seeking the seat. This would mean that 33 percent percent of the board would be retired Wilkes-Barre Area School District employees.

Now that would bring in new ideas and solutions.

Richard A. Holodick Wilkes-Barre

Writer questions cost of sprinkler in private home

I

keep reading comments from people who are in favor of the fire sprinkler mandate. There are some of us who are not in favor of this new law that went into effect Jan. 1. I believe the decision should be up to the homeowner.

The opinions are from firefighters, and they reference fires in high-rises, dormitories and row homes. I am 100 percent behind them, requiring dwellings like these to have sprinkler systems.

Now when it comes to a single-family home with its own well, I am not for a home sprinkler. It is an added expense that should be left up to the soon-to-be new homeowner.

I’ve heard a 1,500-square-foot home with a sprinkler system added can increase the cost by $6,000 or more. What they don’t mention is that in the country, where there

DOONESBURY

are private wells, there is not enough pressure to have the sprinklers work; adding the extras needed will increase the cost even more. Not to mention having to have separate flood insurance from your home owner’s insurance. If the sprinklers happen to go off and there is no fire, then your homeowner’s wouldn’t cover the damage.

I hope the state Senate and governor feel the same way the House of Representatives did, and they vote to repeal this law.

The sooner the better, so we can get on with our building plans.

Rebecca Bonham Ross Township

Why does God allow catastrophes to happen?

A

mericans are still stunned about the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in Japan. Let’s pray that the Japanese people have the spiritual strength and courage to deal with this sad and tragic event.

Americans naturally feel compassion for the victims of any natural disaster. However, most Americans really don’t understand why tragedies such as this occur. The science community would like us to think that events such as this are caused by “Mother Nature;” they leave out the fact that God is the cause and effect of the laws of nature.

So, why does God allow catastrophes such as this to happen? First, we have to understand the connection between the effects of sin and the natural law. There is a correlation between the moral law and the natural laws of God, and when man disobeys the moral law it causes disruption and turmoil in the laws of nature.

Mankind is disregarding the fact that in all sectors of our society immorality has reached unprecedented proportions.

More devastating than the natural disasters that recently have occurred is the “tsunami of immorality” that continually floods the world today. It has caused an unprecedented amount of divorces, abortions and laws that favor and promote homosexuality.

And worse than that, there is an unrelenting campaign of blasphemies and ridicule against God and all things sacred.

Even our judicial laws are slowly doing away with all references to God and religion.

Finally, in regard to the recent events in Japan and so many other natural disasters, one cannot fail to mention the warnings from Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.

What is the lesson mankind needs to learn from Japan and all of the other worldwide catastrophes? The lesson is that the “prodigal son” must return to the father’s house. God is warning mankind to repent, so it might receive his unlimited love and forgiveness.

Walter Camier Weatherly

CMYK PAGE 10A

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

CALIFORNIA Continued from Page 1A

routinely deprived juveniles of their constitutional right to counsel,” Brickley wrote. “As a result, the Pennsylvania Su-

preme Court vacated the adjudications of all juveniles who appeared before Ciavarella over a five-year period.”

Brickley spoke of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice and their response to the conduct.

But, according to Brickley, the California Commission on Judi-

➛

N

E

cial Performance put policies in place long before the “Pennsylvania scandal.”

The California commission enacted procedures to ensure all complaints are properly brought to its attention and that no complaint “falls through the cracks.”

“A complaint is not closed, deferred, investigated or referred to

W

S

prosecuting authorities without the commission’s authorization,” Brickley wrote. “Its policy is to review all new complaints within 60 days of receipt.”

While the commission’s policy, Brickley wrote, required reporting on these matters every six months, in practice all deferred matters are reported on at each

Spending plan would meet state deadline and cut spending 2 percent

Tentative N.Y. budget reached

By MICHAEL GORMLEY Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a tentative $132.5 billion state budget deal he struck with legislative leaders Sunday was nothing less than historic for its spending cuts as well as its timeliness.

The tentative plan would reduce state spending by more than 2 percent and would deal with a $10 billion deficit without raising taxes or borrowing money.

The plan stands a chance to be finalized by legislators this week, in time to meet the Friday deadline, when the state fiscal year begins.

“It’s an exceptionally big deal when the state passes a budget on time under these circumstances,” said Cuomo, who got the majority of his priorities into his first budget for the state. “It’s a new day in New York.”

New York’s budget process is being watched nationwide. The state has the earliest budget deadline in the nation, but, like other states, is wrestling with deep deficits, weak revenues and unprecedented protests from advocates for the poor and middle class.

In his first three months in office, Cuomo did what his father, three-term Gov. Mario Cuomo, couldn’t do to win a fourth term.

Ultimately, it cost Mario Cuomo his office in 1994 to Republican Gov. George Pataki, who ran on a fiscal conservative platform. Pataki was the last New York governor to cut spending.

Legislative leaders Sunday praised their progress and the results.

“New York state is now func-

KULICK Continued from Page 3A

witness in the retrial.

Kulick came forward two years ago with information about alleged case fixing in county court.

He provided a sworn statement about discussions between former Judge Michael T. Conahan and reputed mobster William D’Elia of Hughestown. Kulick said D’Elia indicated there would be a positive outcome for businessman Thomas A. Joseph, who filed the defamation suit.

D’Elia and Joseph had a business relationship.

AP PHOTO

Speaker Sheldon Silver, left, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos reached a budget deal Sunday.

tioning well, in a bipartisan way,” said Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Nassau County Republican who with the Democratic governor killed the Assembly’s “millionaire’s tax” for the year.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver called the budget “grounded in reality ... a fiscally responsible budget that protects the most vulnerable among us.”

“This is a sober budget, unquestionably,” Silver said. “Government had to tighten its belt.”

Among the details released

Sunday was the restoration of $272 million in school aid from Cuomo’s proposed $1.5 billion cut to schools. The restored funding would benefit schools, including New York City schools, schools for the deaf and blind, and summer schools for special education students.

Also is the plan is the restoration of $86 million to the State University of New York, City University of New York and their community colleges.

Billy Easton of the Alliance for Quality Education, a union- and

Joseph sued The Scranton Times L.P. and others, including reporter Ed Lewis, who has since joined The Times Leader, claiming the stories wrongly tied him to a money-laundering investigation involving D’Elia.

After a non-jury trial, former Judge Mark A. Ciavarella awarded Joseph $3.5 million for a series of articles that ran in the Citizens’ Voice in 2001.

Conahan and Ciavarella have since been charged in the ongoing public corruption probe in the county.

Last July, Conahan pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering conspiracy.

In February, a jury in federal court found Ciavarella guilty of

12 of 39 charges arising from his alleged participation in a $2.8 million kickback scheme related to the construction of two juvenile detention centers and the

BENEFIT Continued from Page 3A

physically and cognitively impaired.

“This family’s been through quite a lot,” Martin said. “I’m happy so many people want to help them.”

Acute myeloid leukemia generally effects older adults, Martin said. “But if children

FLOOD Continued from Page 1A

existing house or installing a new driveway with an impermeable surface.

Currently, downspouts that collect rain water from gutters lining roofs direct the water to storm sewers in most cities and boroughs.

Many municipalities have sewer systems that co-mingle storm water with sewage, adding to the pollution of streams and eventually the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay because treatment plants are overwhelmed with water during heavy storms and untreated overflow is discharged directly into waterways.

Under the new laws, anyone who puts a new roof on a house must disconnect the downspouts from the public sewer system and redirect the water flow in a way that will prevent flooding into neighbors’ basements and oversaturation of the ground as well.

That could mean directing the water to a rain barrel collection system or a rain garden in which

SUBMITTED PHOTO

An example of a rain barrel collection system for storm water provided by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

water is absorbed and slowly dissipated.

Homeowners or builders would have to apply for a permit for the new construction or redevelopment from the municipality and have a storm water management plan for the project approved before the work could begin.

A local builder believes municipal officials should take their time and carefully consider any

parent-backed lobbying group, remained critical of the proposals because of the overall cuts to schools. “Nobody who cares about students is celebrating this budget,” he said.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also did not like the latest agreement, saying that even with the restoration of some funding, the budget passes along new costs to the city that it can’t absorb.

Also in the plan, 3,700 prison beds would be eliminated; $22 million would be restored to proposed cuts for prescriptions for the elderly; and New York City senior centers will be funded.

Cuomo’s plan to lay off 9,800 state workers remained uncertain.

The governor said the budget would set New York on a new course after decades of overspending and overtaxing that has driven residents out of state for better opportunities.

The Legislature still must pass the budget bills. In past years, tentative deals have fallen apart after lawmakers, lobbyists and reporters pick apart deals struck in closed-door negotiations.

In a surprise move, Cuomo lopped off $170 million from the court system budget, bringing cuts to the Office of Court Administration close to a10 percent reduction he calls for in his executive branch. State Bar Association President Stephen Younger said he hoped that won’t force courtrooms to close.

The move broke decorum in Albany where the executive branch rarely touches the legislative or judicial budgets as a nod to adhering to the constitutional separation of powers. placement of youths in the facilities.

Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, can be contacted at 829-7237.

are diagnosed in time, the treatment is very successful.

The downside is the chemotherapy is very aggressive with difficult side-effects.

We’re praying for the best.”

Proceeds from the event will go to pay for expenses not covered by the Marx’s insurance.

Donations for Mackenzie can be mailed to: Joe Marx, 181 Fieldstone Way, Mountain Top, PA 18707. tion runs in the $2,000 to $3,000 range depending on the amount of piping and gravel necessary.

“With those kinds of things, there has to be a feel-good end result because the cost gets expensive,” said Arnold, who prefers rain barrel systems because the water can be used later to wash the car or water the lawn.

Arnold said the construction industry is adapting to new environmental mandates and noted that a new type of macadam that absorbs water has been developed for roads and driveways in new developments, although it is more expensive than traditional macadam.

“As an industry, we’ve realized we have to adapt. Building has really become a science,” he said.

A member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Builders Association and a member of the Luzerne County Farmland Preservation Board, Arnold said striking a balance between environmental protection and the pocketbooks of consumers should be the goal.

plan before adopting one because, while the laws will benefit the environment and protect neighboring properties and those downstream, they could add significantly to the cost of building projects in an already stressed industry.

Rick Arnold, owner of R.T. Arnold Building Contractor in Mountain Top, said rain barrel Steve Mocarsky, a Times Leader systems could cost upwards of staff writer, may be reached at $500 and rain garden construc- 970-7311.

THE TIMES LEADER

www.timesleader.com

commission meeting, every six to seven weeks.

Brickley said the report made by the Interbranch Commission “serves as a reminder of the critical role a judicial disciplinary system plays in maintaining public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary and the importance of ensuring that it fulfills that

mandate.”

The California commission, she wrote, works “diligently” to ensure its rules and procedures are not vulnerable to the “failures that occurred in Pennsylvania.”

BUFALINO

M A R K B U FA L I N O

Continued from Page 1A

“I have experience in the courtroom,” Bufalino said. “No pun intended, that’s the benchmark.”

He spoke of his 15 years experience as a lawyer, arguing civil and criminal trials, handling civil matters and municipal law and being certified by the state Supreme Court to try death-penalty homicide cases.

“I’m not running for a position,” Bufalino said. “I’m running to go to work.”

If elected, he said, he would be able to assist in the courts’ handling of a high number of criminal cases, and find a better way for them to get expedited on time.

“I think I can be of great assistance in getting though the backlog,” Bufalino said.

He said he is also a firm believer in the Central Court system, which handles arraignments and preliminary hearings, and reinstituting it in Wilkes-Barre to handle cases more effectively.

“As a judge, you’re the goalie who kicks the ball back into play,” Bufalino said. “When you see good judges, that’s what they do.”

A clear portion of Luzerne County does not have fair access to legal assistance, Bufalino

LIBYA Continued from Page 1A

cient naval firepower off Libya’s coast, and it coincides with NATO’s decision Sunday to take over command and control of the entire Libya operation. Aided by international air power, Libyan rebels were reported to have made important gains by capturing two oil complexes along the coast.

The shrinking of the naval presence adds substance to Obama’s expected reassurance to the American people that after kicking off the Libyan mission, the U.S. is now handing off to partner countries in Europe and elsewhere the bulk of the responsibility for suppressing Gadhafi’s forces.

NATO’s governing body, meeting in Brussels, accepted a plan for the transfer of command.

That is expected to mean that U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham, who has been the top commander of the Libya operation, will switch to a support role.

Obama administration officials claimed progress in Libya, but lawmakers in both parties voiced skepticism over the length, scope and costs of the mission.

Obama is trying to address those issues in a speech that’s expected to provide his fullest explanation of the U.S. role in Libya and what lies ahead.

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., questioned whether it made sense to be involved at all. “I don’t believe we should be engaged in Libyan civil war,” Lugar said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I believe the Libyans are going to have to work that out. The fact is that we don’t have particular ties with anybody in the Libyan picture.”

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, was broadly supportive of the president’s steps so far. “It is a flyover which is succeeding. It has set Gadhafi back.

He’s on his heels now,” Levin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Still, Levin said it was unclear how long the air campaign will have to last if Gadhafi clings to power.

Gates, an early skeptic of establishing a no-fly zone, told ABC’s “This Week” that for practical purposes, the establishment of the zone is complete and can now be sustained “with a lot less effort than what it took to set it up.”

In advance of Obama’s speech at 7:30 p.m. EDT today, Gates and Clinton stressed the administration’s message that the U.S. role in the mission will shrink, il-

Sheena Delazio, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 8297235.

Age: 40 Education: Villanova University, B.A. liberal arts; Dickinson School of Law Law experience: Private practice attorney with Elliot, Greenleaf & Dean, Wilkes-Barre; former solicitor for Wyoming Borough; solicitor for West Pittston and Pittston city zoning board.

Community affiliations: Volunteer at Back Mountain Free Legal Clinic Family: single; son of Charles and Loretta (Kanorr) Bufalino

TIMES LEADER VIDEO Video interviews with judicial candidates will appear on timesleader.com when all interviews are completed with the endorsement board.

said, adding it’s primarily because of financial reasons.

He said he volunteers about once a month at the Back Mountain Free Legal Clinic, where people who cannot afford legal assistance can show up and get help.

“We stay as long as we are needed,” he said of himself and other attorneys who volunteer at the clinic.

Bufalino said he intends to spend approximately $100,000 on his campaign, and will accept contributions from anyone, including attorneys. lustrating that it’s possible for the U.S. military to partner with others without always being the leader.

Gates said the no-fly zone and efforts to protect civilians from attack by pro-Gadhafi forces will have to be sustained “for some period of time.”

Among other hard questions for Obama is whether the Libyan intervention should serve as a model for U.S. policy toward other Arab countries where revolts against authoritarian governments are gaining ground, including Syria and Yemen, and where civilians are at risk of violent reprisals.

Clinton declined to say if the U.S. might be willing to enter other such conflicts. She said it was too early to talk of getting involved in Syria, where security forces have opened fire on protesters amid nationwide unrest. Unlike Gadhafi, Syrian President Bashar Assad is a “different leader” and many members of Congress who have visited the country “believe he’s a reformer,” Clinton said.

Clinton and Gates insisted the objective in Libya was limited to protecting civilians, even as they hoped the pressure of concerted international penalties and isolation might strip away Gadhafi’s remaining loyalists and cause his government to crumble.

“One should not underestimate the possibility of the regime itself cracking,” Gates said.

Asked if the Libyan conflict posed a threat to the United States, Gates said it was “not a vital national interest” but he insisted the situation nevertheless demanded U.S. involvement.

With tenuous democratic transitions under way in the neighboring countries of Tunisia and — more important to the U.S. — Egypt, allowing the entire region to be destabilized was a dangerous option.

Citing military gains against Libya over the past week, Gates said Pentagon officials are now planning the start of a force reduction. He was not specific, but he appeared to refer to moving some of the dozens of American ships or aircraft — or both — out of the immediate area.

“We will begin diminishing the level of our engagement, the level of resources we have involved in this,” he said, adding that as long as there is a no-fly zone, “we will continue to have a presence.” He gave as examples U.S. surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft that support the no-fly zone.

Even as naval firepower was reduced, Pentagon officials said they were considering adding air power.

CMYK

SPORTS

SECTION

timesleader.com

THE TIMES LEADER

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

NCAA TOURNAMENT

VCU

71

KANSAS

61

B

AHL

KENTUCKY

UNC

76

69

SOUTHERN ACCENTS First Four to Final Four: Storied Wildcat program Rams stun Jayhawks ends 13-year drought

Penguins capture East title Lerg’s overtime goal gives WBS the division and team-record 52nd victory.

By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com

HERSHEY – Things dragged out during Sunday’s matchup between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Hershey Bears.

And it benefited the Penguins.

With the scored tied 2-2 in overtime and the Bears on a power play, winPENGUINS ger Bryan Lerg made an incredible toe-drag move around BEARS Hershey forward Keith Aucoin and roofed a shot over goaltender Braden Holtby for the 3-2 win.

It was a dramatic finish to a game that gave the Penguins the East Division title and the franchise single-season record for wins with 52. The Penguins are now 52-20-0-1 on the season.

“It’s an honor to be on a team like this,” Lerg said. “To achieve a goal like this is awesome. But we’re not going to back off the pedal. We want to get as many

3

2

See PENS, Page 3B

OPINION PHIL SHERIDAN

Phillies mix anticipation and anxiety AP PHOTO

Virginia Commonwealth’s Darius Theus, right, pulls on teammate Brandon Rozzell’s shirt as Troy Daniels celebrates after winning the Southwest regional final against Kansas Sunday in San Antonio. VCU won 71-61.

VCU latest Cinderella to join party

Kentucky earns date with UConn

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

SAN ANTONIO — Move over, Butler. Virginia Commonwealth is crashing the Final Four.

Two weeks ago, the 11th-seeded Rams so doubted they would get a NCAA tournament invite that they watched Cartoon Network and went out for burgers instead of watching the selection show. Now, all of America will be watching them in the Final Four.

The 11th-seeded Rams are heading to Houston, and final No.1seed Kansas is heading home after the biggest March upset in years.

VCU stunned the Jayhawks 71-61 on Sunday, becoming just the third 11th seed to make the Final Four. The Jayhawks had been the last top seed standing, but what looked like an easy path to the final weekend ended in a stunning collapse.

Eighth-seeded Butler, you’re promoted to a favorite next week. VCU is the trendy underdog pick this year.

NEWARK, N.J. — Kentucky spent 13 straight springs watching other schools play in the Final Four, a destination college basketball’s winningest program considers its birthright.

At most places, that’s hardly a drought.

In the Bluegrass, it’s a lifetime.

Now coach John Calipari and the Wildcats — finally — are two wins away from another national title.

Brandon Knight scored 22 points and fourth-seeded Kentucky advanced to the Final Four for the first time since their 1998 national title with a 76-69 win over second-seeded North Carolina on Sunday in the East Regional final.

The Wildcats (29-8) will play Connecticut in Houston on Saturday night after turning back a late surge by the Tar Heels (27-10), who erased an 11point deficit before running out of gas in the final two minutes.

DeAndre Liggins added 12 points

See VCU, Page 4B

AP PHOTO

Kentucky’s Josh Harrellson celebrates after Kentucky’s 76-69 win over North Carolina in the East regional final Sunday in Newark, N.J.

See KENTUCKY, Page 4B

T H E F I N A L F O U R : H O U S T O N , T E X A S , S AT U R D AY

Game 1: Butler vs. Virginia Commonwealth University, 6:09 p.m.

Game 2: Kentucky vs. Connecticut, 8:49 p.m.

TV Coverage: CBS

YOUR BREATH isn’t quite as bated.

Anticipation has yielded ground to trepidation.

The week they are scheduled to come north, the Phillies’ fortunes seem to be headed due south.

The summer of the aces has been preceded, maybe preempted, by the spring of the aches.

Chase Utley’s knee, Brad Lidge’s shoulder, Placido Polanco’s elbow. When that line drive dropped Roy Oswalt last week, it knocked all of Philadelphia down. What a pain in the neck.

The red pinstriped angel on your left shoulder keeps whispering: “Relax. It’s a long season. This team knows how to win. By October, when Roy and Roy and Cliff and Cole are lined up to pitch the first four games of the World Series, this will all seem like a vague memory.”

The road-gray devil on your MRI-bound right shoulder has the weight of too much Phillies history on his side: “You fool!

Getting your hopes up! You should know better. Expect the worst and you won’t get your heart broken again.”

The angel is right, of course.

The baseball season is long enough that Utley could return and win the most valuable player award, that Lidge could be hugging Carlos Ruiz after getting the final out of another championship season. Other than their uniforms, the Phillies of the past five years bear no See SHERIDAN, Page 5B

K PAGE 2B

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

W E E K ’ S L O C A L C A L E N D A R Monday, March 28 H.S. BOYS VOLLEYBALL (5:45 p.m.)

Berwick at Crestwood Dallas at Hazleton Area Wyoming Area at North Pocono Nanticoke at Meyers Abington Heights at Coughlin H.S. GIRLS SOCCER (4:15 p.m.)

Dallas at Holy Redeemer Berwick at Coughlin Hazleton Area at Wyoming Valley West Nanticoke at Delaware Valley

COLLEGE BASBEALL

King’s at Wilkes, 1 p.m.

COLLEGE MENS TENNIS Baptist Bible at King’s, 4 p.m.

COLLEGE WOMENS LACROSSE Cedar Crest at Wilkes, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, March 29

H.S. TRACK (4:15 p.m.)

Wyoming Area at GAR Lake-Lehman at Holy Redeemer Meyers at Nanticoke Northwest at Hanover Area H.S. BOYS TENNIS (4:15 p.m.)

Meyers at Crestwood GAR at Coughlin Hazleton Area at Wyoming Valley West Holy Redeemer at Wyoming Seminary MMI at Wyoming Area Pittston Area at Tunkhannock Dallas at Berwick H.S. BOYS VOLLEYBALL (5:45 p.m.)

Lake-Lehman at Delaware Valley Tunkhannock at Hanover Area Holy Redeemer at Wyoming Valley West Pittston Area at West Side Tech H.S. GIRLS SOCCER (4:15 p.m.)

Honesdale at Wyoming Seminary Hanover Area at Pittston Area Meyers at Tunkhannock GAR at Wyoming Area COLLEGE BASEBALL Baptist Bible at King’s, 4 p.m.

Wilkes at Scranton, 3:30 p.m.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL York at Misericordia, 3 p.m.

COLLEGE MENS TENNIS King’s at Keystone, 3 p.m.

COLLEGE WOMENS TENNIS Albright at King’s, 3:30 p.m.

COLLEGE WOMENS LACROSSE Misericordia at Lebanon Valley, TBA

Wednesday, March 30 H.S. BOYS VOLLEYBALL

(5:45 p.m.)

Crestwood at Dallas Berwick at Wyoming Area Hazleton Area at Nanticoke North Pocono at Abington Heights H.S. TRACK (4:15 p.m.)

Wyoming Valley West at Berwick Dallas at Pittston Area Tunkhannock at Crestwood Hazleton Area at Coughlin H.S. GIRLS SOCCER (4:15 p.m. unless noted) Coughlin at Dallas Holy Redeemer at Crestwood, 7 p.m.

Delaware Valley at Hazleton Area Wyoming Valley West at Lake-Lehman, 6:30 p.m.

COLLEGE MENS LACROSSE (4 p.m.)

Lycoming at King’s Lebanon Valley at Misericordia COLLEGE WOMENS LACROSSE King’s at Lycoming, 4 p.m.

COLLEGE MENS TENNIS Messiah at King’s, 3:30 p.m.

COLLEGE WOMENS TENNIS (3:30 p.m.)

Messiah at King’s Wilkes at PSU Berks COLLEGE SOFTBALL Manhattanville at King’s, 3 p.m.

COLLEGE BASEBALL Misericordia at Moravian, 3:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 31

H.S. BOYS TENNIS (4:15 p.m.)

Berwick at MMI Pittston Area at Holy Redeemer Tunkhannock at Hazleton Area Wyoming Area at GAR Wyoming Seminary at Meyers Wyoming Valley West at Dallas Coughlin at Crestwood H.S. BOYS VOLLEYBALL (5:45 p.m.)

Meyers at Lake-Lehman Coughlin at Tunkhannock Delaware Valley at Holy Redeemer Hanover Area at Pittston Area West Side Tech at Wyoming Valley West H.S. GIRLS SOCCER (4:15 p.m.)

Pittston Area at Honesdale Wyoming Seminary at North Pocono Wyoming Area at Meyers Tunkhannock at MMI COLLEGE GOLF King’s at Moravian Spring Invitational, 12:30 p.m.

COLLEGE SOFTBALL (3 p.m.)

King’s at Ithaca Wilkes at Lebanon Valley COLLEGE MENS TENNIS PSU Berks at Wilkes, 3:30 p.m.

Friday, April 1

H.S. BASEBALL (4:15 p.m.)

Dallas at Wyoming Valley West Tunkhannock at Wyoming Area Crestwood at Coughlin Nanticoke at Holy Redeemer Pittston Area at Hazleton Area H.S. SOFTBALL (4:15 p.m.)

Dallas at Wyoming Valley West Tunkhannock at Wyoming Area Crestwood at Coughlin Nanticoke at Holy Redeemer Pittston Area at Hazleton Area COLLEGE BASEBALL (3:30 p.m.)

King’s at Misericordia DeSales at Wilkes COLLEGE MENS TENNIS Cabrini at King’s, 4 p.m.

W H AT ’ S

O N

T V

NHL 7:30 p.m.

VERSUS — Chicago at Detroit

PREP BASKETBALL

7:30 p.m.

ESPN2 — Exhibition, Powerade Jamfest slamdunk competition, at Chicago

WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

7 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Division I tournament, regional final, Tennessee vs. Notre Dame, at Dayton, Ohio 9 p.m.

ESPN — NCAA Division I tournament, regional final, Gonzaga vs. Stanford, at Spokane, Wash.

T R A N S A C T I O N S BASEBALL American League KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Optioned OF Lorenzo Cain to Omaha (PCL).

MINNESOTA TWINS — Optioned RHP Jim Hoey, RHP Anthony Slama and INF Luke Hughes to Rochester (IL).

OAKLAND ATHLETICS — Optioned RHP Joey Devine to Sacramento (PCL).

TAMPA BAY RAYS — Optioned C Jose Lobaton to Durham (IL). Traded INF Joe Inglett to Houston for a player to be named or cash considerations.

National League ATLANTA BRAVES — Reassigned RHP Kenshin Kawakami, RHP Rodrigo Lopez, C J.C. Boscan, INF Ed Lucas and OF Wilkin Rodriguez to their minor league camp. Placed RHP Kris Medlen on the 15-day DL. Released RHP Scott Proctor. Placed OF Joe Mather on outright waivers.

CHICAGO CUBS — Granted RHP Carlos Silva his unconditional release.

CINCINNATI REDS — Reassigned LHP Dontrelle Willis and OF Jeremy Hermida to their minor league camp.

COLORADO ROCKIES — Optioned RHP Matt Daley, RHP Greg Reynolds, C Jordan Pacheco and INF Eric Young Jr. to their minor league camp.

Reassigned RHP John Maine, LHP Rex Brothers and LHP Eric Stults to their minor league camp.

HOUSTON ASTROS — Returned RHP Lance Pendleton to the N.Y. Yankees, who assigned him to their minor league camp.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS — Placed RHP LaTroy Hawkins on the 15-day DL. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES — Optioned RHP Scott Mathieson and LHP Mike Zagurski to their minor league camp.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Traded OF Nyjer Morgan to Milwaukee for INF Cutter Dykstra and cash considerations.

HOCKEY

National Hockey League COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS — Signed F Cam Atkinson to a three-year contract.

ST. LOUIS BLUES — Assigned F T.J. Hensick, F Adam Cracknell and D Ian Cole to Peoria (AHL).

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING — Reassigned F Blair Jones to Norfolk (AHL).

B O X I N G Fight Schedule National TV in parentheses April 1 At Berlin, Bejamin Simon vs. Sam Soliman, 12, IBF middleweight eliminator; Alexander Petkovic vs.

Raymond Ochieng, 12, heavyweights.

At Mashantucket, Conn. (ESPN2), Henry Lundy vs.

Patrick Lopez, 12, lightweights; Vladine Biosse vs.

Yasin Rashid, 10, junior middleweights.

April 2 At Gdynia, Poland, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk vs. Francisco Palacios, 12, for Wlodarczyk’s WBC cruiserweight title.

At Le Cannet, France, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam vs.

Giovanni Lorenzo, 12, for the interim WBA World middleweight title.

At Halle, Germany, Marco Huck vs. Ran Nakash, 12, for Huck’s WBO cruiserweight title; Robert Helenius vs. Samuel Peter, 12, for the WBO-WNA Inter-Continental heavyweight titles.

At London, Jurgen Brahmer vs. Nathan Cleverly, 12, for Brahmer’s WBO light heavyweight title.

At Panama City, Panama, Luis Concepcion vs. Hernan Marquez, 12, for Concepcion’s WBA World flyweight title.

At Mexicali, Mexico, Giovani Segura vs. Ivan Calderon, 12, for Segura’s WBO junior flyweight titles; Ricardo Castillo vs. Joksan Hernandez, 10, junior lightweights.

April 8 At Hyogo, Japan, Hozumi Hasegawa vs. Johnny Gonzalez, 12, for Hasegawa’s WBC featherweight title; Toshiaki Nishioka vs. Mauricio Munoz, 12, for Nishioka’s WBC junior featherweight title; Takahiro Ao vs. Humberto Gutierrez, 12, for Ao’s WBC junior lightweight title.

At Montreal (ESPN2), David Lemieux vs. Marco Antonio Rubio, 12, WBC middleweight title eliminator.

April 9 At Magdeburg, Germany, Robert Stieglitz vs. Dimitri Sartison, 12, for Stieglitz’s WBO super middleweight title.

At Newark, N.J., Tomasz Adamek vs. Kevin McBride, 12, heavyweights; Siarhei Liakhovich vs.

Johnnie White, 10, heavyweights.

At MGM Grand, Las Vegas (PPV), Marcos Maidana vs. Erik Morales, 10 lightweights; Robert Guerrero vs. Michael Katsidis, 12, for the interim WBA WorldWBO lightweight titles; Paulie Malignaggi vs. Jose Cotto, 10, welterweights; Danny Garcia vs. Nate Campbell, 10, junior welterweights.

April 15 At Temecula, Calif. (ESPN2), Ivan Popoca vs. Ruslan Provodnikov, 10, junior welterweights; Ji-Hoon Kim vs. Marvin Quintero, 10, lightweights.

April 16 At Manchester, England (HBO), Amir Khan vs. Paul McCloskey, 12, for Khan’s WBA World light welterweight title.

At Mashantucket, Conn. (HBO), Andre Berto vs.

Victor Ortiz, 12, for Berto’s WBC welterweight title.

At Bayamon, Puerto Rico (SHO), Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Orlando Salido, 12, for Lopez’s WBO featherweight title; Roman Martinez vs. Luis Cruz, 10, super featherweights.

April 17 At Jakarta, Indonesia, Chris John vs. Daud Yordan, 12, for John’s WBA Super World featherweight title.

April 19 At Pakchong, Thailand, Kwanthai Sithmorseng vs.

Muhammad Rachman, 12, for Sithmorseng’s WBA World minimumweight title.

April 23 At Los Angeles (SHO), Joseph Agbeko vs. Abner Mares, 12, for Agbeko’s IBF bantamweight title; Yonnhy Perez vs. Vic Darchinyan, 12, bantamweights.

April 29 At Las Vegas (ESPN2), Victor Cayo vs. Tim Coleman, 12, IBF junior welterweight eliminator.

April 30 At Mannheim, Germany, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Dereck Chisora, 12, for Klitschko’s WBO-IBO heavyweight titles.

At Buenos Aires, Luis Lazarte vs. Ulises Solis, 12, for Lazarte’s IBF junior flyweight title; Roberto Bolonti vs. Isidro Prieto, 10, heavyweights.

At Panama City, Panama, Rafael Concepcion, vs.

Hugo Ruiz, 12, for the interim WBA World bantamweight title.

B A S K E T B A L L NCAA Men National Championship Tournament Glance All Times EDT FIRST ROUND At UD Arena Dayton, Ohio Tuesday, March 15 UNC Asheville 81, Arkansas-Little Rock 77, OT Clemson 70, UAB 52 Wednesday, March 16 Texas-San Antonio 70, Alabama State 61 Virginia Commonwealth 59, Southern Cal 46 EAST REGIONAL Second Round Thursday, March 17 At St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Fla. West Virginia 84, Clemson 76 Kentucky 59, Princeton 57 Friday, March 18 At Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina 102, Long Island University 87 Washington 68, Georgia 65 At Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland George Mason 61, Villanova 57 Ohio State 75, Texas-San Antonio 46 Marquette 66, Xavier 55 Syracuse 77, Indiana State 60 Third Round Saturday, March 19 At St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Fla. Kentucky 71, West Virginia 63 Sunday, March 20 At Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina 86, Washington 83 At Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland Ohio State 98, George Mason 66 Marquette 66, Syracuse 62 At The Prudential Center Newark, N.J. Regional Semifinals Friday, March 25 North Carolina 81, Marquette 63 Kentucky 62, Ohio State 60 Regional Championship Sunday, March 27 Kentucky 76, North Carolina 69 SOUTHEAST REGIONAL Second Round Thursday, March 17 At The Verizon Center Washington Butler 60, Old Dominion 58 Pittsburgh 74, UNC Asheville 51 At St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Fla. Florida 79, UC Santa Barbara 51 UCLA 78, Michigan State 76 At The Pepsi Center Denver BYU 74, Wofford 66 Gonzaga 86, St. John’s 71 At The McKale Center Tucson, Ariz.

Wisconsin 72, Belmont 58 Kansas State 73, Utah State 68 Third Round Saturday, March 19 At The Verizon Center Washington Butler 71, Pittsburgh 70 At St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Fla. Florida 73, UCLA 65 At The Pepsi Center Denver BYU 89, Gonzaga 67 At The McKale Center Tucson, Ariz.

Wisconsin 70, Kansas State 65 At New Orleans Arena Regional Semifinals Thursday, March 24 Florida 83, BYU 74, OT Butler 61, Wisconsin 54 Regional Championship Saturday, March 26 Butler 74, Florida 71, OT SOUTHWEST REGIONAL Second Round Thursday, March 17 At The Pepsi Center Denver Morehead State 62, Louisville 61 Richmond 69, Vanderbilt 66 Friday, March 18 At The United Center Chicago Notre Dame 69, Akron 56 Florida State 57, Texas A&M 50 Purdue 65, St. Peter’s 43 Virginia Commonwealth 74, Georgetown 56 At The BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.

Kansas 72, Boston University 53 Illinois 73, UNLV 62 Third Round Saturday, March 19 At The Pepsi Center Denver Richmond 65, Morehead State 48 Sunday, March 20 At The United Center Chicago Virginia Commonwealth 94, Purdue 76 Florida State 71, Notre Dame 57 At The BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.

Kansas 73, Illinois 59 At The Alamodome San Antonio Regional Semifinals Friday, March 25

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Kansas 77, Richmond 57 Virginia Commonwealth 72, Florida State 71, OT Regional Championship Sunday, March 27 Virginia Commonwealth 71, Kansas 61 WEST REGIONAL Second Round Thursday, March 17 At The McKale Center Tucson, Ariz.

Temple 66, Penn State 64 San Diego State 68, Northern Colorado 50 At The Verizon Center Washington Connecticut 81, Bucknell 52 Cincinnati 78, Missouri 63 Friday, March 18 At The BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.

Texas 85, Oakland, Mich. 81 Arizona 77, Memphis 75 At Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, N.C. Michigan 75, Tennessee 45 Duke 87, Hampton 45 Third Round Saturday, March 19 At The Verizon Center Washington Connecticut 69, Cincinnati 58 At The McKale Center Tucson, Ariz.

San Diego State 71, Temple 64, 2OT Sunday, March 20 At Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, N.C. Duke 73, Michigan 71 At The BOK Center Tulsa, Okla.

Arizona 70, Texas 69 At The Honda Center Anaheim, Calif.

Regional Semifinals Thursday, March 24 Connecticut 74, San Diego State 67 Arizona 93, Duke 77 Regional Championship Saturday, March 26 Connecticut 65, Arizona 63 FINAL FOUR At Reliant Stadium Houston National Semifinals Saturday, April 2 Butler (27-9) vs. Virginia Commonwealth (28-11), 6:09 p.m.

Kentucky (29-8) vs. Connecticut (30-9), 40 minutes after first game National Championship Monday, April 4 Semifinal winners

NCAA Women National Championship Tournament Glance All Times EDT PHILADELPHIA REGIONAL First Round Saturday, March 19 At Bryce Jordan Center University Park, Pa. Penn State 75, vs. Dayton 66 DePaul 56, Navy 43 At Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, N.C. Marist 74, Iowa State 64 Duke 90, Tennessee-Martin 45 Sunday, March 20 At Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Conn.

Connecticut 75, Hartford 39 Purdue 53, Kansas State 45 At Comcast Center College Park, Md. Maryland 70, St. Francis, Pa. 48 Georgetown 65, Princeton 49 Second Round Monday, March 21 At Bryce Jordan Center University Park, Pa. DePaul 75, Penn State 73 At Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, N.C. Duke 71, Marist 66 Tuesday, March 22 At Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Conn.

Connecticut 64, Purdue 40 At Comcast Center College Park, Md. Georgetown 79, Maryland 57 Regional Semifinals At The Liacouras Center Philadelphia Sunday, March 27 Connecticut 68, Georgetown 63 Duke 70, DePaul 63 Regional Championship Tuesday, March 29 Connecticut (35-1) vs. Duke (32-3), 7 p.m.

DAYTON REGIONAL First Round Saturday, March 19 At Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee 99, Stetson 34 Marquette 68, Texas 65 At St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio Georgia Tech 69, Bowling Green 58 Ohio State 80, UCF 69 At Huntsman Center Salt Lake City Temple 63, Arizona State 45 Notre Dame 67, Utah 54 Sunday, March 20 At John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Va. Miami 80, Gardner-Webb 62 Oklahoma 86, James Madison 72 Second Round Monday, March 21 At Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee 79, Marquette 70 At St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio Ohio State 67, Georgia Tech 60 At Huntsman Center Salt Lake City Notre Dame 77, Temple 64 Tuesday, March 22 At John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Va. Oklahoma 88, Miami 83 Regional Semifinals At University of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio Saturday, March 26 Tennessee 85, Ohio State 75 Notre Dame 78, Oklahoma 53 Regional Championship Monday, March 28 Tennessee (34-2) vs. Notre Dame (29-7), 7 p.m.

SPOKANE REGIONAL First Round Saturday, March 19 At Maples Pavilion Stanford, Calif.

St. John’s 55, Texas Tech 50 Stanford 86, UC Davis 59 At The Pit Albuquerque, N.M. North Carolina 82, Fresno State 68 Kentucky 66, Hampton 62, OT At McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, Wash.

Gonzaga 92, Iowa 86 UCLA 55, Montana 47 Sunday, March 20 At Cintas Center Cincinnati Louisville 81, Vanderbilt 62 Xavier 72, South Dakota State 56 Second Round Monday, March 21 At Maples Pavilion Stanford, Calif.

Stanford 75, St. John’s 49 At The Pit Albuquerque, N.M. North Carolina 86, Kentucky 74 At McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, Wash.

Gonzaga 89, UCLA 75 Tuesday, March 22 At Cintas Center Cincinnati Louisville 85, Xavier 75 Regional Semifinals At Veterans Memorial Arena Spokane, Wash.

Saturday, March 26 Gonzaga 76, Louisville 69 Stanford 72, North Carolina 65 Monday, March 28 Regional Championship Gonzaga (31-4) vs. Stanford (32-2), 9 p.m.

DALLAS REGIONAL First Round Sunday, March 20 At Ferrell Center Waco, Texas West Virginia 79, Houston 73 Baylor 66, Prairie View 30 At Intrust Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. Wisconsin-Green Bay 59, Arkansas-Little Rock 55 Michigan State 69, Northern Iowa 66 At Auburn Arena Auburn, Ala. Florida State 76, Samford 46 Georgia 56, Middle Tennessee 41 At CenturyTel Center Shreveport, La. Texas A&M 87, McNeese State 47 Rutgers 76, Louisiana Tech 51 Second Round Tuesday, March 22 At Ferrell Center Waco, Texas

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THE TIMES LEADER

BULLETIN BOARD

AMERICA’S LINE

CAMPS/CLINICS

By ROXY ROXBOROUGH NBA Favorite

Points

BOBCATS

Underdog

1.5

Celtics

Bucks

3

PACERS

Magic

1

KNICKS

BULLS

10

76ers

SPURS

4.5

Blazers

9

Wizards

JAZZ

College Basketball Favorite

Points

Underdog

Saturday NCAA Tournament Final Four Houston, TX Butler

2.5

Connecticut

Virginia Comm

2

Kentucky

CBI Tournament Creighton

4.5

Oregon

NIT Tournament Wichita St

2.5

Alabama

2

Washington St Colorado Wednesday

College Insider Tournament IONA

9.5

Santa Clara

NHL Favorite

Odds

Underdog

RED WINGS

-130/ +110

Blackhawks

DUCKS

-240/ +200

Avalanche

Home teams in capital letters.

Baylor 82, West Virginia 68 (24-9), 9:45 p.m.

At Intrust Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. Wisconsin-Green Bay 65, Michigan State 56 At Auburn Arena Auburn, Ala. Georgia 61, Florida State 59 At CenturyTel Center Shreveport, La. Texas A&M 70, Rutgers 48 Regional Semifinals At American Airlines Center Dallas Sunday, March 27 Texas A&M 79, Georgia 38 Baylor 86, Wisconsin-Green Bay 76 Regional Championship Tuesday, March 29 Texas A&M (30-5) vs. Baylor (34-2), 9 p.m.

FINAL FOUR At at Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis National Semifinals Sunday, April 3 Philadelphia champion vs. Dayton champion, TBA Spokane champion vs. Dallas champion, TBA National Championship Tuesday, April 5 Semifinal winners, TBA

NBA At A Glance All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct y-Boston ....................... 51 21 .708 Philadelphia ................. 37 36 .507 New York ...................... 35 38 .479 New Jersey .................. 23 49 .319 Toronto ......................... 20 53 .274 Southeast Division W L Pct x-Miami ......................... 51 22 .699 x-Orlando ...................... 47 26 .644 x-Atlanta........................ 42 32 .568 Charlotte ....................... 30 42 .417 Washington .................. 17 54 .239 Central Division W L Pct y-Chicago ..................... 53 19 .736 Indiana .......................... 32 42 .432 Milwaukee..................... 29 43 .403 Detroit ........................... 26 47 .356 Cleveland...................... 14 58 .194 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct x-San Antonio .............. 57 16 .781 x-Dallas......................... 51 21 .708 New Orleans ................ 42 31 .575 Memphis ....................... 41 33 .554 Houston ........................ 38 35 .521 Northwest Division W L Pct x-Oklahoma City.......... 47 24 .662 Denver .......................... 44 29 .603 Portland......................... 42 30 .583 Utah............................... 36 38 .486 Minnesota..................... 17 57 .230 Pacific Division W L Pct y-L.A. Lakers................ 52 20 .722 Phoenix......................... 36 35 .507 Golden State ................ 31 42 .425 L.A. Clippers................. 29 45 .392 Sacramento.................. 20 52 .278 x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Sunday's Games Sacramento 114, Philadelphia 111, OT Memphis 111, San Antonio 104 Atlanta 99, Cleveland 83 Miami 125, Houston 119 Boston 85, Minnesota 82 Portland at Oklahoma City, late Washington at Golden State, late New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, late Dallas at Phoenix, late Today's Games Milwaukee at Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Boston at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Orlando at New York, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Chicago, 8 p.m.

Portland at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

Washington at Utah, 9 p.m.

GB — 141⁄2 161⁄2 28 311⁄2 GB — 4 91⁄2 201⁄2 33 GB — 22 24 271⁄2 39 GB — 51⁄2 15 161⁄2 19 GB — 4 51⁄2 121⁄2 311⁄2 GB — 151⁄2 211⁄2 24 32

H O C K E Y NHL At A Glance All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA x-Philadelphia............. 74 45 19 10 100 237 198 x-Pittsburgh ................ 76 45 23 8 98 218 183 N.Y. Rangers .............. 76 41 30 5 87 218 181 New Jersey ................. 75 34 36 5 73 155 189 N.Y. Islanders ............. 76 29 35 12 70 210 241 Northeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Boston.......................... 74 41 23 10 92 224 177 Montreal....................... 76 40 29 7 87 200 196 Buffalo.......................... 75 38 28 9 85 222 210 Toronto ........................ 76 34 32 10 78 201 232 Ottawa .......................... 76 29 37 10 68 175 233 Southeast Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA x-Washington.............. 76 44 22 10 98 205 182 Tampa Bay................... 75 40 24 11 91 223 228 Carolina ....................... 75 35 30 10 80 211 224 Atlanta .......................... 75 32 31 12 76 210 246 Florida .......................... 76 29 36 11 69 185 209 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Detroit .......................... 75 44 22 9 97 242 213 Nashville ...................... 76 41 25 10 92 202 179 Chicago........................ 74 40 26 8 88 239 204 St. Louis....................... 75 34 32 9 77 212 219 Columbus .................... 75 33 31 11 77 200 230 Northwest Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA y-Vancouver................ 76 50 17 9 109 247 175 Calgary ........................ 77 38 28 11 87 235 226 Minnesota ................... 75 35 32 8 78 188 213 Colorado...................... 74 28 38 8 64 207 262 Edmonton.................... 75 23 41 11 57 180 249 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA San Jose ...................... 76 44 23 9 97 224 199 Phoenix........................ 77 41 25 11 93 219 212 Los Angeles ................ 75 43 26 6 92 207 181 Anaheim ...................... 75 42 28 5 89 214 217 Dallas ........................... 74 38 26 10 86 208 210 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division Sunday's Games Pittsburgh 2, Florida 1, SO Atlanta 5, Ottawa 4, SO Vancouver 4, Columbus 1 Boston at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Monday's Games Chicago at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.

Colorado at Anaheim, 10 p.m.

AHL At A Glance All Times EDT EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA x-Portland.............. 71 43 20 6 2 94 256 212 x-Manchester........ 75 42 24 3 6 93 239 195

PIAA football officiating classes will begin soon. If interested in becoming a PIAA football official, call Jay Rowan at 655-4411.

GOLF Nanticoke Hackers Golf League will play at Blue Ridge Golf Course on April 17. Anyone wishing to register to play call Tom at 814-5451.

MEETINGS South Valley Girls Softball will meet 7 p.m. today at Time Out Pizza in Nanticoke.

Valley Regional Girls Softball League will hold a mandatory coaches meeting at 7 p.m. Friday in the Butler Township Community Center. On the agenda: The Skills Showcase and Draft, new coaching assignments, updated 7U and 10U division rules, the Tim Martin Memorial Scholarship and the May 7 Opening Day. More than 100 new players have signed up for the softball league, which will now count close to 300 total players and a minimum of 21 teams playing in the four age divisions of 7U, 10U, 13U and 18U.,For more information, contact VRGSL media officer John McGran at 570.401.9544.

REGISTRATIONS/TRYOUTS Valley Regional Girls Softball League’s 12U travel team will hold

Connecticut........... 74 38 28 2 6 84 203 201 Worcester.............. 74 34 28 4 8 80 201 230 Providence............ 73 33 34 3 3 72 190 236 Springfield ............. 74 31 38 2 3 67 212 239 Bridgeport ............. 72 25 36 4 7 61 194 243 East Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA x-Penguins .......... 73 52 20 0 1 105 233 165 x-Hershey ............. 75 43 24 3 5 94 239 198 Charlotte ............... 75 41 25 2 7 91 247 226 Norfolk................... 72 37 21 8 6 88 236 198 Binghamton .......... 74 40 27 3 4 87 239 203 Albany.................... 72 30 37 1 4 65 194 248 Syracuse............... 72 29 36 3 4 65 186 225 Adirondack ........... 72 26 36 4 6 62 168 227 WESTERN CONFERENCE North Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Lake Erie ............... 73 40 25 3 5 88 205 189 Manitoba................ 73 40 27 1 5 86 202 186 Hamilton ................ 72 37 26 2 7 83 201 182 Toronto .................. 74 35 28 1 10 81 209 202 Grand Rapids........ 74 35 29 2 8 80 220 234 Abbotsford ............ 71 34 27 4 6 78 171 192 Rochester.............. 72 30 35 4 3 67 194 232 West Division GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA Houston ................. 76 44 26 1 5 94 223 198 Milwaukee ............. 72 39 19 6 8 92 202 176 Texas ..................... 73 39 24 4 6 88 204 193 Peoria .................... 74 38 29 2 5 83 203 202 Chicago ................. 74 37 28 3 6 83 241 237 Oklahoma City...... 75 36 28 2 9 83 224 226 San Antonio .......... 72 38 29 3 2 81 212 219 Rockford................ 73 32 32 4 5 73 191 225 x-Clinched Playoff Berth NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss.

Sunday's Games Manitoba 2, Abbotsford 1 Binghamton 4, Springfield 1 Worcester 3, Adirondack 1 Syracuse at Bridgeport, ppd., unsafe ice conditions Rockford 3, Chicago 2 Providence 4, Connecticut 2 Penguins 3, Hershey 2, OT Charlotte 8, Norfolk 2 Hamilton 3, Peoria 1 Houston 5, Oklahoma City 4 San Antonio at Milwaukee, 6 p.m.

Monday's Games Syracuse at Bridgeport, 1 p.m.

Sunday's Penguins box Penguins 3, Hershey 2, o.t.

Penguins .............................................. 1 1 0 1 — 3 Hershey ................................................ 0 1 1 0 — 2 First Period ± Scoring – 1. WBS, Andrew Hutchinson 6 (Sterling, Craig) power play 5:00. Penalties – HER, Perreault (tripping) 4:56; WBS, Veilleux (cross-checking) 6:30; WBS, bench – served by Petersen (too many men) 9:39; WBS, Wallace (goaltender interference) 19:53.

Second Period ± Scoring – 2. HER, Francois Bouchard 10 (Perreault, Willsie) 9:56. 3. WBS, Ben Street 12 (Sterling, Lerg) power play 12:52. Penalties – HER, Collins (holding) 4:11; HER, Orlov (slashing) 12:15; WBS, Boulerice ( holding) 15:06; HER, Kugryshev (holding) 18:13.

Third Period ± Scoring – 4. HER, Keith Aucoin 17 (Perreault, Orlov) shorthanded 18:19. Penalties – WBS, Veilleux (fighting) 6:07; HER, Carroll (fighting) 6:07; HER, Willsie (tripping) 10:35; WBS, Sill (tripping) 15:35; HER, Kane (elbowing) 17:14.

Overtime ± Scoring 5. WBS, Bryan Lerg 13 (Strait) shorthanded 3:17. Penalties – HER, Pinizzotto (tripping) :29; WBS, Sterling (roughing) 2:22.

Shots on goal ± Penguins – 9-14-7-4-34; Hershey – 13-4-9-0-26 Power-play Opportunities ± Penguins – 2 of 7; Hershey – 0 of 6 Goaltenders ± Penguins – John Curry 20-13-0 (24 saves – 26 shots); Hershey – Braden Holtby 14-9-2 (31-34) Starters ± Penguins – G John Curry, D Corey Potter, D Andrew Hutchinson, LW Tim Wallce, C Ryan Craig, RW Brett Sterling; Hershey – G Braden Holtby, D Patrick McNeill, D Sean Collins, LW Boyd Kane, C Ketih Aucoin, RW Andrew Gordon Three Stars ± 1. WBS, Bryan Lerg (game-winning goal, assist) 2. WBS, Andrew Hutchinson (goal) 3.

HER, Mathieu Perreault (two assists) Referee – Chris Cozzan, Tim Mayer. Linesmen – Scott Pomento, Matt MacPherson

G O L F PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational Scores Sunday At Bay Hill Club & Lodge Orlando, Fla. Purse: $6 million Yardage: 7,419; Par: 72 Final Round Martin Laird (500), $1,080,000 .70-65-70-75—280 Steve Marino (300), $648,000 ..71-67-71-72—281 Justin Rose (145), $312,000 .....72-72-70-68—282 Marc Leishman (145), $312,000 ......................................73-72-66-71—282 David Toms (145), $312,000.....74-67-69-72—282 K.J. Choi (95), $208,500 ............72-64-76-71—283 Spencer Levin (95), $208,500...66-70-71-76—283 Sergio Garcia (85), $186,000....73-68-73-70—284 Mark Wilson (75), $162,000 ......74-72-70-69—285 Fredrik Jacobson (75), $162,000 ......................................71-71-73-70—285 Jim Furyk (75), $162,000...........74-69-71-71—285 Edoardo Molinari (0), $94,800 ..72-75-72-67—286 Aaron Baddeley (54), $94,800 ..76-69-72-69—286 Ian Poulter (54), $94,800 ...........71-71-73-71—286 D.J. Trahan (54), $94,800..........72-71-72-71—286 Stewart Cink (54), $94,800........76-71-68-71—286 Rod Pampling (54), $94,800 .....73-72-70-71—286 J.J. Henry (54), $94,800 ............75-70-69-72—286 Heath Slocum (54), $94,800......75-70-68-73—286 Brian Davis (54), $94,800 ..........70-72-71-73—286 Kyle Stanley (54), $94,800 ........74-73-66-73—286 Ryan Moore (54), $94,800.........74-67-71-74—286 Trevor Immelman (54), $94,800 ........................................72-71-68-75—286 Tiger Woods (45), $48,600........73-68-74-72—287 Brian Gay (45), $48,600 .............75-68-71-73—287 Phil Mickelson (45), $48,600.....70-75-69-73—287 Charlie Wi (45), $48,600 ............73-74-66-74—287 John Senden (45), $48,600.......71-72-68-76—287 Bubba Watson (45), $48,600.....70-71-68-78—287 Johnson Wagner (38), $34,875 74-72-73-69—288 Kevin Na (38), $34,875 ..............74-73-72-69—288 Tom Gillis (38), $34,875.............73-70-73-72—288 Bo Van Pelt (38), $34,875..........74-70-72-72—288 Sam Saunders (0), $34,875.......74-73-69-72—288 Nick O’Hern (38), $34,875.........73-70-72-73—288 Dicky Pride (38), $34,875 ..........77-66-71-74—288 Rickie Fowler (38), $34,875 ......69-71-70-78—288 Robert Allenby (29), $23,400 ....79-69-71-70—289 Scott Verplank (29), $23,400.....76-69-72-72—289 William McGirt (29), $23,400.....73-68-75-73—289 Brendan Steele (29), $23,400 ...76-70-71-72—289 Pat Perez (29), $23,400 .............74-74-68-73—289 Troy Matteson (29), $23,400 .....72-73-70-74—289 Hunter Mahan (29), $23,400 .....69-69-75-76—289 Brendon de Jonge (29), $23,400 ........................................71-71-70-77—289 Charles Howell III (29), $23,400 ........................................73-65-73-78—289 Kevin Streelman (21), $15,411 .75-73-72-70—290 Lee Janzen (21), $15,411 ..........70-73-75-72—290 Charl Schwartzel (21), $15,411 76-72-70-72—290 Daniel Chopra (21), $15,411 .....70-72-75-73—290 Zach Johnson (21), $15,411 .....76-70-70-74—290 Henrik Stenson (21), $15,411 ...73-71-71-75—290 J.B. Holmes (21), $15,411.........73-69-72-76—290

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tryouts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 9 and April 10 on Field 2 of the Freedom Park softball complex in Drums. In the event of inclement weather, the Saturday tryout will be held inside the Butler Township Community Center, which is located adjacent to the softball complex. Should the Sunday tryout be postponed by the weather, a new tryout date will be scheduled.

Several openings remain for the 2011 squad. For more information, contact Coach Dinko at 436.7742 or dinkoa@misericordia.edu.

The Pace Setter Athletic Club will sponsor and operate a series of basketball leagues throughout the months of April, May, June, July and August. The leagues will include both girls and boys divisions. The grade levels will feature 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th teams; Parish teams, community teams, school teams, as well as clubs organized by individual sponsors are welcome. Individual players may be placed on a team (numbers permitting).Interested parties contact Pace Setter A.C. at 3477018 or pacesetterbasketball@verizon.net

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

Chad Campbell (17), $13,860...72-75-72-72—291 Vaughn Taylor (17), $13,860.....70-68-76-77—291 Erik Compton (0), $13,500 ........75-67-80-70—292 Bill Lunde (14), $13,500.............73-70-76-73—292 Robert Garrigus (14), $13,500..71-75-73-73—292 D.A. Points (14), $13,500 ..........73-71-72-76—292 Carl Pettersson (11), $13,140...75-73-75-70—293 Chris Couch (11), $13,140 ........70-71-71-81—293 Robert Damron (8), $12,780 .....73-72-73-76—294 Billy Hurley III (0), $12,780 ........71-75-72-76—294 Arjun Atwal (8), $12,780 ............72-72-72-78—294 Hunter Haas (8), $12,780 ..........70-73-73-78—294 Stephen Ames (4), $12,360.......75-69-76-75—295 Jason Dufner (4), $12,360.........70-70-78-77—295 Rocco Mediate (4), $12,360 ......70-72-75-78—295 Colt Knost (2), $12,120 ..............75-73-72-76—296

Nationwide Chitimacha Louisiana Open Scores Sunday At Le Triomphe Country Club Broussard, La. Purse: $500,000 Yardage: 7,006; Par: 71 Final Round (a-amateur) Brett Wetterich, $90,000 ............67-65-70-69—271 a-Andres Echavarria...................69-66-70-67—272 Bubba Dickerson, $54,000 ........69-68-67-69—273 John Kimbell, $26,000 ...............71-71-71-61—274 Carl Paulson, $26,000................66-72-69-67—274 Rich Barcelo, $26,000 ................65-71-68-70—274 Danny Lee, $17,375 ...................69-68-73-65—275 Steve Wheatcroft, $17,375 ........73-68-67-67—275 Chris Nallen, $14,000.................71-69-71-65—276 Fran Quinn, $14,000...................67-69-73-67—276 Michael Putnam, $14,000 ..........71-68-70-67—276 Charles Warren, $14,000 ..........69-66-69-72—276 Ryan Armour, $9,214 .................71-70-72-64—277 Scott Dunlap, $9,214..................73-69-70-65—277 Jon Mills, $9,214 .........................69-70-72-66—277 Darron Stiles, $9,214..................72-66-71-68—277 James Nitties, $9,214.................72-68-69-68—277 Julian Etulain, $9,214 .................74-67-68-68—277 Jay Williamson, $9,214 ..............70-69-69-69—277 Ron Whittaker, $6,060 ...............69-68-73-68—278 Richard H. Lee, $6,060 ..............71-69-70-68—278 Travis Hampshire, $6,060..........74-68-68-68—278 Scott Gardiner, $6,060 ...............66-75-68-69—278 Luke List, $6,060.........................71-69-67-71—278 Brenden Pappas, $3,938...........69-72-74-64—279 Craig Bowden, $3,938................71-71-72-65—279 Camilo Benedetti, $3,938 ..........72-70-71-66—279 Tim Wilkinson, $3,938................68-73-71-67—279 Craig Barlow, $3,938 ..................72-70-70-67—279 Elliot Gealy, $3,938 ....................70-68-72-69—279 Doug LaBelle II, $3,938 .............73-67-69-70—279 Ken Duke, $3,938 .......................69-71-69-70—279 Will Strickler, $2,900...................70-72-72-66—280 Michael Letzig, $2,900 ...............72-70-71-67—280 Doug Barron, $2,900 ..................74-66-72-68—280 David Lingmerth, $2,900............68-72-71-69—280 James Hahn, $2,900 ..................73-69-68-70—280 Tommy Biershenk, $2,900 ........69-70-69-72—280 Dodge Kemmer, $2,900.............74-68-66-72—280 Miguel Angel Carballo, $2,350..72-69-73-67—281 Mathew Goggin, $2,350 .............70-72-71-68—281 Bob Heintz, $2,350 .....................67-75-70-69—281 Garth Mulroy, $2,350..................69-68-72-72—281 Chris Baryla, $1,988 ...................68-71-76-67—282 John Merrick, $1,988..................74-68-73-67—282 Andrew Buckle, $1,988 ..............68-70-75-69—282 Kyle Thompson, $1,988 .............71-69-71-71—282 Brian Rowell, $1,754 ..................69-71-74-69—283 Matthew Giles, $1,754................67-72-74-70—283 Andrew Svoboda, $1,754 ..........73-66-74-70—283 Jonas Hedin, $1,754 ..................70-69-73-71—283 Nicholas Thompson, $1,754 .....69-68-74-72—283 Briny Baird, $1,754 .....................70-72-69-72—283 Nick Flanagan, $1,754................70-70-69-74—283 Jerod Turner, $1,575..................72-70-73-69—284 Rob Oppenheim, $1,575............70-70-74-70—284 Scott Brown, $1,575 ...................70-68-74-72—284 Kevin Chappell, $1,575..............69-69-72-74—284 John Riegger, $1,575 .................69-70-70-75—284 Stephen Gangluff, $1,575..........71-68-69-76—284 Martin Flores, $1,575 .................71-67-68-78—284 J.J. Killeen, $1,463 .....................70-70-74-71—285 Matt McQuillan, $1,463...............70-66-76-73—285 Michael Arnaud, $1,413 .............70-69-76-71—286 Major Manning, $1,413 ..............71-68-71-76—286 Manuel Villegas, $1,363.............71-71-77-68—287 Michael Thompson, $1,363 .......67-73-76-71—287 Brian Bateman, $1,313................70-69-74-75—288 Aaron Watkins, $1,313 ...............66-71-72-79—288 Jason Schultz, $1,263................73-66-78-72—289 Jeff Quinney, $1,263 ..................69-73-72-75—289 Jeff Klauk, $1,213 .......................71-70-79-70—290 Mark Anderson, $1,213..............71-69-75-75—290 Will MacKenzie, $1,175 .............72-70-73-76—291 David Branshaw, $1,150 ............76-66-72-79—293

PGA European Adalucian Open Scores Sunday At Parador de Malaga Golf Club Malaga, Spain Purse: $1.42 million Yardage: 6,817;Par: 70 Final Paul Lawrie, Scotland .................66-67-65-70—268 Johan Edfors, Sweden ...............65-71-65-68—269 Felipe Aguilar, Chile ...................67-69-66-68—270 Jeppe Huldahl, Denmark ...........66-66-72-67—271 Raphael Jacquelin, France........68-69-65-69—271 Mark Foster, England .................67-67-65-72—271 Christian Nilsson, Sweden.........68-69-67-68—272 Florian Fritsch, Germany............66-68-69-70—273 Hennie Otto, South Africa ..........68-68-67-70—273 Jose Manuel Lara, Spain ...........67-70-65-71—273 Scott Jamieson, Scotland ..........69-70-67-68—274 Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Spain .....70-69-67-68—274 Rikard Karlberg, Sweden...........65-67-72-70—274 Richard Finch, England..............70-66-68-70—274 Mathew Nixon, England..............72-67-65-70—274 David Howell, England ...............74-65-65-70—274 Kenneth Ferrie, England ............70-69-60-75—274 Pablo Larrazabal, Spain.............69-69-69-68—275 Joost Luiten, Netherlands ..........69-69-68-69—275 Alexandre Kaleka, France..........69-70-66-70—275 Tetsuji Hiratsuka, Japan .............66-67-71-71—275 Maarten Lafeber, Netherlands ..67-65-71-72—275 Alvaro Velasco, Spain ................69-68-71-68—276 Jason Knutzon, United States ...69-70-69-68—276 Anthony Wall, England ...............67-68-72-69—276 Jamie Donaldson, Wales ...........70-67-70-69—276 Alexander Noren, Sweden.........70-68-69-69—276 Shiv Kapur, India.........................69-68-69-70—276 Jamie Elson, England.................65-68-72-71—276 Michael Jonzon, Sweden...........68-71-66-71—276 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, France...69-69-66-72—276

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

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011 PAGE 3B

PRO GOLF

NBA ROUNDUP

Big 3 leads Heat to win vs. Rockets move into Cleveland’s starting lineup soon, came off the bench and scored 19 points. Ramon Sessions added 13 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost nine of 11.

The Associated Press

MIAMI — LeBron James had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Bosh added 31 points and 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade shook off a bruised tailbone to finish with 30 points and 11 boards as the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 125-119 on Sunday for their eighth win in nine games.

It was the first time since February 1961, when Oscar Robertson, Jack Twyman and Wayne Embry — Hall of Famers all — did it for the Cincinnati Royals in a loss to the Philadelphia Warriors, that three teammates had 30 points and 10 rebounds in a non-overtime.

Kevin Martin scored 29 points, Luis Scola added 28 and Kyle Lowry — who tweaked an ankle late — had 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Rockets. Chase Budinger scored 16 for Houston, which had a five-game winning streak snapped.

Grizzlies 111, Spurs 104 MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tony Allen and Zach Randolph had 23 points apiece, and Memphis sent San Antonio to its third straight loss.

Randolph also grabbed 11 rebounds for Memphis, which currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. If the Grizzlies earn the No. 8 seed, they will likely face the NBA-leading Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs.

O.J. Mayo added 17 points for Memphis, Mike Conley had 12 and Marc Gasol 11.

George Hill matched his career high with 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting for the Spurs.

Tony Parker had 20 points and six assists, and Richard Jefferson scored 13 for the Spurs, who played the bulk of the second half without leading scorer Manu Ginobili (left quad contusion).

Celtics 85, Timberwolves 82 MINNEAPOLIS — Paul Pierce had 23 points and seven rebounds, and Boston nearly gave away another huge lead in a victory over Minnesota.

Kevin Garnett had 13 points, 13 rebounds and thousands of fans who turned out to cheer for the former face of the Timberwolves franchise. The Celtics led by 25 early in the second quarter, but trailed by two midway through the fourth before Pierce lifted

Kings 114, 76ers 111 PHILADELPHIA — Marcus Thornton scored 32 points and former Philadelphia center Samuel Dalembert made two free throws in the closing seconds of overtime for Sacramento.

Beno Udrih made a big 3-pointer in the closing minutes, too, and the Kings won their third straight.

Jason Thompson added 15 points and Dalembert finished with 13.

The Sixers were led by Jrue Holiday’s 28 points and Jodie Meeks added 22. Philadelphia missed a chance against one of the NBA’s worst teams to make up ground on fifth-place Atlanta.

AP PHOTO

The Houston Rockets’ Kevin Martin, right, drives to the basket as the Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh defends during the fourth quarter of an NBA game in Miami on Sunday. The Heat won 125-119.

them to the victory.

Hawks 99, Cavaliers 83 CLEVELAND — Marvin Williams scored a season-high 31 points and Al Horford added 20, leading Atlanta over Cleveland.

Atlanta played without leading scorer Joe Johnson, but never trailed.

Johnson, who averages 18.5 points, sprained his right thumb Saturday, but

the Hawks didn’t need him to defeat the Cavaliers, who have the worst record in the NBA. Williams took advantage of his increased playing time by shooting 9 of 14 from the field, including three 3pointers, and 8 of 9 from the foul line in 43 minutes. Josh Smith scored 13 points and had a season-high 18 rebounds.

Baron Davis, who is expected to

Thunder 99, Trail Blazers 90 OKLAHOMA CITY — Russell Westbrook hit three 3-pointers down the stretch, including the clincher with 21 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder overcame a 40-point night by Gerald Wallace to beat the Portland Trail Blazers and clinch their second straight playoff berth.

Westbrook’s 3 from the left wing gave the Thunder a 97-90 lead and, after Wallace missed a jumper with 16 seconds remaining, the Thunder could finally breathe easy. They are now 3-0 against Portland, with the previous two victories coming by a combined three points.

Wallace was unguardable at times in the second half as he carried the Trail Blazers back from a 14-point halftime deficit. His total, on 16-of-28 shooting, was a season high and just two points shy of his career best.

Westbrook scored 28.

Warriors 114, Wizards 104 OAKLAND, Calif. — Monta Ellis had 37 points and 13 assists, leading the Golden State Warriors past the roadweary Washington Wizards.

Ellis played the entire game and added seven rebounds, and David Lee had a season-high 33 points to help the Warriors to their second straight victory. Ellis was three rebounds short of his first career triple-double entering the fourth quarter and never came closer.

NHL ROUNDUP

Boston defeats Philadelphia to clinch a playoff spot The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Brad Marchand picked a perfect time to snap his scoring slump.

Marchand’s power-play goal with 3:43 left in regulation lifted the Boston Bruins to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night.

Nathan Horton also scored to help the Northeast Division-leading Bruins clinch a playoff spot. Marchand’s goal was his 20th and first in 13 games.

“There’s been pressure on him to get the 20th and a great way to get it is a game winner,” said Mark Recchi, who assisted on the goal.

The Eastern Conference-leading Flyers had been unbeaten in regulation in their previous nine games.

They are two points ahead of Washington and Pittsburgh for the top spot.

Kris Versteeg scored for Philadelphia.

The two teams could be headed for a playoff rematch. Last spring, the

PENS Continued from Page 1B

wins as we can and take it into the playoffs.”

On the season the Penguins are 7-1 against Hershey and a perfect 4-0 on the road. Sunday’s win was a result of stellar special teams that yielded the Penguins two power-play goals and Lerg’s shorthanded tally in overtime.

The Penguins power play needed only four seconds on its first man advantage to get on the board when Andrew Hutchinson connected in the first period to make it 1-0.

The Bears evened things up in the second period with a goal from Francois Bouchard, but the Penguins regained the lead three minutes later thanks to Ben Street.

Lerg skated the puck along the wall and dished a pass into the slot for Brett Sterling, who fanned on the shot. The puck carried out to Street who was post-

Flyers become the third NHL team in history to overcome a 3-0 series deficit when they beat the Bruins to advance to the conference finals.

“It’s going to be very interesting,” Marchand said. “Every game determines who we’re going to play. It’s going to be exciting watching every game because it could determine the outcome of where we’re at in the playoffs.”

With Flyers captain Mike Richards in the penalty box for high-sticking, Marchand stuffed a rebound off a slap shot by Dennis Seidenberg past Brian Boucher.

“We were patient and disciplined,” said Tim Thomas, who made 27 saves for the Bruins. “They took the penalty at the end and we capitalized.”

Columbus Blue Jackets to reach 50 victories for the first time in their 40-year history.

Canucks backup Cory Schneider made 39 saves to improve to 15-3-2 and help the NHL-leading Canucks run their road winning streak to eight, matching the franchise record set in early 2004.

Christian Ehrhoff and Henrik Sedin also scored for Vancouver. Mason Raymond added three assists and Ryan Kesler had two. The Canucks have won 10 of 11 overall and seven in a row against Columbus.

R.J. Umberger scored for Columbus with just under 10 minutes remaining to spoil Schneider’s shutout bid.

for the Penguins, two points behind Philadelphia in the race for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference leads. The Penguins, tied with Washington for second in the conference with 98 points, have won six of seven and are 9-2-2 in their past 13.

Fleury set a team record for time elapsed between goals allowed (150 minutes, 14 seconds). He also stopped Mike Santorelli and Niclas Bergfors in the shootout.

Ryan Carter scored for Florida.

The Panthers have lost five straight.

Canucks 4, Blue Jackets COLUMBUS, Ohio — Chris Higgins had a two goals and an assist and the Vancouver Canucks beat the

Penguins 2, Panthers 1 PITTSBURGH — Alex Kovalev and James Neal scored in the shootout, Marc-Andre Fleury had 37 saves and Pittsburgh won its fourth consecutive shootout, beating Florida.

Ben Lovejoy scored in regulation

Thrashers 5, Senators 4 ATLANTA — Andrew Ladd scored the deciding shootout goal and Blake Wheeler and Ben Maxwell each had a goal and an assist for Atlanta, nine behind eighth-place Buffalo for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Bryan Little and Mark Stuart also scored for the Thrashers. Marek Svatos had two goals and Chris Neil and Erik Condra also scored for Ottawa.

ed in the right faceoff circle, and he buried a shot into an open net to make it 2-1.

The goal was Street’s second in two games and gave him 12 on the season.

“I was trying to be in an area where if it went to Sterling I could get a rebound or Lerg could come all the way across,” Street said. “I didn’t even have to move.

It came right to my wheelhouse.”

The Penguins looked like they would hold onto the lead, withstanding several Hershey chances in the third period.

Hutchinson broke up a Hershey two-onone shorthanded chance when he slid to take away the pass midway through the period. Minutes later, John Curry made a nice glove save on a Brian Willsie shot to preserve the 2-1 lead.

The biggest test came with five minutes remaining when Zach Sill was whistled for tripping, giving Hershey its fifth power play of the night.

The Penguins penalty kill continued to play strong as Robert Bortuzzo and Brian Strait punished the Bears down low, limiting Hershey to one shot.

“Five minutes left, a one-goal game –

we knew we wanted to make them uncomfortable and make plays under pressure,” Strait said. “I don’t think they were expecting us to come that hard.”

But less than a minute after Hershey’s power play expired and the Penguins were given one of their own, Bears center Keith Aucoin connected on a shot through Curry’s legs to even things up 2-2 and force overtime.

The Penguins weren’t worried.

“It didn’t take all the wind out of our sails,” Lerg said. “We kept to it and we found a way to win.”

Thanks to Lerg’s toe-drag goal that began when Strait cleared the puck out of the Penguins end.

“I was anticipating that a little bit, and it squirted through,” Lerg said. “I was hearing the bench yell ‘Go, go, go.’ I knew it was a forward (Aucoin) so that’s why I tried to make the move and put it on net. If it was a defenseman maybe I would’ve shot it through his pads for a rebound.”

Lerg said the goal – his 13th of the season – was one of the biggest of his career.

“It was one of the ones that felt the best.

It was important for the team,” he said.

Now that the division is clinched, the Penguins will set their sights on claiming home ice advantage through the playoffs.

That and continuing to build on the record season.

“We’d like to try to see if we can get a big home ice advantage in the playoffs,” said head coach John Hynes of the team’s next seven games. “Now it’s about preparing mentally, physically and emotionally to be ready for the playoffs.”

NOTES: Sunday’s win was the100th of Curry’s AHL career. “It’s amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe I won that many games. It has to do with a lot of good players, a lot of time and a lot of good coaching.”

Of the record-setting 52nd win, Curry said, “It’s great to be a part of that. That’s a great season. We fought hard for a lot of these wins and that’s been our identity as a team.”

Curry is now 3-0 against Hershey this season.

AP

Martin Laird, of Scotland, celebrates after sinking a putt on the 18th green to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla., Sunday.

Laird rallies for victory at Bay Hill The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — Martin Laird went from a shocking collapse to become an unlikely winner Sunday at Bay Hill.

In the toughest final round on the PGA Tour this year, Laird rallied from a three-shot deficit with four holes to play with two birdies and two remarkable pars to close with a 3-over 75 and win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot over hard-luck Steve Marino.

The 28-year-old Scot became the first European to win at Bay Hill in its 33-year history.

He just never imagined it would play out like this.

Laird’s two-shot lead was gone at the turn, and when he pulled a bunker shot into the water on No. 11 to make double bogey, he already was 5-over par for his round and fading quickly.

But a day of survival for everyone else turned into a revival for Laird.

After a bogey on the par-3 14th to fall three shots behind Marino, Laird holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 15th, an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th, saved par from behind the 17th green and two-putted from just inside 90 feet on the final hole.

It was the highest score in the final round by a Bay Hill champion, and it took Laird’s best golf to do that on a course that at times made it feel like the U.S. Open had moved to late March.

No one in the last three groups broke par, and those six players were a combined 19-over par.

Laird needed some help from Marino, who played beautifully until the last four holes. Marino took bogey from a plugged lie in the bunker short of the 15th green, then made double bogey from a plugged lie in the sand short of the 17th hole. He went from a one-shot lead to a two-shot deficit when Laird birdied the 16th in the group behind.

Sandra Gal wins Kia Classic INDUSTRY, Calif. — Sandra Gal won the Kia Classic on Sunday to become the second German winner in LPGA Tour history, beating secondranked Jiyai Shin with a 2-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

The 25-year-old Gal, a former University of Florida player, made the winning putt after Shin’s 5-foot birdie attempt caught the right edge and spun out.

Gal closed with a 2-under 71 to finish at 16-under 276 on the Industry Hills Golf Club course at Pacific Palms. She set up the winning birdie with a wedge shot on the par-5 18th.

Tina Fischer is the only other Germany champion. She won the 2001 Asahi Ryokuken International.

LOCAL COLLEGES

Misericordia loses opener CENTER VALLEY – The Misericordia University baseball team lost to DeSales 7-3 in its Freedom Conference opener Sunday.

Ken Durling had pair of RBI-doubles and Andrew Tressa had two hits and scored twice.

Nate Newman added a solo home run for the Cougars, who lost despite leading 3-2 in the sixth inning.

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Butler wants to shed Cinderella role with title Bulldogs are the only 2010 Final Four team returning to basketball’s biggest stage.

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS — Butler’s Ronald Nored stayed right on message early Sunday morning.

He doesn’t want any more talk about how a small-school team won over college basketball fans with another improbable Final Four run. Nope. This time it’s win or bust in Houston.

“This year we’re going to get the real call from President Obama and not the runner-up call,” Nored told hundreds of Butler fans after beating Florida to advance to their second consecutive Final Four.

Admittedly, the Alabama native was playing to the crowd.

Still, the sentiment stands.

Yes, Nored appreciated last year’s conciliatory message from President Obama, reveled in playing the role of America’s tournament darlings and loved being on college basketball’s biggest stage. But he and the Bulldogs came home empty-handed, their run ending inches short of upsetting Duke in the national title game.

That’s not good enough for them — then or now.

“I think it’s about believing, and we want them to believe,” Stevens said. “You know people say ’This is unbelievable.’ But when you know these guys, it’s not unbelievable. It’s believable.”

The Bulldogs are turning

skeptics into believers with each succeeding win.

After Gordon Hayward left early for the NBA, most analysts didn’t think Butler could get back. They also pointed to four Butler losses in five games in the middle of the Horizon League schedule as proof that there would be no sequel.

They were wrong.

Butler closed the season on a seven-game winning streak to clinch a share of a fifth consecutive regular-season title. The Bulldogs then won two more games in the conference tourney to clinch the conference’s automatic bid, ending any debate.

At the tournament, Butler beat Old Dominion with a second-round buzzer-beater and top-seeded Pittsburgh in a

wacky foul-filled finish to reach the regionals for the third time in five years. They survived a late charge from Wisconsin to become the only 2010 Final Four team to make the regional finals and rallied Saturday from an 11-point deficit in the final 91⁄2 minutes to beat second-seeded Florida 74-71 in overtime.

It’s the first time an Indiana school has reached back-to-back Final Fours, and Butler, like the Milan Miracle team that served as the catalyst for the movie “Hoosiers,” now has a second chance to finish the mission.

“It shows how far we’ve come,” senior forward Matt Howard said. “If you had told me on that day, that we lost to Youngstown State, that we would be here, I never would have thought this was possible.”

AP PHOTO

Blue II, the official mascot of Butler University, waits for the team to arrive at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Sunday. Butler defeated Florida Saturday to advance to the Final Four. The mascot will be making the trip to the Final Four in Houston.

Adversity catches up with UNC

VCU Continued from Page 1B

“Once again we felt like nobody really thought we could win going into this game,” said VCU coach Shaka Smart, the budding star of the tournament. “Our guys have done a phenomenal job of putting all the doubters aside, all the people that didn’t believe in us, and going out to do their job.”

VCU guard Joey Rodriguez counted one of Kansas’ vaunted Morris twins — Marcus or Markieff — as one of those many doubters. During a pregame captains meeting with officials, Rodriguez said one of the brothers offered him some parting words: “The run ends here.”

“We’ll see,” Rodriguez shot back.

The Jayhawks saw all right.

VCU players, hoisting their Southwest regional champion trophy, poured into the temporary bleachers where VCU’s widely outnumbered fans sat in an Alamodome that was otherwise colored in Kansas blue and white.

VCU had sold out its allotment of 1,000 tickets in San Antonio after advancing farther than any Rams team in school history. The weekend before in Chicago, VCU had so many leftovers that Purdue fans scooped them up.

Jamie Skeen led VCU with 26 points, and as the final seconds ticked down, heaved the ball from the free throw line into the stands behind the opposite backboard. His teammates on the bench, who spent the final minutes with locked arms to hold each other back, finally spilled out onto the court, grinning ear to ear.

Kansas players walked slowly off the court. Several, including Markieff Morris, cried.

“Probably the best game they played ever,” Markieff said.

“Probably the best game ever as a school tonight. We let them. We let them beat us.”

Smart was guided from one interview to another wearing the cut-down net around his neck.

The cheers for VCU were only interrupted for guard Brandon Rozzell, who stood at midcourt as the crown serenaded him with an impromptu “Happy Birthday.”

The celebration even carried to other arenas. In Newark, N.J., where Kentucky was playing North Carolina, the crowd erupted when the public address announcer broadcast the final score from Texas.

“Anything is possible,” he told the arena.

After overcoming obstacles throughout the season, Tar Heels can’t conquer one more.

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer

AP PHOTO

Kansas’ Elijah Marcus Morris reacts in the locker room after losing 71-61 to Virginia Commonwealth at the Southwest regional final game in the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday in San Antonio.

Easiest path leads to roadblock

By JAIME ARON AP Sports Writer

SAN ANTONIO — They missed short shots and long ones. Even free throws were far from gimmes.

Just like that, Kansas followed the lead of all the other No. 1 seeds and bowed out of the NCAA tournament before the Final Four — only the Jayhawks are stuck with the added agony of stumbling while staring down the easiest path to a national championship that any team ever faced.

Kansas actually didn’t even come close against No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth, getting behind early and hardly threatening on the way to a 71-61 loss in the finals of the Southwest regional on Sunday.

“We’re crushed,” coach Bill Self said. “We tried real hard and just came up empty against a team that was better than us today.”

The Jayhawks walked off the court blankfaced, hands on hips, occasionally peeking at the wild celebration around them. Marcus Morris tried holding off the tears, but had to pull his jersey over his face by the time he reached the edge of the court.

He probably didn’t want to see the stat sheet, either. Kansas made only 35.5 percent of its shots and 9.5 percent of 3-pointers, both season lows. The Jayhawks hit 15 of 28 free throws (53.6 percent), narrowly better than their season-low.

“We’re crushed. We tried real hard and just came up empty against a team that was better than us today.”

Bill Self Kansas coach

“Probably the best game they played ever, probably the best game ever as a school,” Markieff Morris said. “We let them beat us.

We missed a lot of shots we normally make.

We missed a lot of free throws that we normally make.”

A victory would’ve sent Kansas into a Final Four matchup against eighth-seeded Butler, then no better than a No. 2 seed in the finals. Had the Jayhawks won it all, they would’ve shattered the record for the highest sum of seeds faced by the champion.

But instead of strolling into Houston next weekend as the heavy favorites, Kansas became the third No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 11, joining Connecticut in 2006 and Kentucky in 1986.

The difference in this upset: the Huskies lost in overtime and the Wildcats in the final seconds, while the Jayhawks were drummed. Their last lead was 10-9. They were down by a season-high 14 at halftime and trailed by 16 before rallying to within two, yet never got nearly that close again.

KENTUCKY Continued from Page 1B

AP PHOTO

Kentucky’s Josh Harrellson cuts down part of the net after the the Wildcats 76-69 victory over North Carolina in the East regional final Sunday.

for Kentucky, including a 3pointer from the corner with 37 seconds remaining to help lift the Wildcats.

“We got Kentucky back,” senior center Josh Harrellson said.

“A lot of people doubted us. A lot of people really didn’t think we’d be the team we are. We really pulled it together as a team, and we’re back now.”

A season after falling a game short of the Final Four behind a roster filled with future NBA stars, the Wildcats are heading to the national semifinals for the

“Seeds are so overrated,” Self said. “It’s about matchups. Their players could play for us any day.”

Kansas reached the regional finals on an 11-game winning streak. In the tournament, the Jayhawks hadn’t trailed by more than two points and won by at least 14, in victories over teams seeded 16th, ninth and 12th.

As much as they claimed they would respect VCU as much as a Duke or North Carolina, the Big 12 champions still knew they were facing the fourth-place finisher from the Colonial Athletic Association. The lack of respect may have oozed out during a pregame meeting of team captains, when — according to VCU’s Joey Rodriguez and two of his teammates — one of the Morris twins said, “The run ends here.”

The soft road and perhaps a bit of overconfidence may have conspired against the Jayhawks (35-3).

Kansas opened strong and had the majority of the crowd on its side. But once a few things went right for VCU, everything went its way. The Jayhawks allowed spurts of 11-0 and 10-2. Along the way, the Morris twins each missed a pair of free throws, typical of the sloppiness that also included turnovers and missed shots, some that never should’ve been taken.

A 17-4 rally early in the second half made things interesting, but Kansas couldn’t sustain its surge.

14th time behind the heady play of Knight and Harrellson’s emotional leadership.

Harrellson again held his own against North Carolina’s bigger, more heralded front line, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds.

Tyler Zeller led North Carolina with 21 points and nine rebounds and Harrison Barnes added 18 points, but the Tar Heels fell behind early and struggled to keep the hot-shooting Wildcats in check.

Harrellson gave teammate Eloy Vargas a bear hug shortly after the buzzer sounded then gleefully cut down the nets while the Tar Heels trudged slowly off the floor.

It’s a scene the program has been waiting for years to celebrate, a mission that began in earnest when the program lured John Calipari away from Memphis in 2009.

He promised he wasn’t “the grand poobah” the day he signed his eight-year, $31.65 million contract, but there’s little doubt who rules the Bluegrass now.

Calipari joins Rick Pitino as the only men’s coaches to lead three different programs to the Final Four. Calipari’s previous visits at Massachusetts in 1996 and Memphis in 2008 were vacated by the NCAA for rules violations, but Calipari was not found liable in either instance.

NEWARK, N.J. — The rollercoaster season for North Carolina had one more wild ride and one more comeback, and it came up just short.

If there was a word that was repeated over and over in the Tar Heels’ locker room after their 7669 loss to Kentucky in the East regional finals on Sunday it was disappointment.

A third trip to the Final Four in four years was there for the taking for North Carolina (29-8) after fighting back from an 11-point second-half deficit to tie the game 67-67, and the Wildcats took it away from them.

“Right now this is probably going to hurt for a week, maybe a couple of weeks,” said Tyler Zeller, who tied the game with two free throws with 3:18 to play. “After that we’ll go back and look at what we did and take what we did well and learn from that and take it and use it as a life experience.”

The Tar Heels’ final game was much like the rest of their season.

The young and talented kids from Chapel Hill fell behind early, overcame adversity and put themselves in a position to succeed.

Kentucky made the plays in the closing minutes though, and it wasn’t surprising it was a couple of 3-pointers that did in North Carolina (27-10).

The Tar Heels came into the game intent on stopping the Wildcats’ dribble penetration and that allowed Kentucky to spot up for 3-pointers. They hit a dozen, and the last two were killers.

Brandon Knight, who hit game-winning shots against Princeton and Ohio State, nailed a 3pointer with 2:51 to play to put the Wildcats ahead 70-69.

After Zeller’s tip-in got the Tar Heels within a point with 1:52 to go, Knight missed the front end of a1-and-1to give North Carolina a chance to take the lead.

Freshman point guard Kendall Marshall, whose insertion into the starting lineup in early January sent the Tar Heels on a 17-2 run, saw an opening down the lane with just over a minute to play and went for the basket.

For a second it seemed he was going to give Carolina the lead, but Deandre Liggins came out of nowhere and blocked the shot.

“It was a good play by him, maybe I could have done something better on that play,” Marshall said. “Maybe I could have put my body in front of him or I should have waited for a better shot or given it to Harrison (Barnes) because he was hot. But it’s a letdown to know you took a bad shot and had it blocked and then on the other end your man hits a 3.”

That was the clincher for Kentucky. After the block, Liggins sprinted down the court and took a pass from Darius Miller for a wide-open 3-pointer that put Kentucky ahead 73-69 with 37 seconds to go.

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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

Halladay sharp in final tune-up

Connecticut rallies to beat Georgetown

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Roy Halladay tuned up for his start on opening day with three scoreless innings and had a two-run single as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 6-1 on Sunday.

The NL Cy Young Award winner will face the Houston Astros on Friday in Philadelphia. On Sunday, he allowed two hits, walked none and struck out three while lowering his spring ERA to 0.42. Nate McLouth had a double in the first inning and Martin Prado a single in the third.

Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard homered for the Phillies. Ibanez hit his fourth of the spring against Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami and Howard smashed his fifth with a runner on off reliever Cristhian Martinez.

Pirates 5, Rays 4 BRADENTON, Fla. — David Price had his final prep work for opening day, pitching four innings in Tampa Bay’s loss to Pittsburgh.

Price, who will get the ball Friday night in Baltimore, gave up one run and five hits. The 2010 AL Cy Young Award runner-up walked one and struck out three.

Paul Maholm, the No. 2 pitcher in the Pirates’ rotation, worked five innings and yielded three runs on five hits. The left-hander walked one and struck out five.

Kelly Shoppach, Ben Zobrist and John Jaso homered for the Rays.

Jose Tabata hit his first of the spring for the Pirates.

Nats trade Morgan to Brewers VIERA, Fla. — The Washington Nationals traded hot-tempered outfielder Nyjer Morgan to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday for minor league infielder Cutter Dykstra and cash.

Dykstra is the son of former major leaguer Lenny Dykstra.

The trade came two days after Milwaukee sent outfielder Chris Dickerson to the New York Yankees for pitcher Sergio Mitre.

Morgan stole 34 bases last year during a season in which he drew a pair of weeklong suspensions from Major League Baseball. He appealed those penalties and eventually sat out for eight games.

Last week, he was restrained by a Nationals coach as Washington scrapped with St. Louis. Morgan appeared to have upset the Cardinals by running into Albert Pujols as the star first baseman handled a tailing throw.

Morgan became expendable once it became clear that Rick Ankiel and Jerry Hairston Jr. would platoon in center field.

Ankiel will start for Washington on opening day.

Cardinals 3, Mets 1 JUPITER, Fla. — Kyle McClellan’s spring training performance went a long way toward reassuring the St. Louis coaching staff that making him the No. 5 starter was the right choice.

In his final outing of the spring, McClellan allowed one run and three hits over six innings against New York. The lone run he allowed actually doubled his Grapefruit League total to two earned runs in 23 innings.

McClellan came to camp Marlins 6, Nationals 4 VIERA, Fla. — Chris Coghlan assured of a spot in the bullpen, where he’s been slotted the past hit a bases-loaded triple in the three seasons. But a seasonseventh inning to lead Florida ending elbow injury to 20-game over Washington.

Trailing 3-1 in the seventh, the winner Adam Wainwright forced the Cardinals to adjust Marlins rallied for five runs off their pitching plans. reliever Brian Broderick.

Coughlan finished with two Orioles (ss) 4, Red Sox 3 hits, was hit by a pitch and SARASOTA, Fla. — Chris scored twice. Marlins starter Adalberto Mendez pitched 3 2-3 Tillman made a final bid to earn a spot in the Baltimore rotation, innings, allowing one run and allowing three runs over 5 2-3 two hits with four walks. innings.

Tigers 8, Astros 4 Employing an overhauled delivery, Tillman gave up six KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Miguel hits and walked four. The rightCabrera was a triple shy of the hander is dueling for the third cycle and drove in four runs, spot in the rotation against Brad helping Detroit beat Houston.

Brad Penny, who will start the Bergesen, who is recovering nicely after being struck by a Tigers’ second game of the regular season Saturday at New line drive on the forearm on Friday.

York, gave up two runs in six J.D. Drew homered for the innings.

Red Sox, a two-run drive in the Cabrera connected for his fourth homer of spring training. third.

Wandy Rodriguez threw 90 Twins 7, Yankees 6 pitches in three innings for FORT MYERS, Fla. — Carl Houston. He allowed six hits, four walks and five runs. Carlos Pavano had his worst start of spring training against his forLee hit a two-run homer off mer team, giving up five runs Detroit reliever Daniel Schleand 11 hits in six innings for reth.

SHERIDAN

are key players. They are going to be on the disabled list when this most eagerly awaited season finally opens Friday at CitiContinued from Page 1B zens Bank Park. Polanco, the reliable third baseman, will be resemblance to their bumbling in the lineup, but his surgically forefathers. repaired elbow will be watched Ah, but the devil has been closely. calling the shots in this sports Meanwhile, the general sense town for decades. It is undeof impending doom was heightniable that Phillies championened by the line drive that felled ships are once-in-a-generation Oswalt and the outfield collision events — if your generation is that bloodied center fielder lucky, that is. Surely the glory Shane Victorino. It appears both and joy of 2008 will cost us of those players will be fine, but years of misery and pain. Is it still — how many grim disnot inevitable that your “World patches from Clearwater were F. Champions” T turns into a we supposed to process in one hair shirt?

Most of us dwell between the week?

The Utley situation is the extremes, where reason rules unspotted iceberg capable of and perspective is possible. sinking the fine ship built by From here, there is legitimate concern. Injuries are always the general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. The hull was designed to X factor. No matter how talented or well-constructed a team, it withstand one hole — that left by the departure of right fielder can fall apart if key players get Jayson Werth — but not a sechurt. ond one of this size. Manager Utley, the second baseman Charlie Manuel’s challenge was and irreplaceable element in to replace Werth’s production this team’s chemical makeup, from the No. 5 spot. Replacing and Lidge, the only proven closer in the entire organization, Utley in the all-important No. 3

AP PHOTO

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay throws to first base in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday in Kissimmee, Fla. Philadelphia won 6-1. Halladay threw for three scoreless innings.

Minnesota.

Pavano, slated to start on opening day for the Twins, took a 0.95 ERA into Sunday’s game.

He gave up a solo homer to Robinson Cano in the first inning. Four of the runs against Pavano were earned.

Jimenez gave up four hits, struck out three and walked none. Four of his five spring starts were scoreless — he also threw six shutout innings in a minor league game.

Jimenez will start Friday at home against Arizona.

Blue Jays 9, Orioles (ss) 5 DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto’s Rajai Davis went 5 for 5 and scored three times, and Yunel Escobar hit a two-run double and a two-run homer.

Ricky Romero, Toronto’s opening day starter, gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings. Jeremy Guthrie, the Orioles’ No. 1 starter, was tagged for four runs on 12 hits in five innings.

Angels 9, Padres 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mark Trumbo homered and drove in four runs, Peter Bourjos tripled and drove in three and the Los Angeles Angels sent Dan Haren into the regular season on a positive note with a win over the San Diego Padres.

Haren, the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation behind Jered Weaver, held the Padres to one run and three hits in five innings.

Rangers 5, Mariners 4 PEORIA, Ariz. — Michael Young hit a broken-bat single to center field in the top of the 10th inning to give Texas its go-ahead run. Young had three hits and three RBIs. Chone Figgins hit a two-run homer and Ryan Langerhans had an RBI single off Rangers starter Colby Lewis.

Reds 9, Diamondbacks 6 GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Brandon Phillips hit a three-run homer and Cincinnati roughed up Aaron Heilman.

Heilman, competing with Armando Galarraga for the final spot in the Arizona rotation, allowed eight runs and eight hits in two innings. Phillips’ homer was his first of spring training.

Rockies (ss) 6, Cubs 4 MESA, Ariz. — Ryan Dempster allowed three runs and five hits over four shaky innings in his final start before opening day and Tyler Colvin hit a grand slam for Chicago.

Clay Mortensen, expected to open the season in the minors for the Rockies, worked five shutout innings and gave up three hits.

Rockies 5, Athletics 2 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Ubaldo Jimenez pitched six shutout innings in his final start before opening day and the Colorado Rockies beat the Oakland Athletics. hole was not on the to-do list until that nagging pain in his knee refused to go away on its own.

The irony in all this is that the Phillies’ best hope for surviving the injuries could also prove to be their undoing.

That’s right. The Four Aces.

The superb rotation — Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton — gives the Phillies an edge at the start of nearly every game they will play. That is a remarkable thing, and it could paper over a lot of problems.

But the December acquisition of Lee, which started the civic countdown to the most anticipated opening day in history, had another consequence. His contract meant the Phillies were committed to paying their five starters some $65 million in 2011. Throw in Lidge’s $11.5 million and that’s $76.5 million for half the pitching staff. That’s more than the total payroll of 10 major-league clubs this year before Ryan Howard, Utley, and Jimmy Rollins get a dime.

And they will get plenty of

Indians 6, Dodgers 1 GLENDALE, Ariz. — Fausto Carmona wrapped up an excellent spring by pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Los Angeles Dodgers in his final tuneup for opening day.

Carmona did not allow an earned run in five crisp innings, giving up five hits and one walk while striking out three. The right-hander, set to start Friday against the Chicago White Sox, went 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA this spring to lead the majors in wins.

Royals 7, Giants 4 SURPRISE, Ariz. — Wilson Betemit hit a three-run homer, Alex Gordon added a two-run shot and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Francisco Giants.

Betemit homered in the fourth off Jonathan Sanchez, who gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in 5 1-3 innings.

Gordon’s fifth home run came in the eighth off Ramon Ramirez after Kila Ka’aihue walked.

White Sox 2, Brewers 1 PHOENIX — Mark Buehrle allowed two hits in five innings in his final spring start and the Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers.

Buehrle, who will make his ninth opening day start for the White Sox on Friday in Cleveland, gave up a double to Erick Almonte in the second and Jeremy Reed’s leadoff single in the fourth. dimes. The Phillies’ total payroll is pushing $160 million. They are, as Amaro put it last week, “tapped out.”

Given the importance of pitching — as demonstrated so dramatically in the National League Championship Series loss to San Francisco — Amaro’s quest to build the best rotation in baseball made perfect sense.

Given the cost, however, that rotation might just handcuff the GM, preventing the kind of aggressive moves he might want to make to fill those suddenly worrisome holes in his lineup.

Did Amaro paint himself into a corner with guys who paint the corners?

It is a fascinating position to be in, one that has introduced anxiety and suspense into a season that looked like a joyride. Once we awaited opening day with bated breath. Now we’re just holding our breath, trying to ignore the devil on our shoulder.

Phil Sheridan is a columnist for the The Philadelphia Inquirer.

PHILADELPHIA — Georgetown knows all about Maya Moore and Connecticut’s rich postseason history, and the Hoyas were determined to rock the bracket with one of the NCAA tournament’s biggest upsets ever.

Backed into a corner, Moore got some help from fellow senior Lorin Dixon and the Huskies responded.

Moore had 23 points and 14 rebounds, leading Connecticut to a 68-63 victory after the Hoyas led by seven in the second half of their regional semifinal Sunday.

“Me and Maya decided we didn’t want our careers to end here today,” Dixon said.

“That’s just a great feeling. I think everyone wanted to continue the tournament.”

While Moore put up the numbers, Dixon was the catalyst for the game-changing run.

Connecticut trailed 53-46 with 9:36 left, but responded with a 16-2 run sparked by the 5-foot-4 guard.

“Today was a great reflection of what she’s been doing for the last month for every single day,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of Dixon, who finished with four points, four assists and four steals.

Bria Hartley got the spurt started with a 3-pointer and Dixon followed with a layup off a steal. She then had another steal and fed Hartley for an easy lay-in that tied it at 53 with 7:12 left.

Moore then scored four straight and, after Alexa Roche’s basket, Hartley capped the run with a 3-pointer that made it 62-55 with 4:03 left.

Monica McNutt’s 3-pointer got Georgetown within four with 1:41 remaining, but Moore answered with a long jumper from the corner to seal the win.

“My players aren’t in these situations very often and it’s good to be tested,” Auriemma said. “It’s easy to be a winner when you’re winning. You find out a lot about yourself when you have to go and win. We found out a lot about us today.”

Hartley added 17 points for UConn (35-1), which is now three victories away from a third straight national championship that would match the school’s own run from 2002-04

and Tennessee’s from 1996-98.

UConn will have to beat Duke in the championship game on Tuesday night to advance to the Final Four for the fourth straight year. The Huskies routed the Blue Devils 87-51 on Jan. 31.

Philadelphia Regional Duke 70, DePaul 63 PHILADELPHIA — Karima Christmas had 23 points and nine rebounds, and Jasmine Thomas scored 19 points to help the Blue Devils reach the regional final for a second straight year.

Duke (32-3) will play topseeded Connecticut on Tuesday night.

Chelsea Gray scored 16 points for the Blue Devils, who raced to a 15-point lead and had to hold on after the big advantage nearly evaporated late in the second half.

Dallas Regional Texas A&M 79, Georgia 38 DALLAS — Danielle Adams had 23 points and 14 rebounds and Texas A&M built a 31point halftime lead to earn a spot in the regional final.

The Aggies will face either top-seeded Baylor or Wisconsin-Green Bay in the final.

Texas A&M (30-5) led 13-0 and was up 27-2 with just under 10 minutes to play in the first half. The Aggies stifled the Lady Bulldogs into a 1for-14 start from the field.

The win gives Texas A&M its first 30-win season and puts the Aggies in the regional final for the second time and first since 2008.

Baylor 86, Wisconsin-Green Bay 76 DALLAS — Brittney Griner scored 40 points and combined with Odyssey Sims in the game-clinching run as topseeded Baylor defeated feisty Wisconsin-Green Bay to advance to the regional championship.

The Lady Bears (34-2) led only 52-49 before Griner made a short baseline shot over two defenders with just over 13 minutes left. Sims then hit consecutive 3-pointers and ended the spurt with a steal and breakaway layup. Griner and Sims combined for all the points in a 14-0 spurt.

Griner also had 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.

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I N DYC A R

NASCAR

Franchitti dominates Indy race

Harvick wins Auto Club 400 Childress driver overtakes Johnson on the final turn after starting in 24th.

The two-time defending series champion leads all but six laps as series starts season.

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Sports Writer

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dario Franchitti, of Scotland, ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Da- waves to fans after winning the rio Franchitti is still the one to IndyCar Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race Sunbeat in IndyCar. The two-time defending series day in St. Petersburg, Fla.

champion was perfect in Sunday’s season opener, leading 94 of 100 laps on the scenic, 1.8-mile street course and beating Will Power to the finish line by more than seven seconds. It was Franchitti’s first victory and fifth topfive finish in six starts in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

“He’s like clockwork,” Power said. “He never makes mistakes.”

Franchitti didn’t make any Sunday, and there were plenty of opportunities for them. Just ask Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Danica Patrick or Marco Andretti.

Franchitti grabbed the lead early on and was hardly challenged the rest of the way.

“Sunday has a bit of motivation for this year and maybe that answers the question of how badly I still want to win races and championships and all that stuff,” Franchitti said. “When you have a day like today, with the way the team was just like clockwork — pit stops, the car was great and didn’t make any mistakes — they are few and far between so you have to enjoy them when they happen.”

Tony Kanaan, the 2004 series champion who joined his new team Monday, held off Simona de Silvestro over the final few laps for third. De Silvestro enjoyed her best finish in 18 career starts.

Patrick was 12th, a disappointing start to her seventh IndyCar season. Patrick, who drove four races in NASCAR’s second-tier series before resuming her fulltime IndyCar gig, was penalized one spot on the final lap for making “avoidable contact” with JR Hildebrand.

Patrick bumped Hildebrand from behind, turning him around. That was nothing compared to the early chaos. There were four full-course cautions in the first 14 laps.

A few hours after teammates Sebastien Bourdais and James

A U T O C L U B 4 0 0 R E S U LT S

Jakes crashed during a warmup session, five cars — all of them from the sport’s top three teams — found trouble in the first turn.

Penske teammates Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe were involved, as were two-time series champion Dixon and Andretti Autosport teammates Mike Conway and Marco Andretti.

Andretti drove into Dixon from behind, running over his rear wheel and sending Andretti for a wild ride. He flipped and landed upside down. Andretti escaped without injury, walked toward his pit, paused to watch a huge replay board, then cited three-time Indy 500 champion Castroneves for the melee.

“Helio just drove it in on all of us,” Andretti said. “He missed his braking point by a decent chunk.

It’s unfortunate.”

Castroneves accepted blame, saying he locked up his brakes.

“I feel terrible for the team, but you’ve got to move on,” Castroneves said.

The race was flagged several more times on restarts, all of them coming under the sport’s new rules. In previous years, the series used single-file restarts.

But this season, IndyCar switched to double-file restarts similar to those in NASCAR. Drivers thought those dicey situations would be attractive to fans and figured they also would cause attrition. They were right on both accounts. Fans cheered the first-turn frenzy and several cars sustained damage on restarts.

Andretti questioned the decision.

“That’s what happens when you try to imitate NASCAR,” he said. “Our cars have too much power to start right nose-to-tail, you know. It creates disasters. It’s good for the fans; it’s not good for me today.”

FONTANA, Calif. — Kevin Harvick isn’t one of those drivers who jumps out front and stays there all the way to the checkers.

He’s more of a lingerer and closer, someone who’s able to stay close to the front then make his move at just the right time.

Harvick was at his pass-at-theend best on Sunday, overtaking California king Jimmie Johnson on the final turn at Auto Club Speedway to win after trailing the entire race.

“I wish we could just go out there and wear ’em out one day, just not have to worry about waiting until the last lap,” Harvick said. “It does kind of seem we wait until the last moments to really get going. It’s probably somewhat of a bad habit I have, but I guess it worked out.”

Kyle Busch had the dominant car most of the day and led a race-high 151 laps, including off a restart with nine laps left.

Johnson, a five-time winner Fontana, had the late burst, chasing down Busch for the lead with two laps left.

Harvick, as he always seems to, nailed the finish.

He had a rough start to the season, finishing 42nd at Daytona after a blown engine and hadn’t been able to pull it together since despite having fast cars.

His best finish was a fourth at Phoenix.

Harvick didn’t have a particularly strong qualifying session at Fontana, either, to start 24th and wasn’t exactly ripping through the field once the race started.

What he did do was gradually work his way to the front, pulling up behind Johnson after getting past Busch.

Taking advantage of a small gap to the outside, Harvick made his move on Johnson going into Turn 3, then completed it coming around Turn 4. Ahead going down the last straightway, he finished off his becoming-atrademark finish to take the checkers for the 15th time in his career.

“I really felt good when they had that restart because I knew his car was really fast on the long

AP PHOTO

Kevin Harvick celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on Sunday.

run,” said Richard Childress, owner of Harvick’s No. 29 car. “I knew if they didn’t get too far out in front of us, we’d have a shot. All we needed was to get him side-by-side and start racing. That gave Kevin a chance to catch them and he made the right move going into 3.”

Unlike Saturday’s Nationwide race, which featured lead changes seemingly every other lap, this one had drivers camped out front for long stretches before the final flourish.

Part of it was the lack of cautions, the opening 75 laps coming under green to set a track record. Overnight rain, which lingered as mist until a couple hours before the race, also played a role. Drivers who were able to get the setup right were able to get out front and stay there while everyone else tinkered.

Mostly, that meant Busch.

He swept the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races last week at Bristol, then opened with a Nationwide win at Auto Club, using a late two-tire pit stop to beat Carl Edwards and Harvick, who

each took four tires.

Busch had a rough start to his Sprint Cup weekend, forced to a backup car after sliding into the wall on his first practice lap on Friday, but still managed to qualify eighth.

Busch took his first lead on Lap 22 and lost it a few times on green-flag pit stops, but was back out front within a few laps, pulling away on each of the four restarts.

He just didn’t have enough left after the leaders stayed out on the last caution, spoiling his chance to pull off the NASCAR weekend sweep two weeks in a row.

“It’s real unfortunate and disappointing and frustrating all in one that we weren’t able to seal the deal today,” Busch said. “You ask a little bit more from your race car at the last moments and it just doesn’t have anything left to give. We were just a sitting duck waiting for those guys to go around us.”

Johnson looked as if he were going to notch his fourth win in six starts at California. He started 16th and worked his way to-

Sunday At Auto Club Speedway Fontana, Calif.

Lap length: 2 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (24) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 200 laps, 112.7 rating, 47 points, $331,961.

2. (16) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 200, 110.4, 43, $240,786.

3. (8) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 200, 143.4, 43, $214,816.

4. (11) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 200, 104, 40, $172,111.

5. (9) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 200, 107.9, 40, $159,950.

6. (18) Carl Edwards, Ford, 200, 94.2, 38, $149,591.

7. (17) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 200, 109.6, 38, $144,108.

8. (19) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 200, 111.8, 36, $128,464.

9. (22) Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 200, 79.4, 35, $124,408.

10. (1) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 200, 96.3, 35, $144,583.

11. (32) Greg Biffle, Ford, 200, 85.5, 33, $108,675.

12. (30) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200, 82, 32, $101,325.

13. (5) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 200, 117.3, 32, $134,083.

14. (20) A J Allmendinger, Ford, 200, 72.3, 30, $127,911.

15. (7) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 200, 90.8, 29, $99,550.

16. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200, 80.7, 28, $89,475.

17. (23) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 200, 66.1, 27, $134,900.

18. (29) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 200, 77.1, 26, $125,111.

19. (14) David Reutimann, Toyota, 200, 73.3, 25, $115,283.

20. (10) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 200, 80.6, 24, $95,175.

21. (26) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 200, 85, 24, $93,975.

22. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 200, 70.4, 22, $94,300.

23. (12) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 200, 66.2, 21, $120,739.

24. (28) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 200, 57, 0, $100,458.

25. (3) Joey Logano, Toyota, 200, 64.5, 19, $91,750.

26. (21) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 199, 55.4, 18, $104,658.

27. (4) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 199, 55.4, 17, $108,145.

28. (13) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 198, 55.7, 16, $111,091.

29. (25) Casey Mears, Toyota, 198, 46.6, 15, $81,900.

30. (27) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 198, 50.1, 0, $88,650.

31. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 198, 41.5, 13, $90,108.

32. (38) Andy Lally, Chevrolet, 198, 36.5, 12, $86,750.

33. (39) Ken Schrader, Ford, 197, 32.7, 11, $87,522.

34. (35) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 197, 42.2, 10, $76,825.

35. (36) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 196, 33.1, 0, $76,600.

36. (42) Tony Raines, Ford, 190, 28, 8, $76,450.

37. (31) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, engine, 188, 35.9, 7, $76,225.

38. (34) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, accident, 182, 47.5, 6, $102,320.

39. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, engine, 105, 78.7, 6, $123,880.

40. (41) Todd Bodine, Toyota, transmission, 50, 27.3, 0, $75,675.

41. (43) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, electrical, 47, 40.6, 4, $75,505.

42. (40) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, transmission, 39, 29.1, 0, $75,415.

43. (33) Michael McDowell, Toyota, electrical, 32, 32.4, 1, $75,769.

Race Statistics Average Speed of Race Winner: 150.849 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 39 minutes, 6 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 0.144 seconds.

Caution Flags: 4 for 16 laps.

Lead Changes: 18 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: J.Montoya 1-6; D.Hamlin 7-21; Ky.Busch 22-31; J.Montoya 32; C.Bowyer 33; J.Johnson 34; J.Yeley 35-36; Ky.Busch 37-66; M.Truex Jr. 67; T.Stewart 68-69; Ky.Busch 70-76; T.Stewart 77-79; R.Newman 80-87; T.Stewart 88-91; Ky.Busch 92-137; T.Stewart 138-139; Ky.Busch 140-197; J.Johnson 198-199; K.Harvick 200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): Ky.Busch, 5 times for 151 laps; D.Hamlin, 1 time for 15 laps; T.Stewart, 4 times for 11 laps; R.Newman, 1 time for 8 laps; J.Montoya, 2 times for 7 laps; J.Johnson, 2 times for 3 laps; J.Yeley, 1 time for 2 laps; K.Harvick, 1 time for 1 lap; C.Bowyer, 1 time for 1 lap; M.Truex Jr., 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in Points: 1. C.Edwards, 187; 2. R.Newman, 178; 3. Ku.Busch, 177; 4. Ky.Busch, 176; 5. J.Johnson, 173; 6. T.Stewart, 170; 7. P.Menard, 164; 8.

J.Montoya, 161; 9. K.Harvick, 157; 10. M.Kenseth, 157; 11. K.Kahne, 157; 12. D.Earnhardt Jr., 156.

NASCAR Driver Rating Formula A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.

The formula combines the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish.

ward the front, tracking Busch down for the late pass after losing a race off the line to him on the final restart.

PRO TENNIS

Fish reaches 4th round at Key Biscayne D J O K O V I C A D VA N C E S TO 4TH ROUND

By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Mardy Fish might leave Key Biscayne as the top-ranked American in men’s tennis, a prospect that leaves him unconvinced.

“I wouldn’t be the No. 1 American really,” said Fish, who beat No. 17 seed Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3 in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday.

Fish is ranked a career-best 15th, and if he wins two more rounds he’ll overtake longtime friend Andy Roddick in the next rankings. Roddick lost his opening match Saturday and is expected to drop from eighth to about 15th, the lowest he has been ranked since 2002.

“I certainly wouldn’t feel like the top-ranked American, considering what Andy has accomplished and what I’ve accomplished,” Fish said. “His career has quadrupled mine, at least.”

Roddick is a five-time Grand Slam finalist who won the 2003 U.S. Open and finished that year ranked No. 1. Fish’s record in major events is barely above .500, and he has made the top 20 in the year-end rankings only twice.

But at 29, Fish is in the best condition of his career. That showed against Gasquet in the midday sun on an 87-degree afternoon.

“Playing out there today, you can obviously see why you need to be fit to win these matches,” Fish said.

Also advancing was No. 30seeded John Isner, who won an all-American matchup against qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr., 6-2,

AP PHOTO

Juan Martin del Potro reacts after winning his match against Robin Soderling at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., Sunday.

7-6 (4). Bogomolov upset Roddick in the second round, giving Isner a less daunting path to the quarterfinals.

“I didn’t want to think too much about it,” Isner said. “A lot of times when a draw sort of opens up, guys tend to maybe not play as well. So I’m not looking at the draw.”

This Fish knows: His next opponent will be Juan Martin del Potro, who is gaining momentum in his comeback from right wrist surgery last May. The big Argentine earned his first win this year over a top-10 player by beating No. 4 Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2.

Del Potro, ranked 484th in February, will climb back into the top 45 after the tournament.

“It’s a long road to come back to being at the top again,” the 2009 U.S. Open champion said. “I’m

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — Novak Djokovic has extended his winning streak to 22 consecutive matches by beating wild card James Blake 6-2, 6-0 in the third round at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Seeded second, Djokovic never faced a break point Sunday night and advanced in 52 minutes. He has lost three games in two matches, and his opponent in the round of 16 will be fellow Serb Viktor Troicki, who beat American Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-5.

Djokovic is 20-0 this year, the best record to begin a year since Ivan Lendl started 25-0 in 1986.

Djokovic also won two Davis Cup matches in December. He has won three tournaments this year and seeks his second title at Key Biscayne, where he won in 2007.

improving very, very slowly.”

In women’s play, No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters earned her 500th career victory by beating Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.

Clijsters, who won the tournament in 2005 and 2010, advanced to the fourth round despite 10 double-faults and 39 unforced errors. She next plays No. 19 Ana Ivanovic, who won when Virginie Razzano retired trailing 2-6, 6-2, 3-0.

Reigning French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, seeded fifth, edged Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-4, 7-6 (2). No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska beat No. 24 Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (2), 6-3.

Fish lost to Gasquet twice in 2008, including in the first round at Wimbledon.

“He killed me,” Fish recalled.

551

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FRIDAY

Chance of rain and snow

50° 30°

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REGIONAL FORECAST Syracuse 33/23

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Delmarva/Ocean City

Highs: 41-46. Lows: 26-34. Partly cloudy skies are expected today into tonight.

0.00” 5.11” 2.29” 10.42” 6.83” Sunset 7:24p 7:25p Moonset 2:00p 3:01p

River Levels, from 12 p.m. yesterday.

Susquehanna Stage Chg. Fld. Stg Wilkes-Barre 8.46 -1.26 22.0 Towanda 5.13 -0.72 21.0 Lehigh Bethlehem 1.64 -0.68 16.0 Delaware Port Jervis 5.03 -0.42 18.0 New

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Yesterday Average Record High Record Low

44/25

Highs: 31-41. Lows: 16-21. Partly cloudy skies today into tonight.

Albany 37/23

Towanda 37/18

Temperatures

55/43

TODAY’S SUMMARY

Binghamton 31/18

State College 38/20

SUNDAY Partly sunny

SATURDAY Cloudy, with sprinkles

196600

THURSDAY Partly sunny with an a.m. sprinkle

46° 26°

45° 18°

A ntiqu e Jewelry (Brok en OK) Dental Gold,Gold Filled Eyeglasses,Etc.

K IN G T U T ’S

G O L D R E PA IR H U T

824-4150

322 N. PENN A VE. W -B

277617

Sunny

WEDNESDAY Slim chance of rain & snow

TUESDAY Mostly sunny

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37° 15°

TODAY

NATIONAL FORECAST: Showers and thunderstorms are again expected across the southeastern portions of the country today. A few strong storms are possible across the northern stretches of Florida.

Elsewhere across the country, rain and snow will continue in portions of the Rockies, the Intermountain West and the Pacific Northwest.

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MISERICORDIA WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES

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Rachel Brooks, left, and Rebecca Steinberger

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Amanda Caleb, left, and Jen Crook

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Christopher Caleb, left, and Patrick Hamilton

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Kelly Rogan, left, and Amanda Van Lanen

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Abbey Fisher, left, and Megan Peckins

PITTSTON YMCA COMMUNITY CELEBRATION DAY

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2011

LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY SHOW

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Emily Bryan, 7, and her brother Logan, 6, both of Duryea

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Dave and Jill Tarantini

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Leslie Parker, second from left, and her children, Julia, 2, left, Shane, 8, and Jase, 1, all of Pittston

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Molly Sprechini and Wayne Hinkin

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Michelle Cassetori of Harding, left, and Joelle Sharisky of Wyoming

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Barb Sauls, left, Sandy Wakscoe and Fred Sauls

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Leah Kasheta, left, and her sister Arianne, both of Carbondale

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Christine Pugh, left, Lisa Senuk and Sam Senuk

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Janice Sepcoski of Bear Creek, left, and Tara Iovacchini of Pittston representing Cub Scout Pack 316, Avoca

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Keith and Nancy Grierson

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