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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 PAGE 3A

LOCAL➛ timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE

Rosenn speaker cancelsWilkes University

has announced thatdue to an unfore-seen emergency,Newark, N.J., May-or Cory Booker hascanceled his appear-ance at the 2012Max Rosenn Lec-

ture Series in Law and Humanitiesfor Sunday.Both the 4:30 p.m. reception/

dinner preceding the lecture and the7:30 p.m. lecture are canceled. Theuniversity is working with Booker’soffice to reschedule the lecture dur-ing the 2012-13 academic year. Formore information, contact 408-4306.

KINGSTON

Street change hearing setPlans to permanently close part of

Sprague Avenue and open West HoytStreet to two directions of travel aremoving forward.A public hearing on the plan,

which will be financed by WyomingSeminary, was held Monday. Munici-pal Manager Paul Keating said coun-cil will review and move to approveby resolution a contract submitted bythe private school at its May 7 meet-ing at the Kingston Municipal Build-ing. If the action is approved byresolution, council would then draftan ordinance to close and vacate thesection of road at subsequent meet-ings, Keating said.The plan, according to the munici-

pality, entails closing part of SpragueAvenue between West Hoyt Streetand Market Street with a gate orother barricade that could be re-moved to allow emergency vehicleaccess. The road would remain inplace and sidewalks would not beobstructed.A new traffic light would also be

installed at the intersection ofWyoming Avenue and West HoytStreet, and two stop signs would beadded at the intersection of WestHoyt Street and Sprague Avenue.Wyoming Seminary will pay forthose additions, Keating said, whichwould open West Hoyt, now a one-way, to two directions of travel be-tween Wyoming Avenue and WestMaple Street.

PLYMOUTH

Academy Days in MayU.S. Reps. Lou Barletta, R-Hazle-

ton, and TomMarino, R-LycomingTownship, will host a U.S. ServiceAcademy Day 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May

5 at Wyoming Val-ley West HighSchool.Barletta will host

another AcademyDay on May 22, 4 to7 p.m. at Blooms-burg Area HighSchool.The events are

designed to provideinformation aboutthe opportunitiesoffered by the fiveU.S. Service Acade-mies.The Wyoming

Valley West sessionis open to students

in either the 11th or 10th congres-sional districts and their families andfriends. The Bloomsburg event isopen to students in the 11th Districtand their families and friends.

HARRISBURG

Wetlands project laudedThe Earth Conservancy’s Espy

Run Wetlands Enhancement Projectin Luzerne County is among 17 envi-ronmental projects in the state thatwill receive a 2012 EnvironmentalExcellence Award.Gov. Tom Corbett Wednesday

announced the winning projects. TheEarth Conservancy’s project is theonly award winner in NortheasternPennsylvania.“These businesses, schools and

organizations have demonstrated acommitment to reducing our im-pact on the environment, and Icommend them for their efforts,”Corbett said.The winning projects include

those focused on abandoned minereclamation, alternative energy,energy management and the creationof a public compressed natural gasrefueling station.

N E W S I N B R I E F

Booker

Marino

Barletta

WILKES-BARRE – During a pressconference in the city Wednesday, U.S.Senate candidate Steve Welch said he’sthe candidate who knows what it’s liketo start and run a small business, and ifelected, he’ll use that knowledge tochange the tax code and make thingsbetter for American workers.“We need people in Washington that

understand the economy from theground up,” said Welch, 35, from Char-lestownTownship,ChesterCounty.He’sone of five Republicans fighting to se-cure the party’s nomination for thechance to challenge Sen. Bob Casey inNovember.A Penn StateUniversity graduatewho

earned a degree inmechanical engineer-ing, he has started two successful busi-nesses and became a millionaire.But angeredat theway theRepublican

Party was acting in Washington, heswitched political parties in 2005. In2008, he voted for Barack Obama in theDemocratic primary. But very quickly,he noted, he became dissatisfied withhis new party. So he came back into the

GOP and began supporting Republicancandidates. He said he voted for Repub-lican John McCain in the 2008 generalelection.And now the one-time Democrat is

facing a tough fight from Tom Smith, alifelongDemocrat until he switched par-ties last year.Welch focused his attacks on Smith

during a short speech Wednesday, high-lighting Smith’s past life as a Democratwho sat on a township board of super-visors that voted to raise taxes.Calling him “Taxin’ Tom,” Welch said

he’s outraged that Smith has spent a for-tune earned from the sale of his family’scoal company on advertisements attack-

ing him and other candidates.“Tom Smith has spent millions of dol-

lars misrepresenting himself,” Welchsaid.A new round of Smith ads began

Wednesday blastingWelch as a “liberal.”“Voters aren’t falling for liberal Steve

Welch’s negative attacks on lifelong con-servative Tom Smith,” said Jim Conroy,Smith’s campaign manager. “The truthis that TomSmith has supported conser-vative candidates and causes for dec-ades, while Steve Welch was voting forBarack Obama and raisingmoney for ul-tra-liberal Joe Sestak.”Terry Casey, the Luzerne County Re-

publican Party chairman, introducedWelch and said he believesWelch’s senti-ments to be sincere. But he acknowl-edged thatWelch’s background of votingfor Obama and supporting some Demo-cratic candidates, including formerCon-gressman Sestak, could raise doubts invoters’ minds.“I would have preferred that he didn’t

get involved in that,” Casey said, butadded that he still believes Welch is themost dynamic candidate he has seen in awhile.

U . S . S E N AT E R A C E Five candidates chasing GOP nomination for chance to run against Casey

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Steven Welch, seeking the GOP nod for a U.S. Senate run, speaks at a press conference Wednesday in Wilkes-Barre.

By ANDREWM. SEDERaseder@timesleader.com The Republican candi-

dates Welch faces areSam Rohrer, of RobesonTownship, Berks County;Marc Scaringi, of CampHill, Cumberland County;David Christian, of Washington Crossing,Bucks County, and Tom Smith, of PlumCreek Township, Armstrong County.

THE GOP FIELD

20 1 2ELECTION

Welch touts business sense

Luzerne County officials held abrainstorming session with govern-ment and community leaders at thecounty courthouseWednesday to dis-cuss options to fund the Hotel Ster-ling demolition.County council members decided

to set up themeeting last week whenthey voted against using up to $1.5million in county community devel-opment business loan funds to de-molish the downtown Wilkes-Barrestructure.The building’s nonprofit owner,

CityVest, spent $6 million in countybusiness loan funds on the projectand is out of money.All council members were in-

formed of the meeting, but it was notpublic because a quorum of six didnot attend.Wilkes-BarreMayor TomLeighton

and members of his administrationwere at themeeting alongwith repre-sentatives of the Luzerne Founda-tion, King’s College and Wilkes Uni-versity, county officials said.State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-

Wilkes-Barre, also attended alongwith representatives for U.S. Sen. Pa-trick J. Toomey, R-Zionsville, U.S.Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Scranton,and state Sen. John T. Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, county officialssaid.Pashinski said all funding re-

sources must be explored.“You just can’t turn a blind eye to

the Sterling. It has to be mitigated.We’re looking at a dangerous situa-tion, one that will not go away,” hesaid.County Councilman RickWilliams

said everyone at the one-hour meet-ing agreed the Sterling must comedown and expressed a willingness toinvestigate funding possibilities.“I’m very hopeful. I think we as a

community need to come together tosolve this problem,” Williams said.County Manager Robert Lawton

said a combination of public and pri-vate fundingwill be needed. Nomon-ey was volunteered Wednesday.“Discussions are very preliminary.

We got the right people in the roomtalking toeachother about the issue,”he said.Lawton had advised council to halt

funding, saying he doesn’t want toturn down future loans for viable eco-nomic development projects becausethe demolition drained $1.5 millionfrom the loan fund.Wilkes-Barre would be on the hook

for the demolition if the building isdeemed a public safety threat be-cause the city condemned the proper-ty at the corner of River and Marketstreets. Leighton has said the citydoesn’t have $1.5 million availableand would have difficulty borrowingit.CityVest spent most of the $6 mil-

lion county loan buying adjacentproperty, tearing down an attachedhigh-rise and removing hazardousmaterial from the original 114-year-old former hotel structure.

SterlingdemolitiondiscussedFunding for project is topic forLuzerne County officials, leaders.

By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDESjandes@timesleader.com

That snow-less winterdoesn’t seem so nice anymore.The lack of a melting snow

pack this spring is one factorthat has officials concernedabout a potential droughtacross Pennsylvania.Nodroughtdeclarationshave

been issued by the state thisspring, but many areas alreadyare enduring drought-like con-ditions, according to measuressuch as daily stream flow.The state Drought Task

Force, which includes represen-

tatives from the Department ofEnvironmental Protection,Pennsylvania Emergency Man-agement Agency and the Na-tional Weather Service, willtake up the issue at an April 25meeting.The Susquehanna River was

at 1.6 feet in Wilkes-Barre onWednesday and was predictedto continue dropping into Sat-urday, according to river gaugedata.Susan Obleski, spokeswo-

man for the Susquehanna RiverBasin Commission, said that’s75 to 80 percent below averagefor this time of year, and thattributary flows have been 50 to65 percent below average.In many areas of Luzerne

County, stream gauges have re-corded historic daily lows forflow, according to the U.S. Ge-ological Survey.The low flows are a result of

three conditions: a light snow-melt, a warmer-than-averagespring and little rainfall in re-

It’s not a drought, but …Some streams at historic low levels

81

Extreme hydrological drought:Daily streamflow at historicallows

Severe hydrological drought:Daily streamflow in bottom 5 percentileof past measurements

Bradford

Pike

Monroe

Carbon

Schuylkill

Columbia

Luzerne

LackawannaWyomingSullivan

WayneSusquehanna

LOW STREAMFLOW IN NEPA

Source: U.S. Geological Survey WaterWatch Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

By MATT HUGHESmhughes@timesleader.com

INSIDE: Some rain is in our future,Page 10B

See DROUGHT, Page 7A

WILKES-BARRE -- In thewake of skyrocketing Wilkes-Barre Area School Districtpayments to former SolicitorAnthony Lupas, bills fromAs-sistant Solicitor Ray Wendo-lowski have also come underscrutiny. A Times Leader re-view shows Wendolowski’sbill totals rose substantially inthe past six years, reachingover $200,000 in 2011.In percentage terms, Wen-

dolowski was paid 99 percentmore in 2011 than his$106,568 in 2008. In the sametime period, Lupas’ billingjumped nearly six-fold.Lupas stepped down as dis-

trict solicitor this year amid al-

legations he bilked millions ofdollars in an investmentscheme. Those allegations areunrelated to board work, butfederal agents have sought co-pies of his district bills.A Times Leader review

showed annual bill totalsfrom Lupas hovered around

$55,000 from 2006 through2008, then climbed dramat-ically, hitting $328,956 in2011. Shortly after that re-view, the board voted for a fo-rensic audit of his bills.At the March meeting,

board member Christine Kat-sock moved to freeze all pay-ments to Wendolowski, butthemotion failed.At theAprilmeeting, board memberLouis Elmy questioned a$22,000 payment for onemonth’s work.Wendolowski rigorously

defended his billing, insistingcopies of bills are available aslong as confidential informa-tion is redacted. A TimesLeader review of some billsshowed Wendolowski pro-

vides much more detail thanLupas. Wendolowski hasasked the board for a forensicaudit of his bills, confident itwill show he billed fairly.His bill totals were much

higher than Lupas’ in 2006through 2008 – decliningfrom $137,778 in 2006, thenclimbingonly slightly to $114,886 in 2009. Wendolowski’sbills did grow in 2010 and2011, to $196,563 and$212,013 respectively.District Superintendent

Jeff Namey said the boardopted for more rigorous legalreviewof contracts after threeboard members pleadedguilty to corruption chargesin 2009, increasing the work-load.

WBA assistant solicitor’s bills rose substantiallyBy MARK GUYDISHmguydish@timesleader.com

$300,000$250,000$200,000$150,000$100,000$50,000

$0‘06 ’07 ‘08 ’09 ‘10 ’11

WB AREA LEGAL BILLSAssistant Solicitor Ray WendolowskiSolicitor Anthony Lupas

Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

User: ljones Time: 04-18-2012 21:36 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 04-19-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: local_01 PageNo: 3 A Color: CMYK

5>> WRAP RAGE: Packaging scientists call them “plasticblister packs” and “clamshells.” Consumers call, them …Well,we can’t print what consumers call them – unless we do it thisway: “@#$&%@!” You know the feeling. You buy a cool, newgizmo, and before you can enjoy it, you have to go throughthe frustration of prying it loose from its impossible casing.Someone out there feels your pain, and has created a day justfor you. It’s “Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day,” and it’sthis Tuesday. Don’t really know how to celebrate it. Maybeopen up a bunch of childproof caps and yell, “Ah ha!”

>> GAME ON: Every four years, the NFL universe aligns to

give us a battle for the state of Pennsylvania. A figurativebattle for Pennsylvania, that is. There was a real battle for thestate once. It was 149 years ago in Gettysburg, but that’sneither here nor there. The Eagles and Steelers havea regular season date set for Oct. 7 in the SteelCity. That one will count. The teams also play ameaningless game this Thursday in Philly. You cancheck that out at 7:30 p.m. on FOX 56.

>> LIPCHITZ. HERB LIPCHITZ: Evernotice that in movies, spies have cool-soundingnames? James Bond. Ethan Hunt. JasonBourne. No one ever names the spy Herb Lip-chitz. Or Melvin Corpuscle. Sadly, the producersof the “Bourne” films have squandered achance to break the dorky name barrier. Theirnew film “The Bourne Legacy,” introducesus to Aaron Cross, a spy with anothertypical spy name who does typical spythings like going rogue and killing bad guysin nifty ways. The action flick will be intheaters this Friday.

>> THEMOUNTAIN’S A ROCKIN’: Montage Mountainhas played host to a couple of head-banging, amp-blowing

music acts the last few weeks. With the Vans WarpedTour and the Mayhem Festival eating the mountain’ssoul. Now, it’s time for a little down-home, good ol’boy Southern rock with The Allman Brothers Band.The legendary rockers will be presenting the FirstAnnual Peach Music Festival beginning this Fridayand running until Sunday. There’ll be lots of acts, lotsof stages and lots of good music.

>> LET THE GAMES END: Mathematicianshave calculated that by the time the 2012 LondonOlympics are over, there will be 900 medals award-ed, 300 national anthems played, 34,456 inconse-

quential tweets from athletes, and 567,987 TVshots of Michael Phelps’ mother in thestands. Alas, the inevitable end to the 2012Games will be here this Sunday. Closingceremonies are set for 8 p.m. (our time) andwill be on NBC. Next Summer Games: Riode Janeiro in 2016.

THINGSYOU NEEDTO KNOWTHIS WEEK

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6 09815 10011

WILKES-BARRE, PA MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012 50¢timesleader.com

The Times Leader

Misty May-Treanor andKerri Walsh Jennings beatItalians Marta Menegattiand Greta Cicolari 21-13,21-13 in women’s beachvolleyball quarterfinals. OnTuesday they will play Chi-na’s Xue Chen and ZhangXi, which beat Austriansisters Stefanie and DorisSchwaiger 21-18, 21-11. TheChinese pair has beatenWalsh Jennings and May-Treanor three consecutivetimes.

USAIN BOLT SETS RECORDEver the showman, Jamai-

can Usain Bolt kept right onrunning after winning the100-meter run in Olympicrecord time for a victory lapthat included high-fives forfront-row fans, a pause tocrouch down and kiss thetrack and even a somersault.Thousands in the crowdchanted the champion’sname: "Usain! Usain! Usain!"

2012 LONDONOLYMPICS

Medalcountas of Aug. 5

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

China 30 17 14 61

United States 28 14 18 60

Britain 16 11 10 37

South Korea 10 4 6 20

France 8 8 9 25

Italy 6 5 3 14

Kazakhstan 6 0 0 6

Germany 5 10 7 22

Russia 4 16 15 35

Hungary 4 1 3 8

North Korea 4 0 1 5

Netherlands 3 1 4 8

South Africa 3 1 0 4

New Zealand 3 0 4 7

Japan 2 12 13 27

Denmark 2 4 2 8

Romania 2 4 2 8

Belarus 2 2 3 7

Cuba 2 2 1 5

COUNTRY G S B TOT

NBCGymnastics - Individual EventGold Medal Finals: Men’s StillRings, Men’s Vault and Wom-en’s Uneven Bars; Track andField - Gold Medal Finals:Men’s 400M, Men’s 400MHurdles and Women’s PoleVault; Beach Volleyball -Quarterfinal;Men’s Diving -Springboard Qualifying, 8p.m.-MidnightTrack and Field - Gold MedalFinals; Cycling - Track Events,12:35 p.m.-1:35 a.m.

T V S C H E D U L E

INSIDEA NEWSObituaries 2A, 6ANation/World 5AEditorials 7A

B SPORTSScoreboard 2BC CLICKBirthdays 3C

Television 4CPuzzles 5CD CLASSIFIEDComics 14D

771255

Gunman opens fire, kills 6in Milwaukee Sikh temple

NATION/WORLD, 5A

Terror inWisconsin

Jeff Gordon recordsfirst victory of the season

SPORTS, 1B

Victory on arainy raceway

LONG POND – What was ahappy day forwinningNASCARdriver Jeff Gordon and his fansturned into a nightmare at Poco-no Raceway after one personwas killed and nine others in-jured by lightning strikes Sun-

day afternoon just after thePennsylvania 400 was calledearly because of storms.As race cars were being cov-

ered and fans were trying to getaway from the torrential down-pours, multiple lightning boltsstruck, two of them injuring 10fans. One was later pronounceddead on arrival at Pocono Med-ical Center in East Stroudsburg.One of the injury-inducing

strikes occurred in the parking

lot behind the grandstands andthe other was near gate No. 3,track spokesman Bob Plebansaid.Pleban said four of those in-

jured were transported to Poco-noMedical Center. Two hadmi-nor injuries, one had moderateinjuries, and the fourth had crit-ical injuries and eventually died.An emotional track PresidentBrandon Igdalsky, who also ex-pressed his condolences for the

victims, made the announce-ment of the fatality at about 7:45p.m.“Unfortunately, a member of

our raceway family here, a fan,has passed away,” he said.Two other race attendees

were taken to Geisinger Wyom-ing Valley Medical Center inPlains Township, one withmod-erate injuries and the other withminor injuries.Threemoreweretaken to Lehigh Valley Hospital

Center-Cedar Crest in SalisburyTownship, near Allentown. Atenth person was taken to Le-high Valley Hospital in Allen-town and was in critical condi-tion, Pleban said.The storm, which anyone

who had access to any weatherwebsite knewwas on its way forat least 30 minutes, arrived atabout 4:40 p.m., causing NAS-

Lightning kills 1, hurts 9 at raceMultiple bolts hit at PoconoRaceway as fans stream out.

By ANDREWM. SEDERaseder@timesleader.com

See LIGHTNING, Page 8A

When Wilkes-Barre Area School Boardvoted to pay attorney Ray Wendolowski$195,000 as solicitor for one year, criticsbalked,citingfarlowersolicitorratesinoth-er schooldistricts.Buta reviewof total legal fees spent inar-

eadistricts in the2011-12schoolyearshowsthat the deal withWendolowski is not thatfaroutofline–ifthedistrictavoidsbringing

inother attorneys.Wendolowski inked a

two-page agreementwith the school boardpromising to representthe district “on all legalmatters” except reversetax appeals – cases inwhich the district arguesa property assessment is

toolow.Wendolowskiwoulddothosecasesonacontingencyfeebasis,beingpaidonlyifthe appeal is successful.The $195,000 also covers photocopies,

long-distance phone calls, postage, parale-gal help, travel and lodging expenses. Theagreement promises no work will be dele-gated to other attorneys without board ap-proval,andthereisnolimitonthehoursthemoney pays for, though Wendolowski willprovidebills detailinghourlywork.While Wendolowski’s new agreement is

by far the most costly for a solicitor in Lu-zerneCountyschooldistricts, itmaybe themost comprehensive. Crestwood’s agree-ment with solicitor Jack Dean is one para-

Legal feesgo beyondretainersW-B Area’s inclusive solicitor dealmay work – if no other lawyers used.

By MARK GUYDISHmguydish@timesleader.com

Wendolowski

See SOLICITOR, Page 8A

MAN WHO OVERCAME DISASTER COMPETES AGAIN

CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Kevin Augustine, Trucksville, starts the biking portion of the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon on Sunday. Thirteenyears ago, Augustine was paralyzed for two months, underwent cervical spinal fusion surgery so he

could walk again and spent years rehabbing. On Sunday, Augustine finished second in the Aquabike divi-sion, for athletes who have suffered injuries that does not include the run. For event coverage, see Page 1B.

One dark night during an ice storm, ayoung man drove his father’s relativelynewMercedes-Benz truck and a load ofglass fromWest Virginia up a steep hair-pin curve in theGeorgeWashingtonNa-tional Forest.He was traveling only about 8 mph,

but the road was slick.

Conrad Baut put the truck in a shal-low ditch, denting a fender and causinghis sister Karen to tumble from thetruck’s berth, down on top of him andanother brother, Gerhard.“Oh, what’s Dad going to say?” Con-

rad Baut remembers worrying. “I’m thefirst one to christen his truck.”When the trio of siblings reached a

pay phone, they realized their father’sfirst concern was that no one was hurt.His second question was whether the

Truckin’ for 35 years, 286,726 milesMercedes-Benz truck has servedSwoyersville business since 1977.

By MARY THERESE BIEBELmbiebel@timesleader.com

See TRUCK, Page 8A

The Baut family’s truck has beenin use since 1977. If you still makeuse of a vintage item and wouldlike to share the story with ourreaders, contact Mary ThereseBiebel at 570-829-7283 or mbie-bel@timesleader.com. It doesn’thave to be a truck. Perhaps you’restill using Grandmom’s hand-cranked meat grinder or the kidsare playing with classic Fisher-Price toys from a generation ortwo ago.

HAVE SOME TH I NG O LD?

User: rstouch Time: 08-05-2012 23:48 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 08-06-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_f PageNo: 1 A Color: CMYK

C M Y K

PAGE 8A MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com➛ N E W S

niverseonNorthFranklinStreetin Wilkes-Barre, reflect Davis’spirit of commitment to the pro-ject and the principles thatguide it. Although volunteers,the actors show a great deal ofenthusiasm in regard to the pro-duction.Davis said the project is not

aboutmakingmoney but ratherabout feeling fulfilled and hap-py.Hesaidhehas always soughtin all his work to help people,andthe filmisanoffshootof that

desire to touch people’s lives.Filming is set to begin Satur-

day in Wilkes-Barre, KingstonandScranton, furtheremphasiz-ingDavis’ love for theWyomingValley. Filming sites include St.Stephen’s Church on SouthFranklin Street and Kirby Park.Davis said thatupon the film’s

completion he hopes to enter itin several festivals. He also isnot adverse to his productionending up on “the big screen.”He believes the completed filmwill be of such high quality thatit will be appropriate for com-mercial audiences.Davis welcomes volunteers

and any area restaurants thatmight donate food to help feedhis starving artists.

DAVISContinued from Page 3A

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

’Man in the Box’ cast members Ryan Nage of Taylor, left, JodyCain of Kingston, Nyce of Wilkes-Barre, and Rudolph Goodwinof Wilkes-Barre, practice a scene Sunday.

’Man in the Box’ cast members Nyce, left, Rudolph Goodwin,both of Wilkes-Barre, and Corey Klinefelter of Forty Fort reviewtheir lines on their cellphones on Sunday.

In addition to the car show andradio-controlled planes, thisyear’s Party in the Parkwill againfeature a 5k run/walk and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.Vari-ous food vendors will also be onhand. The American Red Crosswill also hold a blood drive at thenearby Kistler ElementarySchool.The eventis open tothe publicfree ofcharge.The Dis-

trict ACommitteeis a non-profit orga-nization.All donations are taxde-ductible. For more informationon the party or to donate, visitthe District A Committee’s Web-site at WBdistrictafund.org.

PARTYContinued from Page 3A

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Members of the Wilkes-Barre District A Fund Committee Steve Barrouk, left, Lonnie Truskowski,Rick Gazenski, and Dave Lewis discuss plans for ’Party in the Park’ at Miner Park in Wilkes-Barre onSaturday morning. Absent from photo: Sue Greenfield and George Brown.

What: Party in theParkWhen: Sat., Sept. 8,10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Where: Miner Park,Old River Road,Wilkes-Barre

I F Y O U G O

graph, setting his retainer at$18,000 a year for seven hours ofwork a month. Additional hoursarebilledat$75perhourup to200hours and $50 per hour after.Dallas School Board’s motion

reappointingattorneyBenJones IIas solicitor for this school year at$39,000 gives no details of whatthe work entails. Wyoming ValleyWestBusinessManager JoeRodri-guez noted the reappointment ofattorney Michael Hudacek – paid$23,270 last year – is typically ap-proved annually with no writtenagreement detailing thework cov-ered.

Outside counsel costsYet ineachofthosecasesthedis-

tricts spent considerably more inlegal feesthanthesolicitor’sretain-er last year. Dean’s law firm – El-liott Greenleaf & Dean – did$29,961 of billable work beyondDean’s retainer, and the districtspent another $15,459 for legalwork on special-education caseshandled by King, Spry, Herman,Freund, and Faul. All told, Crest-woodpaid$63,420inlegal fees lastyear.

In addition to the retainer forJones,Dallas paid $83,153 to eightother law firms. Most was for spe-cial-education cases or labor is-sues,butthebiggestsinglechunk–$54,015 –went toRosenn, Jenkinsand Greenwald for a protractedbattle with theNortheast Pennsyl-vaniaSchoolDistrictHealthTrust,aconsortiumofdistricts formedtolower health insurance costs. Dal-las and Pittston Area withdrewfrom the trust in 2007 and havebeen fighting togetwhat theycon-tend is their share of a trust sur-plus. They have been winning thebattle, and could end up reapingmillions,aswellashavingthetrustpay district attorney fees.Pittston Area spent $276,570 in

legal fees last year. Of that, only$15,286covered the retainer for at-torney Joseph Saporito, who re-ceived another $12,013 for workoutside the retainer, including taxclaim sales and bond refinancing.Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwaldgot the largest share of Pittston’sexpense, $83,268, but four otherfirms were paid a combined$109,772 for work on special edu-cation cases.Those cases arisewhenaparent

orguardiancontendsthedistrict isnot fulfilling its state and federalmandates in educating a child, Ro-driguez said. Typically, districtssettle out of court, agreeing to pro-

vide services or accommodationsthat satisfy the parents. The dis-trict often ends up paying the feesfor the attorney who representedthe parent as well, Rodrigueznoted.AtWyomingValleyWest,Rodri-

guez said the district spent$78,248 beyond Hudacek’s retain-er, almost all of it oneither special-education settlements or labor is-sues, most notably the successfulnegotiation of three contracts.

Hours addupWithout the type of detailed

agreement Wilkes-Barre struckwith Wendolowski, districts canend up paying their solicitormorein billable work than in the retain-er. In Hazleton Area School Dis-trict, thecombinedretainer forSo-licitorChristopherSlusser andAs-sistant Solicitor Ed McNelis lastyear totaled $16,544. Yet Slusserwas paid $58,944 above thatwhileMcNelis was paid $17,352 beyondhis retainer. The district spent an-other $111,597 on 10 other lawfirms.Wyoming Area had a similar,

though less dramatic expenditurebeyond the $20,000 paid for solic-itor retainer (it changed solicitorssixmonths into the fiscal year, butthe retainer rate remained thesame). The district paid attorneyRaymond Hassey $11,236 more

than the $10,000 retainer he re-ceived for six months as solicitor,and paid the firm of Pugliese, Fin-negan, Shaffer & Ferentino$33,156 on top of the $10,000 re-tainer.WyomingAreaspentanoth-er $57,289 on eight other lawfirms.Information provided by other

districtswasnot complete enoughtomake full comparisons.Wendolowski’s appointment as

solicitor drew additional fire be-causehehasservedasassistant so-licitor for years, with attorney An-thony Lupas in the solicitor’s slot.Lupas resigned last year after a se-vere fall, and has since beencharged with running an invest-ment scheme that bilked peopleout of at least $6 million over 18years. The two attorneys operateseparate law businesses.Public outcry flared when a

Times Leader analysis showed le-gal fees skyrocketed in Wilkes-Barre Area in recent years, withpayments to Lupas rising sixfoldover three years. Combined, thedistrictpaidLupasandWendolow-ski $540,969 in calendar year 2011,with $328,956 of that going to Lu-pas.The school boardhired a firm to

conduct a forensic audit of billsfromLupas andWendolowski dat-ingbackto2006; theresultsareex-pected thismonth.

SOLICITORContinued from Page 1A

truck was still drivable, and itwas. So there were no problems.More than 30 years and several

cross-country trips later, thatsame truck is a champion ofsorts, continuing to deliverstained glass, statues, steeplesand other products of Baut Stu-dios Inc. in Swoyersville.Earlier this year,USAToday re-

ported the average age of a car ortruck in the United States is 10.8years. That’s a record high, but incomparison, the Bauts’ Mer-cedes-Benz 1116 is a granddaddyof the road.It’s been part of the family

since December 1977, when thelate Gene Baut bought it from aLong Island dealership to replacea 12-year-old Ford truck.Already a fan of Mercedes-

Benz automobiles, GeneBaut be-lieved a truck designed by thesame European company wouldserve the family business well,and “outlast two or perhaps threetrucks similar to our C550,” Con-rad Baut said.Logging 286,726 miles – so far

– and closing in on the 35th anni-versary of the purchase, the truckis well on its way to meeting theupper range of that prediction.As Conrad Baut wrote in an ar-

ticle for “DoubleClutch,” amaga-zine published by the AntiqueTruck Club of America, “TheMercedes-Benz has carried tensof thousands of square feet ofstained glass, hundreds of tons ofmarble fabrications, numerousover-sized loads of onion-shapedchurch steeples, scores of customwood and bronze sculptural me-morials, thousands of churchdoors, and has been across thecountry several times.”His dad drove it with “pride

andprecision,” saidConradBaut,who felt privileged to start driv-ing it when he was 17. Somedaysoon his own sons -- Henry, Peterand James -- may have a turn atthe wheel, helping out at a busi-ness they can trace to their great-

great-grandfather Jacob Baut,who came to America in 1885from an area that is now Inns-bruck, Austria.Over the years, the truck has

transported such artwork as the“Healing Christ” sculpture de-signed and built by GerhardBaut, which went to St. AgnesMedical Center in Philadelphiain 1985, and the “Coal to Dia-monds” sculpture, also designedby Gerhard Baut, which was in-stalled atMoheganSunCasino atPocono Downs in Plains Town-ship in 2008.Its next planned excursion is to

Danbury, Conn., to deliver an on-ion-shaped cupola designed byConrad Baut and Baut Studiosemployee Leonard Andes.But, first, Conrad Baut said,

the truck needs new brakes.“I need a two-chamber master

cylinder,” he said, explaining it’sgettingharder to find replacementparts, despite the family’s pur-chase years ago of a spare truckfrom which several parts have al-ready been “cannibalized.”

The truck was refurbished afew years back, with members oftheBaut family and their employ-eespitching in to fabricate and re-place cab sheet metal and under-structures and rebuild the flatbed. “They’re all craftsmen,”Conrad said. “They know how towork with stained glass and met-

al, and this is an offshoot.”People who have worked to

keep the truck running includeConrad Baut, his brother Ger-hard, nephew Jacob Baut and sis-terHeideCebrick aswell asMikeOlsen, Gary Walp, LeonardAndes, Bernard Kriso, ShawnWheaton and Brad Lennon.

TRUCKContinued from Page 1A

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Employees of The Baut Studios Inc. with the 1977 Mercedes-Benz truck include, from left: ConradBaut, Heide Cebrick, Mike Olsen, Gary Walp and Leonard Andes. Other employees who have helpedrefurbish the truck are Gerhard Baut, Jacob Baut, Bernard Kriso, Shawn Wheaton and Brad Lennon.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The Bauts used their Mercedes-Benz truck to transport a ‘Coal toDiamonds’ sculpture to Mohegan Sun in 2008.

CAR officials to throw a yellowcaution flag and eventually callthe race on lap 98, 62 laps shy ofthe advertised total of 160.Heavy rains and winds

pounded the track as darknessclosed in.. Lightning strikeswere plentiful and thunderrolled over the Pocono Moun-tains as the storm moved fromwest to east. The track publicaddress announcer asked fansto exit the metal grandstandsbecause of the lightning but on-ly after the race ended.As driver KaseyKahne spoke

to media in a post-race pressconference, word began tospread among journalists that alightning strike at the track hadcaused injuries. Shortly afterKahne left the center, Plebanconfirmed that two peoplewere struck by lightning andwere taken to a local hospital.Later he said a third fan was al-so struck but was treated andevaluated by on-site emergencypersonnel and released.An hour later the number of

those injured grew to 10.Despite the congested traffic

leaving the venue, continuedheavy rain and lightning pre-vented the use of a helicopterto transport the victims.At 4:21 p.m., about 30 min-

utes before the race was offi-cially called, Pocono Racewayissued the following warningon its Twitter and Facebook ac-counts: “ATTENTION FANS:Severe thunderstorms are inthe area which will producehigh winds and lightning.Should arrive in 10-15 mins.”At 4:59 p.m., the following

message was posted on thetrack’s Twitter and Facebookpages: “ATTENTION FANS:Be advised, seek shelter as se-vere lightning and heavy windsare in our area.”At 5:50 p.m., Igdalsky tweet-

ed: “Hoping for the safety of all

the fans that are leaving in thiscrazy storm. Please seek shel-ter as there is a lot of cloud 2ground lightning.”Race winner Gordon said he

felt for the injured fans and saidhe believed he knew exactlywhich bolts caused the dam-age.“There was a huge, huge

crack of lightning; you couldtell it was very close,” he saidafter he won his first race of theseason and record sixth all timeat Pocono.“The fans here are so loyal

and so avid, they stick around,”he said. “It’s so unfortunate.Youhate to hear something likethat.”Pleban, calling the incident

“a very fluid situation,” said hecould not release informationon the victims because familymembers “have not been suffi-ciently contacted” as of Sundaynight. He said more informa-tion might be available today,and the track would releasewhatever it learns. A supervi-sor at Pocono Medical Centersaid she could not commentSunday night.Sporting News motor sports

reporter Bob Pockrass report-ed that KyleManger, a fan fromNew Jersey, said he saw peoplehit by the lightning near theTurn 3 grandstands.“Me and my friend just ran

into our truck during all thenasty weather,” Manger toldthe publication. “The visibilitywas very poor and all of a sud-den (I) saw a bolt of lightningright in front of ourwindshield.“When it became a little

more visible, we saw two bod-ies next to a destroyed tentwith people scrambling.”Manger said the lightning

strike occurred about five to 10minutes after the race wascalled.Multiple NASCAR drivers,

fans and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomeyall issued statements or tweetsexpressing condolences for thevictims throughout Sundaynight.

LIGHTNINGContinued from Page 1A

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WORLD RECORD

WOMEN

Carmelita Jeter crossedthe finish line pointing thebaton at the clock showinga world record of 40.82seconds Friday night as theUnited States won the wom-en’s Olympic 4x100-meterrelay for the first time since1996. PAGE 1B

MEN REACHBASKETBALL FINAL

Kevin Durant scored 19points, Carmelo Anthonyand LeBron James added 18apiece and the U.S. men’sOlympic basketball teampushed aside Argentina109-83 on Friday in thesemifinals. The U.S. willplay Spainfor thegold.PAGE 1B

2012 LONDONOLYMPICS

Medalcountas of Aug. 10

LONDON 2012 OLYMPICS

United States 40 26 27 93

China 37 25 19 81

Russia 15 21 27 63

Britain 25 15 17 57

Germany 10 18 14 42

Japan 5 13 16 34

Australia 7 14 10 31

France 9 9 12 30

South Korea 13 7 6 26

Italy 7 6 8 21

Netherlands 5 5 8 18

Canada 1 5 10 16

Hungary 8 4 3 15

Spain 2 8 3 13

Ukraine 3 1 9 13

Brazil 2 2 8 12

New Zealand 4 3 5 12

Belarus 3 3 4 10

Cuba 3 3 4 10

COUNTRY G S B TOT

TRACK AND FIELD: gold-medal finals in men’s 4x100mrelay, men’s 5,000m, men’sjavelin, women’s 4x400mrelay, women’s 800m, wom-en’s high jump.

MEN’S DIVING: platform goldmedal final.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL:gold medal final U.S vs. Brazil.

8 p.m.-midnight, WBRE-28

P R I M E -T I M E T VS C H E D U L E

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Feds threaten flood-damagedcity with probation.

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West Pittstonvs. FEMA

WILKES-BARRE – A Ford F350 pickuptruck impounded by city police as a vehi-cle of interest in a fatal hit and run is regis-tered to Daniel Loughnane, according tosources and a speeding citation in 2009.

Police took custody of the large bluepickup truck from Loughnane’s drivewayat his home at 71 W. Liberty St. in theNewtown section of Hanover TownshipThursday night. The truck is similar to asurveillance camera photograph of a dark-colored truck with an extended cab and atool box in the bed that was released by

police on Tuesday.Loughnane, 40, own-

er of Liam’s Place onNorth WashingtonStreet, Wilkes-Barre,could not be reached forcomment on Friday. AFacebook posting indi-cated he is vacationing

at Lake Ontario, Canada, for two weeksand left on Monday, a day before the sur-veillance camera photograph was re-leased to the media.

Truck ‘of interest’ in fatality

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Wilkes-Barre

police look

over a truck

seized in

Hanover

Township

Thursday

night. It is

considered a

vehicle of

interest in a

hit and run

in Wilkes-

Barre that

left Rebecca

McCallick

dead.

Pickup seized in Hanover TownshipBy EDWARD LEWIS

elewis@timesleader.com

See TRUCK, Page 12A

McCallick

LOCAL GIRL SCORES GOAL IN OLYMPIC GAME

AP PHOTO

United States’ Paige Selenski celebrates her goal against Belgium with teammate Michelle Vittese (9) in a wom-en’s field hockey classification match at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, in London. Belgium won, 2-1. For the

story, see Page 8B.

WILKES-BARRE – A review ofbills submitted by former solic-itor Anthony Lupas to Wilkes-Barre Area School district showsthat, while often giving detaileddescriptions of his work, Lupasrarely provided dates the workwas done, mak-ing it all but im-possible to tellhow manyhours he billedon any givenday.

The TimesLeader re-viewed copiesof bills submitted for the last sixmonths of 2011. A previous re-view of district records hadshown payments to Lupas for le-gal work had risen six-fold inthree years, soaring to $328,956in 2011, despite the fact that Lu-pas suffered a serious fall late inthe year and did little work in thelast two months.

Lupas resigned his position assolicitor – a job he held for fourdecades – and is facing federalcharges that he ran an investmentscheme with unnamed co-con-spirators, bilking people out ofmillions. The charges weren’t re-lated to Lupas’ school districtwork, but federal agents did seekhis district bills back through2006. The school board has paidfor a forensic audit of legal billsdating back that far and is expect-ing to learn results this month,possibly at the work session orregular meeting this Monday andWednesday respectively.

The six months of bills re-viewed by The Times Leadershow that, along with his month-ly retainer of $2,115, Lupas sub-mitted 66 pages of bills datedfrom June 27 through Jan. 11,charging a total of $147,050 for917 hours of work. District Busi-

No dateslisted onbills fromLupasReview shows it is impossible

to tell how many hours he

billed.

By MARK GUYDISH

mguydish@timesleader.com

See LUPAS, Page 12A

Lupas

HANOVER TWP. – Vinyl win-dow maker Dove Industries Inc.notified its workers and thestate it will shut down nextweek and lay off106 people at itsplant on the Sans Souci Park-way.

Another plant the companyopened two years ago in Virginia

is scheduled to close and 52 peo-ple will lose their jobs.

Bruce Dove Jr., a company ex-ecutive and great grandson ofco-founder Phillip Dove, couldnot be reached for comment Fri-day.

In a layoff notice filed with thePennsylvania Department of La-bor and Industry on Wednesday,the company said it could notobtain financing to continue op-erations.

A worker who did not want tobe identified said she was told

Dove shutting down its Hanover Township facility

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Dove Industries in Hanover Township, a vinyl window manu-

facturer, is closing its doors Monday, laying off 106 people.

About 106 people will lose

their jobs. Company also

closing Virginia plant.

By JERRY LYNOTT

jlynott@timesleader.com

See DOVE, Page 12A

WILKES-BARRE – A 14-year-old boy fac-ing an undisclosed criminal charge in juve-nile court in connection to the April shoot-ing death of his friend, 14-year-old TylerWinstead, appeared in Luzerne County

Court for a second timeFriday.

Prosecutors and familymembers remained tight-lipped about what hap-pened in the closed-doorproceeding.

Elijah Yusiff, of Wilkes-Barre, appeared for a

court proceeding before Judge Tina Pola-chek Gartley. The hearing was listed on the

judge’s schedule as a disposition hearing,which is similar to a sentencing in adultcourt.

He previously appeared before the judgeat a May 30 hearing.

To reach a disposition hearing, a juvenilemust first appear at an adjudication hear-ing, where he or she may be declared a de-linquent.

Friend of teen shot to death back in courtHearing for Elijah Yusiff similar to

sentencing, but court, families mum.

By SHEENA DELAZIO

sdelazio@timesleader.com

Yusiff

See SHOOTING, Page 12A

User: rsheposh Time: 08-10-2012 23:40 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 08-11-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_f PageNo: 1 A Color: CMYK

C M Y K

PAGE 12A SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com➛ N E W S

A bartender at Liam’s Place,which Loughnane opened inApril 2006, confirmed that hewas out of the country and shedidn’t know of anyone autho-rized to speak on his behalf. Shesaid she didn’t know if Lough-nanewasaware thathis truckhadbeen impounded.A neighbor on West Liberty

Street said Friday she last sawLoughnane Sunday night. Shedeclined comment only to sayLoughnane is a “nice man.”Police called the truck a “vehi-

cle of interest” in the hit and runcrash that claimed the life of Re-becca McCallick, 19, on HazleAvenue on July 24.No charges have been filed and

police have not said who wasdriving the vehicle that struckMcCallick.City police Chief Gerard Des-

soye said Friday: “It is way tooearly to saywhat direction the in-vestigation is going.” The chiefsaid he would have to speak withDetective David Sobocinski tofind out how police located thetruck, whether by a tip or a town-shippoliceofficer spotting theve-hicle in Loughnane’s driveway.“We’re continuously following

up on any leads and tips we get,”Dessoye said. “How this particu-lar information was received?The detective has been followingup on leads since the crash hap-pened.”The truck was transported to

the basement garage at policeheadquarters on North Washing-ton Street. Police tape encircledthe truck in the basement.Loughnane was cited by state

police at Pocono with speedingwhile operating the Ford F350 onthe Northeast Extension of thePennsylvania Turnpike on Feb. 2,2009. He pleaded guilty and paida fine of $177.50, according tocourt records.McCallickwas struckbyavehi-

cle in front of her apartment at199 Hazle Ave. at about 2:23 a.m.on July 24. She died at GeisingerWyoming Valley Medical Center.A woman who lived nearby on

Hazle Avenue told reporters sheheard tires screeching as if the ve-hicle had stopped and suddenlydrove off, squealing its tires,when McCallick was struck.“It was definitely a peel, like

they were taking off,” Mary JeanHumphrey told reporters on July24.McCallick, a graduate of Crest-

wood High School in MountainTop, was entering her sopho-more year at King’s College inWilkes-Barre.

TRUCKContinued from Page 1A

nessManager Leonard Przywaranoted that some bills may havebeen for work done earlier in theyear. There were no bills datedfor December.Among the 66 pages of bills

there were 917 itemized chargeswith some description of thework performed. Yet only 21 ofthose 917 itemized charges – ascant 2.3 percent – includes adate showingwhen theworkwasdone.Lupas billed the most hours –

191 – for work on a bus contract,charging a total of $26,100. Thebulk of thatwas164 hours at a to-

tal of $24,600 for intensenegotia-tions that led to a last-minutecontract approval Aug. 24, daysbefore school started.Board member Christine Kat-

sock balked at the idea of votingfor a 10-page, 4-year contractwithout a chance to read it, butothermembers argued therewasno time to find an alternative.Katsock then called for an in-

ternal review of previous years oftransportation provided by thedistrict from2009 to the present.The board agreed, promptingmore work by Lupas, and – ac-cording to the bills – a review ofthe freshly-approved contractandwork clarifying the languagein it.The second biggest chunk of

itemized work involved KistlerElementary School. Lupas billed

163.5 hours at a cost of $21,825,almost all of which stemmedfrom problems with what theboard considered as unsatisfac-tory work done on a new side-walk guard rail and on the schoolboiler.Work on tax appeals tallied up

to 65.5 hours, the third biggestchunk of the six months of bill-ing, adding up to $11,825. Thatwork involved either researchingassessment appeals to deter-mine if the district should chal-lenge them, or challenging as-sessments. The bills note that inseveral instances the districtwonappeals, increasingassessedvalue on large properties andthus increasing tax payments.The high rate of billable hours

from both Lupas and then-assist-ant solicitor Ray Wendolowski –

combined, the two were paidmore the an $500,000 in 2011 –prompted the school board towork out an agreement makingWendolowski solicitor for thecurrent school year at a salary of$195,000 while dropping thepost of assistant solicitor.The price sparked sharp criti-

cism from frequent board criticBob Kadluboski, but the agree-ment requires Wendolowski todo almost all work requested bythe board with no extra charges,except reverse tax appeals (seek-ing to get an assessed value in-creased). Wendolowski will dothose on a contingency basis: Ifthe appeal is successful he gets apercentage of the increase in taxrevenue, otherwise he gets noth-ing.In addition to solicitor and as-

sistant solicitor costs, the dis-trict hired outside firms to han-dle special education cases,when a parent or guardian con-tends thedistrict isnotprovidingservices required under state orfederal law. Those cases almostalways result in a settlement thatincludes the district paying theattorney fees incurred by the par-ent.In the 2011-12 school year,

Wilkes-Barre Area spent $14,774for legal representation and an-other $15,500 for attorney fees.This year thedistrict has$30,000budgeted for special educationcases. The district has another$25,000 budgeted for any otherlegal fees.

LUPASContinued from Page 1A

Mark Guydish can be reached at

829-7161.

JOLIET, Ill. — The defense atDrew Peterson’s murder triallashed out at the believability of akey state witness on Friday, ac-cusing her of jazzing up her testi-mony to improve her odds ofprofiting from a movie and bookdeal.The sister of Kathleen Savio,

Peterson’s third wife, testifiedthat Savio once told her he hadput a knife to her throat, thenwarned her he could kill her andmake it look like an accident. Pe-terson, a former suburban Chica-gopoliceofficer, is accusedofkill-ing Savio in 2004.“She was terrified,” Susan Do-

mansaid, recallingher sister’s de-meanor when she recounted theincident.Peterson, 58, has pleaded not

guilty to first-degree murder. Sa-vio was found dead in her bath-tub with a gash on her head andher hair soaked in blood, thoughPeterson wasn’t charged until af-ter his fourth wife, Stacy Peter-son, disappeared in 2007. Peter-son isn’t charged in Stacy Peter-son’s disappearance.During cross examination, the

contract that Doman signed in2009was projected across a cour-troom screen. Defense attorneyJoe Lopez noted that it guaran-teed Doman at least $30,000 ifthe movie made it to theaters.The occasionally rattled Do-

man repeatedly insisted her pri-mary motive was to get word outabout victims of domestic vio-lence, saying her sister wasamong those victims.

Witness defendsher testimonyBy MICHAEL TARM

Associated Press

the plant would close Monday.The company began in 1945 in

North Hills. Dove Venetian BlindCo. was founded by Phillip Doveand his son Nathan.It evolved with the changing

marketplace into a window mak-er and relocated its operations toHanover Township from the Phi-ladelphia area in the early 1990s.A salesman who also did not

want to be identified said eventhough the company made agood product, it had trouble late-ly providing it to customers. Heestimated the company wouldhave between $11million and $12million in sales this year.“It was renowned as a fantastic

window, but internal problemsnever got solved,” he said.The company’s filing with the

state under the Worker Adjust-ment andRetrainingNotificationAct provided a peek at the prob-lems.“Dove Industries Inc. is a fal-

tering company which soughtnew capital or business in orderto stay open andwhere giving no-tice would ruin the opportunityto get the new capital or busi-ness,” the company said. “DoveIndustries Inc. was advised(Tuesday) that financing was nolonger available to continue itsoperations. The plant closing al-so is caused by unforeseen busi-ness circumstances.”The layoffs are permanent and

the employees have been notifiedindividually of their layoff date,the company said.Dove filed aWARNnoticewith

the Virginia Employment Com-mission on Wednesday as well,listing Monday as the impactdate of the plant closure.The company opened a manu-

facturing plant in Pulaski Countyin the southwestern part of thestate in 2010. At the time it said itwould create 100 new jobs andthe company was eligible forstate benefits and tax credit.Whether the company ever

created 100 jobs could not be de-termined Friday. There havebeen layoffs at the plant and, ac-cording to the WARN notice,there were 52 employees remain-ing.On top of the bad news of the

closings, the company early Fri-daymorning reported the theft oftwo trucks loaded with approxi-mately 175 windows from theSans Souci plant.The empty box trucks were lo-

cated on an access road off VistaDrive in the Honey Pot section ofNewport Township.

DOVEContinued from Page 1A

Tyler, of 121 Hill St., Wilkes-Barre, was found shot April 5 infront of117Hill St., where Yusifflived.An initiative to improve city

life began recently as a result ofthe youth’s death. The BuildingBridges initiative was bornwhen two Baptist ministers be-gan working with Mayor TomLeighton and the city to reducecrime and make the city saferfor youth.Yusiff is the only one who has

been charged in connectionwith Tyler’s death. Neither po-

lice nor prosecutors have fullydisclosedwhat theybelievehap-pened when Tyler was killed.District Attorney Stefanie Sa-

lavantis said Friday after the two-hour long hearing, which includ-ed discussions among attorneys,that she could not comment onthe proceeding because of statelaw.Assistant District Attorneys

MichelleHardik andMamiePhil-lips also attended Friday’s hear-ing, as well as Yusiff’s attorneys,Demetrius Fannick and CherylSobeski Reedy.Several members of Tyler’s

family attended the hearingwearing memorial shirts in hishonor that read, “Real love neverdies.”

Tyler’s grandparents andguardians,Willie andCarolGold-en, said theydidnotwish to com-ment after Friday’s hearing, nordidTyler’s parents, Christine andTerrence Winstead.A man and woman were seen

meeting with Sobeski Reedy af-ter the hearing. It is unknown ifthey are related to Yusiff, whowas wearing handcuffs as he wasled out of the courthouse by juve-nile probation officers.Salavantis has said because of

the nature of the charges and Yu-siff’s age, the case cannot be dis-cussed, and that a judge mustseal the record and make anyhearings closed to the public.If Yusiff were to be declared a

delinquent, he would face a dis-

position hearing, where a judgecould place him in a juvenile de-tention center until the age of 21,among other variations.Since the shooting, Yusiff’s

family has moved out of theWilkes-Barrehomeand relocatedto Monroe County.Yusiff told reporters the night

Tyler was shot that he heard agunshot and saw a man drivingaway in a red or burgundy, oldermodel Ford Taurus. Immediatelyafter the shooting, LuzerneCounty 911 broadcast a bulletinto be on the lookout for the vehi-cle.The search for the car has

since withered without any ex-planation from investigators orSalavantis.

SHOOTINGContinued from Page 1A

The Warren Haynes Band,

above, performs at the

Peach Music Festival on

Friday. The concert was held

at the Toyota Pavilion at

Montage Mountain. The

festival will continue today

with performances by local

favorites MiZ plus Railroad

Earth, the Wailers and the

Allman Brothers Band,

among many others. The

music begins at noon and is

scheduled to run until 2 a.m.

At right, the crowd gathers

for the festival. A weekend

wrap-up review of the festiv-

al will be published in Mon-

day’s Times Leader.

JASON RIEDMILLER PHOTOS/FOR FOR THE TIMES LEADER

PEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL OPENS

NEWYORK—Asurprisesurgeingasolineprices is takingsomeofthe fun out of summer.The national average for a gal-

lonofgasat thepumphasclimbedto$3.67, a riseof34cents sinceJu-ly1.An increase in crudeoil pricesand problems with refineries andpipelines in the West Coast andMidwest, including a fire in Cali-fornia, aremostly to blame.Analysts don’t expect gas prices

to get as high as they did in April,when 10 states passed $4 a gallonand theU.S. average toppedout at$3.94. But this is still unwelcome

news in this sluggish economy,sinceanyextramoneythatgoes tofill gas tanks doesn’t get spent onmovies and dinners out.The rising prices could also put

pressureonPresidentBarackOba-ma in the heat of his re-electioncampaign.When Phil Van Schepen recent-

ly went to fill up his dry-cleaningdelivery van in Coon Rapids,Minn., he found a Post-it note adriver before him had placed onthepump faultingObama for highgasoline prices.“It’s a reminder of his energy

policies overall, which I don’tagree with,” said Van Schepen,whobuysabout100gallonsaweekand findshe is spendingabout$40morethanhedidinearlyJuly.Still,hesaidthePost-it“wasabitmuch”because thepresident isn’t respon-sible for gasoline prices.

Analysts and economists agree,saying prices for crude oil andwholesale gasoline are set on fi-nancial exchanges around theworld based on supply and de-mandandexpectationsabouthowthose factorsmay change.The price at the pump in the

U.S. fellmorethan60centspergal-londuring the spring as the globaleconomy slowed and turmoil inthe Middle East seemed to sub-side.But crude oil is climbing again,

rising to $94 a barrel froma lowof$78inlateJune.Productionoutag-es in South Sudan and the NorthSea, Western sanctions that havecut the flow of Iranian oil, Iran’sthreat to block tankers passingthroughthevitalStraitofHormuz,and fears that theviolence inSyriacould escalate into awider region-al conflict have driven up oil pric-

es.Gas usually costs more in the

late spring and summer becauserefinershave tomakemoreexpen-

sive blends of gasoline to meetclean air rules and because thesummerdriving seasonboosts de-mand.

Rising gas prices hurt economic recovery and summer funPrices aren’t expected to get

as high as in April, when 10

states passed $4 a gallon.

By JONATHAN FAHEY

AP Energy Writer

AP PHOTO

High gas prices are posted at a gas station in Encino, Calif., Fri-

day.

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WEATHERNathaniel WrenPartly sunny, warm.High 68, low 44.Details, Page 10B

CHERRY BLOSSOM TIME?

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

Is it March orMay? With tem-

peratures in the60s and cherryblossoms bloomingon these trees onPublic Square inWilkes-Barre onWednesday, we’restarting to wonder.Today should beeven warmer, witha high of 73 pre-dicted locally.Check out the com-plete weather fore-cast on Page 10B.

WILKES-BARRE – An attorney who repre-sents 10 people allegedly defrauded by attor-ney Anthony Lupas Jr. is questioning why fed-eral prosecutors have not yet acted to arrestLupas on fraud charges.Gavin Lentz of Philadelphia said, based on

documents he has seen, prosecutors have am-ple evidence to charge Lupas with mail fraudand wire fraud. Allowing Lupas to remain freeputs his clients at greater risk that Lupas maytake action to shield assets, he said.“All of my clients are asking the U.S. attor-

ney to make an arrest before he flees or per-haps transfers more assets,” Lentz said.“There’s already enough information to arresthim for federal crimes, and we’re asking theyact.”Lentz said he has firsthand knowledge the

U.S. Secret Service and the state AttorneyGeneral’s Office are investigating Lupas for

Attorneywants tosee arrestPlenty of evidence exists to arrestAnthony Lupas Jr. on mail and wire fraudcharges, lawyer for alleged victims says.

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKERtmorgan@timesleader.com

See ATTORNEY, Page 12A

“All of myclients areasking theU.S. at-torney tomake anarrest be-fore heflees orperhapstransfersmore as-sets.”

Gavin LentzAttorney

representing 10people allegedly

defrauded

WILKES-BARRE – Wilkes-Barre Area School District re-cords show annual payments toformer solicitor Anthony Lupasskyrocketed in the last threeyears, increasing nearly six-foldafter 2008.In the three years prior, an-

nual payments to Lupas aver-aged a bitmore than $54,000. In2009 a rapid climbbegan,with a78 percent increase from 2008,another 72 percent increase in2010 and a 92 percent increasein 2011.

The increas-es were solarge and fastthat Lupaswas paid morein 2011 thanhe had beenpaid from2006 through

2009 combined. Lupaswas paid$99,750 in 2009, $171,507 in2010 and $328,956 in 2011.District payments to Lupas

have come under scrutiny byfederal agents, who inter-viewed Superintendent JeffNamey and Business ManagerLeonard Przywara on Tuesdayregarding the attorney’s workand bills.Lupas is under investigation

Lupas’ school districtbill spiked in 2011Annual payments to formersolicitor increased nearlysix-fold after 2008.

By MARK GUYDISHmguydish@timesleader.com

See BILL, Page 12A

Lupas

WILKES-BARRE – Juan Bor-bon said police have the wrongman.Borbon, 20, made the claim

minutes after he was arraignedWednesday on charges he nearlysevered the hand of a 15-year-oldboywith amachete during a fightoutside Wilkes-Barre Area’s GARHigh School last month.“KnowingBorbon is in custody,

our community can breath a littlebit easier,” Luzerne County Dis-trict Attorney Stefanie Salavantissaid.City police extradited Borbon,

address unknown, from PassaicCounty, N.J., where he was cap-tured onMarch1by the U.S.Mar-shals.

AssistantDistrict At-torney Ma-mie PhillipssaidBorbon,a native ofthe Domin-ican Repub-lic, refusedto providehis SocialSecuritynumber todetectives.

Police allege Borbon swung amachete that seriously injuredMarquis Allen, a freshman atGAR, during a fight at SouthGrant and Lehigh streets on Feb.9. Allen underwent surgery atGeisinger Wyoming Valley Medi-cal Center.

An alleged accomplice, YansyAbreu, 16, of Wyoming Street,Wilkes-Barre, was charged Feb.17with carrying the machete in abook bag before the fight.Borbon was arraigned by Dis-

trict Judge Rick Cronauer on twocounts eachof aggravated assault,simple assault and criminal con-spiracy, and a single count of reck-less endangerment. He was jailedattheLuzerneCountyCorrection-al Facility for lackof $150,000bail.Abreu is facing the same charg-

esandremains jailedat thecountyprison for lack of $250,000 bail.Phillips requested a higher bail

for Borbon, or equal to Abreu’s,claiming Borbon is a flight risk,has ties toNewJersey and theDo-

Police allege Juan Borbon swung a bladed weaponthat seriously injured a freshman at GAR on Feb. 9

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Juan Borbon, charged in a machete attack outside Wilkes-Barre Area’s GAR High School lastmonth, is taken to prison after failing to post bail Wednesday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre.

Machete suspect chargedBy EDWARD LEWISelewis@timesleader.com

See MACHETE, Page 9A

“KnowingBorbon is incustody, ourcommunitycan breath alittle bit eas-ier.”Stefanie SalavantisLuzerne County DA

HARRISBURG – A controver-sial new law requiring anyonecastingavote inastateelectiontoprovide one of a handful of validphoto identifications passed theHouse on Wednesday along amostly party-line vote.And it’s likely to impact voter

turnout locally,according tothe director ofthe LuzerneCounty Bureauof Elections.The vote

Wednesday, af-ter nearly threedays of conten-

tious debate, was 104-88, withthree Republicans joining everyone of the chamber’s 85 Demo-crats in opposing the bill. All 104votes in favorwere cast byRepub-licans. The Senate previously ap-proved thebill andGov.TomCor-bett signed it into law laterWednesday.Democratic legislators, the

AARP, League of Women Voters,American Civil Liberties Unionand other groups opposed thebill, expressing concerns that el-derly and minority voters couldbe adversely impacted.“Lookingat thepitfalls, it could

diminish turnout come Novem-ber,” said Leonard C. Piazza III,the director of the LuzerneCoun-ty Bureau of Elections. “Typical-ly, we have very high numbers forpresidential elections. But18 per-cent of elderly Pennsylvanians donot have photographic ID. That

Voter IDlaw hasmixedreactionSupporter say new legislationwill reduce fraud, but foes sayit will hurt elderly voters.

By ANDREWM. SEDERand STEVE MOCARSKYaseder@timesleader.comsmocarsky@timesleader.com

See VOTER, Page 12A

Corbett

PITTSBURGH — Data fromthe state show that many coun-ties don’t have any gas drillingwells tapping into the gas-richMarcellus Shale formation andmay never have any despite theproliferation of them elsewhere.U.S. Geological Survey maps

indicate the Marcellus Shale, arock formation thousands of feetunderground in large parts ofPennsylvania, New York, Ohioand West Virginia, doesn’t existin the heavily populated south-eastern portion of Pennsylvania.Almost 90 percent of the 5,000

shale wells drilled in the last sixyears are located in just 11 of the

Most Pa.counties aregas well-lessAlmost 90 percent of shalewells are located in just 11 ofthe state’s 67 counties.

By KEVIN BEGOSAssociated Press

See COUNTIES, Page 12A

User: jhealey Time: 03-15-2012 00:06 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 03-15-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_f PageNo: 1 A Color: CMYK

C M Y K

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WILKES-BARRE – Investorswho believe they were scammedby attorney Anthony J. Lupas Jr.may be able to recoup up to$100,000 of their losses from astate court fund that reimbursespersons who have been defraud-ed by an attorney.The Pennsylvania Lawyers

Fund for Client Security was es-tablished in 1982 to provide per-sons victimized by dishonest at-torneys a means to recoup theirlosses, said Frank Dougherty, anattorney with the Office of Dis-ciplinaryCounsel, which investi-gates allegations of wrongdoingby attorneys for the DisciplinaryBoard of the state SupremeCourt.The Supreme Court establish-

ed the fund, which is bankrolled

through a surcharge paid by allattorneys to address concernsthat peoplewhowere victimizedby unscrupulous attorneys hadfew options to recoup theirmon-ey, Dougherty said.“Years ago, if an attorney took

yourmoney and you couldn’t getit back, you could sue, but gener-ally they were judgment proof,”Dougherty said. “The court real-ized that was a serious problemand that the bar had to do some-thing to help these people getback at least some of what theirattorney had improperly taken.”The security fund paid out a

total of $2.1 million for 148claims that were filed during the2009-10 fiscal year, according toa copy of its annual report. Thatincluded $150,000 for a claim fil-edagainst formerLuzerneCoun-ty attorney Michael Bart, whopleaded guilty in 2008 to a feder-al wire fraud charge for stealingmoney from several clients.Lupas, 77, a prominent

Wilkes-Barre attorney, is understate and federal investigationfor allegedly bilking dozens of

people out of potentially mil-lions of dollars by falsely claim-ing he had invested their moneyin a trust fund, according attor-neysGavinLentz of Philadelphiaand Ernest Preate Jr. of Scran-ton, who represent some of thealleged victims.Attorney Robert Rovner of

Feasterville, chairman of theboard that oversees the securityfund, said it plays an importantrole in ensuring the public is pro-tected. Pennsylvania does not re-quire attorneys to carrymalprac-tice insurance.“While the number of lawyers

who misappropriate clients’funds is extremely small com-pared to the number of licensedattorneys, the actions of thosefew result in confidence in the le-gal profession being shaken,”Rovner said. “This fund helps re-store that confidence.”Rovner said claims canbe filed

against an attorney even if the at-torney has not been chargedwith a crime or faced disciplin-ary action. The investigation of

claims is made independent ofother probes that may be goingon.Several of Lupas’ alleged vic-

tims interviewed by The TimesLeader said they have submittedclaims against Lupas. Thoseclaims were filed in conjunctionwith a complaint filed with theOffice of Disciplinary Counsel,which has opened an investiga-tion, according to Lentz andPreate.The fund is overseen by board

of six attorneys and two lay per-sons. The Office of DisciplinaryCounsel can share information ithas uncovered with the securityfund board, but decisions togrant or deny a claim and theamount of money are made sole-ly by the board.Rovner said the average proc-

essing time for a complaint isnine to 12 months from the dateof filing.For more information on the

fund or to obtain a complaintform, visit www.palawfund.comor call 800-962-4618.

Fund may let investors recoup lost cashSeveral people believe theywere scammed by attorneyAnthony J. Lupas Jr.

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKERtmorgan@timesleader.com

allegedly stealing potentiallymillions through a bogus in-vestment scheme.Attempts to reach Lupas over

the past several days have beenunsuccessful.U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith

has declined to comment onwhether there is an investiga-tion. Told of Lentz’s criticismsWednesday, Smith again de-

clined comment.Federal law enforcement

agencies, including the SecretService and FBI, investigatecrimes, but it’s up to the U.S. At-torney’s Office to approvecharges.Federal agents have subpoe-

naed Lupas’ records from Lu-zerne Bank, where he held anaccount for his now-closed lawpractice, a source familiar withthe investigation said. It’s sus-pected those documents will bepart of evidence thatwill be pre-sented to a federal grand jury.

In federal cases, charges aretypically brought through thefiling of a criminal complaint orby presenting evidence to agrand jury, which determines ifthere is sufficient evidence to is-sue an indictment.If a complaint is filed, prose-

cutors can take a defendant intocustody immediately, pendingpresentment of the evidence toa grand jury.Lentz is pushing for prosecu-

tors to take that action. He be-lieves there is strong evidenceof mail fraud based on a docu-

ment, titled “agreement anddeclaration of trust,” Lupas pro-vided to his clients.The document, which con-

tains Lupas’ signature, pur-ports to establish a trust fund tohold the clients’ money. In real-ity, there is no trust fund, Lentzsaid.Lupas mailed those docu-

ments to his clients, which con-stitutes mail and wire fraud,Lentz said.“If I was a prosecutor, this guy

would already be locked up,”Lentz said.

ATTORNEYContinued from Page 1A

for alleged fraud in an invest-ment scheme unrelated to thedistrict, which has resulted inlawsuits filed on behalf of nu-merous people who claim hetook money promising high re-turns that never materialized.Asked Wednesday about the

steep legal fee increase, Nameysaid Przywara had brought it tohis attention about six or eightmonths ago.“Lenny cameover and saidwe

were way over budget, so wetook it to the board,” Nameysaid. “The board was coming upwith ways to address the issue.Originally, they were going toput a cap on legal spending.”But, Namey noted, “things

had changed as far as the legalwork being done.We are aggres-sively attacking some of the taxappeals wherewe believewe arelosing so much money.”The board also adopted a pol-

icy of having all contracts re-viewed by Lupas or assistant so-licitor Ray Wendolowski.“I want to make clear, I’m not

in any way justifying that hugean increase,” Namey said.Namey and Przywara also

confirmed that there are nowritten contracts with Lupas orWendolowski. On Tuesday,board member Christine Kat-sock said she had asked for con-tracts and was told there werenone.“They’ve never had contracts

as long as I’ve been here,”Przywara said, adding that he’sworked in the district for twodecades. The board would an-

nually reappoint Lupas andWendolowski, and set a retainer

fee, but not call for a contract, hesaid.

BILLContinued from Page 1A

$300,000

$250,000

$200,000

$150,000

$100,000

$50,000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

$56,878 $50,100 $55,979

$99,750

$171,507

$328,956

Source: Wilkes-Barre Area School District Mark Guydish/The Times Leader

SCHOOL DISTRICT PAYMENTS TO ANTHONY LUPASWilkes-Barre Area School District records show annual payments to former solicitorAnthony Lupas rose nearly sixfold in the last three years.

could have a big impact. That isthe primary voting block here.”The requirement has caught

the attention of those who carefor the elderly.Ann Marie Pfiel, the adminis-

trator at Providence Place Retire-ment Community in ButlerTownship, said that facility hasn’tdecided what it will do to accom-modate residents.“We’dhave towait andseewhat

happens. I’m sure we would helpthem in someway,whether itwasissuing IDs or assisting them inobtaining one,” she said.

Democratic oppositionLocal House Democrats derid-

ed the bill, saying it will be costlyto implement – some estimate itcould cost up to $11million – andwas unnecessary because therehas been little documented voterfraud requiring this action.They also argued that the law

would frustrate voters and disen-franchise them, causing lowervoter turnout in future elections.“(Leonard) Piazza informed

me that in his entire career he hasnot received a single complaint ofvoter fraud,” saidRep.GerryMul-lery, D-Newport Township. “Thesystem isn’t broken, and it cer-tainly doesn’t need a fix like this.”ButRep.TarahToohil,R-Butler

Township, said“Pennsylvaniahashad a long history of voter fraud”and “any money spent to protectthe voting process is money wellspent.”Democrats were unrelenting in

their stance that not only isn’tfraud widespread, but it’s nearlynonexistent.“Election fraud is a myth.

There have only been four convic-tions for voter fraud out of 20mil-lion votes cast in Pennsylvaniasince 2004,” said Rep. Eddie DayPashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre. “Thisbill is putting a roadblock be-tween voters and the ballot box.It’s a big government restrictionin search of a problem.”Republicans disagreed, saying

that voter fraud, even if it’s justone vote, should be avoided at allcosts.Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler,

the bill’s sponsor, noted that,“Currently in Pennsylvania it isimpossible toboardacommercialairplane, cash a paycheck, oper-ate a motor vehicle or even pur-chase prescription eyeglasseswithout displaying a valid photoID.“Guaranteeing the integrity of

our state’s election process andensuring that no vote will be can-celed out by the forces of corrup-tion deserves no less than equalprotection under the law.”While Democrats allege that

thebill is aGOPploy tohurtDem-ocratic turnout, Dr. Agapito Lo-pez, a spokesman for the Latinocommunity in Hazleton, said hethinks the resultswill be theexactopposite.“I think it will affect the older

Pennsylvanians. I have seenmanymore older Pennsylvanians (atthe polls) who are not Latino …There are many Republican vot-erswhoareolder seniorcitizens. Ithink if it’s the Republicans whoaredoing this, it’sgoing tobounceback on them.”

Boback supports IDsRep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys

Lake, also said the idea that thebill will hurt voter turnout is pat-ently false.“There are many instances in

ourmodern society duringwhichan individual must furnish a pho-to ID, so it is absurd to argue thislegislation will disenfranchiseanyone,” Boback said.“The authors of the legislation

have gone to great lengths to en-sure that anyone who wants tovote will be able to participate inelections,” she added. “The legis-lation even includes ameasure re-quiring PennDOT to provide freeIDs. It also includes the use ofidentification beyond what thestate issues, to include collegeIDs, military identification andcredentials issued by long-termcare facilities.”Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca,

vehemently objected to penaliz-ing poll workers with criminalcharges for failing to demand ID.“I’m not prepared to place an

added burden and possible crimi-nal penalties on our precious fewpolling place workers who nowface the prospect of turning awayvoters whom they may haveknown for decades.”Rep. Sid Kavulich, D-Taylor,

said there justwasn’t “enoughevi-dence of widespread voter fraudin the commonwealth that weshould be making it harder forpeople to vote, especially seniorcitizens and those with physicaldisabilities.”According to the Pennsylvania

Department of Transportation,nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanianslack photo ID, with half of thembeing senior citizens.One of the provisions added to

the bill would permit a photo IDissued by a nursing home, assist-ed living home or personal carehome in Pennsylvania couldmean those sorts of facilitiescould find themselves eithertransporting residents to a statedrivers licensing center or creat-ing their own photo IDs for resi-dents.Rep. Phyllis Mundy said the

money that will be spent imple-menting the new law could havebetter used in supporting stateprograms seeing severe budgetscuts.

VOTERContinued from Page 1A

Details of Pa. bill to require voterphoto IDsHOUSE BILL 934A person voting must show ID. Theacceptable forms of ID must becurrent, show the individual’sname, photograph, expiration dateand be issued by:• The U.S. government, stategovernment or a municipal orcounty government in Pennsylva-nia.• PennDOT.• An accredited public or privateinstitution of higher learning inPennsylvania.• A nursing home, assisted livinghome or personal care home inPennsylvania.Exceptions include:• Non-photo driver’s license or IDcards issued by PennDOT forvoters who have a religious ob-jection to being photographed.• A PennDOT ID expired within thepast year.• U.S. armed forces IDs that showan indefinite expiration date.• Absentee-ballot voters, whomay provide their driver’s licensenumber or, if they do not have alicense, the last four digits of theirSocial Security number.People without proper ID may:• Cast a provisional ballot onelection day and within six dayssubmit a valid photo identificationto county elections officials inperson or by e-mail or fax.

B I L L D E TA I L S

state’s 67 counties, according tostate data compiled by the Po-well Shale Digest, a specialtytradenewsletter. BradfordCoun-ty, in the northeast part of thestate, has the most, at 1,008, fol-lowed by Tioga, also in thenorthern region, with 693.In the southwestern part of

the state, Washington Countyhas the most wells, with 560.Most of the wells were drilled

in the last two years: 2,046 last

year, and 1,644 the year before.But the Shale Digest notes thenumber may drop this year.“Given that Marcellus drilling

activity in Pennsylvania is slow-ing in 2012 in response to de-pressed natural gas prices, it willbe most interesting to see howthis year stacks up compared tothe others,” the March 12 issuenoted.Travis Windle, a spokesman

for the Marcellus Shale Coali-tion, an industry group, said peo-ple all over the state and the re-gion benefit from the lower ener-gy costs that have accompaniedthe boom.

COUNTIESContinued from Page 1A

Allegheny .......................................9Armstrong ...................................112Beaver ..............................................1Bedford ............................................1Blair .................................................6Bradford .................................1,008Butler ..........................................109Cambria ..........................................6Cameron .......................................14Centre ..........................................58Clarion .........................................20Clearfield ....................................136Clinton .........................................85Columbia ........................................3Elk .................................................58Fayette ........................................185Forest ..............................................6Greene ........................................415Huntingdon ....................................2

Indiana .........................................43Jefferson .....................................26Lackawanna ...................................2Lawrence ........................................2Luzerne ..........................................2Lycoming ...................................473McKean ........................................53Potter ...........................................76Somerset .......................................19Sullivan ..........................................41Susquehanna ...........................462Tioga ..........................................693Venango ...........................................1Warren ............................................2Washington ..............................560Wayne .............................................4Westmoreland .............................191Wyoming ......................................98

PA . C O U N T I E S , N U M B E R O F D R I L L I N G S I T E S

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