2 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011NEWS

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Issue No. 2011-303

3 NEWSPage 3 – Union reps claim mayor won’t talk settlement

Page 5 – DPW employee’s son used city trailer

Page 7 – Balloon release starts Red Ribbon Week

Page 10 – Simonson’s escape charges advanced

12 ARTSPage 12 – Homebrewers unite, plan Nov. 5 event

Page 14 – ’Mystery at the Masonic’ set

Page 17 – PHOTOS: O’Malley Halloween party

20 SPORTSPage 20 – Burke’s championship plan pans out

Page 23 – Lady Comets in district soccer final

Page 26 – No mercy for losing football teams

Page 27 – Local tennis teams out of state play

GO Lackawanna EditorChristopher J. Hughes 558-0113chughes@golackawanna.comGeneral ManagerPaul Andrews – 558-0845pandrews@golackawanna.comReporter/PhotographerRich Howells – 558-0483rhowells@golackawanna.comAdvertising RepresentativeKaren Fiscus – 970-7291kfiscus@timesleader.com

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Scranton resi-dent JohnathanHouck of Scran-ton was amongthose attendingthe annualO’Malley Hallo-ween Party atMcDade Parklast week. PHO-TOS: Page 17.

When oneof SylvesterStallone’s mo-vie characterswere refer-enced out ofcontext last

week, I didn’t think too much ofit.

Two references to the charac-ter, along with Saturday’s Octo-ber snow, make me think thatrapture seeking Harold Camp-ing might not have been too faroff with his recent end of daysprediction.

Stallone’s iconic role as JohnRambo began in 1982 with“First Blood” where, if you askthe Internet Movie Database,he portrays a mentally unstableVietnam veteran.

Of the two men apparentlyseeking Sylvester over the lasttwo weeks, one is a bit more

likely in my book.Union Attorney Thomas Jen-

nings called Mayor Chris Do-herty “Rambo” for his one-manwar against union arbitration,armed with Act 47 rather thanan AK-47.

Escaped prisoner Michael Si-monson allegedly told Lacka-wanna County detectives thatafter fleeing from the countyprison on Sept. 28, he would “goRambo,” hide in the woods for afew days, and head south of theborder.

Call me crazy, but the admit-ted murderer fits the action he-

ro stereotype a bit more thanthe mayor. The mayor’s runningrituals could put him in a betterspot to flee from some MichaelBay-esque explosions, however.

It’s so very odd for such a spe-cific character from pop cultureto appear twice in the sameweek and in the same city.

Was there a weekend onSpike TV that no one told meabout?

Is 2008’s rehashing of oneman’s battle against injusticethrough firearms being re-re-leased in 3-D with special “bul-let time” edits that take viewerson a ride with each shellthrough the innards of Burmeseinfantry soldiers who kidnapChristian aid workers?

Perhaps not, but I can practi-cally hear the late Don LaFon-taine narrating the trailer forthe film that pulls us all from fi-

nancial ruin.“One man facing millions of

debt. Another facing life in pris-on. Coincidence brought themtogether, but their adventurewill tear you apart.”

I wonder if Stallone wouldstar in a film dedicated to themockery of his iconic titles.

Perhaps we could enlist thehelp of “Rocky” impersonatorMike Kunda, the West Scrantonnative and author who haschronicled his aim to becomethe heavyweight champion ofthe world, to change roles fortwo months of production.

A blockbuster film with theproceeds going to the city is onefinancial solution I haven’theard from either the legislativeor executive arms of the city.Who knows if it could work?

Of course, I’m joking.But only a little.

Stallone leaves unusual mark on cityCHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES wisheshe was Don LaFontaine. Email himat chughes@golackawanna.com.

BEHIND THEBYLINESC H R I S T O P H E R J .H U G H E S

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SCRANTON–City Council gavefinal approval to a $3.2 million sub-mission for 2012 community plan-ning and development programs tobe funded under the CommunityDevelopment Block Grant, HomeInvestment Partnership, andEmer-gency Solutions Grant programson Tuesday.Vice President Pat Rogan read a

list of council’s agreed amend-ments to the submission, includingsignificant increases to street pav-ing, blight removal, and other im-provement projects while remov-ing funding for arts and entertain-ment programs such as the Scran-ton Jazz Festival and First NightScranton.Council said these amendments

were based on the immediateneeds of both the city and its resi-dents, who attended a public hear-ing last month to voice their oppo-sition to a proposed public park onthe site of the former Lincoln-Jack-son Elementary School among oth-er funding allocations.The line item for $350,000 to

tear down the empty facility andconstruct a park thatwould includeplayground equipment, a pavilion,and green spacewas removed com-pletely from council’s final submis-sion after residents told councilthat the park would only foster on-going crime issues in the neighbor-hood.They also felt that the park

would be neglected as the nearbyFellows Park and Allen Park alleg-edly have been for years.Council had to allow 30 days to

pass before final passage of the leg-islation.One resident who lives directly

across the street from the formerschool, Michael Passero, invitedneighbors and Councilman JackLoscombe to his home on Acade-my Street hours before the finalvote to discuss these continuingproblems.Neighbors talked about increas-

es in local gang activity and stringsof recent robberies in the formerlyquiet West Scranton neighbor-hood, labeling it “a war zone,” aswell as citywide issues such as thecity’s $6 million budget deficit andtaxes.

Council amends,passes federalfunding planBy RICH HOWELLSrhowells@golackawanna.com

SCRANTON – Council andunion representatives agreedon one clear message duringTuesday’smeeting:MayorChrisDo-hertymust finally negotiatewith theunions to avoid “catastrophic” con-sequences, including major layoffsand tax increases following a unionwin regarding arbitration rights.

The 6-1 Pennsylvania Supreme Courtruling onOct. 19 put to rest a decade-longbattle thatdelayedmillionsofdollars in ar-bitration awards under the Policemen andFiremenCollective Bargaining Act, or Act111, stating that the distressed municipal-ities act, orAct 47, does not supersedeAct111.The city is already facing an estimated$6 million budget deficit this year, amongother financial issues.“Everybody’s saying it’s awin. It’s not re-

ally a win. All the Supreme Court did wasreaffirm our rights to collective bargain-ing, which we’ve said from day one since

this started. The problem is that this hasbeen retracted for so long that the dollaramount has swollen to huge numbers,”E.B. Jermyn Lodge No. 2 of the FraternalOrder of Police President and ScrantonDetective Sgt. Bob Martin told council.“Wewant to help resolve this.We’re not

here to bankrupt the city. That’s the lastthing we want to do…We didn’t pick thisfight. Someone else picked this fight.”John Judge IV, secretary of Internation-

al Association of Fire Fighters Local 60,concurred, saying that theunionshave “al-waysextended theolivebranch” to city ad-ministration.“When this SupremeCourt award came

down lastweek, none of themembers thatI spoke to in my local said anything aboutthemoney. Theywere concerned, primar-ily, aboutwhat this department is going tobe like after Mayor Doherty got throughwith it knowing that they lost the courtcase. In that spirit of cooperation,wewantto come to the mayor and work thingsout,” Judge explained.At a meeting with the Pennsylvania De-

partment of Economic and CommunityDevelopment and the Pennsylvania Econ-omy League on Monday, Judge said Busi-

nessAdministratorRyanMcGowan askedthe mayor if he would be willing to nego-tiate incremental payments with theunions.“We were basically told no,” Judge con-

tinued. “We’ve alreadyheard fromhim.Hesaid, ‘Absolutely not.’”International Association of Fire Fight-

ers Local 60 President and Scranton FireLt. Dave Gervasi added that he has heardthat Doherty’s plan is to raise taxes up to100 percent, implement massive publicsafety layoffs, and borrow money to paythebill all at once,whichhecalled “unreal-istic.” Council President Janet Evansagreed.“Themayor has proclaimed, almost im-

mediately, a significant tax increase andsignificant cuts in public services, and evi-dentially, his target once again is the po-lice and fire departments, and I don’t be-lieve that is the proper way to approachthe situation,” Evans said.Councilman Frank Joyce said that the

administration currently estimates thelong-delayed settlement to be anywherefrom $6 to $10 million. Councilman Pat

Administration plan to cut workers, raise taxes likely to stick

RICH HOWELLS PHOTO / FOR GO LACKAWANNA

IAFF Local 60 Secretary John Judge said unions were told Mayor Chris Doherty would ’absolutely not’ meet to discuss lastweek’s Supreme Court ruling worth millions of dollars for city police and fire department employees.

Unions: Doherty won’t negotiateBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

See COUNCIL, Page 11

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WILKES-BARRE -A federal judgepostponed thesentencing of former Lacka-wanna County Commission-ers Robert Cordaro and A.J.Munchak on Thursday, cit-ingCordaro’snewlegalcoun-sel as the basis for the delay.U.S. District Judge A. Ri-

chard Caputo announcedhis decision after 40 min-utes of in-chamber discus-sions held Thursday after-noon that was expected todiscuss leniency sought inthe sentencing originallyset for Monday, Oct. 31.

Cordarodidnotnamethenewcounsel that will represent himin his sentencing and appeal.“It was a decision that I made

with Atty. (William) Costopou-los, and I think the judge veryfairly gave new counsel the op-portunity to do what they needto do,”Cordaro said on the stepsof the Max Rosenn UnitedStates Courthouse Thursday af-ternoon.Caputo said Cordaro’s new

counsel has until Nov. 3 to enteran appearance. If they fail to doso, sentencing for both men ismoved to Nov. 14.If counsel does appear, they

will have 60 days from that dateto file supplemental objectionsto a presentence investigationreport dated Sept. 20.Prosecutors will have 14 days

to respond, and sentencing willbeheld sevendays later, pushingthe sentencing for the corruptcommissioners as far back as

mid-January.Because Munchak was tried

jointly with Cordaro, his sen-tencing will also be postponed,Caputo said.Guilty verdicts on 18 of 33

counts against Cordaro andeight of 21counts against Mun-chakwerehandeddownon June21 after less than eight hours ofdeliberation.The decision followed an 11-

day trial that outlined how thetwo former Republican countyleaders used their positions toarrange personal payments inexchange for lucrative countycontracts, at times using a WestScranton funeral home directoras a so-called “bagman” todeliv-er cash-stuffed envelopes.One such arrangement even-

tually led to the loss of morethan$900,000 in federal fundingfor the construction of an inter-modal transportation center in

downtown Scranton after a bid-ding process was violated.In motions filed Wednesday,

Munchak’s attorney, Chris Po-well, cited a lifetime of commu-nity service including the dona-tion of more than 22 gallons ofbloodaspart of thebasis for leni-ency in his sentencing.“Courts have recognized ex-

ceptional charitable, civic andcommunity service as a basis fordownward departure,” Powellwrote in one of the three mo-tions filed Oct. 26.While Cordaro admitted

Thursday’s decision delays theinevitable, he said it does so forgood reason.“It’s a day of reckoning that’s

coming. I didn’t really have anyreason to want to delay it just todelay it,” Cordaro said. “I justwant the best opportunity topresent our case both for sen-tencing and appeal.”

‘I think the judge very fairly gave new counsel the opportunity to do what they need to do.’Robert Cordaro, convicted county commissioner on sentencing delay, possibly until January 2012.

JASON RIEDMILLER PHOTO / FOR GO LACKAWANNA

Former Lackawanna County Comissioner Robert Cordaro discusses his impending sentencing outside the Max Rosenn U.S. Cour-thouse on Thursday..

New Cordaro counsel delays sentencingBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

SCRANTON – The LeagueofWomenVotersofLackawan-na County hosted a ScrantonCityCouncil candidate debateon Thursday evening, givingthe three candidates one finalpublic forum to express theirviews tovotersbefore theNov.8 election.Moderated by LWV board

member Jean Harris and heldin the Moskovitz Auditoriumin the DeNaples Center at theUniversity of Scranton, thehour-and-a-half debate was re-corded by Electric City Televi-sion to be shown on ComcastChannel19 aswell as online atwww.lwvlackawanna.org.Each candidate was given

time to introduce themselvesand their respective platformsbefore discussing issues suchasthecity’scurrentbudgetdef-icit, union negotiations, themedia and transparency, pub-lic safety, and the state take-overofHarrisburg.Eachcandidatewithhisplat-

formislistedalphabetically,bylast name:• Jack Loscombe, who is

listed on both the DemocraticandRepublicantickets,wasap-pointed to council to fill a va-cancy inJanuaryof2010.Sincethen,hesaidhehasbeenlisten-ing to the needs of city resi-dents carefully wherever hegoes and pledged to continueworking for the citizens ofScranton. As a retired fire cap-tain, he feels his past work ex-periencehasgivenhiminsightinto the city’s public safety is-sues.• Bob McGoff, a Democrat

who has served on council forover five years, said his goal isto help city legislators and ad-ministration work past theirpolitical and personal agendasto find common ground andworktogethertowardsthebet-termentof thecity.Asaretiredteacher and the councilmanwith the most experience, hefeelsthathehaslearnedtodealwith a wide variety of people,each with their own ideas and

Councilcandidatesoffer plansBy RICH HOWELLSrhowells@golackawanna.com

See DEBATE, Page 8

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Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 5

SCRANTON – The son of a23-year employee of the city’sDepartment of Public Worksused a city-owned vehicle in acommercial driver’s license testlast month.Don Richardson, hired in

April 1988, drove the city’sflatbed trailer to the Penn-DOT Photo and Exam Center,81 Keystone Industrial Park,Dunmore, to allow his son,Donny, to “apply for his CDLLicense,” according to a letterfrom City Controller RoseannNovembrino to City Councildated Oct. 11 and a phone in-terview with DPW DirectorJeff Brazil.According to Novembrino’s

letter, Donny Richardson tookthe test with a Class A vehicleregistered to the city of Scran-ton on Sept. 20.Brazil said Friday that he au-

thorized the use of city equip-ment because he respects thework his employees complete.“It’s rare,” Brazil said of the re-

quest to use city equipment.“I authorized it because the

father, the employee, is one ofthose guys who, when I’m inthe middle of a snowstormand everybody’s going home,he’s the guy that who asks,‘Do you need me for a fewmore hours?’ These guys giveme their all.”The equipment was used

when Mr. Richardson was offthe clock, according to Bra-zil.The use of DPW equipment

for private matters followsthe termination earlier thisyear of Scranton Sewer Au-thority employee Paul Lu-dovici for the alleged use ofauthority equipment to re-move dirt at a West Scrantonhome.Ludovici was allegedly hired

as a private contractor and giv-en permission to use city equip-ment by a supervisor whoseidentity could not be con-firmed.

City equipmentused in driver’slicense testingBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

SCRANTON - The 7-year-old boy whose parents arecharged with locking him in acoffin in a now-condemnedGreen Ridge home sat on thestand Monday amid severalhours of testimony. Theyoung man alleged severaltimes that his stepfather,Brian Sleboda, “locked me inthe basement” with “lots ofscary stuff “ including on thenight of Sept. 26 when hiscries prompted neighbors tocall police.The first grade student

said he was placed in a chairin the basement once and wasable to open a door into thekitchen of the Raines Streethome where he also livedwith his mother, Lori Gardn-er.When Sleboda found the

boy, he allegedly sent himback to the basement and puthim in a homemade, plywoodcoffin that was surroundedby fake vampires and skele-tons.“The second time, they

locked it,” he said, barelyable to see over the top edgeof the witness stand. “I wascrying a lot down there. Iwanted to come back up, andI was crying very loud.”After opening the coffin,

the boy discovered the doorto the kitchen was nowlocked. He then struggled toopen a locked door leading tothe backyard.“He had a difficult time

‘cracking the code,’” Scran-ton Ptlw. Melissa Forsettetestified, adding that he hadbeen placed in the basementsix times prior to Sept. 26.“When he was down there be-fore, he had tried to open thelock. He said, ‘God told mehow to crack the code.’”The boy testified that when

he got outside the basement,

he was embarrassed to enterthe yard because he was bare-foot and wearing a diaperwith no pants. Neighborswho heard his cries from adoorway leading into theyard called police.When Forsette arrived

shortly after Ptlm. JasonKnoch, the young manhugged her and asked, “Areyou here to help me?”Later, the boy asked if offi-

cers knew what street theywere on. Officers told himthey knew he lived on RainesStreet, and he pointed to thenumbers on his mailbox sothey could find him if he wereever hurt again.“I don’t want mymom to go

to jail, but I don’t want her tohurt me anymore,” the boy al-legedly told Forsette.

According to testimonyfrom Scranton DetectiveVince Uher, Gardner told himin an interview after she andSleboda surrendered to po-lice that she put her son onthe top step of the basementstairs for letting his 1-year-old brother out of his play-pen, closing but not lockingthe door behind her.Uher said the home was

condemned based solely onthe conditions of the base-ment where the boy was sentfor punishment, which alleg-edly had raw sewage flowingout of a non-working toilet,charred beams visible abovemissing ceiling tiles showingsigns of a prior fire, and ex-posed wires.Charges against both Sle-

boda, 32, and Gardner, 26, ofendangering the welfare ofchildren and unlawful re-straint were held for countycourt after the Oct. 24 pre-liminary hearing before Ma-gisterial District Judge AliceHailstone Farrell.The boy is currently in fos-

ter care.

Charges forwarded in bizarre abuse caseBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

Gardner Sleboda

He said, ‘God told mehow to crack the code.’

Scranton Ptlw. Melissa ForsetteOn how a 7-year-old boy said he

was able to open a door leading tohis backyard from his basement.

PITTSTON TWP. – For 65 years, theWilkes-Barre/Scranton International Air-port has been led by a board that’smade upof the three county commissioners fromthe neighboring counties of Lackawannaand Luzerne.But that could change soon, and for the

better, in the opinion of one present boardmember.“I think we’ve waited a long time for this

day,” said Lackawanna County Commis-sioner Mike Washo. He said the time hascome to have boardmembersmaking deci-sions based on what’s best for the airport,not the two counties.“We’re talking about what’s good for Lu-

zerne County; what’s good for LackawannaCounty. Hopefully, the daywill comewhenthe discussion is about what’s good for theairport.”The airport’s Bi-County Board of Com-

missioners votedTuesday tomove forwardwith a process that would dissolve theboard and replace it with an airport author-ity. Before that happens, much needs to be

decided.Forming the authority seems to have the

support of the commissioners in each coun-ty, as all five of thempresent voted to directsolicitor John O’Brien to proceed with theprocess for drafting articles of incorpora-tionand informing theFederalAviationAd-ministration and Pennsylvania Depart-ment of Transportation of their plans. Lu-zerne County CommissionerMarianne Pe-trilla was not present.Other matters are not as clear.In addition to whether to form the au-

thority, the commissioners in each countymust determine how many members willserve on the authority, how many yearsthey will serve, and what qualificationsthey should have.

Public hearings in each county will beheld in late November or early Decemberso commissioners can get feedback on theplan. Each county’s commissioners willthenmeet separately to vote on resolutionscreating the authority and approving thearticles of incorporation.If both boards of commissioners approve

the resolutions, theywill appoint thenewlycreated authority’s initialmembers as earlyas December.O’Brien said he is leaning toward recom-

mending the authority makeup be thesame as the current Bi-County Board –with three representatives from each coun-ty. Though county commissioners wouldappoint the first authority members, thesoon-to-be-seated LuzerneCounty Councilwould be responsible for that task startingin January.Lackawanna County Commissioners

would continue to make appointments inthe future.Washo said he is glad to be involved in

securing the airport’s future.Airport Director Barry Centini said he

would support the change, if it were made.

By ANDREWM. SEDERaseder@timesleader.com

“We’re talking about what’s good forLuzerne County; what’s good forLackawanna County. Hopefully, theday will come when the discussion isabout what’s good for the airport.”Lackawanna County Commissioner Mike Washo

Changing who runs WBS airport may fly

6 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011NEWS

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Mom offers thanks to Rep.MurphyRepresentative Kevin Murphy,D-Scranton, is the primesponsor for Zachary’s Law(HB 601). The Bill creates amandatory minimum sen-tence of 13 years for personsconvicted of third degreemurder of a child.I wanted to express my sin-cere gratitude for Rep. Mur-phy’s hard work and dedi-cation to this Bill.Zachary’s Law was passedunanimously in the Penn-sylvania House JudiciaryCommittee on October 25.One year ago, Rep. Murphywas approached with thisproposal for change and, fromthat first meeting, Rep. Mur-phy committed himself andhis wonderful staff to thecause.Zachary’s Law is named inhonor of my son Zachary, whowas murdered at the hand ofa child abuser when he was 14months old. The year thatfollowed my son’s death waseye opening. I assumed that ifyou murdered a child, you gota lengthy sentence.However, third degree murderin Pennsylvania carries aminimum sentence of as littleas six years in jail.A child is innocent. Theydepend on adults to love andcare for them. Murder of achild is the most heinouscrime I can think of. It certain-ly warrants a sentence ofhigher than six years.HB 601 will change the land-scape of Pennsylvania andhow those who murder chil-dren are punished. Rep. Mur-phy not only stood up for thememory of my child but alsofor every child across thecommonwealth by supportinga new mandatory minimumsentence.I look forward to the journeyour bill will continue to traveland the continued support ofRep. Murphy.Sincerely,Christine McLaughlinFormer Dickson City resi-dent

LETTERS TOTHE EDITOR

TMG Health broke groundon its future National Oper-ations Center in the ValleyView Business Park on Fri-day, Oct. 21. The facility willbe a three-story, 150,000square foot building with theopportunity to expand to210,000 square feet, andhousing for up to 1,500 local

employees. Construction isexpected to be complete inthe third quarter of 2012 byVerus Partners.“The growth of TMG

Health allows our companyto continue its economiccommitment to NortheasternPennsylvania by offeringquality job opportunities to

the local community,” saidJack Tigue, president andfounder of TMG Health. “Theconstruction of our new Na-tional Operations Center is atribute to our dedicated em-ployees, especially our North-eastern Pennsylvania employ-ees, who have contributed toboth the success and growth

of our company.”TMG serves health plans

across the nation in the Medi-care Advantage, Part D andManaged Medicaid Markets.Headquartered in King ofPrussia, the company cur-rently has locations in Dun-more; Scranton; and Amaril-lo, Texas.

COURTESY PHOTO / SLIBCO AND MICHAEL STRAUB

Shown are, from left, Steve Yokimishin, Governor’s Action Team; Jim Watson and Steve Rock, TMG; State Sen. John Blake; Jim Ka-dela, chair of TMG Health’s Board of Directors; Jack Tigue, TMG; Austin Burke, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Lackawan-na County Commissioners Corey O’Brien and Michael Washo; Harry Forbes, regional office director of the Governor’s NortheastRegional Office; and Pat Acker, chair of SLIBCO’s Board of Directors.

TMG breaks ground for center

‘Shine A Light on Lung Cancer’ vigil, Tues., Nov.1, Latour Room of Marywood University. Event isfree, registration requested at www.lungcancer-alliance.org/shinealightonlungcancer. Info: KarenArscott, (570) 348-6211, ext. 2175.27th annual sportsmen’s banquet,Wed., Nov.2, 6 p.m., Inn of the Abingtons, Route 524, Dal-ton. Cost: Membership and dinner, $50; familymembership and two dinners, $90 and $25 foreach additional. Proceeds used to restore andprotect grouse and woodcock habitat throughRuffed Grouse Society. Info: (570) 983-9918,www.ruffedgrousesociety.org.Habitat for Humanity silent auction and beer

tasting, Thurs., Nov. 3, 5:30-8:30 p.m., POSHat the Scranton Club, 404 N. Washington Ave.,Scranton. Cost: $40. Info: info@habitatlacka-wanna.org.Senior fair, hosted by PA Rep. Ken Smith,Thurs., Nov. 3, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., North PoconoSenior Center, 12 John J. Michaels Dr., Coving-ton Township. Info: (570) 342-2710.Celebrity bartending event to aid the Boysand Girls Clubs of NEPA, Fri., Nov. 4, 5-7 p.m.,Whiskey Dick’s, 308 N. Washington Ave., Scran-ton. Cost: $10.‘EastMeetsWest,’ United Cultures Lead-ership Institute speaker series, Fri., Nov. 4,6-9 p.m., Vintage Theater, 119 Penn Ave., Scran-ton.‘Benefit for a Friend,’ Sat., Nov. 5, 5-10 p.m.,Dante Literary Society, 1916 Prospect Ave.,

Scranton. Cost: $10. Proceeds benefit the chil-dren of lateWest Scranton resident MichaelDuffy. Info: Gary Ford at (570) 840-2596, JayRoche at (570) 241-3921.‘Cheers to Hope,’ Pancreatic Cancer ActionNetwork fundraiser, Sat., Nov. 5, 6-10 p.m.,Clarion Hotel, 300MeadowAve., Scranton.Cost: $25. Info: psavage@pancanvolunteer.org.‘Fight for Sight,’ benefit for 3-year-old JakePaff, Sat., Nov. 5, 8 p.m.-midnight, Molly’s CozyCorner, 1324 Prospect Ave., Scranton. Info:(570) 344-9981.Neighborhoodmeeting, Sat., Nov. 5, 2-5 p.m.,St. Patrick’s Church lowermeeting room, 1403Jackson St., Scranton. Info: (570) 878-7368.NEPABloggermeet-up, Sun., Nov. 6, 6-11 p.m.,Metro Bar and Grill, 1174Memorial Highway,Dallas. Info: http://nepablogs.blogspot.com.

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Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 7

Arguments heard in politicalfiring suit

WILKES-BARRE – U.S.District Judge A. RichardCaputo heard arguments fromAtty. James Scanlon, repre-senting the city of Scranton,and Atty. Johanna Gelb, repre-senting Leo D’Angelo, thecity’s former director of com-munity planning at the Officeof Economic and CommunityDevelopment.D’Angelo alleged in a May 12

suit that he was cut from thecity’s budget, amended andapproved by City Council,because of his political supportfor Mayor Chris Doherty.Wednesday’s hearing fol-

lowed a July motion to dismissthe suit from the city on thegrounds of legislative immuni-ty. Gelb argued in an Augustresponse that is not immunefrom suit and did not claim tobe in its motion, arguing in-stead on behalf of City Coun-cil, who is not named in thesuit.- CHRISTOPHER J.

HUGHES / GO LACKAWAN-NA

Sno Mountain at least $4.6million in debt

SCRANTON – Sno Moun-tain, the Philadelphia-basedcompany that bought theever-struggling MontageMountain ski resort from Lack-awanna County in 2006, hassome serious struggles of itsown – to the tune of at least$4.6 million in outstandingdebt.State Department of Com-

munity and Economic Devel-opment spokeswoman TheresaElliott said the company hasnot made a monthly paymenton a $5 million loan sinceSept. 23, 2010. Prior to that,Sno Mountain had made 15monthly payments, thoughsome of those were partial.The amount due each month“should be $70,670,” Elliottsaid.Sno Mountain LLC bought

Montage Mountain for $5.1million, promising to turn itinto a year-round recreationcenter through a $14 millioninfusion, with $8 million ear-marked for addition of a waterpark. The company applied for

the DCED money through itsFirst Industries and Machinesfund. The fund is gearedtoward improving tourism inthe state.Elliott said the loan was for

seven years at 5 percent in-terest, and that DCED isdiscussing the lack of pay-ments with Sno Mountain.“We have been in contactwith the company and areworking with them to makethe loan balance current.”The resort struggled since

it opened in 1984. It was oneof the first developments inwhat has become a boomingbusiness region around theMontage exit of Interstate 81.A call seeking comment

from Sno Mountain was notreturned Thursday. The re-sort’s website gives the ap-pearance of business as usual,listing job openings, offeringa season pass sale, and ad-vertising a Nov. 5 job fair.- MARK GUYDISH / THE

TIMES LEADER

Lackawannacommissioners cancel lastmeeting before election

SCRANTON – The Lacka-wanna County Commission-ers’ meeting scheduled forWednesday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m.was cancelled due to a then-pending court decision on themeeting’s lone agenda item –the borrowing of $20.5 mil-lion, which was approved justhours later.“The judge hasn’t ruled on

that yet, so the chief of staff(Maria Elkins) recommendedthat we cancel the meeting,”County CommunicationsDirector Lynne Shedlock saidat about 12:30 p.m. onWednesday.Visiting Senior Judge Peter

J. O’Brien approved the bor-rowing in a decision releasedat 1:21 p.m. on Wednesday,ruling that “curtail of publicservices would be dangerousto the public health, safetyand education.”The Lackawanna County

Stadium Authority meetingwas also cancelled onWednesday due to a lack of aquorum.The next commissioners’

meeting is set for Wednesda,Nov. 9.– GO LACKAWANNA

STAFF

NEWS BRIEFSFOUR HUNDRED RED BALLONS GO BY

SCRANTON – Nearly 400 students at John G. Whittier Elementary School in SouthScranton released red balloons Monday morning to celebrate the beginning of RedRibbon Week, which encourages young people to lead drug-free lives.Monday’s balloon launch also marked 10 years in the collaborative, innovative way toshare the drug-free message with students between Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty andWhittier Principal Ann McDonough, former principal of the now closed Lincoln-JacksonElementary School.Small tags were attached to the balloons seeking responses from people who find themacross the country. Last year’s balloons garnered letters back from New York, Vermont,New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, according to Whittier PTA President Melissa Ecken-rode.Local leaders including Doherty, Superintendent William King, Pennsylvania State PoliceTrooper Frank Orlando, and Scranton Police Lt. Len Namiotka encouraged students tonot only stay away from drugs but also to be lifelong learners.- CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES

Riverside tudents recognized for‘Electric Art’Riverside High School seniorsRainy Pritchett, Jessica Davis andSean Ritter recently participated inthe “Electric Art” project for theirsenior projects. The students trans-formed utility boxes into perma-nent art installations throughoutdowntown Scranton.

TCMC sets Turkey TrotOn Saturday, November 19, TheCommonwealth Medical College’sMD Class of 2014 will host thesecond annual Turkey Trot: 5KWalk/Run in downtown Scranton.The event will also feature a TotTrot for children age 13 and under.Proceeds of the student’s commu-nity fundraiser will benefit Friendsof the Poor annual Thanksgivingcommunity dinner.Check in begins at 7:30 a.m. in themain lobby of the Medical Sciences

Building, 525 Pine St., Scranton.The Tot Trot steps off at 8:30 a.m.and the 5K Walk/Run begins at 9a.m.. T-shirts will be provided tothe first 100 pre-registered partici-pants.Race day registration fee is $20for ages 14 and above, or partici-pants can pre-register online for$15. Registration for the Tot Trot is$5 or two canned goods to bedonated to the food drive.

Scranton among top producersof Fulbright studentsThe University of Scranton hasplaced second among “Master’sInstitutions” in the nation forproducing Fulbright scholarshipsfor students in 2011-12, accordingto a ranking published by TheChronicle of Higher Educationonline on Oct. 23.Scranton is one of just six Jesuituniversities to be cited. Universi-ties listed are broken into fourcategories based on their schooltype as designated by the Carne-gie Classification of Institutions ofHigher Education. The University

of Scranton is second among 20“master’s level” institutions rec-ognized.Scranton’s 2011-12 Fulbright schol-ars are Rebecca Bartley, James-burg, N.J., Fulbright EnglishTeaching Assistantship to Malay-sia; Melissa C. Beltz, Eagleville,Fulbright/Pädagogischer Aus-tauschdienst English TeachingAssistantship to Germany; KaitlynL. Doremus, Tobyhanna, Ful-bright/Pädagogischer Austausch-dienst English Teaching Assist-antship to Germany; Philip J.Kachmar, Kingston, FulbrightScholarship to the University ofBritish Columbia in Vancouver,Canada; and Aileen M. Monks,Bellmore, N.Y., Fulbright-NehruEnglish Teaching Assistantship toIndia; and Gian Peter Vergnetti,Brooklyn, N.Y., a Fulbright to theMasdar Institute of Science andTechnology, Masdar City, AbuDhabi, United Arab Emirates.A total of 134 University of Scran-ton students have received grantsin the competitions administeredby the Institute of InternationalEducation since 1972.

SCHOOL NOTES

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8 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011

SCRANTON – A visiting senior judgeruled Wednesday that Lackawanna Coun-ty can borrowup to $21million to cover itsunfunded debt through the end of 2011.In his findings of fact filed Oct. 26, vis-

iting Senior Judge Peter J. O’Brien wrotethat “in government, as in life, hindsight isalways 20/20 but reality provides surpris-es to one and all. TheCounty of Lackawan-na has plenty of company in governmentbodies surprised by the current economic

climate in the country.”The plan to borrow up to $21 million

was suggested in September by a financialadvisoryboard, andanevidentiaryhearingwas held Oct. 19.During that hearing, LackawannaCoun-

ty Chief Financial Officer Tom Durkinwarned that the county’s inability to bor-row themoneywould result inpayless pay-days and that defaults on tax anticipationnote payments would negatively impactthe county’s finances.“Curtail of public serviceswould be dan-

gerous to thepublic health, safety and edu-cation,” and it “is not feasible nor in thepublic interest to levy additional taxes inthe current fiscal year,” O’Brien wrote.Durkin said shortfalls were caused by

losses including but not limited to the lossof federal inmates in the LackawannaCounty Prison for which the federal gov-ernmentwasexpected topaymore than$3million and a SWAP termination intendedto fix a variable interest rate on a bond is-sue that cost the county another $10 mil-lion.

County borrowing plan approvedBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

JOBS GROUP: BARLETTA LIAR, ‘PINOCCHIO’

CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES PHOTO

SCRANTON – Taking issue with a town hall meeting held in Hazleton on Oct. 17,members of the NEPA Needs Jobs Coalition picketed against U.S. Rep. LouBarletta, R-Hazleton, on Oct. 25 on Courthouse Square in Scranton.“We were quite shocked with the amount of lies Lou told at that meeting,” Wilkes-Barre resident and jobs coalition member AJ Marin said Tuesday, standing next to acardboard cutout of the representative.The forum in Hazleton started out orderly and remained that way until about 30minutes into the event, when some audience members began shouting out as Bar-letta was responding to questions from constituents, according to reports from TheTimes Leader.According to Marin, Barletta made false claims about the loss of $500 million fromMedicare caused by the Healthcare Reform Act. He also said that the Ryan budgetwould not cut funding to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.Marin questioned Barletta’s support of certain free trade agreements, claiming theywould cost more than 150,000 American jobs.“We have to ask, who is Lou Barletta representing? Is he representing the corpora-tions, or is he representing people in Scranton faced with economic hardships?” hesaid.“We want the people of Scranton and the people throughout the 11th CongressionalDistrict to know that Lou Barletta is a liar, and it’s time to call him out for being Pi-nocchio,” Marin added, before adding a prosthetic nose to the cutout of the con-gressman.- CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES / GO LACKAWANNA

Dunmore’s Elmhurst Boule-vard will receive emergencypatching this week in an at-tempt to protect residents un-til more extensivework can bedone, borough officials an-nounced at this pastMonday’scouncil meeting.Civil Design Partners of

Moscow recently inspectedthe boulevard and found thatthere were significant pot-holes, some larger than sixinches deep. They also ob-served motorists veering intothe oncoming lane to avoidthe potholes, potentially put-ting residents and pedestri-ans at risk, according to bor-ough solicitor Thomas Cum-mings.The road’s major problem is

the storm water on its south-erly side and, until this is ad-dressed, the road will contin-ue to deteriorate.“The long-term resolution

for the problem is quite ex-pensive and will take a certainamount of time, but at leastthis will help the people intothe winter months,” Cum-mings said.Redoing the road and storm

water system on ElmhurstBoulevard could be a multi-million dollar project, some-thing that the borough cannotfinance without help from thecounty, state, and federal gov-ernments.“We need to do something

up there to protect the peopleas much as we can,” said coun-cil president Sal Verrastro.In other news:• Joseph Germano was ap-

pointed school crossing guardfor the Dunmore School Dis-trict by a unanimous vote.• The borough’s Cable

Franchise Agreement was ap-proved for an additional 10years with no additional im-pact on the public.• Officials voted unani-

mously to declare Novemberas National Pancreatic CancerAwareness Month in Dun-more.

Emergencypatching setin DunmoreBy STEPHANIE LONGOFor Go Lackawanna

issues, andbuild consensus.• Lee Morgan, the lone Re-

publican candidate, said he isrunning for council because hehas been attending councilmeetings for over 20 years andfeels that each elected bodyhasbeen ineffective in solving thecity’s debt issues and have notbeen listening to the needs ofthepeople.Hebelieves thatpol-iticshaveplayed too largea rolein city government and that hehaslearnedfromthemistakesofpast councils hehasobserved.Issues involving the city’s fi-

nancial situation were the sub-ject ofmanyquestions.Toprevent future budget def-

icits, Morgan said that councilmust go through budgets lineitem by line item and find outwhere the money is going andmakecutsacrosstheboardcuts.He is against borrowing moremoney.Loscombe feels that too

much has been cut from basiccityservicesandthefederalgov-ernment cannot be relied onanymore for bailouts. Both heand McGoff support new reve-nuesources, suchascommuter,amusement,andpayrolltaxes;abetter parking meter system;and a stronger rental registra-tionprogram.Morgan feels a lack of em-

ploymentandbusinessdevelop-ment in the city, as well as hightaxes, has driven citizens awayand suggested the implementa-tion of a comprehensive plansuchastheScranton-AbingtonsPlanning Association Compre-hensive Plan, a plan whichMcGoff also supports.

DEBATEContinued from page 4

GOLACKAWANNA, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2011 PAGE 9

10 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011NEWS

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SCRANTON– Mi-chael Simonsonworked the day be-fore his brief escape fromthe Lackawanna CountyPrison last month to getthings in order, accordingto testimony from a pre-liminary hearing on Mon-day, Oct. 24.

Lackawanna County PrisonIntelligence Capt. Robert Ma-guire said they learned in aninterview after the escapethat Simonson had used afour-inch steel shank that hesmuggled into the prison ear-lier that month to cut open asection of chain link fenceover the top of a personal rec-reation yard, or “dog pen,” onSept. 27.The next day, Lackawanna

County Detective Chris Kol-charno said, he smuggled atightly braided brown bedsheet that he prepared thenight before into the pen in-side his pants, climbed onechain link fence, covered aportion of razor wire above asecond fence with the sheet,and stepped onto a steel poleto leap over the prison walland onto the roof of the neigh-boring Medical Mall onWyoming Avenue.Simonson later encoun-

tered Pennsylvania AmericanWater employee DaveHughes, who testified thatthe escapee knocked on thewindow of his work vehicleasking for directions to RiverStreet.As the utility worker looked

up directions on his iPhone,Simonson told him to hurryup and explained that he justescaped from the prison.“I thought he was joking

around,” Hughes said.When Simonson asked for

his van, Hughes told him no

and waspunched inthe face.Simonson

held theshank up tohis own faceand orderedHughes out

again.“I figured my life was more

important than the van,”Hughes said, explaining thathe surrendered the vehicle.Among the patrolmen re-

sponding to both emergencycalls was Scranton Ptlm. Ke-vin Davis, who testified thathe made a U-turn on Wyom-ing Avenue at MulberryStreet when he spotted thevan with a shirtless Simonsonbehind the wheel.Davis followed the van until

Simonson ditched it alongNorth Washington Avenue asit was still moving.He cornered Simonson be-

hind the Wells Fargo bankbranch in the 100 block of For-est Court off of Spruce Streetafter a foot pursuit.Simonson, who is serving a

life sentence for a murdercommitted in April 2009 inLuzerne County, was lookingfor River Street as a means toreach the interstate and hidefor the rest of his days southof the border, Kolcharno said.“He stated that once he got

to (Interstate) 81, he wouldditch the van, live in thewoods for a few days to ‘goRambo’ as he defined it, andhe wanted to make his way toMexico,” Kolcharno said.Charges of robbery of a mo-

tor vehicle, aggravated as-sault of a protected person,assault by a life prisoner,reckless endangerment, es-cape, an inmate procuringhimself with a weapon, andfleeing or attempting to eludea police officer were boundover for county court by Ma-gisterial District Judge AliceHailstone Farrell after Mon-day’s hearing.

Prisoner’s plan: ‘GoRambo,’ flee to MexicoBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

Simonson

Michael Simonson allegedly cut top of recyard fence day before his Sept. 28 escape.

SCRANTON – The Lacka-wanna County Prison Boardheld an hour-long executivesession on Wednesday after-noon to discuss the details ofDistrict Attorney Andy Jarbo-la’s ongoing investigation intothe Sept. 28 escape of convict-ed murderer Michael Simon-son, but few details were madepublic.Despite Simonson’s elabo-

rate escape plan, Jarbola saidthere was no evidence foundthat suggested he had helpfrom inside the prison duringplanning or execution.“I can say definitively no. He

hadnohelp, no aidwhatsoever.Someone didn’t say, ‘Hey, dothis,’ or someone didn’t givehim the knife. He didn’t haveany proactive assistance,” hestated.Simonson, who is serving a

life sentence for the April 2009murder of Donald Skiff in Lu-zerne County, was able to es-cape after allegedly being leftunsupervised.During a preliminary hear-

ing on those charges heldMon-day, it was alleged that Simon-

sonuseda four-inch steel shankto cut open a section of chainlink fence over the top of a per-sonal recreation yard the daybefore his escape.He then used a tightly braid-

ed bed sheet to climb the fenceand cover a section of razorwire above a second fence withthe sheet, allowing him to stepon a metal pole and leap overthe prison wall and onto theroof of the neighboring Medi-cal Mall on Wyoming Avenue.After carjacking a nearby

Pennsylvania American Watervehicle, he crashed into aparked car in the 200 block ofNorthWashington Avenue andwas captured after a pursuit onfoot.

The escape, which only last-ed about 10 minutes before hewas apprehended in the 100block of Forest Court by Scran-ton Police, occurred just onehour after the previous boardmeeting.Now, onemonth later, Jarbo-

la said he expects his investiga-tion to wrap-up in “about aweek to two weeks” after com-ing across other unspecified in-formation involving prison em-ployees, the warden, and othermatters.“I don’t want to get into spe-

cifics, but I know as a result ofthis incident, the Simonson es-cape,we cameacross someoth-er information that we had tofollow upwith,” Jarbola said af-ter the meeting.Four prison guards - Sgt.

Brian Cwalinski and correc-tions officers Richard Pitoniak,Kevin Dolphin, and MichaelZemantauski - were immedi-ately suspended after the es-cape and then fired onOct. 7 byWarden Robert McMillan.McMillan declined com-

ment on revelations madeMonday, citing the continuedinvestigation.

No inside help for Simonson, DA saysBy RICH HOWELLSrhowells@golackawanna.com ‘…as a result of this

incident, the Simonsonescape, we cameacross some other in-formation that we hadto follow up with.’

District Attorney Andy JarbolaOn the continuing investigationinto Michael Simonson’s escape

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The following criminal charges were filedin Lackawanna County Court between Sept. 18and Oct. 22. All accounts are derivative ofaffidavits prepared by law enforcementofficials, and all charges are pending follow-ing the respective hearings of the suspectsunless noted otherwise.

OLYPHANT• ASSAULT CHARGESwere filed Sept. 18

againstPatrickCoombes, 22, of ValleyAvenue, Olyphant, for allegedly punching twosleepingmen in the head, face, and neckwhile hewas held in the Lackawanna CountyProcessing Center for public drunkenness.Coombes had to be tased to stop the attackandwas placed in a restraint chair beforebeingmoved to his own holding cell. Cpl.John Tigue of the Lackawanna CountySheriff’s Office was the arresting officer.

Coombeswas charged by summons onOct. 5 with two counts each of simple assaultand harassment and one count of disorderlyconduct. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct.31.

SCRANTON• BURGLARY CHARGESwere filed Oct. 21

againstArthurDecker, 34, of FerdinandStreet, Scranton, after he allegedly stolecopper pipe from a home for sale in the 500block of Wales Street on Oct. 18. Deckerallegedly admitted to the theft when ques-tioned by police at his home on Oct. 20. Ptlm.Rocco Ciprianowas the arresting officer.

Decker was arraigned Oct. 21on charges ofburglary, theft, and receiving stolen propertyandwas released on $20,000 unsecured bail.A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 31.

• DISORDERLY CONDUCT CHARGESwerefiled Oct. 21againstMartinDunay III, 42,of Pond Run, Clarks Summit, for allegedlymaking death threats against his ex-wife’snew fiancé on Oct. 21. The fiancé, Steve Hanis,said hewas nervous about the threatsbecause “Martin has several firearms.” Ptlm.Mark Koskowas the arresting officer.

Dunaywas arraigned Oct. 22 on charges ofterroristic threats and disorderly conduct,and hewas held for $5,000 bail. A preliminaryhearing is set for Oct. 31.

• BURGLARY CHARGESwere filed Oct. 21againstRoyHawkins, 46, of CapouseAvenue, Scranton, andRobertEdwardSmith, 39, homeless, for an alleged bur-

glary in the1000 block of Capouse Avenue onOct. 20. Hawkins and Smith allegedly removed“almost all of the copper pipe andwiring”from the home, and their backpack containedpipe cutters, according to police. Ptlm. DonaldHofsommerwas the arresting officer.

Hawkins and Smith were arraigned Oct. 21on identical charges: two counts each ofburglary and criminal trespassing, and onecount of possessing an instrument of crime.Eachwas held for 10 percent of $5,000 bail,and preliminary hearings are set for Oct. 31.

• ASSAULT CHARGESwere filed Oct. 22againstShaneLoughney, 24, of StaffordAvenue, Scranton, after he allegedly stabbedMichael Kulick with a steak knife for failing toburn copies of DVDs for him early thatmorning. Loughney also allegedly placedKulick in a chokehold until he passed out.Ptlm. JamesWeaver was the arresting officer.

Loughneywas arraigned Oct. 22 on twocounts each of aggravated and simple assaultand one count each of reckless endanger-ment and harassment, and hewas held for$25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set forOct. 31.

• THEFT CHARGESwere filed Oct. 20againstJustinNeff, 31, last known addresson Lincoln Avenue, Scranton, andMatthewPatrickWhite, 23, of Main Street, Old

Forge, for the alleged theft of a donation jarat Pepper’s Pizza to a 2-year-old girl’s familypay for her leukemia treatment. The jarcontained approximately $150 andwas stolenfrom the business on Oct. 9, according tobusiness owner Gene Fitzpatrick. A storeemployee positively identified bothmen afterviewing photos provided by Scranton police.Detective TimothyMayowas the arrestingofficer.

Neff andWhite were arraigned Oct. 21ontwo counts each of theft and one count ofreceiving stolen property. White faces asecond count of receiving stolen property.Neff was held for $10,000 bail, andWhite’s bailwas set at $5,000. Preliminary hearings areset for Oct. 31.

• DRUG PARAPHERNALIA CHARGESwerefiled Oct. 7 againstMarkOprisko, 45, ofPittston Avenue, Scranton, after policeallegedly discovered11syringes inside hispants pocket as he sat on the steps of theGary A. DiBileo Agency, Inc., at 302 S. MainAve., Scranton, on Aug. 15. Ptlm. WilliamGoldenwas the arresting officer.

Oprisko was charged by summons on Oct.7 for possession of drug paraphernalia. Apreliminary hearing is set for Nov. 2.

• INDECENT ASSAULT CHARGESwere filedOct. 21againstStevenPsolka, 36, of

Tennant Street, Pittston, after he allegedlyattempted to force awoman to perform oralsex on him in the back stairwell of theColosseumNightclub & Lounge. When Psolka,a former security guard at the club, would notput his foot inside a patrol vehicle after hisarrest, he waswarned hewould be tased andallegedly replied, “You dowhat you gotta do!”Ptlm. Robert Olecki was the arresting officer.

Psolka was arraigned Oct. 21on charges ofindecent assault, indecent exposure, dis-orderly conduct, and resisting arrest, and hewas released on $5,000 unsecured bail. Apreliminary hearing is set for Oct. 31.

• RETAIL THEFT CHARGESwere filed Oct.20 againstMarcySingleton, 35, ofBroadway Street, Scranton, after she alleged-ly stole $560.44 in clothing fromGymboree attheMall at Steamtown. Singletonwaswantedon awarrant for a Nov. 30, 2010 incident forthe alleged theft of $217.84 inmerchandisefrom the Christmas Tree Shops in Moosic andanother incident that day for an attemptedtheft at the Redner’smarket in Scranton. PtlmSteven Lavin was the arresting officer in themost recent incident.

Singletonwas arraigned Oct. 20 on onecount of retail theft and released on $2,500unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is setfor Oct. 31.

POLICE BLOTTER

Rogan emphasized that hewould not support a tax increaseto raise these funds.

“We can’t afford to lose morecops. We can’t afford to havemore firehouses closing in thecity. We absolutely cannot affordto increase taxes. The people arebroke. There is no more moneyto squeeze out of residents ofthis city,” Rogan said.

.”Councilman Bob McGoff was

the only council member to ex-press outright disagreementwith the court’s ruling, sayingthat because arbitrators favorunions, this discourages the ne-gotiation of contracts altogeth-er.

“We now have arbitrators thatare determining how municipal-ities are going to operate. I thinkthis diminishes the authority ofall elected officials…It takes thepower away from the elected of-ficials and puts it in the hands ofsomebody who is never elect-ed,” McGoff said.

“I think this turns democracyaround…It sets a bad precedent,and that concerns me.”

He did agree, however, thatthe mayor should negotiate withthe unions and said he wouldmeet with him to encourage himto do so.

Evans said that council wouldalso be willing to work out a pay-ment plan with the unions on

their own and present it to themayor for his approval. Whileplacing much of the blame onDoherty’s shoulders, she alsofelt that the state DCED andPEL “actively urged and en-abled” the city to continue de-laying the decision, selectingScranton from among other dis-tressed municipalities to use astheir “guinea pig” to prove thesupremacy of Act 47.

Evans asked City Clerk NancyKrake to send a letter on behalfof council requesting state fund-ing from DCED to help with thecity’s costs and another letter toGovernor Tom Corbett andDCED requesting the replace-

ment of PEL and a local DCEPrepresentative as Act 47 coordi-nators due to their “failed lead-ership.” McGoff opposed bothletters, but was outvoted 4-1.

Additional letters were sent toSenator John Blake and staterepresentatives Kevin Murphyand Ken Smith requesting theirassistance in obtaining statefunds to further mitigate costs.

Doherty did not return a re-quest for comment on Friday. Ina phone interview last week, themayor told Go Lackawanna thatemployment cuts would be“across the board,” but publicsafety workers would be hit thehardest.

COUNCILContinued from page 3

RICH HOWELLS PHOTO / FOR GO LACKAWANNA

Scranton Fire Lt. Dave Gervasi, fire union president, allegedTuesday that city taxes could increase 100 percent under themayor’s supposed plan.

NO TASTE LIKE HOMESean Wolfe knows the con-notations that may comealong with forming twogroups dedicated to beer, but theWaldorf Park Beer Club andScranton Brewers Guild seek toshatter those ideas.

“There’s more to do with beerthan just drink it and fall down ona Saturday night,” Wolfe, 29, ofClarks Green, said. “There’s thisunderlying beer subculture inScranton that is vastly un-tapped.”

Wolfe and Lee Burke, 60, ofNewton Township, formedthe beer club more than twoyears ago with the intent toshare beer culture and educa-tion with others who appre-ciated it.

“We started by doing differ-ent styles of beer. We did Ok-toberfests and fall beers,pumpkin beers. Then we wereable to attract local brewers tocome up,” Burke said. “We tellyou what you are tasting, whyit tastes like that, where itcomes from – it’s pretty neat.”

The growth of the club soonbrought the addition of home-brewers, which created thesecondary brewers guild thatformed in June to further facil-

itate the hobby, Wolfe said.“It’s more than just drink-

ing,” he added with a heartylaugh.

Wolfe, Burke and 16 othermembers of the guild, includ-ing Wolfe’s wife, Christina, 30,gathered Wednesday, Oct. 26,at Jack’s Draft House, 802Prescott Ave., Scranton, toshare their creations and proc-esses behind their personal

brews. The group meets therethe final Wednesday of eachmonth, but dates may shift inNovember and December toaccommodate the holidays.

“One of the exciting partsabout the brewing industry isthat no one is anti-informa-tion,” Mr. Wolfe said.

“It’s more of an air of cam-araderie than it is of competi-tion,” brewer Ron Sechler

added.A “Learn to Homebrew

Day” on tap at Breaker Brew-ing Company in Wilkes-Barreon Nov. 5 embodies that spiritof sharing details and devo-tions to pale ales, IPAs, andmore. The educational day inLuzerne County is their firstmajor public event.

The Scranton BrewersGuild attends local events cel-ebrating all things beer to con-tinue their education and ap-preciation of the beverage.

“If you’re going to brewgood beer, you need to taste alot of beers to know what you

Scranton Brewers Guild to conduct Nov. 5 event on homebrewed beer in Wilkes-Barre

CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHES/FOR GO LACKAWANNA

Scranton Brewers Guild member Sean Wolfe, right, pours a sample of ‘Hooch’ for Lee Burke during the group’s meeting on Oct. 26 at Jack’s Draft House.

By CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

12 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011NEWS

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See BREWERS, Page 17

The Scranton Brewers Guild will participate in ‘Learn to Home-brew Day’ on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Breaker Brewing Co., 783 E.Northampton St., Wilkes-Barre, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The compa-ny is located in the former St. Joseph’s Church.For details, call Sean Wolfe at (570) 499-3423 or email scran-tonbrewers@gmail.com.

LEARN MORE

Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 13NEWS

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This year, the PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Com-mission’s 2011 annual theme is“William Penn’s Legacy: Reli-gious and Spiritual Diversity.”The annual theme providesstate museums with a focus toexamine Pennsylvania’s richhistory and its influence onmany of the traditions andvalues that have shaped theAmerican experience.Part of the Anthracite Heri-

tage Museum’s plan to focuson this year’s theme is anexciting partnership with St.Saint Luke’s EpiscopalChurch, 232 Wyoming Ave.,Scranton, who will host “Reli-gion and the Rails” at theNovember 4 First Friday eventfrom 6 to 9 p.m.Religion has always played a

significant part in the devel-opment of the region and thecity of Scranton itself. In manyways, the Industrial Revolu-tion spawned an awakening invarious socio-religious move-ments.In 1840 the area of present

day Scranton was a sleepylittle hamlet known as Slo-cum’s Hollow. With the dis-covery of anthracite coal andiron in the region, the settle-ment became known as Scran-

ton and, by 1860, was home tothe Scranton Brothers’ Lacka-wanna Iron and Coal Compa-ny and its iron furnaces. Theiron furnaces, which madeT-Rails for the railroad andcoal industries, attracted alarge number of immigrants tothe region searching for jobs.Early on, the immigrants

were predominately Welsh,Irish, and German. Later, inthe late 19th and early 20thcenturies, Eastern and South-ern European ethnic groupsarrived to take advantage ofthe many job opportunities inthe very active coal miningregion. With this growingpopulation, other industries,especially railroading thrived.However, as industry in-

creased and communitiesgrew, there was also an in-crease in crime.In 1844, the Young Men’s

Christian Association (YM-CA) was born out of the in-dustrial revolution in London.By 1860, several Americancities followed suit and orga-nized their own YMCAs.

In 1872, the nation’s firstYMCA designated specificallyfor railroads was establishedin Cleveland, Ohio. By 1877,Scranton, too, established aRailroad YMCA on WyomingAvenue. By 1903, the RR YM-CA had constructed an officialclub house at 55 LackawannaAve. and became a “homeaway from home” for thou-sands of railroaders throughthe decades. However by the1960s, as the railroad industrydeclined, so, too, did the useof RR YMCAs across thecountry.In May, 1968, it was an-

nounced that the facility onLackawanna Avenue wouldclose its doors and railroaderswould be accommodated forovernight stays at the HotelCasey.“Religion on the Rails” will

relate the history of the RRYMCA and the significant rolereligion has played on therailroads in the area andthroughout the country. Staffand board members of thePennsylvania Anthracite Heri-tage Museum planned thedisplay, which consists ofimages from the museum’scollections plus model trainsloaned by museum volunteers.

Religion and the railsMINING HISTORYJOHN E. FIELDING ANDROBERT SAVAKINUS

Hometown: Zionsville, Ind.Education: Washburn CollegeProfession: Jesuit Volunteer at

Saint Francis of Assisi KitchenThis week’s Go Lackawanna Go-Get-

ter is a recent Lackawanna Countytransplant who has brought nothing butpositiveenergyandcontributions to theleast fortunate of our region.

He resides at the Saint Joseph Cen-ter with four other Jesuit volunteers.During his last year of college, Einterzdecided to take employment with theJesuit Volunteer Corps.

“Our four values at the Jesuit Volun-teer Corps are social justice, simplicity,community, andspirituality. Thisorgani-zation gives me a chance to grow andalso allows me to be of some service tothe greater community,” said Einterz.

Einterz saidhispositionand theover-all mission of the Saint Francis of AssisiKitchen are quite simple.

“We strive to be a place of comfortand assistance to some of the mostmarginalized in our community,” hesaid. “We provide a hot meal to those in

need and we also provide a less tangibleand equally as important resource,companionship.”

Einterz enjoys running and has beena runner since elementary school. Hesaid he began running as a way to keepup with his older brother.

Upon his first entry into the ScrantonMarathon this fall, Einterz said it was a“fabulous” experience, citing what agreat community Scranton is and thebeautiful small town feeling the mara-thon had.

Einterz says he has also been over-whelmed by the generosity and hospi-tality shown to him by LackawannaCounty citizens.

To learn more about Jesuit Volun-teers at St. Francis ofAssisi Kitchen, vis-it their Facebook page at www.face-book.com/stfranciskitchen.

Einterz also is active in the organiza-tion Scranton Running and encouragesresidents tovisitwww.scrantonrunning-.com to learn more about communityrunning events.

Go-Getter: Seth Einterz

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Seth Einterz finished eighth in his first attempt at the Steam-town Marathon earlier this month.

14 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011NEWS

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It’s almostHalloween, soif you’re nottrickor treat-ing, partying infull costume,navigating

yourway throughahauntedhouse, or holding someone tightona scaryhayride, you’remostlikelywatchinghorrormovies.This year, hopefully, you’re doingso at homeandnot in a theater.Theonly twohorror films that

seemtobeplaying in theatersacross the country at themo-ment are “ParanormalActivity3,” a tired sequel, and “TheThing”prequel/remake/re-hashedgarbage that youalreadyknow it is. It’s fitting that theseare theonly optionsbig studiosare offering this season, as theyboth representwhatmoviegoersare forced to choosebetweenalmost everyweekof the year.Thiswill alsobe the first year

in sevenyears that therewill beno consecutive “Saw” sequel, astheproducers finally laid thatfranchise to rest, at least for now,

aftermeticulously cuttingoutevery last enjoyable feature thosemovies offered.The closest thing any studio

seems tobe touting at themo-ment is the “ParanormalActiv-ity” series,where cheap cameras,or nice camerasmade to look likecheap cameras, filmpeoplethrowing themselves acrossroomsbetweenpanickydialoguewrittenby thedirector’s10-year-old kid.If therewas anyway I could

type a sigh loudenough for youtohear, I’d do it right here.I’ve been thinking a lot about

horror franchises thismonth, asit’s becomeanannual traditionofmine towatchCinemassacre’sMonsterMadness throughoutOctober togetme in theholidayspirit.Foundatwww.cinemassacre-

.com, filmmaker and internetstar JamesRolfe, better knownonline as theAngryVideoGameNerd, started the series of horrormovie reviewsback in2007.Eachdayof the31daysof themonth, Jameshighlights adiffer-entmovie, offering anhonest anddetailed analysis of bothmajorblockbusters andobscureB titles.The themeof his reviews this

year is sequels, discussingUni-versal Studios’ “Frankenstein,”HammerFilms’ “Dracula,” “ANightmareonElmStreet,” and“Halloween,” alongwith theirsubsequent follow-ups. Frommyearlier stabs at franchises, itmayseem like I’mcompletely againstthe ideaof sequels, but I’mnotnecessarily opposed to the ideathat the storydoesn’t always endonce the credits roll.It has becomea staple of the

genre to venture forth andcontin-uewhere they left off. It’s easy tobash today’s hackneyedploys forquickmoney, but any truehorrorfanknows thatHollywoodhasbeenplaying this game formuchlonger thanmost of our lifetimes.

With each sequel comes adifferent filmmaker’s takeonafamiliar story,with somepickingup theball and scoringwhileothers. Somebecome just asmemorable as their precursors,whilemost endupon late-nightcable.The rationale behindany

series is simple –weallwant toknowwhathappensnext. Ifweenjoyed theoriginal story, thenwegladly pay that ticket priceagain for the safe bet or assump-tion that this onewill be as goodas the last.What interestsmealmost asmuchaswhere thestorywill go is how thewritersultimatelydecide that storytell-ingpath.What possessed someone to

turn the faceless serial killerMichaelMyers into amindlesspawn for aSatanic cult?Who intheir rightmind thought “Exor-cist II: TheHeretic” neededphysic powered-girls andbrain-wavedevices?Theonly thing scarier than

these ideaswereprobably thesubstance abuseproblems the

writers assumingly sufferedfrom.Fans, for some reason, forgive

these indiscretions, buyingboxsets to complete their collectionsto letmost discs collect dust.Eventually, as themovies goon,the entertainment value changesfrom jumps to laughs, so youcanoften takepleasure in just howbad it endedup.This toobecameapillar of the

genre.Whodoesn’t enjoy agoodnight of “MysteryScienceThea-ter 3000”-like commentarywithfriends?Sowhile I continue to lament

thepresent offeringsHollywoodhasproduced, or rather thrownup likepea souponanunsuspect-ingpriest, I see theneed for thebadasmuchas thegood.Maybein a fewyears, I’ll forgive Jigsawfor leavinguswith awhimperrather thana trap-inducedbang.Fornow, I’ll enjoymyHallo-

weenwith aDVDmarathon thatwill at least bememorable 40percent of the time. It seemsthat’s about allwe could everhope for.

A stab at awful horror franchisesINFINITEIMPROBABILITYR I C H H O W E L L S

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Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 15

It’s beginning to look a lotlike Christmas in departmentstores, and the deals are start-ing to explode online as well.Some of my secret go-to on-line stores are sites that offerflash sales usually lasting 72hours or until items are soldout. Shopping early on thesesites can score you up to 70percent off brand name items.

Flash sales are like the TJMaxx and Marshals of onlineshopping. The stores featureitems like adult and children’sapparel, toys, gadgets, andmore.

There are a number ofchildren’s flash sale sites thatoffer free membership. Mem-bership includes daily emailsfilled with special promos.Zulily.com is one of my favor-ite flash sale sites since itoffers discounts on top-qual-ity apparel, gear, housewares,toys and even half pricevouchers.

Members enjoy up to 90percent off retail prices ofbrand names like ManhattanToy, So La Vita, Laura Ashley,Timberland, and Mud Pie.The best part about Zulily isthat you can earn $15 byinviting friends to jointhrough email, Facebook andTwitter. Right now, take $5off a $50 purchase with thecode GA4756.

Other similar sites to Zulilyare Totsy.com and TheMini-Social.com.

Some sites like RueLaLa-.com and Gilt.com are start-ing to crossover to children’sdeals, which gives shoppersmore choices.

RueLaLa.com and Gilt.comoften offer top brand namedeals on Gucci, Fendi, 7 forAll Mankind, and Ed Hardy.Hautelook.com, BeyondtheR-ack.com, Modnique.com, andSwirl.com are other sites thatoffer similar sales. Theseprivate shopping clubs forwomen and men usually last48 hours or until items sellout. These items often sell

out due to the limited quanti-ties.

The best way to take ad-vantage of these flash sales isby signing up for daily emails.Modnique.com offers $5credits when you sign up fordaily emails and free ship-ping. There are some itemsthat you can get shipped toyour house for under $10after credit.

There are even flash saleswith discounts on homeitems from accessories tocookware. OneKingsLane-.com and HomeSav.com aretwo of my favorite sites. Rightnow at One Kings Lane, shop-pers can grab a $15 credit atsignup that is good off anypurchase of $30 or more.

Subscribing to these dailyemails may seem a little over-whelming at first. However,as the holidays are quicklyapproaching and budgets aregetting smaller, shoppingflash sales will help you buyhigh quality items at a hugediscount.

Check outflash sale sites

DEALDETECTIVEJ E N N A U R B A N

CVSCover Girl cosmetics, buy one,get one 50 percent off. Use $8off two Cover Girl coupon fromProcter & Gamble from Oct. 2.Speedstick or Lady Speed-stick, two for $5.50. Get $4 inExtra Care Bucks when you buytwo.

WalgreensCrest Pro Health toothpaste,two for $7. Buy two, get $5 inRegister Rewards, and use $1 offone Crest toothpaste or gelcoupon from P&G from Oct. 16.

Rite AidUP2U gum, $1. Use $1 off oneUP2U pack coupon from SmartSource on Oct. 9.Dawn dish soap, $.99. Use $.50off one coupon from P&G fromOct. 30.

TOP DEALS

Members of the Ac-tors Circle will re-turn their uniquemurder mystery to theScranton Cultural Center,420 N. Washington Ave.,Scranton, on Sunday, Oct.30, beginning at 7 p.m.

Actors Circle PresidentNan O’Donnell Wandalow-ski, of South AbingtonTownship, said this year’sproduction takes on a newtheme as the plot is cen-tered around the Titanicand a murder on the ill-fat-ed vessel in recognition ofthe 100th anniversary of itssinking next April.

“The great thing about bothyears’ productions is that we getto see the Cultural Center,”

Wandalowski said. “In this par-ticular scenario, the people areon a cruise ship, the Titanic, andwe have a library, bar, and stor-age room to stage the event.

“We had thought about it forourproductionat theActorsCir-cle, but it does entail a lot of cos-tuming and a lot of differentrooms. When the Cultural Cen-ter contacted us, we thoughtthat it was a win-win.”

Audience members will tourthe Cultural Center in theunique presentation as they’reprovided with clues on who may

have committed the murder onthe White Star Line ship des-tined for New York City.

The murder mystery presentsa great opportunity for new ac-tors testing out their comfort onstage among the nearly 25 in thecast.

The “whodunit” show pre-sented at the Masonic Templethis weekend continues a com-mon theme for Actors Circle asthey often include an AgathaChristie mystery in their regularseason.

Wandalowski said she’s espe-cially excited to portray a ma-tron on the ship working securi-ty.

“In 1912, to have a woman asone of the top personnel therewas quite unusual,” Wandalow-ski said. “I really like that part ofit.”

Sunday’s event will beginwith appetizers and cocktails.

Tickets are $40 and can bepurchased at the Scranton Cul-tural Center Box Office by call-ing (570) 344-1111.

Masonic mystery set on ill-fated Titanic

SUBMITTED PHOTO

‘Mystery at the Masonic’ cast members include, from left, Jeannine McGowan, J.P. McGowan,Laura McGowan, John McInerney, Mary Graff, Lou Bisignani, Nan Wandalowski, Andrew Grudenand Kelly Walsh.

Chills & thrillsBy CHRISTOPHER J. HUGHESchughes@golackawanna.com

Actors Circle also opened itscurrent production of “Hay Fe-ver” this weekend. Shows contin-ue Nov. 4-6 with performancesFriday and Saturday at 8 p.m. andSunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12,$10 for senior citizens, and $8 forstudents. Shows take place atProvidence Playhouse, 1256Providence Rd., Scranton. Formore information, call (570)342-9707.

ALSO OPENING

PAGE 16 GOLACKAWANNA, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 17NEWS

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like and what you’re aiming forwhen you’re brewing,” Mrs. Wolfesaid of their taste-testing trips.

The brewers are each part engi-neer, chemist, plumber, and chef.For example, Kurt Dean of Tunk-hannock built his own heat ex-changer recirculation mashing sys-tems to customize his process andoffset the sometimes expensivecosts of beginning the hobby.

Some of the locally-created beershave already won competitions.Fellow brewers were quick to raisea toast for Dupont resident SteveWhite on Wednesday for a recentthird place prize in the 2011 MonkMelee homebrewing competitionfor his Belgian golden strong alecalled “Excuses.”

Other creative blends have re-called processes predating the IronAge, Mr. Wolfe said.

An original pumpkin steinbiercalled St. Jack’s Graveyard wasbrewed using discarded tomb-stones heated over a fire and low-ered into mashing tubs to achievethe required temperature.

“Now, there’s about six of us thatare hooked, and that’s how we’retrying to brew most of our beers,”Mr. Wolfe said.

“But there’s not groups of peoplein Scranton throwing hot rocks intheir beer,” Mrs. Wolfe quipped.

Members each have their prefer-ences on what they brew. Sechler isdedicated to imperial stouts includ-ing his own “Black As Midnight,”Dean prefers German- and Belgian-style beers, Mr. Wolfe enjoys Irishreds and “hoppy beers,” and Mrs.Wolfe is the mad scientist of thegroup crafting chocolate mint por-ters and the like.

Against the thought of a maledominated beer culture, the groupwelcomes the input of some “veryvocal brewing girls,” Mr. Wolfesaid.

“They’re not ashamed to say,‘No, I like beer, and I can make goodbeer,’” he said.

The only membership require-ment is an appreciation for the bev-erage, and beer lovers are asked tochip in at tasting events. Home-brewers are also asked to sharetheir creations, if any are available.

Those interested in learningmore about the group and the proc-ess of homebrewing can join theScranton Brewers Guild group onFacebook or email scrantonbrew-ers@gmail.com.

BREWERSContinued from page 12

The 11th annual O’Malley HalloweenParty presented by Scranton SchoolBoard member Patrick O’Malleywas held Oct. 23 at McDade Park in Scran-ton. More than 900 children and their fam-ilies attended the event, according to O’Mal-ley, and were treated to pictures with theWicked Witch of the West, coupons for localrestaurants, pizza from Goodfellas, andmore.

Entertainment was provided by DJ JasonMiller from Extreme Entertainment.

Johnathan Houck of Scranton. Party host Pat O’Malley snaps aphoto.

Avengers Angelo Morales, left, andVincent Quiles of Scranton.

Happy haunting

JASON RIEDMILLER PHOTOS / FOR GO LACKAWANNA

Gianna Pilosi, Skyy Peperno, and Elizabeth Majewski of Old Forge.

Cory Tansits of Scranton.

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18 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011

GOLACKAWANNA, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2011 PAGE 19

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20 GOLackawanna Sunday, October 30, 2011

An unbeaten seasonis a true measure ofexcellence.Obviously, only qual-

ity, championshipteams finish with per-fect records.

Upsets – as the Scranton Prep footballteam reminded Valley View last weekend– happen.Some of the quality teams with the

potential to go unbeaten fall and someother teams, though not on the cham-pionship level overall, have what it takesto come up with a special effort at justthe right time.Getting through an entire season with-

out a single slip takes on differing de-grees of difficulty depending on thesport.In sports where one athlete’s perform-

ance is measured against another, withno defense involved, upsets are unlikely.The 11-second, 100-meter sprinter

might occasionally lose to someone whoruns an 11.1, but seldom loses to some-one who runs a 12-second 100.Thus, when one track, cross country or

swimming team is consistently strongerthan another across the board, the likeli-hood of a true upset is relatively minis-cule.Although it is not as much of a given,

some of the same holds true in sportsthat are a series of dual competitions.The teamwhich sends out the strongerlineup in sports like wrestling, tennis andgolf is going to win a significant majorityof the time because it has to have a seriesof upsets in separate competitions add upto an upset in the team score.When a first-place team falls in those

sports, it is often to the second-placeteam. Years can pass between .500 teamsknocking off championship-level teams.We have learned through the years that

there are not as many sure things inother sports.Some of us may be able to predict

close to 80 percent of the winning teamsin sports like football and basketball, butthe rest of the games fall into thosewhere it is hard to really know who isbest and those where the team that isbest over the course of an entire season isnot best on that given night in that par-ticular matchup.Strategy, match-ups, emotions, the

KEEPING SCORET O M R O B I N S O N

Perfection comeswith varyingdegrees of difficulty

See ROBINSON, Page 21

DIMOCK – When the Class AAAboys’ race was over, Sean Burke ofAbington Heights described his plan forthe District 2 Cross Country Champion-ships.That description sounded remarkably

similar to the actual race he had just run.“The firstmile I justwanted to sit back

a little bit in fifth or sixth place and kindof see what happened,” Burke said aftercovering a wet 3.1.-mile course at ElkLake High School in a winning time of16:35. “The next mile, I wanted to pickpeople off.“About a half-mile from the finish, I

wanted to put it all on the line.”

Burke moved up from fifth place be-fore the midway point in the race. Heworked his way to the front of the pack,then over that final half-mile, openedwhat wound up being a 10-second mar-gin over Valley View’s Aaron Wilkinson.Very early in the race, Burke felt com-

fortable that he would be able to run therace he planned.“Right around a half mile in, there

were 14 or 15 ahead of me,” he said.“They all started dropping off and I waspassing them without having to changemy pace.”Burke was the only champion – indi-

vidual or team – from Lackawanna

CLASS AAA BOYSTeam Standings: 1. Dallas 44; 2. North Pocono 71;3. Tunkhannock 73; 4. Scranton Prep 107; 5.Wallenpaupack 161; 6. Abington Heights 170; 7.Hazleton Area 228; 8. Honesdale 230; 9. WyomingValley West 252; 10. Crestwood 277; 11. Coughlin289; 12. Valley View 295; 13. West Scranton 364; 14.Delaware Valley 364. 15. Scranton 373; 16. PittstonArea 421; 17. Berwick 433.Top 10: 1. Sean Burke (AH) 16:35; 2. Aaron Wilkinson(VV) 16:45; 3. Dominic Deluca (D) 16:53; 4. JakeSiegel (T) 17:02; 5. Chris Ehret (D) 17:14; 6. MikeBrier (SP) 17:21; 7. Alex Zubko (D) 17:22; 8. JacobFetterman (Haz) 17:23; 9. Jess Adams (D) 17:25; 10.Ben Robinson (T) 17:41.State Qualifiers: Dallas team, Burke (AH), Wilkin-son (VV), Siegel (T), Brier (SP), Fetterman (Haz).Lackawanna County Top 25: Burke (AH), Wilkin-son (VV), Brier (SP); 11. Dave Rubino (NP) 17:43; 13.Brody Dial (NP) 17:47; 14. Matt Warner (NP) 17:49; 15.Mike Brenkosh (NP) 18:01; 18. Alex Gentile (NP)18:14; 21. Sam Hager (SP) 18:19; 22. Corey Loman(SP) 18:22; 23. Robert Ward (Scr) 18:24; 25. PaulLabelle (SP) 18:29.CLASS AA BOYSTeam Standings: 1. Holy Redeemer 31; 2. BlueRidge 85; 3. Holy Cross 96; 4. Mid Valley 157; 5.Lackawanna Trail 167; 6. Lakeland 169; 7. Elk Lake172; 8. Dunmore 180; 9. Northwest 262; 10. Lake-Lehman 266; 11. Montrose 291; 12. Hanover Area324; 13. Susquehanna 382; 14. Wyoming Seminary401; 15. MMI Prep 415; 16. Riverside 430; 17. WesternWayne 448; 18. Meyers 504.Top 10: 1. Luke Jones (EL) 16:45; 2. Rico Galassi(HC) 17:05; 3. Mitchell Ford (HR) 17:25; 4. VinayMurthy (HR) 17:37; 5. Frazee Sutphen (HR) 17:55; 6.Jake Hinkley (BR); 7. Jacob Bevan (L-L) 18:01; 8.Brandon Murray (D) 18:07; 9. Mike Ambrulavage(HR) 18:09; 10. Patrick Condo (HR) 18:11.State Qualifiers: Holy Redeemer team; Blue Ridgeteam; Jones (EL); Galassi, Antonio Hastie (HC);Bevan, Kieran Sutton (L-L); Murray, Todd Daven-port (D); Mike Petcavage, Jason Sansky (MV); MarkArzie (L).Lackawanna County Top 25s: Murray (D); 11.Hastie (HC) 18:12; 12. Davenport (D 18:12; 13. Petcav-age (MV) 18;14; 15. Arzie (L) 18:21; 17. Sansky (MV)18:22; 19. Paul Szustakowski (L) 18:34; 23. MikePastore (HC) 18:38.CLASS AAA GIRLSTeam Standings: 1. Dallas 66; 2. North Pocono 107;3. Wallenpaupack 127; 4. Hazleton Area 129; 5.Abington Heights 149; 6. Honesdale 150; 7. PittstonArea 172; 8. Scranton Prep 178; 9. Western Wayne250; 10. Wyoming Valley West 253; 11. Crestwood286; 12. Berwick 302; 13. Tunkhannock 318; 14.Delaware Valley 318; 15. Valley View 424; 16.Wyoming Area 451; 17. Coughlin 469.Top 10: 1. Regan Rome (Dal) 19:18; 2. Taylor Ross(AH) 19:38; 3. Kate Lewis (NP) 19:46; 4. TessaBarrett (SP) 19:49; 5. Nicole Buehrle (Haz) 19:50; 6.Summer Hill (Hon) 19:50; 7. Erin Jaeger (AH) 20:14;8. Catherine Lombardo (PA) 20:18; 9. Molly Kane(NP) 2:28; 10. Bryanna Dissinger (D) 20:32.State Qualifiers: Dallas team, Ross (AH), Lewis(NP), Barrett (SP), Buehrle (Haz); Hill (Hon).Lackawanna County Top 25s: Ross (AH); Lewis(NP); Barrett (SP); Jaeger (AH); Kane (NP); 17.Melissa Becker (SP) 21:06; 22. Shannon Vairo (Scr)21:22; 23. Hannah Whitney (NP) 21:26; 25. JennBurke (AH) 21:36.CLASS AA GIRLSTeam Standings: 1. Holy Redeemer 40; 2. Elk Lake58; 3. Lake-Lehman 105; 4. Montrose 130; 5.Hanover Area 151; 6. Holy Cross 165; 7. WyomingSeminary 193; 8. Mountain View 258; 9. Mid Valley258; 10. Susquehanna 293; 11. MMI Prep 299; 12.Dunmore 315; 13.Northwest 340; 14. Riverside 342;15. Meyers 363; 16. Lackawanna Trail 370.Top 10: 1. Marissa Durako (HR) 19:06; 2. RachelSowinski (HR) 19:43; 3. Jenny Vanetten (EL) 20:26;4. Amy Viti (Han) 21:00; 5. Kaylee Hillard (L-L)21:04; 6. Brianne Ligotski (HR) 21:08; 7. SamanthaBennici (M) 21:09; 8. Emily Sutton (L-L) 21:11; 9.Nicole Kobylanski (MV) 21:12; 10. Lainey Bedell (EL)21:19.State Qualifiers: Holy Redeemer team; Elk Laketeam; Viti, Paige Antall (Han); Hillard, Sutton (L-L);Bennici, Allison Lewis (M); Kobylanski (MV);Allanah Trombetta (WSem);Casey Pardum (BR); IvyChristensen (Sus).Lackawanna County Top 25s: Kobylanski (MV); 19.Alex Miller (L) 21:48; 24. Melissa Kearns (HC) 22:26.

RESULTSDISTRICT 2 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

JASON RIEDMILLER PHOTO / FOR GO LACKAWANNA

Prep’s Tessa Barrett finished fourth among AAA girls in Wednesday’s cham-pionship.

PERFECT PLANBy TOM ROBINSONFor Go Lackawanna

See CROSS, Page 23

Sunday, October 30, 2011 GOLackawanna 21NEWS

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difference of an inch or twoeither way on some plays, andeven the misfortune of a badbounce or a bad call can swing agame or two over the course ofthe season.

Go undefeated in football, asonly Dunmore had a chance todo in District 2 entering thisweekend, and you have reallyaccomplished something spe-cial. And, that’s just referencingthe regular season. Valley View’s15-0 state championship team of1992 was the last football squadfrom Lackawanna County tomake it through the regularseason and playoffs perfect.

But as difficult as going un-beaten in football and basketballcan be, a perfect season in asport that features a pitcher orgoalie is the toughest of themall.

One strong pitching perform-ance can negate just about ev-erything else happening in abaseball and softball game.

Sports where scoring is at apremium and teams shoot at aprotected goal, such as soccer,field hockey and ice hockey, are