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8/4/2019 Times Leader 09-15-2011
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VICKS BACK INTHE ATL
Michael Vick will bereturning to Atlanta for thesecond time since his re-lease from prison. Unlike twoyears ago, when he threwfor one touchdown and ranfor another in a backup role,hes now the starting quar-
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NATIONALS 2
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PIRATES 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
BLUE JAYS 5
RED SOX 4
ORIOLES 6
RAYS 2
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WILKES-BARRE, PA THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 50timesleader.com
The Times Leader709085
$50 VOUCHERFOR ONLY$25
Obama touts jobs billbenefits for small business
NATION & WORLD, 5A
The presidentmakes his pitch
Get ready for cozy knits, longskirts, splashes of warm hues
LIFE, 1C
Fall fashion isabout comfort
INSIDEA NEWS: Local 3A
Nation & World 5AObituaries 8AEditorial 13A
B SPORTS: Scoreboard 2BMLB 3BBusiness 8BStocks 9B
C LIFE: Birthdays 3CTV/Movies 6CCrossword 7C
D CLASSIFIED: Funnies 16D
WEATHERMacKenzie Sheehy
Rain, breezy, colder.
High 62. Low 40.
Details, Page10B
The water depth gauge in Wilkes-Barre crucial for officiallevels of the Susquehanna Riverdidnt malfunction before theflood level reached a crest, as
thought it wasnt even capableof reading higher than 38.5 feet.Andcountyofficialsdid notknowthat.
The river crested at a record42.66 feet at 3 a.m. Friday, hoursafter an erroneous 38.7 foot crestwas announced.
Initially the 4-foot gap wasblamed on a malfunctioninggauge. But Bob Hainly, assistantdirector for the U.S. GeologicalSurvey Pennsylvania Water Sci-
ence Center, said Wednesday thegauge merelyreachedits capacity.
The stream gauge did not fail,it juststoppedworking whenit re-ached its limit, Hainly said.
He noted the gauge stopped working when the river reached38.5 feet, a levelthe gaugecontin-uously reported to the NationalWeather Service from8:15p.m. towhen it stopped recording river
FLOOD OF 2011: RECOVERY
Official: River gauge hit its limit
DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER
The interior ofthe gauging
station on theSusquehanna
River at Wilkes-
Barre. The sta-tion had water
just about 4inches higher
than the graybox on the left.
County didnt know 38.5 feet
was as high as device could
read. River reached 42.66.
ByEDWARDLEWIS
See GAUGE, Page 14A
NANTICOKE -- Lines formed outsidethe Federal Emergency ManagementAgencys temporary trailer at LuzerneCounty Community College on Wednes-
day morning as flood victims began theprocess of seeking financial help to get
back into their homes, businesses andjobs.FEMA will have staff on hand seven
days a week at the relief center on theLCCC campus, first in the trailer locatedbehindthe PublicSafetyBuildingon Pros-pect Street and then in more permanentquarters.
FEMA, the Pennsylvania EmergencyManagement Agency and other state
agencies will move to theAdvanced Tech-nology Center across Prospect Street be-hind theLCCC ConventionCenter on Fri-day.
MikeSweet,FEMAs publicinformationofficer, said on Wednesday people
CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER
People affected by the flood line up on the campus of LCCC in Nanticoke waiting to speak with FEMA representatives Wednesday. Some of the first people in line wereMarie Hale (seated) and Betty Norris, both of Shickshinny.
Flood victims line up to request help from FEMAFederal agency set up a temporary
office on the campus of LCCC.
ByBILLOBOYLE
See FEMA, Page14A
BLOOMSBURG Theflooding that devastatedcommunities along the Sus-quehanna River last weekforcedthe cancellationof theBloomsburgFair forthe time
in 157 years.Fair boardmembers voted
Wednesday against holdingthe event that was to run
from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.It was lots of reasons,
saidboardmemberRod Ral-ston. There was too muchat stake negatively to haveit.
Nearly $1 million in prop-erty damage, liability issues,
Bloomsburg Fair fallsvictim to flood of 2011Damage just too much,
forcing cancellation of the
event for the first time.
By JERRY LYNOTT
See FAIR, Page 2A
WEST PITTSTON Upstreamand downstream, residents andbusiness owners were continuingto put their lives back in order Wednesday, nearly a week after
Susquehanna River floodwatersdevastated parts of the WyomingValley.
Somelosthomes, some lost busi-nesses, some lost both.
But thanks tothe supportof fam-ily and friends,strangers and neigh-bors, many residents are able
Family, friends there to help
DON CAREY / THE TIMES LEADER
Dr. Henry Bilder a
chiropractor, talksabout the flood in
his devastatedWest Pittston
office Wednesday.In addition to
losing most of hisprofessional pos-
sessions, his
home a fewblocksaway also sus-
tained damage.
ByANDREWM. SEDER
See LOSS, Page 6A
Flood insurance Page 2A Marino surveys damage Page 3A Electronics disposal Page 3A Looting in W-B Page 3A Problems with shelters Page 8A Help for businesses Page 8B
M O R E I N S I D E
8/4/2019 Times Leader 09-15-2011
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PAGE 2A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
Adonizio, John Sr.Benton, Martha
Blaine, Sylvia
Blazejewski, JosephBosha, MaryBrown, EdmundCizewksi, Mary
Coughlin, DonaldHedden, Richard
Kashulon, Vincent Jr.Kemrite, Oline
Kennedy, John Jr.Lomma, Ralph
Perrego, DelphinePrula, DannyRemaley, CarlSamuels, KitVoyack, Mary
OBITUARIES
Page 2A, 8A
DUETO INCORRECT IN-FORMATION provided by aborough council member, astory on Page1A of Wednes-days Times Leader misidenti-fied the government agencythat built the levees protect-ing Duryea from the Lacka-wanna River. The levee wasconstructed by the Pennsylva-nia Department of Environ-mental Resources, the prede-
cessor of the Department ofEnvironmental Protection, in1967.
BUILDING
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HARRISBURG Two player
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Lottery officials said 121players matched four num-bers and won $116.50 eachand 3,453 players matchedthree numbers and won$6.50 each.
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+(ISSN No. 0896-4084)USPS 499-710
Issue No. 2011-257
JohnRosa KennedyJr.,16,of Ber- wick, concluded his journey in
this life Sunday, September11, 2011,while on a family vacation in Okee-chobee, Fla. Born October17, 1994,in Mocanaqua, he was a son of Sta-cey Crisswell, and step-father JonCrisswell, and John Rosa KennedySr. and step-mother Kimberly Ken-nedy. John was attending BerwickArea High School.
Preceding himin death arepater-nal grandmother Barbara Kennedy,Jersey City, N.J.; maternal great-grandparents, Helen and JamesSlusser; and Ruth Blackwell,Wilkes-Barre; and cousin CourtneyEngle, Nanticoke.
In additionto his parents, hewillbe sadly missed by sister, AshleyMarie Kennedy; step-sister, TiffanyBurk, and her husband, Robert;step-brothers, Kevin Crisswell, A.J.Vandermark, Mason Vandermark,and Gabriel Vandermark; maternalgrandparents, James and Sharon
Dorris, Okeechobee, Fla.; paternalgrandfather,Julio Rosa,Jersey City,N.J.; as well as numerous aunts, un-cles, great-aunts, greatuncles, cou-sins and his dog, JD.
He was loved dearly and will begreatlymissedby hisfamilyand biggroup of friends.
A Memorial Mass will be an-nounced at a later date.
John Rosa Kennedy Jr.September 11, 2011
Donald OBrien Coughlin, 78, of Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort,
died Wednesday morning, Septem-ber 14, 2011, at the Wilkes-BarreGeneralHospital.Born in Kingston,hewasa sonofthelateAtty.DonaldO. Coughlin and the late MargaretPerrin Coughlin.
He graduated from WyomingSeminary in 1951 and Duke Univer-sity in 1957. He served as a careerofficer in the U.S. Marine Corps,serving two tours of duty in Viet-nam. He retired in 1977 after 20yearsof servicewitha rankof Major.
Donald wasan avid gardener anddevoted caretaker of his dog, Blue,who could do no wrong.
Preceding him in death are hissisters Nancy J. Coughlin and Bar-
bara R. Derkacz; and nephew FrankG. Darte III.Surviving are his sister Lorna C.
Darte,Forty Fort;brother-in-lawMi-chael A. Derkacz; nieces and neph-ews, Michael, Todd and StephenDerkacz, Dona and Myra, and Nan-cy and Paula Darte; cousin PriscillaR. Williams; and many more cou-sins; as well as a grandniece, SarahDarte, and her mother, Rita, a veryspecial friend.
Private Military FuneralService will be held at the
convenience of the family from theHughB. Hughes& SonInc. FuneralHome, 1044 Wyoming Ave., FortyFort. The interment will be in FernKnoll Burial Park, Dallas. FamilyandFriendsmaycall from2 to4 and7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeralhome.
In lieu of flowers, memorial con-
tributions, if desired, can be madetotheSPCA orthecharityofthedo-nors choice.
Donald OBrien CoughlinSeptember 14, 2011
Vincent J. Kashulon Jr., of Hiking Trail, Raleigh, N.C., passedaway peacefully Saturday, Septem-ber10,2011,at theHospiceof WakeCounty. Born July 2, 1943, inWilkes-Barre, Mr. Kashulon was agraduate of Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus, where hewas a member of the Keystone So-ciety, and received a bachelors de-gree from Wilkes College.
Heservedin the109thFieldArtil-lery during the Vietnam Conflictand was a member of the AmericanLegion, Post Number 672, Dallas.Mr. Kashulon retired in 2002 fromthe U.S. Postal Service InformationSystems, Washington, D.C.
Vincent is survivedby his belovedwife, Gail Janine; his mother, Mrs.Jule Kashulon, Sugar Notch; moth-er-in-law,Mrs. Elizabeth(Betty) La-moreux,Dallas;sisters, Ms.CarolynBelcastro, Wilkes-Barre, and Mrs.Mary Ann Stavetski and husband
Peter, of Lily Lake; brother-in-lawWilliam Lamoreux and wife, Debo-rah, Centermoreland; nephews,JamesBelcastro andfiance, Rebec-ca Brewer, of Ivoryton, Conn.; Brad
Lamoreux and fiance, Sharon Jen-kin, of Tunkhannock; David Lamo-reux of Clarks Summit; and RonaldStavetski, Lily Lake; as well as aniece, Sandra Balogh and husbandChas, of Mountain Top.
The family would like to thankthestaffof thePrestonRobertTischBrain Tumor Center at Duke Uni- versity, Durham, N.C., and mem-bers of Duke Raleigh Oncology fortheir care and compassion duringVincentscourageousbattleover thelast four years.
Friends may call from 2 to 4p.m. Saturday at the Richard
H. Disque Funeral Home Inc., 672Memorial Hwy., Dallas.
Memorial Contributions may bemade to the A. E. Finley YMCA,9216 Baileywick Road, Raleigh, NC27615; or the Hospice of WakeCounty, 250 Hospice Circle, Ra-leigh, NC 27607.
Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angles sing thee to thyrest.
Condolences may be sent to thefamily at: www.BrownWynne.com.
Vincent J. Kashulon Jr.September 10, 2011
MarthaJaneBenton, 79, of
Kingston andformerly ofExeter, passedaway Tuesday,September 13,2011, in theHospice Com-
munity Care Unit, Dunmore.Born in Carbondale, she was a
daughter of the late George andHazle Horn McMahon. She waseducated in the Carbondaleschools. Prior to her retirement,she was employed at Leslie Fay.She was a member of St. Ignatiusof Loyola Parish and the Interna-tional Ladies Garment WorkersUnion.
She was preceded in death byher husband, Donald R. BentonSr.; daughter Pamela Stolarski;and several brothers and sisters.
Surviving are children Hazel M.Richards, Bushkill; Beverly Quinn
and her husband, Ronald, Kingston;Donald R. Benton Jr. and his wife,JoAnn, Exeter; and Cheryl Urbanov-ich and her husband, Joseph, Clark,N.J.; son-in-law, James Stolarski, West Wyoming; 11 grandchildren;five great-grandchildren; as well asnieces and nephews.
Funeral serviceswill be held at 9a.m. Saturday from the Metcalfe andShaver Funeral Home Inc., 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming, with aMass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m.in St. Ignatius of Loyola ParishChurch, Kingston. Interment will bein the Mount Olivet Cemetery, Carv-erton. Friends may call from 5 to 8p.m. Friday.
Memorial contributions may bemade to Hospice Community Care,601 Wyoming Ave., Kingston, PA18704-3701.
Martha Jane BentonSeptember 13, 2011
Mary (Flo-rence) Cizew-ski, 85, of Po-cono Lake,passed awayMonday, Sep-tember 12 ,2011, at the La-keside Nursing
Center, Dallas.She was born in Wilkes-BarreTownship on February 23, 1926, adaughter of the late Joseph andStella Siedzienewski Zisko. She was a graduate of Wilkes-BarreTownship High School, class of1944.
Prior to retirement in 1983, shehad been employed as a purchas-ingofficerwiththe PontiacSchoolDistrict in Pontiac, Mich. She wasa volunteer for Meals On Wheelsin Monroe County and was a for-mermemberof theMonroeCoun-ty Womens Club in Pocono Lake.
She was preceded in death byher husband of 58 years, Joseph S.
Cizewski, in 2006. She was also pre-ceded in death by her sisters, EdithChapko, StellaZisko, JeanneBradleyand Helen Milewski; and brothers,Walter, Benjamin and Ignatius Der-mako; and Joseph, Alfred and JohnZisko.
Surviving area brother, Louis Der-mako, Salem, N.Y.; and numerous
nieces and nephews.Funeral Services will be held at10:30 a.m. Friday morning from theNat& GawlasFuneralHome,89ParkAve., Wilkes-Barre, with the Rev.John S. Terry, pastor of Our Lady ofHope Parish, Wilkes-Barre, officiat-ing. Interment will be in St. MarysCemetery, Hanover Township.Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. to-day at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may bemade to the charity of the donorschoice.
Onlinecondolencesmaybesent towww.natandgawlasfuneralhome-.com.
Mary CizewskiSeptember 12, 2011
More Obituaries,Page8A
Commissioners advisethose affected by flooding
HANOVER TWP. -- Commis-sioners said residents and
businesses that have receivedany damage from last weeksflooding should contact thattownships emergency manage-ment office.
Commissioners said Hanov-er Township Emergency Man-agement Coordinator DaveLewis can be reached at 825-1250. Residents can pick updamage assessment forms atthe municipal building 7:30a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday throughFriday.
Commissioners advisedresidents to take photos andprovide a damage descriptionalong with an estimate to re-pair the property or structureto pre-flood conditions. Resi-dents are also encouraged toprovide any flood insuranceinformation.
The information will be usedto help the township secureany funding to aid residents.
In other business, the com-missioners waived the buildingpermit fees for the next 30days beginning Sept. 13 for anyresidents who are forced tomake repairs due to flood dam-age.
-- Scott Gomb
W. Wyoming praisesresponders, engineer
WEST WYOMING -- AtMondays meeting, councilapplauded the efforts of theboroughs emergency respon-
ders and borough engineerMike Amato for their tirelessefforts during the recent flood-
ing.We had many citizens who
came to the aid of their friendsand neighbors, said councilpresident Eileen Cipriani.
Even children pitched in tohelp out. A group of four kids
held a lemonade stand to raisefunds for cleaning supplies,and Boy Scout Troop 366helped fill sand bags, Ciprianiadded.
Council also thanked theLighthouse Inn, Januzzis Piz-za, Marianaccis Restaurantand Jackson Township FireDepartment for donating foodand beverages for the emergen-cy responders and KrasavageConstruction for assisting withflood control measures.
About a dozen homes onSwetland Lane, Anthony Driveand the lower part of TrippStreet sustained flooding onthe first floor and basements.Several Swetland Lane resi-dents asked council what couldbe done in the future to controlthe flooding.
Council said the flooding onthose streets happen when thelevee gates are closed, whichcauses Abrahams Creek toback up.
Council said the only solu-tion would be to install apumping station. Amato saidthe borough has wanted apumping station in that areafor years, but the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers has reject-ed the requests, citing the costoutweighed the benefit.
Borough secretary Ray Gus-tave assistance is available toflooding victims.
Residents should call the
borough office at (570) 693-1311 to report damage.
--Camille Fioti
MEETINGS
Gary Slusser Jr. took a break Wednesday morning from clear-ing the mud-caked debris fromhisWestPittstonhome to callhisinsurance agent and make an im-portant addition to the policieshe carries: f lood insurance.
Its a call henowwisheshe hadmade30 days earlier.That wouldhave ensured his Linden Streethome had coverage for the unex-pectedwallof river waterthat de-stroyed the furnace,water heaterand electrical panel in his fin-ished basement, as well as thehardwood flooring on his firstfloor,which got3 inchesof water.
Like many property owners,Slusser believed he didnt needflood insurance;others incorrect-ly thought they were ineligiblefor the coverage.
Slussers not sure yet how hesgoing to pay for the estimated$60,000 in repairs. But hes mak-ing sure he never has to do itagain.
Im paying for this out of myown pocket, he said. I dont ev-er want to deal with this again.
Slussers call was one of scoresof inquiries Richard Gazenski ofHobanInsurance in Wilkes-Barre
said he fielded Wednesday ashomeowners raced to obtainflood insurance in the wake last weeks flooding that damagedthousands of homes and busi-nesses in Luzerne and surround-ing counties.
In the past three days wevewritten about a dozen policies,Gazenski said. Thats quite alot.
Frank Crossin of the CrossinAgency said he has also beenbombarded with calls.
I issued12 to 15 new policies,and10for peoplewho wereprevi-
ously with us who want to makesure they get their policy back inforce, Crossin said.
The National Flood InsuranceProgram insured more than 5.6million homes and businessesnationwide as of July 31, 2011,in-cluding 67,045 in Pennsylvaniaand 8,983 in Luzerne County, ac-cording to Federal EmergencyManagement Agency.
Slusser, 40, is among numer-ous flood victims interviewed byThe Times Leader over the pastweek who said they did not be-lieve they needed flood insur-ance because their mortgageholders did not require them tohave it.
Other residents and businessowners told the newspaper theydid not believe they could getflood insurance because they were renters, or because theirproperty was located outside theflood plain.
Neither of those assumptionsistrue,said Mike Sweet,a FEMAspokesman.
Anyone can get flood insur-ance, Sweet said. The onlytime you cant get flood insur-ance is if the community (inwhich you are located) does notparticipate in the National FloodInsurance program.
All communities within Lu-zerne County participate, saidMichelle Harel, a spokeswomanfor the flood insurance program.For most homeowners the deci-
sion to carry flood insurance isoptional, however.
Those who are in special haz-ard zones areas that flood fre-quently are usually required bytheir mortgage holder to haveflood insurance. There is no re-quirement for those who donthave a mortgage or whoreside inpreferred zones those outsidethe flood plain or in areas pro-tected by a levee.
Premiums for insurance varydependingon wherea property islocated. Thosein preferred zonespay the least, while those in haz-
ard areas pay more. Coveragedoes not take effect until 30 daysafter the policy has been pur-chased.
In Slussers case, he said henever thought about carryingflood insurance becausehe didntthink his home, which was notimpacted by 1972s Agnes flood,was at risk.
Gazenski saidthatsunderstan-dable. Theproblem is homeown-ers fail to realize that f loodingisnt only caused by rivers.Waterrunoff from creeks and streamsalso can causeextensivedamage.
You saw what happened inPlymouth not too long ago, Ga-zenski said, referring to a July 3flash flood that caused CoalCreek to overflow and damageproperties in Plymouth Boroughand Plymouth Township.
The visions of Agnes fading,Crossin said he has also seenmany people who live near thelevee system drop their insur-ance after the Army Corps of En-gineers raised the dikes severalyears ago.
Its not like homeowners orauto insurance, which you knowyou need. A lot of times the riveris so low you can walk across it.Youtend toforget what a difficultand nasty river it is, he said.
Many of those people are nowcalling his office to restore theirpolicies after enduring a scare asthe river crested at 42.66 feet,less than 2 feet shy of the 44 foot
maximum levee height.Its thewholeoutof sight,out
of mind, thing.Youpay forinsur-ance for 30 years and dont needit, then in the 31st year you needit, he said.
Gazenski said he has also got-ten calls from people who wantto restore their flood coverage.His advice to them: Do it now.
As memories fade, some peo-plewill say Im goingtogetit andforget, he said. If people donthave it now, it they wait four orfive weeks, theyre not going toget it.
Flood policies in vogueArea agents say flooding hasmotivated many to seek
coverage. Anyone can get it.
ByTERRIEMORGAN-BESECKER
sanitation and neighbors con-cerns all were considered whenthe 13-member board met for ap-proximately 90 minutes.
This is one of those decisionsthat youre damned if you do anddamned if you dont, said Ral-ston, who has been fair secretaryfor 28 years.
The town of Bloomsburg willlose approximately $150,000 inamusementtax revenue from thefair and vendors have already
bought their supplies, butpeopleon Third Street that runs next tothe fairgrounds didnt want it tobe held, Ralston explained.
Highwatersfrom theriverandFishing Creek inundated thegrounds andleft behindmud, de-bris and destruction when theyreceded.
Volunteers have been cleaningupthe property andwillcontinueto do so.
Bill Barrett, another boardmember, called it a tough deci-sion.
Herented a truck toattempt toloadequipmentin itas thewatersbegan to rise.
Iwasthe last one toleave andthe first one to go in, he said.
The water was up to the floor-board of the truck and he had toturn back Thursday. The next
morningyou couldnt even getinthere, said Barrett, who is incharge of traffic police and park-ing.
Some events are scheduled forlater in the year at the fair-grounds,and thereis thepossibil-ity that some type of winter festmight be held, Barrett said.
He and other board membersare looking ahead to 2012.
Next years fair should be thebiggest fair we ever have, saidBarrett.
FAIRContinued from Page1A
FORTY FORT The boroughhas scheduled an opportunityfor residents to get rid of old orunwanted white goods at nocost.
Residents must bring the itemto the Borough Garage, locatedat the rear of the WyomingAvenue Park (accessible byvehicle off of Shook Place viaMyers Street). Residents mustprovide proof of residency and/or identification. Dates andtimes are10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m.to noon Saturday.
Acceptable items include:refrigerators, freezers, washingmachines, dryers, ovens, stoves,ranges, dishwashers, micro-waves, water heaters and lightiron less than1/4 inch thick and
2 feet by feet (for example, bikeframes, pots and pans, metalhangers). All Freon must beremoved prior to drop-off.
MUNICIPAL BRIEF
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C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 PAGE 3A
LOCAL
timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE
River Street closedRiver Street in both directions be-
tween the North Cross Valley Express-way and Chestnut Street near Wilkes-Barre General Hospital will be closedafter a stone culvert adjacent to a tem-porary bridge was found to have beenundermined by flood waters, the Penn-sylvania Department of Transportationsaid.
The stone culvert to the bridge thatis being replaced, adjacent to the tem-porary bridge, was washed away.
PLAINS TWP.
Valley Crest for victims?The American Red Cross has showninterest in leasing space for a long-termshelter for flood victims at the formerValley Crest nursing home from Lu-zerne County.
County Director of Purchasing FrankPugliese Jr. told the commissioners attheir work session on Wednesday thatWayne Wolfe, director of Staffing andVolunteer Services for the Red CrossWyoming Valley Chapter, contacted hisoffice regarding the possibility.
Later that afternoon, Wolfe told TheTimes Leader that he and Red CrossRegional CEO Ed Winters met withcounty officials on-site after the com-missioners meeting because the RedCross is re-evaluating our needs forlong-term shelter every day. But, he
said, looking at Valley Crest was justpart of our process that we go throughconstantly.
Wolfe said the Red Cross providesshort-term shelter for emergencies andthe Federal Emergency ManagementAgency is normally responsible forlong-term shelter. But the Red Crosscould step in to provide long-term careif a determination was made that it wasneeded. Wolfe said he didnt have atimeframe for such a determination.
Red Cross Regional CEO Ed Wintersstressed that whether or not FEMAtakes over shelter provisions, the RedCross will continue to make sure noone is left outside of the shelteringsystem if they need it.
PLYMOUTH TWP.
Support offered at TilburyA support unit from Northeast Coun-
seling will be at the Plymouth Town-ship Volunteer Fire Co.s Tilbury Sta-tion on East Poplar Street in WestNanticoke today and Friday from 10a.m. to 7 p.m. to aid flood victims. Thetownship is also looking for volunteersto organize a clothing drive.
Call 779-5388 for more information.
NANTICOKE
LCCC commemorates 9-11Because of recent flooding, Luzerne
County Community College has res-cheduled its Sept. 11th 10-year remem-brance ceremony for Saturday at 10a.m., at the Colleges Walk of Honor at
the Regional Public Safety TrainingCenter.
An open house of the LCCC Region-al Public Safety Training Center will beheld after the ceremony. The event isfree and open to the public.
TUNKHANNOCK
Hope for TunkhannockTide Loads of Hope, a mobile laun-
dromat sponsored by the P&G brandlaundry detergent Tide, will offer freelaundry service to flood victims in theparking lot of the Walmart on StateRoute 29 beginning at 8 a.m. today,according to Tides Facebook page.
The program provides relief to disas-ter victims by means of a mobile laun-dromat housing 32 washers and driers
in a truck and a fleet of vans. Tiderepresentatives will wash, dry and foldclothes for families affected by floodingfor free.
There is a limit of two loads of washper family per day.
WILKES-BARRE
Wilkes U helping BrooksideStudents, faculty and staff from
Wilkes University are assisting resi-dents of the Brookside section of thecity with flood cleanup.
Teams will assist residents of themore than 60 homes in the neighbor-hood damaged by flooding in two shiftsper weekday, one from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.and one from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. On week-ends, the universitys Community Ser-
vice Office plans to staff three shifts ofworkers. The first weekend shift beginsSaturday at 10 a.m.
I N B R I E F
WASHINGTON Congress may beon the verge of approving more federaldisaster aid for Pennsylvania and other
states hit hard by damaging stormssuch as Hurricane Irene and TropicalStorm Lee, with a Senate measure ap-parently headed for a final vote by theend of the week.
Sen. Pat Toomey was one of eightGOPsenatorswhobroke from their par-ty Tuesday to clear the way for provid-ingmorefederaldisaster aidin thewakeof damage from storms such as Hurri-cane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
Toomey, R-Zionsvilleand sevenotherRepublicans, mainly from storm-affect-ed states, joined Democrats in approv-ing a procedural motion 61-38 to allowfora final vote.Sixtyvoteswere needed.
The Senate could vote Friday on the fi-nal FEMA funding measure.Senate Democrats, including Sen.
Bob Casey of Scranton, want to attachthe$6.9 billionfor theFederalEmergen-
cy Management Agency including$500 millionthe Obama administrationsays FEMA needsto keep itsdisasterre-lief fund going through the end of the2011fiscalyearthatendsSept.30 toanunrelatedpiece of legislationrestrictingimports to Myanmar.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Marino, R-Ly-coming Township, says he has receivedassurances from the chairman of theHouseAppropriationsCommittee,Rep.
Hal Rogers, R-Ky., that the House, too,will approvemoredisaster reliefmoneyas part of a temporary spending mea-
H E L P F R O M W A S H I N G T O N
Congress readies more aidA Senate vote on providing disaster
relief could come as early as Friday.
A House bill is also in the works.
By JONATHANRISKIND
Times Leader Washington Bureau
See AID, Page10AWILKES-BARRE LuzerneCountywill provide free disposal of electron-ics to residents of flood-ravaged mu-nicipalities next week, pending ap-proval from municipal officials.
At their work session on Wednes-day, commissioners gavethe go-aheadto countyRecyclingCoordinatorBethDeNardi to contact affected munici-palities for permission to station boxtrucks that will accept televisions,computers and otherelectronicequip-ment damaged in last weekendsflooding.
DeNardi said she met with an offi-cial from Eco International, the ven-dor thecountyhasused inthepastforelectronic recycling programs, and
discussed the possibility of placing atruck thatcouldholda minimumof 10pallets or 5,000 pounds of electronicsforoneday ineachof 10locationsfrom9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday.
We wouldbe chargedforthe trucksand approximately15 cents per poundcollected, she said.
Th e FederalEmergency Man-agement Agency will reimburse thecounty up to 75 per-cent of theexpected$12,000 costand thecounty will absorbthe rest, DeNardisaid.
DeNardi said thecounty has fundingavailable from the
landfill administra-tive fee account tocover costs.
FEMA spokes-man Mike Sweet
said early Wednesday evening that al-though the agency has approved indi- vidual assistance for homeowners,rentersand businessowners,the agen-cy wasstillin theprocess of assessingdamage and has made no determina-tion on public assistance reimburse-ment to local governments.
So, although approval might be ex-pected,the 75 percent reimbursementfor debris cleanup is not yet guaran-teed.
Sweet urged homeowners, rentersandbusinessownerswho have notyetregistered with FEMA for individualassistance to do so by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or online at www.disaste-rassistance.gov. The program wouldsave money municipalities spend oncollection of flooddebris becauseelec-tronic items could be removed fromthe piles of destroyed items that resi-dents are placing curbside. However,it would mean that residents wouldhave to take their electronic items toone of the collection points.
Commissioner Maryanne Petrillasaid she has already seen many elec-tronic items placed curbside for trashcollection.
DeNardi said she believes somepeople still are in the process of docu-mentingtheir flood-destroyed proper-ty for reimbursement purposes.
DeNardi said late Wednesday thatshewaswaiting forconfirmationfromsome municipalities on their partici-pation and locations for truck place-
ment. She expected to release moreinformation today.
County OKsfree disposalof damagedelectronicsAffected municipalities must give
permission to station collection
trucks to accept the items.
By STEVEMOCARSKY
The Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency will
reimburse the
county up to
75 percent of
the expected
$12,000 cost
and the coun-
ty will absorb
the rest, De-Nardi said.
FORTYFORT After seeingflooddamaged areaswithin his district,U.S.Rep. TomMarinonextwants tohearfrom peopleand officials whodealtwith theSusquehannaRiverwhenitreached record levelslast weekandflooded.
The freshman Republicancongress-man fromLycoming Township saidhewouldliketo bring other lawmakersto
theareafor a hearing.Whether its conducted by the
Homeland Securitycommitteeor theEmergencyPreparedness subcommit-tee, onwhichMarinoservesa vicechairman,he couldnt say Wednesday,duringa tour ofa portionof theWyom-ing Valley leveesystemthat protectsFortyFort on Wednesday.
Ithinkit needsto beherewhere ittakesplace, hetoldcountyand localofficials whoaccompaniedhim onthetour. Ithinkthe publicneedsto comeinand tell uswhatthey experienced.
So tooshould thestateDepartmentof EnvironmentalProtection, the stateDepartment of Transportation,thefederal Environmental ProtectionAgencyand otherstateand federalagencies and departments,he said.
Lets haveeverybodyat the table,hesaid.
Thehearingwouldfocuson prob-lems faced before, duringand after thefloodingandhow tofix them.
Whilethe hearingwouldaddresslong-term issues, he reassuredpeoplewhosehomes and businesseswerefloodedthatin theshort-term therewouldbe fundingto help them.
LuzerneCounty hasasked formil-lions inemergencyfundingto makerepairs on the leveesystem,continuewithits mitigation program to eitheracquireor demolish properties,toreconstructCoal Creek, whichcausedextensivedamage in PlymouthandPlymouth Townshipon July 3 fromflash flooding, andan increase inits
shareof reimbursement for thef loodbecausemany municipalitiesare overbudgetfromdealingwith otherflashflooding.
Generally onewho favorsstatesrightsand a limitedrolefor thefederalgovernment,Marino said he expectedtojoin with othersin pushingfor theaid.
Ifthe government canbailoutbanks,we cantakeour citizenstaxdollars andhelpthem, hesaid.
Federalfunding shouldbe comingsoon,he added,afterhaving spokentoU.S.Rep.Hal Rogers,R-Kentucky, who
PETEG. WILCOXPHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
Forty Fort EMA Director Andy Tuzinski explains the work that went on along the levee last week as, from left, Rep.Tom Marino, commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Stephen Urban, and county engineer Joe Gibbons look on.
Marino seeks storm stories
U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Lycoming Township, listens to Luzerne County
Flood Protection Authority Executive Director Jim Brozena talk about theWyoming Valley levee system.
Congressman tours levee in Forty
Fort and says he expects more
funding to be available soon.
By JERRY LYNOTT
See MARINO, Page10A
plain was under a mandatory evacua-tion and people were told to leave theirhouses by 4 p.m. last Thursday.
Chitswara suffered a badly injuredhand that was bleeding, police said.
Police allege the two men walkedaround the neighborhood and encoun-tered police at about 12:40 a.m. Friday,telling them Chitswara was in need ofmedical treatment.
Chitswara and Balderston wereasked why they had glass particles ontheir clothingand shoes. They later ad-
mitted, police allege, to burglarizingthe house on Conwell Street.
The two men are among at least 15
WILKES-BARRE City police pa-trolling an evacuated South Wilkes-Barre neighborhood in response to sev-eral burglaries did not have to chasetwo looters.
The looters went to them, carryingflashlights and gloves.
Police allege Paul Chitswara, 25, ofHazle Township, and Christopher Bal-derston, 24, of Hazleton, forced open adoor to a vacated house on Conwell
Street and stole items later Thursdaynight or early Friday morning.
Much of the Wyoming Valley flood
people arrested on evidence of lootingduring the mandatory evacuation thatwas ordered by Luzerne County com-missioners in response to flooding bythe Susquehanna River.
According to the criminal com-plaints:
Police patrolling the vacated neigh-borhood were approached by Chitswa-ra and Balderston at West Ross andSouth Franklin streets. Chitswara, whowas bleeding from two severe injurieson his hand, told a detective he needed
help.Police said the two men had incon-
sistent answers as to why they were
loitering in an evacuated area. Balder-ston said he was waiting for a ride tohis house in Hazleton, the complaintssay.
Balderston later admitted, police al-lege, that they forced open a door to ahouse on Conwell Street and stole alaptop computer.
Chitswara allegedly told police he isa drifter and had no reason for why hewas in the evacuated area.
Policesaid in thecomplaintsthat thetwo men had gloves, a utility knife, ski
masks, a flashlight and a head lamp.Gloves found in Chitswaras pocketswere soaked in blood, police allege.
Police: Pair of looters in W-B neighborhood walked right up to cops on patrolBy EDWARDLEWIS
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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 PAGE 5A N A T I O N & W O R L D
710648
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TRIPOLI, LIBYA
Libyan weapons a concern
The potential proliferation of bothconventional and unconventional
weapons in Libya after six months ofcivil war is a key concern for theUnited States, a senior American offi-cial said Wednesday.
The conflict that ended MoammarGadhafis 42-year rule and sent theformer dictator into hiding also threwopen the gates to his regimes exten-
sive armories. The countrys new lead-ers, who are struggling to establish agovernment, have failed to securemany of the weapons caches. Witness-es have watched looters, former rebelfighters or anyone with a truck carrythem away.
In another diplomatic development,a member of the Libyan council saidlate Wednesday that the leaders ofBritain and France will visit Tripoli onThursday. Prime Minister David Cam-eron of Britain and French PresidentNicolas Sarkozy would be the firstheads of government to arrive in Tripo-li since Gadhafi fled. Their officeswould not comment.
WASHINGTON
SAT reading scores hit lowSAT reading scores for the high
school class of 2011 were the lowest onrecord, and combined reading andmath scores fell to their lowest pointsince1995.
The College Board, which releasedthe scores Wednesday, said the resultsreflect the record size and diversity ofthe pool of test-takers. As more stu-dents aim for college and take theexam, it tends to drag down averagescores.
Meanwhile, other tests taken bymore representative groups of highschool students have shown readingskills holding steadier. And in the con-text of the 800-point test, the three-point decline in reading scores to 497may seem little more than a blip.
WASHINGTON
Care plan alarms ignoredEmails disclosed by congressional
investigators show government expertsrepeatedly warned that a new long-term care insurance plan could go bellyup, saddling taxpayers with anotherunderfunded benefit program.
Meanwhile, leading Democrats of-fered assurances that any problemscould be fixed.
The Community Living AssistanceServices and Supports program wasspliced into President Barack Obamashealth care law despite nagging budgetworries. Administration emails anddocuments reveal that those alarmswere sounded earlier and more widelythan previously thought.
One senior official wrote: Seemslike a recipe for disaster to me. Anoth-er called it unworkable.
LOS ANGELES
Kid flyers can keep shoes onThe Transportation Security Admin-
istration has decided that children 12and younger are less of a terrorism risk at least as far as airports are con-cerned.
The agency, charged with anti-terror-ism security at the nations airports,will no longer require children to re-move their shoes before they gothrough airport scanners, HomelandSecurity Secretary Janet Napolitanotold Congress this week. The policychange will also curtail pat-downs ofchildren.
We do want to move, and are mov-ing, to a more risk-based approach toscreening passengers, Napolitano toldCongress on Tuesday.
I N B R I E F
AP PHOTO
She nailed that world record
Chris The Dutchess Walton showsoff her record breaking fingernails in
New York on Wednesday. Walton holdsthe worlds record for the longestfingernails for a female, according tothe new Guinness World Records edi-tion for 2012.
RALEIGH, N.C. President BarackObama urged enthusiastic college stu-dents Wednesday to join him in his fighttogetCongressto acton hisnewjobsbill.Every single one of you can help makethisbill a reality,the presidentcalled outata hot and noisy rally atNorth CarolinaState University.
Someone in the crowd yelled out, Ilove you!
If you loveme you got tohelp mepassthis bill, the president responded.
It was Obamas second campaign-stylerally in two days as he pushes for actiononhis $450billionjobsplan.His programis running into a buzz saw of opposition
from Republicans and even some inhis own Democratic Party over hisplans to raise taxes on the wealthy andcorporations to pay for it.
The president was in Ohio Tuesday,andlastweekinVirginia,as hetravelskeyelectoral states to sell the plan with theeconomy stuck in neutral heading intohis 2012 re-election campaign.
On Wednesday Obamas focus wassmall businesses,which wouldbe helpedby SocialSecurity payrolltax cuts.Beforespeaking, he toured WestStar Precision,a small business in theRaleigh suburbofApex. It makes specialized componentsfor the aerospace, medical and alterna-tive energy industries.
He also announced plans to try to
speed payments to federal contractors.Republicans have accused Obama of
playing politics by presenting them withtax hike ideas theyve already rejected.But Obama said Wednesday, Weve gotto make sure everybody pays their fairshare, including the wealthiest Ameri-cans and the biggest corporations.
He told the students: The time forhand-wringing is over.The timefor mop-ing around is over. Weve got to kick off
our bedroom slippers and put on ourmarching shoes.
Thepresidents tripto North Carolina,a traditionallyRepublicanstatehe wonin2008, drew scorn from Republicans.
This president is in love with thesound of his own voice, hes in love withcampaigning, hes in love with fundrais-ing,andhesin love with thestump,saidRepublican National Committee Chair-man Reince Priebus.
President puts focus on small business as he tours to push plan
Obama targets jobs pitch
AP PHOTO
President Barack Obama steps off Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn ofthe White House on Wednesday as he returns from Raleigh, N.C.
By DARLENESUPERVILLE
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan Thecommander of U.S. and NATOforces in Afghanistan on Wednesday acknowledged the Taliban gained a propagandavictory in a 20-hour assault fo-cused on the U.S. Embassy, which left 27 police, civiliansand insurgents dead. But he in-sisted the attack was not a signof vulnerability in the Afghancapital.
Still, the sophistication and vehemence of the attack, in which insurgents fired rocketsinto the U.S. Embassy com-pound from a nearby unfinishedhigh-rise where they may havestored heavy weapons ahead oftime, raised fresh doubts aboutthe Afghans ability to securetheir nation as U.S. and otherforeign troops begin to with-draw. Afghan forces have nomi-
nally been in control of securityin the capital since 2008 butit took heavy involvement byU.S. and NATO forces to routeout the latest attackers.
And spectac-ular attacks inthe well-pro-tected capitalhave becomemore common. This weeksstrike was thethird deadly at-tack in Kabulsince late June.
The Talibanclaimed re-sponsibility forthe assault. Ka-buls deputypolice chiefsaid it was like-ly the Pakistan-based Haqqaninetwork carried it on behalf ofthe extremist group. U.S. Am-bassador Ryan Crocker alsoblamed the Haqqanis, who haveemerged as one of the biggestthreats to Afghanistans stabil-ity, working from safe areasacross the border in Pakistanstribal region.
It took 20 hours through thenight for Afghan, U.S. and NA- TO troops to root out six in-surgents holed up in the 12-sto-ry building on the Abdul Haqtraffic circle, pounding them with barrages from attack hel-
icopters as police and soldiers worked their way up floor byfloor. From their roost, the in-surgents had clear shots on thenearby U.S. Embassy and a near-by NATO compound, battlingAfghan forces in a gunfight thatlit up the night with tracer fire.
At 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, theAfghan Interior Ministry an-nounced that the final holdoutshad been killed.
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. JohnAllen, the top commander ofU.S. and NATO forces in Af-ghanistan said that the attackhad no impact on operations.
U.S.: Kabulattack aboost forTalibanCommander calls it
propaganda win only. Security
implications raised.
ByHEIDIVOGTand AMIR SHAH
Associated Press
It took 20
hours through
the night for
Afghan, U.S.
and NATO
troops to root
out six in-
surgents
holed up in
the 12-story
building on
the Abdul Haqtraffic circle.
A key federalreport putsulti-mate responsibility on BP forthe worst offshore oil spill inU.S.historyand thedeathsof 11rig workers, especially regard-ing the cement seal that wasput in place the day before theexplosion that triggered the
spill. The report, released
Wednesday, said in the daysleading up to the disaster, BPmade a series of decisions thatcomplicated cementing oper-ations, added risk, and mayhave contributed to the ulti-mate failure of the cement job.
Othercompanies alsosharedsome of the blame, according
to the report, which noted thatrig owner Transocean, as own-er of the Deepwater Horizon,wasresponsiblefor conductingsafeoperations andfor protect-ing personnel onboard.
The details were containedin the final report from an in- vestigation team of the U.S.Coast Guard and the agencythat regulates offshore drilling.
Report: BP mostly to blame for big Gulf spill
AP FILE PHOTO
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig is seen burning in the Gulf of
Mexico in April 2010.
ByHARRYR. WEBER
andDINACAPPIELLO
Associated Press
CHANTILLY, Va. U.S. SupremeCourt JusticeRuthBader Ginsburg, whois78 andhasbattled cancer,was forcedtoslide down an emergency chute to evac-uate a flight at Dulles International Air-port on Wednesday, a court spokeswo-
man said.Ginsburg was on her
way from Washingtonto San Francisco and was not injured, saidSupreme Court spokes- wom an Pa triciaMcCabe Estrada.
A pilot noticed aproblem with the engine on the UnitedAirlines Flight 586 and ordered 179 pas-sengers and six crew members to exit,said airport spokeswoman Kimberly
Gibbs.Gibbssays threepeople suffered minor
injuries during the evacuation, two ofwhom refused treatment, and one wastaken to a hospital.
Officials have not confirmed whethersmoke was detected on board and havereleased fewdetails of what went wrong.The plane returned to the terminal afterthe passengers were off.
Ginsburg, the high courts oldest jus-tice, was diagnosed with pancreatic can-cer in 2009.
Ginsberg uses slide to exit plane
Ginsberg
U.S. Supreme Court justice, 78,
forced to evacuate after jet lands
with engine trouble.
The Associated Press
GETTING READY FOR THE EMMYS
AP PHOTO
Actress Jane Lynch, executive producer Mark Burnett, center, and Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
president John Shaffner rollout of the red carpet Wednesday for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los
Angeles. The Emmy Awards will take place Sunday in Los Angeles.
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PAGE 6A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com N E W S
to sleep under a roof and eat warmmeals.
In West Pittston, Dr. Henry Bilderschiropractic office and home are bothon Luzerne Avenue, two blocks apart.Both were inundated, neither was cov-ered by flood insurance.
You think that people arent good inthe world but they are. It unfortunatelytakes somethingbad to showit, Bildersaid.
In addition to his brother, who hasopened his home to his family, Bildersaidthe entire communityhas cometo-gether to lend a hand.
Bilder said the building his businesswas inwasbuiltonefootabovea heightexpectedto accommodate floodwatersof Agnes levels. The 1972 tropicalstorm dumped rain on the valley, caus-ingthe riverinundatingthe region.Theriver rose to 40.91 feet in Wilkes-Barreand buildings constructed after thatpoint in the flood plain were built towithstand any future floods up to thatheight.
But therains thataccompaniedTrop-ical StormLee last weekcausedthe riv-er to risehigher, crestingunofficiallyat
42.66 feet Friday morning.Bilders office had 4 feet of standing
water, enoughto wipe outall of hisspe-cialized chiropractic equipment, furni-
ture, computersand files.
Focusing on home
But his livelihood hasbeen put on the backbur-ner. He said he will firstfocus on his family andhis house, which hasbeen in his family his en-tire life.
The 48-year-old, his wife and their three children are stay-ing with his brother at Harveys Lakeuntiltheirhome canbe habitableagain. The basement was flooded up to theceiling, with the electrical system, wa-ter heater and furnace destroyed.
He said hes hoping to have repairsmade and get his family back into thehouse by years end.
In the midst of such a trying time, hesaid he has seen the best in people.
Our neighbors have been wonder-ful. The Salvation Army, just everyonewhohas helped, withmeals or cleaningup, Bilder said.
Twenty milesdown river, in HunlockCreek, the home Pat Neary has rentedfor 17 years is being worked on as con-tractors are gutting the first floor, rip-ping down walls, disinfecting and try-ing to make the house along Route 11safe to live in once again.
Neary, 71, wholivedin thehome with
Tammy Blink, one of her daughters,was told she had to leave the home last Thursday because of the potential forflooding.
With the help of family and HunlockCreek firefighters, some furnishingsand appliancesfrom the first floorweremoved to higher ground or removedfrom the house and relocated.
What was left behind, a couch, dish- washer, and other dcor were ruinedwhen river water filled the basementand the first floor of the two-storyhome. Water got seven steps up to- wards the second floor. Walls, floors,furnishings, all were waterlogged.
Worse than 72
Thiswas worse than1972, saidKel-ly Egan, Nearys daughter who lives on
higher ground in Hunlock Townshipalong Pine Valley Drive. Egan, her hus-band,DwightBrace, andher son,DavidMacDonald, took in Neary and Blinkand in doing so, altered their living sit-uation.
David is now sleeping in a room typ-ically used as a home office, Neary issleeping in her grandsons bed andBlink is sleeping on the living roomcouch.
But the situation is being taken in
stride.I love having my mom here, said
Egan, who had no timetable for whenhersisterand motherwould bemoving
back into their rented home or into an-other residence.
While contractors were busy Wednesday gutting the kitchen in thehome Neary rented, Egan was busy inher own kitchen baking cupcakes,brownies and other goodies for thetowns volunteer firefighters who shecouldnt stop gushing about.
They were wonderful. I cant sayenoughabout them andhowgreatthey were, Egan said. Not only did they
helpmovefurniture butthey camebackto check on the house and then usedtheir hoses to wash away mud andgrime, she added.
LOSSContinued from Page1A
DON CAREY / THE TIMES LEADER
Dr. Henry Bilder has puthis livelihood on the
back burner as he con-centrates on getting his
family home back inorder after last weeks
flooding in West Pitt-
ston. He said he is hop-ing to have repairs made
and get his family backinto the house by years
end. Bilder is not alone,as there are many other
people affected by theflood who are staying
with family and friends
while cleanup and re-pairs get under way after
the Susquehanna Riverrose.
To seevideo, visitwww.timesleader.com.
WILKES-BARRE -- Wilkes-Barre Area School District Su-perintendent Jeff Namey praisedthe American Red Crosss oper-ation of evacuation shelters indistrict schools duringthe recentflood, buthe alsosaid there wereissues that need to be addressed.
He mentioned several prob-lems that developed over the weekend during Mondaysschool board work session..
Board Member Phil Latinskiproposed an obvious solution:Use the Mohegan Sun Arena, with ample parking and lots ofroom inside, as a shelter insteadof schools.
The Red Cross is always eagerto improve the shelter system,Regional Chief Executive OfficerEd Winters said, and will review
shortcomings in this latest disas-ter in order to do better nexttime. As faras thearenagoes,itsan option, but not necessarily asinviting as it may seem on firstblush.
There are criteria for settingup shelters, Winters said. Basi-cally, we have to have a heated,protected space with plumbingand showers, the basic amenitiesof home. Most high schools havelocker rooms andshowers,so wechoose them first.
The Red Cross has an evalua-tion team that scrutinizes poten-tial shelters. If they fit the billand the owners are willing, anagreement is drawn up andsigned by both sides. When theneed arises, the Red Cross de-cides how many shelters areneeded and where, asks for ap-proval to exercisethe agreement,and sets them up by sending ashelter coordinator and volun-teers.
Winters wasnt certain if thearena had ever been approachedas a possible shelter, butsuggest-
ed there could be one big short-fall: Shower facilities may not besufficient.
As to problems that may haveoccurred at GAR High School orany other shelters set up duringthe flood, Winters said the RedCross knows the process can hitsnags.
Namey said the primary prob-lems occurred after the shelterwasset upand beforeall the peo-
ple were settled in. When a largestream of people started to ar-rive, it waseasier forproblemstodevelop.
Winters said the Red Crosstries to mitigate those concernsby having some orientation withemployees who work at the shel-ter, such as building administra-tors and staff at a school. Butthat system can break down iftoo much time elapses betweentraining and an actual event.
During Mondays work ses-sion, Latinski askedNamey if theshelters ran more smoothly oncethe National Red Cross steppedin to manage them. Namey re-plied, yes and no, noting thatin some cases the Red Cross ex-perts who came in from out oftheareawerenot asfamiliar withthe local culture as the local RedCross workers, resulting in someclashes and misunderstandings.
Winters said the Red Crosscategorizes disasters by severallevels, based partly onhow manypeople are affected. The localflood affected so many people itquickly hit Level III, which auto-
matically brought The NationalRed Cross in.
About 500 national Red Crosspeople joined 80 from the localchapter and about 300 from oth-
er nearby regional chapters in re-sponse to this disaster, Winterssaid. They are all being coordi-nated to help in several counties.Headquarters are in Hazleton.
W-B Area notes problems at GAR shelter
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Joe Pasternack of the Bnai Brith Apartments in Wilkes-Barrewas one of the evacuees who found refuge last week at the shelter
set up at GAR High School in Wilkes-Barre.
High school used as flood
refuge. Suggestion made
arena might be better choice.
ByMARKGUYDISH
There are criteria forsetting up shelters. Basically, we have tohave a heated, protect-ed space with plumbingand showers, the basicamenities of home. Mosthigh schools have lockerrooms and showers, sowe choose them first.
Ed Winters
Red Cross regional CEO
PITTSTON -- There will be aclothing collection and distributionto benefit families affected by theflood sponsored by Kids KlothesLine & the Keystone Rescue Mis-
sion Alliance at Our Lady of MtCarmel Church, 237 William St.,Pittston, on Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Allclothing and shoes are available free,and there are no income require-ments. Donations of clothing arebeing accepted. The event is to behosted by Girl Scout Cadette/Se-nior Troop 30173. Email [email protected] orcall Kathy at 570-871-4795 to make adonation.
LUZERNE The borough hall,the Swoyersville American Legionand Kingston VFW are acceptingpersonal items needed for floodvictims. Items include toilet paper,soap, deodorant, shampoo, tooth-paste and toothbrushes.
Also needed are flood cleanup
items, including latex gloves, scrubbrushes, surgical masks, bleach,disinfectants, large sponges, gardengloves, paper towels, bathroomcleaner, mops and brooms.
Items may be dropped off at theLuzerne Borough Building, Acade-my Street, Luzerne; SwoyersvilleAmerican Legion, Shoemaker
Street, Swoyersville; or the KingstonVFW, Wyoming Avenue, Kingston.
PITTSTON -- The Knights ofColumbus, Pittston Council 372, issponsoring a drive to aid fellowresidents. Donations of non-perish-able food items, cleaning items, petsupplies and monetary support aresought. Donations may be droppedoff at the council home, 55 S. MainSt., 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. For more informa-tion, contact Grand Knight GregSerfass at 655-1114.
LUZERNE COUNTY -- GEMRiverside Rehabilitation is collectingcleaning supplies for flood victimsthrough September. New cleaningsupplies can be dropped off at the
following GEM Riverside locations:80 N. Mountain Blvd., state Route309, Mountain Top, 474-1171; 506Hazle St., Wilkes-Barre, 270-4366;and 27 Main St., Dallas, 674-2659.
BENEFITS AND FUNDRAISERS
HARRISBURG The stateDepartment of Labor and In-dustry has begun acceptingapplications for unemploy-ment compensation for per-sons whose place of work isclosed due to flooding.
The payments, made avail-able through a special federaldisaster unemployment as-sistance program, are availa-ble to all employees, includ-ing part-time workers and theself employed, who ordinarily would not qualify for bene-fits, said Sean Yeakle, presssecretary for the labor de-partment. The self employedincludes the owners of busi-nesses that have been im-pacted by the flooding, he
said. The compensation is part
of a package of aid that be-came available to region afterPresident Obama declarednumerous counties in Penn-sylvania, including Luzerneand Wyoming counties, a fed-eral disaster area.
The benefits are availableto any worker who, as a di-rect result of the disaster, nolonger has a job or is unableto reach their place of em-ployment, according to thelabor department.
Benefits are also availableto persons who were to begin work but were preventedfrom doing so by the disas-ter; those who cannot workbecause of an injury or illnesscaused the disaster; and any-
one who has become thebreadwinner for the house-hold because the head ofhousehold died as a result ofthe disaster.
The amount of the pay-ments, which will be avail-able for up to 26 weeks, willdepend on various factors re-lating to individual workersposition. More specific infor-mation regarding how thepayments will be calculated was not immediately availa-ble Wednesday.
Applicants can file for di-saster unemployment bene-fits by calling 877-345-3382, 7a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 7a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Friday. Applicationsmust be received by Oct. 14.
Applicants should be pre-pared to provide a social se-curity number and, if possi-ble, any documents that howearnings and employment forthe tax year that ended priorto their unemployment thatresulted from the disaster.
Jobless aid ready for flood victimsPart-timers and self employed also eligibleByTERRIEMORGAN-BESECKER
[email protected] amount of the payments, which will be available for up
to 26 weeks, will depend on various factors relating to
individual workers position. More specific information re-
garding how the payments will be calculated was not imme-
diately available Wednesday.
8/4/2019 Times Leader 09-15-2011
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C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 PAGE 7A N E W S
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WILKES-BARRE A mancon-victed of first-degree murder inthe 2009 beating of a Plymouthman was sentenced Wednesdayto lifein prison,plus an addition-al 71 years on related charges.
Elvis Riccardi, 33, of Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced on 19 relat-ed charges by Senior Judge Jo-seph Augello in the death of Do-nald Skiff, 34.
Were very pleased with thesentence, District AttorneyJackie Musto Carroll said. Weasked for the maximum, and the judge took into account this vi-cious, brutal and premeditated
crime. Prosecutors allege Ric-cardi and another man, MichaelSimonson, 34, kidnapped Skiff,took money from his bank ac-count, tied him up and beat him,leavinghimto diein a woodedar-ea off Suscon Road in JenkinsTownship.
Skiffs vehicle was found char-red in Plymouth weeks before in-vestigators located his body.
Simonson pleaded guilty to asecond-degree murder chargeand was sentenced to life in pris-on in August 2010.
In late June, Riccardi was con-victed of first-degree murder af-ter a jury heard a weeks worthoftestimony before delivering itsverdict.
Thejurythenheardmoretesti-
mony in the penalty phase of thetrial where they were to decide ifRiccardi should be sentenced tolifein prison or receive thedeath
penalty for hiscrimes.
The jurydeadlocked onthe death pen-alty, requiringSenior JudgeJoseph Augelloto hand down
the maximum sentence of life inprison.
Before Riccardi was sentencedWednesday he said he wanted toair some grievances.
He said his attorneys were in-effective andthey didnot lethimparticipate in his trial. He alsosaid prosecutorsintimidatedwit-nesses.
Why dont you worry about what were doing today. Aboutthe sentence you feel you shouldreceive, Augello said.
Augello said the complaintsRiccardi has are matters thatshould be addressed in post-sen-tence filings and in appeals.
There is nothing to appeal. Ihave to sentence you first, Au-gello said.
He ultimately handed downthe required life in prison with-outparole sentence,plusan addi-tional 71 years on 18 relatedcharges, including kidnapping,robbery and arson.
Members of Skiffsfamilywerepresent in court Wednesday butdid not comment.
(Riccardi) has shown no re-morse towards this family what-
soever, Musto Carroll said.Riccardis attorneys, Mark Bu-
falino and Paul Galante, had nocomment Wednesday.
Riccardi gets life
in 09 beating deathBy [email protected]
Riccardi
WILKES-BARRE An officialfrom Misericordia UniversityonWednesday asked the LuzerneCounty commissioners to fun-nel federal grant money to afield house construction pro-ject.
John Risboskin, vice presi-dent of finance and administra-tion at Misericordia, told thecommissioners the university isexpanding its campus with theconstruction of a field house forits new football program.
The 21,000-square-foot fieldhouseand significantinfrastruc-
ture changeson campus aresup-ported partially by a $3 millionRedevelopmentAssistance Cap-
ital Program grant, which hasbeen matched by the university.Thisgrantrequires a munici-
pality to be part of the applica-tion and Misericordia asks thecommissioners that the countybethat municipalityas youhavedone for two previous grants,Risboskin said.
Risboskin asked thatthe com-missioners at their Sept. 22meeting approve a cooperationagreement stating that the uni- versity will be responsible foradministeringthegrantand willreimburse the county for any re-lated expenses.
Theproposed field house willbe utilized by students involvedin field hockey, football, base-ball, mens and womens soccer
and mens and womens la-crosse.
In other business, Trula Hol-
lywood, director of the Agencyon Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, asked thecommissioners to approve acontract fora coordinatorof theAging and Disability ResourceCenter an all-encompassingreferral service.
In other words, its sort oflike the No Wrong Door con-cept. If you educate differentagencies about the other agen-cies, then nobody will pick upthe phone, call and hear, Well,we dont do it. Call somebodyelse, Hollywood said.
The program budget is$40,000 and the coordinatorwould be hired at $25 per hourat a maximum $15,250.
Hollywood asked to go move
forward without a request forproposals, but CommissionerChairwoman Maryanne Petrillasaid advertising an RFP wouldbe necessary.
Dave Parsnick, executive di-rector of the county 911 system,asked the commissioners to ap-prove the installation of radiotower equipment to solve com-munication problems with Ne-scopeckarea emergency respon-ders. The fixes will cost about$41,000, to be paid for withfunding from the 911 wirelinesurcharge.
Misericordia asks for countys assistance on grantUniversity is seeking federal
grant money to help build a
new field house.
By STEVEMOCARSKY
Luzerne County Commissioners
next meet at 10 a.m. Sept. 22 intheir meeting room in the cour-thouse, 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre.
W H AT S N E X T
DALLAS TWP. Supervisors on Wednes-daysigned an agreementwith Chief Gather-ingLLC at a special meeting, despite publicoutcry against the issue.
The agreement outlines conditions Chiefmust followto constructpart ofits gatheringlinethatwilltransportgasfromwellsin Sus-quehanna and Wyoming counties to theTransco interstate pipeline on a site off Hil-debrandt Road.
Solicitor Thomas Brennan saidthe agree-ment hasthe samepremiseas an agreementmade with Williams Field Services LLC, an-
other gas company looking to tap into theTransco about 500 feet from the Chief site.
Those conditions included setting a 25-
foot setback from the pipelineto adjacentpropertiesand oth-er provisions.
Other stipulations in bothagreements include that thecompanies cannot constructnatural gas facilities within a1.75-mile radius of the Dallas
School District campus, and a deed restric-tion on the tap-in site properties that wouldprohibit furthernatural gasactivities even ifthe companies choose to sell the space.
Residents wondered why the townshiphadto take action Wednesday withouthold-ing a public hearing.
Then we lose the agreement, Brennansaid. Then we get sued.Though Brennan said this sort of agree-
ment could onlytake placein a formalpublicsetting, several residents were unsatisfiedwith this answer.
How is that public? Theres no room foranydiscussion youretellingus whatyouregoingto do,said resident Elizabeth Martin.
Attorney Robert Schaub representing Billand Scott Watkins and Jeffrey Dickson inGoodleigh Farms urged the supervisors notto take action on the issue due to a pendinglawsuit against a propertyownerwhohis cli-ents allege broke a property covenant whensigning an easement with Chief.
Brennansaidthe agreementapplies tothepipeline route for which Chief applied earli-
er this year, and if that were to change, theagreement as well as the approval for landdevelopment would be null and void.
Dallas Twp. signs agreement with Chief for gas gathering lineBySARAHHITE
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K
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AUFIERO Elinor, funeral 9 a.m.today in the Nat & Gawlas FuneralHome, 89 Park Ave., Wilkes-Barre.Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30a.m. in St. Ignatius of LoyolaChurch, 339 N. Maple Ave., King-ston.
CARUSO Patricia, planned ser-vices have been postponed.Rescheduled service informationwill be published as soon as itbecomes available. Updates willbe posted at www.celebrateherli-
fe.com.COLEMAN Louise, memorialservice 11a.m. Friday in the St.Marys Polish National CatholicChurch Chapel, Pettebone Street,Duryea.
DAILEY Roy, funeral 11a.m. todayin the Harding-Litwin FuneralHome, 123 W. Tioga St., Tunk-hannock.
DELANEY John, Mass of ChristianBurial 9:30 a.m. Friday in St. Johnthe Evangelist Church, WilliamStreet, Pittston. The family willreceive friends and relatives inthe church 8:30 a.m. until thetime of Mass.
GODFREY Herbert, plannedservices have been postponed.Rescheduled service informationwill be published as soon as itbecomes available. Updates willbe posted at www.celebratehisli-fe.com.
HANAHUE Anne, funeral 11a.m.
Saturday in St. Gregorys Parish,330 N. Abington Road, ClarksGreen. Friends may call at thechurch10 a.m. until the time ofthe funeral Mass Saturday at thechurch.
HILL Barbara, memorial Mass 7p.m. Sept. 26 in the All SaintsChurch, 66 Willow St., Plymouth.
JOHN Anne, funeral at 9 a.m.Friday from the Mamary-DurkinFuneral Service, 59 Parrish St.,Wilkes-Barre. Services in St.George Maronite Church, LoomisStreet, Wilkes-Barre. Friends maycall 5 to 7 p.m. today.
KASARDA Karen, funeral 9 a.m.today in the Harold C. SnowdonFuneral Home Inc.,140 N. MainSt., Shavertown. Mass of Chris-tian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in OurLady of Victory Church, Pole 26,Harveys Lake.
LIPINSKI Theresa, Memorial Mass
10 a.m. Saturday in the HolyName/St. Marys Church, 283Shoemaker St., Swoyersville.
MACINTYRE Rev. Robert, memo-rial service rescheduled for 11a.m.
Saturday at Church of ChristUniting, Market Street andSprague Avenue, Kingston.Friends may call at the church 10a.m. until service time.
MASCI Evelyn, funeral1:30 p.m.Friday from the Palermo & Za-wacki Funeral Home Inc., 409 N.Main St., Old Forge. Mass ofChristian Burial at 2 p.m. at St.Marys Church, Grace and Law-rence Streets, Old Forge. Friendsmay call12:30 p.m. until the time
of service Friday.PEARSALL Adrian, funeral 2 p.m.Sunday at the Church of ChristUniting, Kingston. Calling hours 4to 7 p.m. Saturday and the Snow-don Funeral Home Shavertown.
PETERSEN Roy, military funeral 6p.m. Saturday from the HarmanFuneral Homes and CrematoryInc., (East) 669 W. Butler Drive,Drums. Friends may call at thefuneral home 4 to 6 p.m. Sat-urday.
REMUS Casimer, Memorial Mass10 a.m. today in the Church of theNativity BVM, Tunkhannock.
SHERIN Veronica, funeral10 a.m.Friday at the Church of the Nativ-ity BVM, Tunkhannock.
SHUMLAS Dolores, funeral 10:30a.m. Friday in the Lokuta-ZawackiFuneral Home, 200 WyomingAve., Dupont. Funeral Mass at 11a.m. in Holy Mother of SorrowsChurch, 212 Wyoming Ave., Du-
pont. Friends may call 9 a.m. untilthe time of service.
SNYDER Edward Sr., funeral at 8p.m. today from the Earl W.Lohman Funeral Home Inc., 14 W.Green St., Nanticoke. Friends maycall from 5 p.m. until the time ofservice today.
TENSA Elaine, funeral has beencancelled for this weekend. Staytuned for a rescheduled date toappear in a weekend edition ofThe Times Leader.
WALSH Gerald, a Memorial Massheld at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.24, at Holy Family Parish, 828Main St., Sugar Notch.
WHITEAKER Barbara, MemorialMass at 10:30 a.m. today at HolyMother of Sorrows Polish Nation-al Catholic Church, 212 WyomingAve., Dupont.
YEDENAK Mae, memorial service8 p.m. Friday in the Baloga Funer-
al Home Inc., 1201Main St., Pitt-ston (Port Griffith). Family andfriends may pay their respects 6p.m. until the time of serviceFriday.
FUNERALS
MARY VOYACK, 87, of Avoca,died Tuesday, September 13, 2011,in Carlisle. Born October13, 1923,
inAvoca, shewasa daughterof thelate Edward and Mary (Boylan)Hines. She was preceded in deathby her husband, Ret. Lt. Col. JohnE. Voyack; and brothers, Joseph
and Leo Hines. Surviving are herson,John E.(Deborah)Voyack Jr.;grandchildren, John E. (Chan-telle) Voyack III, Heather (Randy)
Williams, and Dana (Robert)Hubshman; great-grandchildren,Julia and John E. Voyack IV, ColinMichael Williams and Robert
Hubshman IV; nieces and neph-ews.
Mass of Christian Burial at 11a.m. Saturday at Ss. Peter & Paul
Church, Avoca. Friends may callfrom10 to11a.m.at thechurch.In-terment will be at 11:30 a.m. Tues-day in Indiantown Gap National
Cemetery. Arrangements havebeen entrusted to Kniffen OMal-ley Funeral Home Inc., Avoca.
JOSEPHBLAZEJEWSKI, 77, ofPlains Township,passed awaySat-
urday, September3, 2011.He grad-uatedfromSt. MarysHighSchool,Plymouth, and retired as an ac-countant. He greatly enjoyed Pol-
ka dancing. He was preceded indeath byparents,Walter andMaryBlazejewski; and a brother, JohnBlaine. Surviving are two step-sons, Arek and Roberta Blazejew-
ski and their children, Ava andRobert; and Mark and Rosa Blaze- jewski and their children, Luke,Alyssa and Brooke.
Friends are invited to attend aMass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m.Saturday in SS. Peter & PaulChurch, Plains Township. Funeralarrangements are by the S.J.
Grontkowski Funeral Home, Ply-mouth. Visit www.sjgrontkowski-funeralhome.com to submit con-dolences.
John A. Adonizio Sr., 91, of Hugh-estown, passed away Monday,
September 12, 2011, at home sur-rounded by his loving family. Bornin Hughestown on August 6, 1920,hewasa sonofthelateGaetanoandConcepta Lella Adonizio. He was agraduate of Hughestown HighSchool, class of 1938.
He served in the U.S. Army dur-ing World War II in the 834th FieldArtillery Battalion and fought inOkinawa and Korea. He had servedas platoon sergeant and was N.C.O.in charge of 52 men manning ninehalf tracks mounting anti-aircraftguns. He commanded platoon andsupervisedtechnicalpurpose of em-ployment of guns. He designatedfield or direction of fire, type of tar-get and approximate location of fir-ing positions. He was responsiblefor the welfare of men and care ofequipment during 14 months in thePacificTheaterof Operations.He al-so handled radio communicationsbetween platoon and commandpost.
He retiredas theDistrictMainte-nance Engineer for the Pa. Depart-mentof Transportation andhad pre-viouslyworkedat AddyAsphalt Co.
John wasachartermemberof thelocal Laborers Union No. 158; theKnights of Columbus, Council No.372, Pittston; the VFW Dupont,
Post No. 4909; Duryea AmericanLegionPostNo. 585; a formermem-ber of the Hughestown, Northeast,PittstonAreaand Wilkes-BarreAreaVocational School Boards of Educa-tion; a former member of BlessedSacramentChurchanda memberofOurLadyof Mount CarmelChurch,Pittston.
Hewas anaccomplished baseballplayer in his younger years, havingplayed in the Suburban League forSuscon and played for the AtlanticBaseball School which traveledthroughoutthe eastcoast.He wasafounding member of the Hughes-townAthleticClub andthe Hughes-town Boys League.
Johns generosity wasendless; hehad a heart of gold. He took greatpride in his service to our countryandwas humbledwhen he wasableto visit the World War II memorialin Washington, D.C., several yearsago. Heenjoyed spendingtimewithhis family, watching his belovedYankees, and relaxing on his porch
witha glassof wine.Johnwasa lov-ing father, grandfather, brother andfriendwho willbe forever lovedandmissed.
He was preceded in death by hiswife, theformer GraceMulcahey,in1992; daughter Annarose McNulty;brothers Charles J. Adonizio, An-thony Adonizio, Samuel Adonizio,Nunsie Orzello, and Harry Orzello;sisters Clara Williams, Edith Poli,Philomena Spinelli, Mary Confora,Angela Canonico, Elizabeth Mazzaand Nicolena Annella.
Surviving are his son, John A.Adonizio Jr., Hughestown; son-in-law,Brian McNulty, Pittston;grand-children, Melissa Latona and herhusband, Matthew, Hughestown;Alexandra and Olivia Adonizio,
Wyoming; one great-granddaught-er, Giuliana Latona, Hughestown;brother Rev. Joseph J. Adonizio,Hughestown; sisterCatherine Peso-tine, Duryea; companion, Erma Ci-con,Wyoming; as well as numerousnieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burialwill be held at 10 a.m. Satur-
day in Our Lady of Mount CarmelChurch, Pittston. The Mass will becelebrated by his brother, the Rev.JosephJ.Adonizio. ThoseattendingtheFuneralMass areaskedto godi-rectly to the church on Saturdaymorning.Friends maycallfrom5 to8 p.m.Fridayat theAdonizio Funer-al Home Inc, 251 William St., Pitt-ston. Interment will be held in Mt.Olivet Cemetery.
Memorial donations may bemadeto theCareand ConcernClin-ic, William Street, Pittston.
Funeral arrangements are en-trusted to the Peter J. Adonizio Fu-neralHome, 802SusquehannaAve., West Pittston.
John A. Adonizio Sr.September 12, 2011
Sylvia Elaine Blaine, 83, of Mur-ray Street, Larksville, died early
Sunday morning, September 11,2011, at the Wilkes-Barre General
Hospital. Sylvia was born in Larks-ville on July 10,1928, a daughter ofthelateStanleyand Marie(Bednar)Magalski.
She was a graduate of LarksvilleHigh School, class of 1946. She wasemployed as a machine operator inthe local garment industry.
Sylviawasa devoutCatholic whoprayedthe rosarydaily.She wasvicepresident of the former St. Antho-nys Christian Clubandits AltarandRosarySociety. Shewasalso a choirmember and an avid PhiladelphiaPhillies fan.
She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Sylviasfamily would like to say thank youto the Oncology Unit at the Wilkes-Barre GeneralHospitalfor thecom-passionandcaretheyshowedto Syl-via and her family.
Sylvia was preceded in death byher husband, Leo B. KnobbyBlaine;andher brother, StanleyMa-galski.
Surviving are sons, Leo S. Blaineandhiswife,Donna,Harrisburg;Pa-trick J. Blaine, Larksville; and Mi-chael T. Blaine and his wife, Judith,Larksville; grandson, Michael J.Blaine, Larksville; sisters, Rita Hei-del, Baltimore, Md., and Virginia
Ward, Hopedale, Mass.; sister-in-law, Maureen Magalski, Dallas; aswell as numerous nieces and neph-ews.
Funeral services for Sylvia willbe held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday fromtheAndrew StrishFuneralHome, 11Wilson St., Larksville, with a Massof Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St.John the Baptist Church, NesbittStreet,Larksville. Interment willbe
held in St. Ignatius Cemetery, Prin-gle. Family and friends may callfrom5 to8 p.m.Fridayevening.Therosary will be recited by the formerSt. Anthonys Altar and Rosary So-ciety at 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations inher memory may be made to theMedical Oncology Associates Pre-scription Fund,382 PierceSt., King-ston, PA 18704.
Sylvia Elaine BlaineSeptember 11, 2011
Edmund DonaldDon Brown, ofMountain Top,died Monday,September 12,2011.
He served inthe U.S. Navyduring World Wa r I I on de-
stroyer duty mostly in the AleutianIslands.Hewas amemberandservedas a Trustee of Christ United Metho-distChurch, oversaw constructionofthe new church, and served as main-tenance supervisor for many years.
Hewasa pastmemberof theCoal-ville Lodge of theMasonicOrder. Heenjoyed RV camping with his wifeandspentonewholesummertouringAlaska, and many winters in Florida.
Donworkedfor 26yearsfor PowerEngineering before starting his ownfamilyHVACbusiness,DonBrown&Sons Inc.
He was preceded in death by hisparents, Edward and Anna Brown.
Don is survived by his wife of 63years,JunePeterson Brownof Hauto;
sons, Robert Lee Brown and DonaldJames Brown,both ofMountain Top;grandchildren, Kimberlee DawnBrown, Michael Donald Brown andChristopher Lee Brown;great-grand-daughter, Claudia Brown; as well asdaughter-in-law, Barbara Lee Brown.
There will be no viewing.Donations canbemadein his
name to Christ United MethodistChurch.
McCune Funeral Service Inc. wasin charge of the arrangements.
Edmund DonaldBrown
September 12, 2011
RalphLomma, 87,Scranton busi-nessman and entrepreneur,
died Monday, September 12, 2011,at VNA Hospice of Community
Medical Center after a brief illness.His widow is the former Joyce JeanHydeck. The couple had been mar-ried 37 years.
Born March 13, 1924, in Scran-ton, a son of the late Anthony Lom-maand JennieValentineLomma,heattended Scranton TechnicalSchool and the University of Scran-ton, where he studied architecture.
Asa youngman,Ralphservedhiscountry during World War II. He was a pilot in the U.S. Army AirForce and flew reconnaissance mis-sions in theSouthPacific. After sur-vivingan attackby theJapanese,hisinjuries from shrapnel entitled himto the Purple Heart. He also re-ceivednumerousmedalsfor hisser-vice.
After the war, he and his brother,Alphonse dubbed the Fathers ofMiniature Golf were responsiblefor pioneering the game acrossAmericathrough their design,man-ufacture, and sale of prefabricatedminiature golfcourses.The Lommacourses consisting of greens andfairways, as well as the popular windmills, castles, loop-the-loopsand clown faces became classicicons of American amusement andleisure.
With his entrepreneurial spirit,Ralph designed and developed sev-eral outstanding facilities in North-east Pennsylvania: Elk MountainSki Resort, Uniondale; Village ofFour Seasons Resort, Uniondale;and the former Scranton AthleticClub, Scranton. He has been anowner and developer of majorprime housing developments in-cluding Oakwood Park, Laflin; Woodlands, Jermyn; Elmbrook andCrestwood Developments, Mos-cow; and Heathrow, Orlando, Fla.
Hea
