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Times Leader 02-24-2012
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WILKES-BARRE, PA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 50
timesleader.com
The Times Leader
Predictions on Sundays
Academy Awards telecast
the GUIDE, INSIDE
Countdowns
on for Oscar
Twin qualifying races set
the field for the Daytona 500
SPORTS, 1B
Getting ready
for Sunday
WILKES-BARRE Lax over-
sight of a special Luzerne County
legal services fund permitted an
attorney who was paidmore than
$144,000in2011todoublebill the
county dozens of times for travel
to the courthouse, a Times Lead-
er investigationrevealed.
The billing practices employed
by attorney Angela Stevens of
Kingstonplayeda significant role
incausingthecountyfund, which
was allotted $125,000, to over-
spend its bud-
get by nearly
$209,000 last
year.
Hundreds of
invoices re-
viewed by The
Times Leader
revealed Ste-
vens repeatedly billed the county
fordozensof tripsshemadetothe
county courthouse to deliver pet-
itions for payment for legal fees,
even though those petitions ap-
pear to have been delivered in a
single trip.
The newspaper alsouncovered
discrepancies in bills relating to
time Stevens claimed to have
spent gathering information re-
garding the number of hours she
spent on a case so that she could
create the bills.
The issues with the invoices
were never detected by county or
court officialsbecauseneitherthe
judgewhosignedthecourt orders
approvingthepayments, TinaPo-
lachekGartley, nor twocountyof-
ficesthat processedthem, ever re-
viewed them for accuracy or rea-
sonableness.
County officials were unaware
of the double billings until a
Times Leader reporter advised
them of the results of a review of
469invoicesStevenssubmittedin
2011.
In an interview Tuesday with
The Times Leader and President
Judge Thomas Burke, Polachek
Gartleysaidshewas distressedto
learnof the newspapers findings.
LUZERNE COUNTY COURT Attorney admits mistakes on invoices, says she will work with county to rectify errors
Double trouble: Attorney billing probed
By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER
[email protected]
See ATTORNEY, Page 12A
Stevens
INSIDE
A NEWS: Local 3A
Nation & World 5A
Obituaries 2A, 8A
Birthdays 10A
Editorials 11A
B SPORTS: Scoreboard 2B
Business 9B
C CLASSIFIED: Funnies 16C
THE GUIDE:
Crossword/Horoscope
Television
Movies
Entertainment
WEATHER
Anthony Tomasso
Showers, sun, windy late.
High 49. Low 38.
Details, Page 10B
SCRANTON The U.S. Postal
Service said it plans to close the
mail processing center in Scran-
ton and move operations to the
LehighValleyas part of acost-sav-
ing consolidationplan.
The transfer, according to the
Postal Service, would not affect
retail service, business mail entry
or vehicle maintenance oper-
ations at the center. It is unclear
how many of the Scranton Mail
Processing and Distribution Fa-
cilitys 300 jobs wouldbe lost.
According to U.S. Postal Ser-
vice spokesman Ray Daiutolo,
Thursdays announcement about
the Stafford Avenue facility
comes after studies nationwideof
more than400 similar centers.
The potential closure wouldbe
thesecondinthreeyearsinthisre-
gion. A mail processing center in
Wilkes-Barre was closed in Octo-
Postal Service delivers bad news to Scranton processing center
JASON RIEDMILLER/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Mail processing at the U.S. Post Office at Stafford Avenue in
Scranton could be moved to the Lehigh Valley.
It is unclear how many of the
facilitys 300 jobs would be
lost if it eventually closes.
By GERARD HETMAN
Times Leader Correspondent
See POSTAL, Page 6A
Luzerne County Interim Manager Tom
Pribula has rejected the prison unions pro-
posal to give up 3 percent raises in ex-
changefor reducedlayoffs, thoughthefinal
call may come from county council.
The manager makes decisions about
staffing and layoffs under the new home
rule charter, but council approves collec-
tive bargaining agreements, and the pro-
posal would alter an ex-
isting union contract.
Prison union repre-
sentative Tony Seiwell
said Thursday the coun-
ty wont see future
union-generated conces-
sions from his members
if the proposal falls
through.
Pribula said county
management had con-
cerns about union stipu-
lations required as part
of the concession, thoughhe declinedtogo
into further detail.
The management had serious issues
with it, said Pribula, who plans to brief
county council about the matter during an
executive session Tuesday.
Without concessions, the county will
proceed as planned with layoffs at the facil-
ity, Pribula said.
The prison union LIUNA Public Ser-
vice Employees Union Local 1310 -- said it
would lose 16 workers to layoffs. Three
non-union managers are also slated for lay-
off, the union said.
The layoffs are among an estimated 56
throughout the county required by the re-
cently adopted 2012 budget, which con-
tains a 2 percent tax hike.
The unions proposed agreement said
Prison unions
concession
offer rejected
County interim manager cites issues
with stipulations of deal that would
have saved jobs targeted for layoff.
By JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES
[email protected]
Pribula
See PRISON, Page 6A
INSIDE: Our
View: A positive
step, 11A
WILKES-BARRE While police
continue to investigate whether
the machete attack near GAR
High School earlier this month
was gang-related, several hundred
people attended a forum Thursday
night on how to prevent the
spread of gangs in their communi-
ties and schools.
Teachers, parents, school and
law enforcement officials heard
from local and national gang ex-
perts, including FBI agent D. Da-
rell Dones, during the two-hour
program at Kings College.
Nobody but nobody is not af-
fected by gangs, said Dones, an
instructor in the bureaus Behav-
ioral Science Unit.
He warned the more than 250
people in the audience about the
presence of gangs locally despite
the distance from New York, New
Jersey and Philadelphia, where
they have strongholds.
Just because you dont see em,
A packed auditoriumof teachers, politicians and concerned citizens overcrowded the Kings Colleges Burke Auditoriumto discuss the threat
posed by gangs to the area.
Getting streetwise
at forum on gangs
AIMEE DILGER PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER
D. Darell Dones of the FBI in Quantico, Va., was the keynote speaker at
the Operation Gang Up programThursday night at Kings College.
Dones is an instructor in the bureaus Behavioral Science Unit.
By JERRY LYNOTT
[email protected]
See GANGS, Page 6A
K
PAGE 2A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
Bixby, Kathleen
Cardone, Marty
Ciolek, Walter
Hartzell, Albert
Kanyuck, George
Kelley, Brian
Koschella, Joseph
Krushka, Helen
Krywokulski, Logi
Manarski, Henry
Mattey, Cynthia
Myers, Jacqueline
Olshefski, Martha
Reilly, Rose
Rigle, Louis
Schmieg, Joseph
Valatka, Geraldine
Ward, John
Woodyatt, Linda
OBITUARIES
Page 2A, 8A
BUILDING
TRUST
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correct errors, clarify stories
and update them promptly.
Corrections will appear in this
spot. If you have information
to help us correct an inaccu-
racy or cover an issue more
thoroughly, call the newsroom
at 829-7242.
HARRISBURG Six players
matched all five winning
numbers drawn in Thurs-
days Pennsylvania Cash 5
game and will receive
$37.500 each.
Lottery officials said 100
players matched four num-
bers and won $173 each and
2,635 players matched three
numbers and won $8 each.
Mondays Pennsylvania
Match 6 Lotto jackpot will
be worth at least $650,000
because no player holds a
ticket with one row that
matches all six winning
numbers drawn in Thurs-
days game.
LOTTERY
MIDDAY DRAWING
DAILY NUMBER 3-2-1
BIG FOUR 9-1-4-0
QUINTO 9-5-8-0-1
TREASURE HUNT
01-03-05-26-29
NIGHTLY DRAWING
DAILY NUMBER 6-9-4
BIG FOUR 0-7-9-2
QUINTO 4-8-6-6-4
CASH FIVE
02-11-14-21-23
MATCH SIX
08-10-26-27-41-47
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Issue No. 2012-055
More Obituaries, Page 8A
J
oseph John Koschella, 85, a resi-
dent of Swoyersville, passed
away peacefully Wednesday morn-
ing, February 22, 2012 in Hospice
Community Care, Inpatient Unit at
Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.
His loving wife is Leona B.
(Treckiewicz) Koschella. Together,
Joseph and Leona shared 56 beauti-
ful years of marriage.
Born on April 12, 1926, in
Swoyersville, Joseph was the son of
the late Joseph and Mary (Drobe-
nak) Koshella.
A lifelong resident of Swoyers-
ville, Joseph received his education
at the former Holy Trinity School,
Swoyersville.
A United States Army veteran,
Joseph honorably served his coun-
try during World War II. Through-
out the war, he was stationed in
Central Europe and the Rhineland.
He was the recipient of the Europe-
an-African-Middle Eastern Cam-
paign Medal and the World War II
Victory Medal. Upon his honorable
discharge on July 23, 1946, Joseph
had attained the rank of Private
First Class.
Prior to his retirement in 2008,
Josephwas employedfor 41years as
a wastewater analyst for Inter Met-
ro Industries Corporation, Wilkes-
Barre.
Joseph was a faithful member of
Holy Trinity Roman Catholic
Church, Swoyersville.
Aproudveteran, Josephwas a 60-
year member of the American Le-
gion, Andrew Lawrence Post 644,
Swoyersville, holding membership
with the posts Home Association.
Additionally, he held membership
with the Steel Workers of America.
An avid gardener, Joseph greatly
enjoyed tending to his apple trees.
He was also an avid walker, usually
walking two miles every day.
Family was always at the center
of Josephs life, and he cherished
each moment he had with his loved
ones. He will forever be remem-
bered as a loving husband, father,
grandfather, brother, uncle and
friend.
In addition to his parents, Joseph
and Mary Koshella, Joseph was pre-
ceded in death by his grandson, Da-
vid Mishkel, who passed away on
November 3, 2011; his brother, John
Koshella; his sisters Margaret
McDermott, Ann Kasyan and Rose
Koshella.
In addition to his loving wife, Le-
ona, Joseph is survived by his chil-
dren, James Koschella, of Boston,
Massachusetts; Joan Mishkel and
her husband, Ken, of Yorktown, Vir-
ginia; Sharon VonFrantzius and her
husband, Ted, of Tamarac, Florida;
Lisa St. Clair and her husband, Lee,
of Swoyersville; his grandchildren,
Steven Mishkel; Seth, Hana, Nora
and Noah St. Clair; his sisters Mary
Stasik, of New Jersey and Helen
Brozowski, of Plymouth; numerous
nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are re-
spectfully invited to attend
the funeral which will be conducted
on Monday, February 27, 2012 at
9:30 a.m. from the Wroblewski Fu-
neral Home Inc., 1442 Wyoming
Avenue, Forty Fort, followed by a
Mass of Christian Burial to be cele-
brated at 10 a.m. in Holy Trinity
Church, 116 Hughes Street,
Swoyersville, with the Reverend Jo-
seph J. Pisaneschi, his pastor, offi-
ciating.
Interment with the Rite of Com-
mittal will follow in Saint Marys
Cemetery, Swoyersville, where Mil-
itary Honors will be accordedby the
United States Army.
Family and friends are invited to
call on Sunday, February 26, 2012
from5 to8 p.m. at the funeral home.
For additional information or to
send the family of Mr. Joseph John
Koschella an online message of con-
dolence, you may visit the funeral
home web-site www.wroblewski-
funeralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial con-
tributions may be made in Josephs
memory to Hospice Community
Care, 601 Wyoming Avenue, King-
ston, PA18704.
Joseph John Koschella
February 22, 2012
H
enry R. Manarski, 86, of Hud-
son, passed away in peace with
his familyat his side onFebruary22,
2012.
Henry was born in Plains on Feb-
ruary27, 1925. He was the sonof the
late Frank and Stella (Senderovicz)
Mlynarski. He was a graduate of
Plains Memorial High School, class
of 1943. Henry was drafted by the
U.S. Army after high school and
fought in Europe during World War
II as a member of the 127th A.A.A.
Gun Battalion. After the war he set-
tled in Plains and married the for-
mer Leona Considine of Hudson in
1953.
Henry was active in local politics
for muchof his life, havingserved22
years on the school boards of both
Plains and Wilkes-Barre Area, and
was also active in many other politi-
cal organizations in Plains through-
out his life. Henry was a member of
the Plains American Legion Post
558 for over 60 years. He was em-
ployed for many years in the Asses-
sors Office of the Luzerne County
Courthouse. Henry enjoyed a long
retirement and always cherished
the time he was able to spend with
his five grandchildren.
He was a life-long member of the
former St. Joseph Church, Hudson
and a current member of Ss. Peter
and Paul Church, Plains.
He was precededindeathbya sis-
ter, Natalie Pliscott of Exeter.
In addition to his wife, Leona,
Henry is survived by daughters, Ka-
ren Caffrey and her husband, Jo-
seph, Hudson; Debra Manarski,
Hudson; son, Mark Manarski, and
his wife, Virginia, Plains; and
grandchildren, Caitlin, Matthew,
Joseph, Erica and Benjamin. Also
surviving are brothers, Albert Mly-
narski of Manville, N.J., and Ed-
ward Manarski of Swoyersville.
Henrys funeral will be con-
ducted on Monday at 9 a.m.
from the Mark V. Yanaitis Funeral
Home, 55 Stark Street, Plains,
with a Mass of Christian Burial in
Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Plains.
Interment will followin St. Joseph
Cemetery, Hudson. Friends may
call Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial do-
nations may be given to Alzheim-
ers Association, 57 N. Franklin
Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA
18701.Condolences or directions
may be accessed atwww.yanaitis-
funeralhome.com.
Henry R. Manarski
February 22, 2012
J
osephP. Schmieg, 79, formerlyof
Exeter and a resident of the Tim-
ber Ridge Nursing facility, Plains
Township, passed away Wednesday
February 22, 2012 at Geisinger
Wyoming Valley Medical Center af-
ter a brief illness.
Hewas borninExeter, onDecem-
ber 8, 1932, and was the son of the
late Louis and Margaret Kaiser
Schmieg.
He was a member of Immaculate
Conception Church, West Pittston,
a graduate of the former St. Marys
High School, Scranton and a 1959
graduate of Wilkes University. Joe
was a Staff Sergeant withthe United
States Air Force serving during the
Korean War. Prior to retirement, he
was employed as a caseworker for
the Department of Public Welfare.
Joe was a member of the Plains
American Legion Post 558, Plains.
In addition to his parents, he was
preceded in death by a nephew,
Sean J. Pace, and brother-in-law,
Harry J. Pace Sr.
He is survived by his sister, Mary
Margaret Pace of Exeter; nieces,
Cathy Morgan and her husband,
Chuck, and their sons, Chucky and
Colby, of Moosic; Margie Pace of
Exeter; Patty Pace of Exeter; neph-
ew Harry J. Pace of Exeter, also the
family pets, Happy, Charger and
Mulatto.
A blessing service will be
held Saturday, February 25, at
noon at Kiesinger Funeral Services
Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Duryea.
Friends may call for visitation from
11:30 a.m. until time of service.
Onlinecondolences maybemade
to www.kiesingerfuneralservices-
.com.
Joseph P. Schmieg
February 22, 2012
L
ogi W. Krywokulski, 96, of Al-
toona, passed away Thursday
February 23, 2012at the GoldenLiv-
ing Center, Wilkes-Barre.
He was born in Altoona, on No-
vember 18, 1915 and was the son of
the late Alex and Carrie Krywokul-
ski.
Logi was a member of the Ukrai-
nian Church, Altoona, Pa. He at-
tended Altoona schools and was re-
tired as an electrician for the Penn-
sylvania Railroad, Juniata, Pa.
In addition to his parents, he was
preceded in death by his son Ste-
phen and his daughter Kaye Wytiaz,
and his brothers, Nick and Charles
Krywokulski.
Logi is survived by his wife of
over 71 years, the former Annabelle
(Garman) Krywokulski; his daugh-
ters, Nancy Munski and her hus-
band, Thomas, of Avoca, and Ma-
ryann McGill and husband James,
of Langhorne, Pa.; son-in-law, Char-
les Wytiaz, of Pittsburgh; 13 grand-
children; six great-grandchildren,
and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at
the convenience of the family.
Funeral arrangements have been
entrusted to Kiesinger Funeral Ser-
vices Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Du-
ryea.
Onlinecondolences maybemade
to www.kiesingerfuneralservices-
.com.
Logi W. Krywokulski
February 23, 2012
ASHLEY Borough council
voted on Thursday to solicit
bids for a new dump truck for
the street department.
Councilman Joe Gorman vot-
ed yes but stated he had reser-
vations about proceeding with
an actual vehicle purchase until
the borough had an opportunity
to review actual 2012 tax re-
ceipts.
Id feel more comfortable
holding off until we actually
know where we stand, said
Gorman. And maybe if we wait
until later in the year, we can
get a better deal when plow
trucks are in less demand.
In another matter, borough
Solicitor Bill Vinsko announced
the properties at 70 N. Main St.
and 55-57 N. Main St. will be
offered for sale at minimum bid
amounts of $2,000 and $40,000,
respectively.
The bids must be in by March
3.
Council members also an-
nounced theyre seeking imme-
diate bids for repairs to a storm-
damaged manhole drain on Cul-
vert Street that is spewing raw
sewage into nearby Solomon
Creek.
Council President Jim Mullin
said the bid process will be over
today and work will begin as
soon as possible to correct the
damaged storm drain and stop
the sewage leak.
ASHL EY BOROUGH
Bids for new truck are sought
One councilmen says hed
rather wait until years
revenue picture is clearer.
By STEVEN FONDO
Times Leader Correspondent
The next council meeting is March
13 at 7 p.m. at the Ashley Fire-
mans Park.
WHAT S NEXT
New Turkey Hill opens in Plains Twp.
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
The new Turkey Hill Minit Markets store opened Thursday morning at 16 S. Main St.,
Plains Township The 4,000 square-foot store, which will employ 30 people, replaces Tur-
key Hills original location in Plains at 15 Maffett St. The new 24-hour store features 12 fill-
ing stations for gasoline, grocery products and a grab-and-go menu from the Real Time
Caf. Grand opening festivities continue with radio remotes on March 2 from 4 p.m. to 6
p.m. and March 3 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
FREELAND State police
charged Michael Mokshefski Jr.,
27, of Blakeslee, with aggravated
assault and said he dragged a
police officer with his pickup
truck on Ridge Street on Thurs-
day afternoon.
Officer MatthewWilliams was
flown by helicopter to Geisinger
Wyoming Valley Medical Center,
Plains Township, where he was
treated for head injuries and
released.
Around 3 p.m. Williams was
interviewing Mokshefski in his
Jeep Comanche while investigat-
ing a disturbance on Ridge
Street and asked the driver to
turn off the ignition, state police
said. When Williams reached in
and tried to turn off the ignition,
Mokshefski drove away, drag-
ging the officer approximately
100 feet before he fell off and
struck his head, state police said.
Mokshefski was apprehended
near Effort, where he got out of
his Jeep and fled into a wooded
area along state Route 940,
police said.
WILKES-BARRE City po-
lice reported the following:
Officers cited Richard Wren,
of Wilkes-Barre, with harass-
ment after Christine Ferris re-
ported he pushed her into a wall
and struck her in the face inside
a South Grant Street residence
on Tuesday.
Kathleen Loftus reported
Wednesday a windowwas
smashed on her vehicle while it
was parked on Joseph Lane.
Keith Putnam, of South
Washington Street, reported
Wednesday a windowwas
smashed on a U-Haul rental
truck that was parked in the area
of 94 Carey Ave.
Susan Hankey reported
Wednesday a windowwas
smashed on her vehicle that was
parked on South Meade Street.
David Richards, of Hanover
Township, reported Tuesday a
man punched himin the face in
the area of North Main and East
Bennett streets. Richards report-
ed the man asked himfor money
before he was assaulted.
Officers arrested Mark Zuc-
zyk of Mountain Top on charges
of public drunkenness, resisting
arrest and aggravated assault at
12:50 a.m. Saturday at the Hard-
ware Bar, 14 S. Main St. Police
said medics were called to police
headquarters because Zuczyk
was injured in a fall. While en
route to an area emergency
room, police allege, Zuczyk spit
in the face of a medic.
Brennan Abrahamof
Wilkes-Barre said someone stole
a Toshiba laptop and an mp3
player fromhis vehicle at 424
NewGrove St. at 12:38 a.m.
Tuesday.
Aschool bus and car collid-
ed Wednesday morning at the
intersection of Amber Lane and
North Sherman Street.
The bus driver, Keith Shaver
of Wyoming, said he stopped at a
stop sign on Amber Lane around
11:35 a.m. and proceeded
through the intersection when
the bus was struck by a Saturn
sedan driven by Joseph Langan
of Wilkes-Barre.
Langan said he stopped at a
sign on North Sherman Street
and then went through the in-
tersection when the bus struck
his car, police said.
Langan suffered moderate
injuries and was taken to a local
hospital, police said.
WILKES-BARRE TWP. A
man was arraigned Wednesday
on charges he used a credit card
belonging to his former employ-
er.
David Joseph Smith, 44, of
Scott Street, Wilkes-Barre, was
arraigned by District Judge
Michael Dotzel on 29 counts
each of theft, forgery and access
device fraud. He was released on
his own recognizance.
Township police said Michael
Sivilich Jr., of USAgain Clothes
Collection System, reported in
December that a former employ-
ee, identified as Smith used the
companys credit card to make
unauthorized purchases, accord-
ing to the criminal complaint.
Police allege Smith used the
USAgain Clothes credit card
multiple times at three busi-
nesses in the township in the
amount of $4,731fromNovem-
ber to December, the criminal
complaint says.
POLICE BLOTTER
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 3A
LOCAL
timesleader.com
DALLAS TOWNSHIP
Charged with selling pot
A man was arraigned Thursday in
Wilkes-Barre Central Court on charges
he sold marijuana.
David J. Schultz, 38, of Country Pine
Estates, was charged with three counts
of possession with intent to deliver a
controlled substance, two counts each
of possession of a controlled substance
and possession of drug paraphernalia,
and a single count of communications
facility. He was jailed at the county
prison for lack of $5,000 bail.
Township police allege Schultz sold
marijuana from his residence in the
trailer park on Wednesday. A search of
the house trailer, with the help of a
police canine, allegedly uncovered a
large amount of marijuana and contra-
band, according to the criminal com-
plaint.
Schultz was arrested at a bowling
alley in Wilkes-Barre Wednesday night.
SCRANTON
Kulicks release imperiled
Federal prosecutors are seeking to
revoke the supervised release of former
mob associate Robert Kulick based on
his alleged use of alcohol that led to his
arrest on charges of violating a protec-
tion from abuse order his wife had
obtained.
U.S. Attorney Peter J. Smith on
Thursday asked a federal judge to issue
a court order directing Geisinger Med-
ical Center to release Kulicks medical
records relating to his admission to
hospitals Wilkes-
Barre location on Feb.
14.
Kulick was taken to
the hospital after his
arrest for calling and
threatening his es-
tranged wife, Michele
Mattioli-Kulick. At the
time of his arrest, Robert Kulick was
found to possibly be under the influen-
ce of drugs or alcohol, Smith said.
Kulick pleaded guilty in September
2009 to being a felon in possession of a
firearm. He was released from prison in
March 2011after serving 17 months. He
was also ordered to serve two years on
supervised release.
As a condition of his release, he was
ordered to refrain from excessive use
or alcohol, according to court records.
Smith said the U.S. Probation Office
applied for an arrest warrant for Kulick
on Feb. 15 for violating conditions of
his supervised release. The medical
records are needed as evidence at a
hearing that will be held to determine
if he violated those conditions, Smith
said.
LUZERNE COUNTY
$23 million for rail projects
Two freight-rail improvements in
Luzerne County will receive funding as
part a $23 million state allocation an-
nounced Thursday by
Gov. Tom Corbett.
Corbett said the
improvement will
help businesses ex-
pand and improve
operations.
Pittston Industrial
LLC, also known as
Interstate Distribution Center, will
receive $700,000 to construct and
rehabilitate track to increase rail ac-
cess, a release from Corbett said.
The Delaware & Hudson Railway
Co. will receive $3 million to build and
repair track related to infrastructure
development in Luzerne, Susquehanna
and Wyoming counties, the release
said.
I N B R I E F
DALLAS TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT PHOTO
Aaron, the Dallas Township Police
Department canine, with suspected
marijuana confiscated .
Kulick
Corbett
WILKES-BARRE An Edwardsville
man who police say was high on bath
salts when he called police to say there
were 90 people living in the walls will
stand trial in March on related charges,
a county judge said Thursday.
Robert Hospodar, 30, of Franklin
Street, will face charges of disorderly
conduct and endangering the welfare of
children at a trial to be held the week of
March 26, Judge Joseph Sklarosky, Jr.,
said.
Hospodars attorney, Paul Galante,
said at this point he is requesting a trial,
but he and his client have been discuss-
ing a possible guilty plea.
Hospodar and Amber
Sutton, 27, of Luzerne
Ave., West Pittston, were
charged after police said
they were hallucinating on
bath salts and nearly cut
their 5-year-old daughter with knives
they were using to stab people they be-
lieved were living in the walls of their
apartment.
The girl was not injured and full cus-
tody of the child has been given to Sut-
tons mother, police said.
Sutton had been entered in the coun-
tys Treatment Court program as a re-
sult of the charges, but was removed
from the program in late December.
A county judge said in October Sut-
ton failed to appear for court and a war-
rant for her arrest was issued. She was
taken into custody in December.
Judge WilliamAmesbury said Sutton
will be lodged at the prison until fur-
ther order of the court.
Police saidthey respondedtothe cou-
ples apartment in March 2011 for a re-
port of 90 people living in the walls.
Hospodar, Sutton and their daughter
were in the apartment. Police said the
adults were holding knives and other
knives were on the floor.
Hospodar and Sutton exhibited ex-
tremely paranoid behavior, police said.
Each said the other was on bath salts,
according to the affidavit.
They were pulling drywall off the
walls and sticking their heads in the
walls describing the people in which
they claimed they saw. They were
plunging knives into the holes in the
walls attempting to stab the people, ac-
cording to the affidavit.
Man allegedly told police 90 people were living in the walls of West Pittston home
Trial set in bath salts incident
By SHEENA DELAZIO
[email protected]
Robert Hospodars attorney, Paul
Galante, said at this point he is re-
questing a trial, but he and his client
have been discussing a possible guilty
plea.
WILKES-BARRE Bruce Lefkowitz,
owner of Harrolds Pharmacy, wants to
move his familys 65-year-old business
down the street to the former site of the
Old River Road Bakery.
Lefkowitz and his legal counsel, Frank
Hoegan, presented the idea to City
Council on Thursday night. Lefkowitz is
one of two bidders looking to purchase
the former bakery.
The two bids
were: Lefkowitz, do-
ing business as 250
Old River Road
Properties LLC,
$50,000; and Dar-
ren Stucker, doing
business as Beek-
man Street Proper-
ties LLC, at
$52,000. Stucker
did not attend the
council meeting and his bid was not
made available for public inspection.
Lefkowitz brought an architects ren-
ditionof what the property wouldbe like
if he were the successful bidder. He
called it his vision of the property and
said it would have a positive impact on
the community. He said he already has a
party interested in his current building
at 179 Old River Road.
My family has been committed to
South Wilkes-Barre for more than 65
years, Lefkowitz said. We thought it
was fitting that we take a look at the
property.
Lefkowitz and Hoegan said they were
not overly concerned about Stuckers
higher bid.
The criteria in the bid sheets said
consideration will be given to the high-
est and best use for the property, Hoe-
gan said. Also important is the bidders
ability to get financing.
Frank Sorick, president of the Wilkes-
Barre City Taxpayers Association, en-
See PHARMACY, Page 6A
Pharmacy
owner wants
bakery site
Bruce Lefkowitz, owner of Harrolds
Pharmacy, 1 of 2 bidders for former
site of Old River Road Bakery.
By BILL OBOYLE
[email protected]
City Council will
hold a work ses-
sion March 6 and a
regular meeting
March 8 in council
chambers, City
Hall.
WHAT S
NE XT
PITTSTON An inmate at
the Luzerne County Correc-
tional Facility was charged
Thursday with having sexual
encounters with four teenage
girls, including a 13-year-old
girl who claimed he threatened
her.
Carlos Antonio Rios, 19, of
Parsonage Street, Pittston, was
arraigned on four counts of
statutory sexual assault and a
single count of invol-
untary deviate sexual
intercourse. He was
remandedtothe coun-
ty prison for lack of
$1.2 million bail.
Rios has been jailed
sinceSundayonatres-
passing charge when
he was caught by po-
lice at the Riverview
Manor apartment complex,
where he formerly resided.
Rios had been ordered to stay
away from the apartment com-
plex, police said.
He allegedly gave three teens
the same promise ring only to
have it returned when the girls
found out he was cheating on
them. Police retrieved
the ring from Rios 29-
year-old girlfriend.
Police allege Rios
pressureda13-year-old
girl into having sex in-
side a Riverview Ma-
nor apartment in late
December. She said he
slapped her, called her
names and threatened
to kill her if she told anyone.
Rios told police he only lec-
tured the 13-year-old and two
other female juveniles about
sex. He believed the girl was 17
years old, not 13.
During the investigation in-
Pittston man allegedly had sex with teen girls
CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER
Carlos Rios,
after his arrest
by Pittston
police Thursday
afternoon. Rios,
19, of Parsonage
Street, Pittston,
was arraigned
on four counts
of statutory
sexual assault
and a single
count of invol-
untary deviate
sexual inter-
course. He was
remanded to the
county prison
for lack of $1.2
million bail.
Police say investigation of
one encounter led to
information on others.
By EDWARD LEWIS
[email protected]
See GIRLS, Page 6A
Police allege
Rios pres-
sured a 13-
year-old girl
into having
sex in late
December.
HAZLETON Michael Leib em-
ploys 116 people at his companys two
locations, but he said if it werent for
government overregulation, he would
be hiring more.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday
toured Leibs Hazleton Casting Co. to
discuss how government regulation is
affecting small businesses. Toomey
said came away with a clearer picture
of howredtape reallyholds backsmall-
business growth.
No question, overregulation hin-
ders growth, Toomey said. And (the
Obama) administration has come up
with more regulations than weve ever
seen before.
Toomey toured the full-service foun-
dry for ferrous and special alloys that
pours materials needed for machine
parts. Leib has another location in
Weatherly.
Too many regulations are costing
us jobs, growth and money, he said.
This was a fascinating tour; these are
good-paying jobs, and this is a good in-
dustry.
Toomey praised Leib and his oper-
ation, noting the company has found a
way to grow and to sell its products
overseas. The freshman senator said
he came to Hazleton to have a discus-
sion on the effects of overregulation on
small businesses.
Leib said if current regulations were
in effect in 1989 when he was starting
out, he would not have been success-
ful.
Were all for providinga healthyand
safe environment, but we need com-
mon sense, too, he said.
Leib said he sells mining equipment
and pumps to power generation com-
panies and drilling companies. He has
SENATOR S VI SI T
CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, center with yellow hard hat, talks with Hazleton Casting Co. President Michael Leib on Thurs-
day morning. From left are state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, Toomey and Leib.
Toomey raps overregulation
See TOOMEY, Page 6A
By BILL OBOYLE
[email protected]
Too many regulations are
costing us jobs, growth and
money. This was a fasci-
nating tour; these are good-
paying jobs, and this is a
good industry.
Pat Toomey
U.S. senator
C M Y K
PAGE 4A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 5A
SAN DIEGO
Air collision kills 7 Marines
T
wo Marine Corps helicopters collid-
ed over a remote section of the
California desert during a nighttime
exercise, killing seven Marines in one
of the deadliest military training acci-
dents in years.
There were no survivors in the latest
in a series of crashes involving troops
from Camp Pendleton, officials said
Thursday.
Two Marines were aboard an AH-1W
Cobra and the rest were in a UH-1
Huey utility helicopter when the crash
occurred Wednesday night near the
Chocolate Mountains along the Cali-
fornia-Arizona border, said Lt. Maureen
Dooley with Miramar Air Base in San
Diego.
Six of the victims were from Camp
Pendleton the largest base on the
West Coast and one was from Ma-
rine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizo-
na. Their identities will not be released
until their families have all been noti-
fied.
BAGHDAD
Iraq violence claims 55
Bombs and deadly shootings relent-
lessly pounded Iraqis on Thursday,
killing at least 55 people and wounding
more than 225 in a widespread wave of
violence the government called a fran-
tic attempt by insurgents to prove the
country will never be stable.
Cars burned, school desks were
bloodied, bandaged victims lay in hos-
pitals and pools of blood were left with
the wounded on floors of bombed
businesses after the daylong series of
attacks in 12 cities across Iraq.
The assault demonstrated how vul-
nerable the country remains two
months after the American military left
and put the onus for protecting the
public solely in the hands of Iraqi
forces.
LONDON
Nations plan ultimatum
The United States, Europe and Arab
nations are preparing to demand that
Syrian President Bashar Assad agree
within days to a ceasefire and allow
humanitarian aid into areas hardest hit
by his regimes brutal crackdown on
opponents.
U.S., European and Arab officials
were meeting in London on Thursday
to craft details of an ultimatum to
Assad that diplomats said could de-
mand compliance within 72 hours or
result in additional as-yet-unspecified
punitive measures, likely to include
toughened sanctions.
MADISON, WIS.
Man cooks up story, meal
A man who claimed to be the new
manager of a Dennys restaurant in
Wisconsin then cooked himself a
cheeseburger and fries is facing charg-
es.
Police say 52-year-old James Sum-
mers, wearing a tie and carrying a
briefcase, claimed he was sent by Den-
nys corporate office Tuesday to be the
new manager at the restaurant in Madi-
son. The current manager told him he
must have the wrong restaurant. Sum-
mers told her she apparently had not
received the memo about the change in
leadership.
Authorities say the manager called
her supervisors while Summers helped
himself to a meal. WISC-TV says police
were summoned and took Summers
into custody. Officers say they found a
stun gun on his belt. Summers is
charged with disorderly conduct, drug
possession and possessing an electric
weapon.
I N B R I E F
AP PHOTO
Showing stick-to-it-tiveness
Leslie Perez enjoys the Velcro wall
Thursday during the Gay Straight
Alliance student organization carnival
at Gulf Coast State College in Panama
City, Fla.
MESA, Ariz. Launched by a bitter
debate, Rick Santorum and Mitt Rom-
ney are powering into a crucial stretch
of Republican primaries and caucuses,
one man badly needing money and the
other anxious to win over conservative
voters.
Romney was turning his focus Thurs-
day to tea partyers in Michigan, his
birthplace, where cash-strapped Santo-
rum is waging an unexpectedly strong
challenge. Romneys been put on the
defensive in the auto-building state
over his opposition to the govern-
ments bailout of car makers.
Romney took a pounding on the auto
issue in Wednesday nights debate, and
President Barack Obamas re-election
campaign piled on Thurs-
day. Obama released a
TV ad in Michigan accus-
ing Romney and the oth-
er GOP candidates of
turning their backs on an
industry that supports more than 1 mil-
lion workers in the state by opposing
the bailout.
In other political news:
Obama arrived in Florida Thurs-
day to promote an energy strategy that
the administration says will reduce de-
pendence on foreign oil in the long
term. But Obamas pitch had a subtext:
the federal government can do little to
halt the current rise in gasoline prices.
A new Associated Press-GfK poll
shows that though Obamas approval
rating on the economy has climbed, 58
percent disapprove of what hes doing
on gas prices.
Republicans have seized on the is-
sue, citing Obamas decision to reject a
permit for a cross-country oil pipeline
as evidence of a misguided policy.
An Associated Press-GfK poll
shows 65 percent of the people asked
favor Obamas plan to require people
making $1 million or more pay taxes
equal to at least 30 percent of their in-
come. Just 26 percent opposed Oba-
mas idea.
Yet by 56 percent to 31 percent, more
embraced cuts in government services
than higher taxes as the best medicine
for the budget, according to the survey,
which was conducted Feb. 16 to 20.
Votes, money, spin on the agenda
Romney, Santorum fan out after
debate. Obama tackles gas woes.
AP PHOTO
Republican presi-
dential candidate,
former Massachu-
setts Gov. Mitt
Romney, speaks at
the Associated
Builders and Con-
tractors National
Meeting at the Ari-
zona Biltmore Hotel
in Phoenix on Thurs-
day. He was later to
speak at a tea party
event in Michigan.
The Associated Press
20 1 2
ELECTION
FORT MEADE, Md. An Ar-
my private declined to enter a
plea Thursday tocharges he engi-
neered the biggest leak of classi-
fied information in U.S. history.
Pfc. Bradley Manning also de-
ferred a choice of whether to be
tried by a military jury or judge
alone.
Military judge Col. Denise
Lindpresidedover the 50-minute
hearing at Fort Meade near Balti-
more. She didnt set a trial date
but scheduled
another court
session for
March 15-16.
Defense at-
torney David
Coombs pro-
posed a trial
date sometime
in April. He
saidthe govern-
ments pro-
posed calendar
could push the
start of the trial
toAug. 3, a date
that Coombs said could jeopar-
dize his clients right to a speedy
trial.
Manning has been in pretrial
confinement since May 2010. He
faces 22 counts, including aiding
the enemy. That charge carries a
maximum penalty of life in pris-
on. The others carry a combined
maximum of more than 150
years.
The 24-year-old native of Cres-
cent, Okla., allegedly gave the an-
ti-secrecy website WikiLeaks
more than 700,000 documents
and video clips.
Defense lawyers say Manning
was emotionally troubled and
shouldnt have had access to clas-
sifiedmaterial nor havebeensent
to Iraq for a tour of duty.
WikiLeaks
soldier
defers plea
Manning also defers a choice
of whether to be tried by a
military jury or judge alone.
The 24-year-
old native of
Crescent,
Okla., alleged-
ly gave Wiki-
Leaks website
more than
700,000 doc-
uments and
video clips.
The Associated Press
as foreign forces disrespect for
Afghanlaws andculture.
In a letter sent to Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, Oba-
ma expressed his administra-
tions regret and apologies
over the incident in which reli-
gious materials were uninten-
tionally mishandled, White
House national security coun-
cil spokesman Tommy Vietor
said.
Karzais office said Obama
called the Quran burnings in-
advertent, adding that the
U.S. will take the appropriate
steps to avoid any recurrence,
to include holding account-
able those responsible.
U.S. apologies for the dese-
cration and an appeal from
Karzai for calm have failed
to temper the anger of Af-
KABUL, Afghanistan
President Barack Obama apol-
ogized Thursday for the burn-
ingof copies of the Muslimho-
ly book at a U.S. military base
this week, as violent protests
raging nationwide led a man
dressedinanAfghanarmyuni-
formto kill two U.S. troops.
The Afghans furious re-
sponse to the Quran burning
three days of riots inseveral
cities nationwide reflected
theangeratwhattheyperceive
ghans, who staged rallies in
seven provinces Thursday,
sparking clashes with Afghan
police and security forces that
left at least five demonstrators
dead. Seven protesters were
killed in clashes on Wednes-
day.
Obama apologizes; protests rage
2 U.S. soldiers die amid
violent protests over
burning of copies of Quran.
By AMIR SHAH and
PATRICK QUINN
Associated Press
AP PHOTO
Afghan security forces arrive at the scene of an anti-U.S.
demonstration at a base in Jalalabad, Wednesday.
MONTGOMERY, Ala.
An Alabama woman is under
guard at a hospital after she
gave birth following her arrest
in the death of her 9-year-old
stepdaughter, who authorities
say was forced to run for
three hours as punishment for
lying about eating a candy
bar.
Jessica Mae Hardin, 27, was
transferred from the Etowah
County De-
tention Cen-
ter to a hos-
pital on
Wednesday,
sheriffs of-
fice spokes-
woman Nata-
lie Barton
said. Etowah
County District Attorney Jim-
mie Harp confirmed that Har-
din had given birth hours af-
ter she was arrested.
Hardin and her mother-in-
law, 46-year-old Joyce Hardin
Garrard, were arrested and
charged with murder on
Wednesday in the death of Sa-
vannah Hardin.
Roger Simpson, who lives
up the hill from the double-
wide trailer where Savannah
lived with Jessica and her fa-
ther Robert Hardin, said he
saw the girl running in the
yard.
When emergency vehicles
arrived at the home hours lat-
er, he said he thought they
were there for the pregnant
woman.
Savannah had a bladder
condition common to young
girls that meant she shouldnt
have chocolate because of the
caffeine content, Harp said.
He said there is no evidence
that the condition contributed
to her death.
Stepmom gives birth after arrest in girls death
By ANDY BROWNFIELD
Associated Press
AP PHOTOS
Joyce Hardin
Garrard, 46,
left, and Jessica
Mae Hardin, 27,
are shown in a
combo photo
from the sher-
iffs depart-
ment.
Savannah
Hardin
N A T I O N & W O R L D
7
4
0
4
0
9
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Storms in Colorado create havoc
AP PHOTO
Troy Vigh of Marvs Quality Towing prepares to tow a wrecked car from a creek Thursday on Highway 119 near
Boulder Canyon, Colo. A winter weather storm closed major highways, knocked out power to thousands and
raised avalanche dangers across Colorado. Parts of Interstate 25 that runs north and south near of Denver are
closed, along with portions of Interstate 70 west of the Front Range, after many crashes.
C M Y K
PAGE 6A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
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sold to companies working in
the Marcellus Shale region.
When they first came here,
our business really picked up,
Leib said. But lately its kind
of leveled off.
Leib said with less regula-
tions, he could hire more peo-
ple and expand his business.
Its so complex, he said of
wading through the regula-
tions and filing all required pa-
perwork.
Leib began his company
with 40 employees and has
managed to triple the work
force over the years. He said
his business has the potential
for more growth.
Toomey recently launched a
public service campaign
called Had Enough? to help
Pennsylvanians find solutions
to government excess and
overregulation.
Federal red tape is impos-
ing burdensome, unfunded
mandates on local cities,
townships and counties, Too-
mey states on his website.
Government waste, fraud and
abuse continue eating up tax-
payer dollars at a time when
many households are watch-
ing every penny they spend.
This is not how government is
meant to work.
An Associated Press story
Thursday said Toomey isnt
endorsing anyone in the GOP
presidential campaign, but he
likes Mitt Romneys newly
floated tax plan and calls Rick
Santorums support for his
2004 election foe ancient his-
tory.
TOOMEY
Continued from Page 3A
volving the 13-year-old, police
learned Rios dated and had sex-
ual encounters with a 14-year-
old girl in June, and a 15-year-
old girl and a 14-year-old girl in
November and December, the
criminal complaints say.
In an unrelated case, Rios is
facing trial in Luzerne County
Court on charges of simple as-
sault and criminal conspiracy
to commit robbery for his al-
leged role in beating a man de-
livering Chinese food on Lyons
Lane, Pittston, on June 25, ac-
cording to arrest and court re-
cords.
Rios was released from jail
on Oct. 14, when a county
judge modified his bail from
$10,000 straight to unsecured
on the conspiracy to commit
robbery case, court records say.
A preliminary hearing on the
latest charges is scheduled for
Feb. 29.
GIRLS
Continued from Page 3A
In an unrelated case, Rios is
facing trial in Luzerne County
Court on charges of simple
assault and criminal conspir-
acy to commit robbery.
ber2009. About100of the230employees
foundwork at the Scrantoncenter.
Implementation of these decisions is
contingent on congressional approval of
a revised service standard for first-class
mail, which would make such consolida-
tions possible, Daiutolo said
Daiutolo said no final decision on con-
solidations can be made before May 15,
whichmarks the endof a five-monthmo-
ratorium on postal facility closings and
consolidations.
The moratoriumwas agreeduponlast
year between the Office of the Postmas-
ter General and a group of U.S. senators
to give Congress time to study andenact
legislation to shape the future of Postal
Service operations.
Other consolidations
The same report recommended con-
solidating operations at postal facilities
at Lancaster, Reading and Williamsport
into a center inHarrisburg.
The decision to consolidate mail
processing facilities recognizes the ur-
gent needtoreducethesizeof thenation-
al mail processing network to eliminate
costlyunderutilizedinfrastructure,U.S.
Postal Service Chief Operating Officer
Megan Brennan said in a prepared state-
ment. Consolidating operations is nec-
essary if the Postal Service is to remain
viable to provide mail service to the na-
tion.
While news of the study was hardly
welcomedbyworkers onThursday, local
postal employees said they have been
working with legislators to prove their
operation is faster and more cost-effi-
cient thanthe workbeingdone at the Le-
highValley facility.
If youtakethevolumeof mail weproc-
ess every day in Scranton and dump it at
the Lehigh Valley plant, you are going to
breakthebackof that facility, KevinGal-
lagher, president of the American Postal
Workers Union for Scranton and North-
east Pennsylvania, said of the proposed
changes. We have gone to (U.S. Sen.
Robert) Casey with numerous facts
about our operations that prove the post-
al service can save massive amounts of
money by keeping this service at the
Scrantonfacility.
Gallagher saidthecost of sorting1,000
pieces of first-class mail at the Scranton
center is $6.29less thanat theAllentown
facility. He also said doing necessary ex-
pansion and renovation work at Allen-
townwill takeat least ayear inorder to
make the center ready to accept the pro-
posedchanges inoperations.
TheLehighValleyfacilitycant match
the standard of service we have here in
Scranton, Gallagher added. Our facili-
ty is a regional and national leader in the
processing of first-class mail.
Continuingtofight
Gallagher alsopraisedCasey, whopet-
itionedtheOfficeof thePostmaster Gen-
eral on Wednesday to further study the
consolidationissue.
Hes been great to work with, Gal-
lagher saidof Casey, whowas amongthe
groupof senators topushfor the morato-
riumin2011. Heseesthegoodworkthat
we do here.
We need Congress to pass legislation
that lets the postal service serve the
American people, Gallagher added, cit-
ing a 2006 congressional ruling that
forces the postal service to pay nearly $6
billion annually towards retirement
costs for future employees. We are pay-
ingfor75yearsworthof retirementsover
just 10 years many people we are pay-
ing for wont even be born for decades to
come.
Casey and other local legislators fear
thepotential economichit theScranton/
Wilkes-Barre area would take if the cen-
ter is closed.
Sen. Caseycontinuestobeconcerned
about the significant impact that the clo-
sure of the Scranton Processing Facility
would have on the community, which is
why he believes an independent review
of the numbers used to justify the clos-
ings is needed, Caseys press secretary,
John Rizzo, said. We have until May15,
and we are going to keep fighting, Gal-
lagher said. Wewant tokeepleadingthe
nationinmail processing.
POSTAL
Continued from Page 1A
the roughly 300 members were
willing to give up raises for the
rest of this year if the county
agreed to:
Lay off only five newer
union employees who are in
probationary status.
Impose no further layoffs,
furloughs or job eliminations of
non-probationary union workers
for budgetary reasons through
the rest of the contract, or until
Dec. 31, 2013.
Recall the five probationary
union workers before the three
management prison workers if
theres an opportunity to restore
employment.
Union seeks commitment
Seiwell said he sees no reason
the county would have an issue
with the proposal. The union
would never agree to sacrifice
guaranteed raises without a
commitment that no more em-
ployees would be laid off
through the rest of the agree-
ment, he said.
Why would they give back
raises if in two more months
they could lay more people off?
Seiwell said. If anything,
theyre unreasonable, he said of
the administration.
Forgoing the raise from
March forward will save
$400,000 this year and about
$500,000 in subsequent years,
he said. Union members are giv-
ing up the raise and also the
corresponding base salary
bump-up going forward, he said.
Thats $5 million over 10
years, Seiwell said.
Asking the county to recall
union workers before the three
management workers is fair be-
cause were the ones losing,
he said.
The county would also cut
costs through layoffs the exact
dollar amount isnt clear but
Seiwell said the prison union
proposal allows the county to
save the money from raises
while ensuring employee and
public safety is not compro-
mised from reduced staffing.
Seiwell said it is unpreceden-
ted for a single county union to
come up with a concession on
its own, and the county wont
get such cooperation again if
this proposal dies.
He said the administration
challenged unions to make con-
cessions and doesnt know how
to handle it now that one has
been made.
Discussion sought
Councilman Rick Morelli said
he believes council will want to
ensure the matter is thoroughly
discussed before any final deci-
sion.
Morelli said council members
demanded concessions, and the
handling of this first offer will
set the tone for future propos-
als.
If this isnt handled properly,
it could jeopardize us going
back and opening up agree-
ments with other unions, which
would put us in the same bind,
Morelli said.
Council members have publi-
cly put employees on notice
that further cuts will be neces-
sary in 2013, in part because
this years use of $1.4 million in
past borrowed funds to help re-
pay debt wont be an option
again.
Pribula said he believes writ-
ten notice has been given to all
employees scheduled for layoff.
He said he will provide a specif-
ic layoff count in the near future
and plans to brief council on the
layoffs Tuesday evening.
PRISON
Continued from Page 1A
Council members have publicly put employees on notice that
further cuts will be necessary in 2013, in part because this years
use of $1.4 million in past borrowed funds to help repay debt
wont be an option again.
put on the countys upset sale in
March.
Tyler Hammond, who has filed a
lawsuit against the city regarding the
former bakery, asked council at its Ja-
nuary meeting why a portion of the
propertycant be soldseparately. Ham-
mond did not submit a bid.
Bob Kadluboski, the citys former
towing contractor anda frequent critic
of city government, asked if he could
inspect the bid packets before they
were open.
I want to make sure they werent
tamperedwith, Kadluboski said. You
know how corrupt it is here.
Council Chairman Mike Merritt as-
sured Kadluboski the bids were sealed
and asked him to return to his seat.
Linda Urban, George Avenue, asked
council to produce documentation
that shows benefits given elected offi-
cials are legal. Urban said she contact-
ed the state Public Employee Retire-
ment Associationandwas toldmunici-
palities are required to offer only elect-
ed officials a salary. City officials
receive a pension and health benefits,
and Urban said accepting the benefits
is illegal.
Who authorized these benefits?
Urban asked. Howhave you been able
to pull this off?
Urban said the benefits should stop,
and she promised court action would
be taken if council doesnt act.
dorsed the Lefkowitz bid.
This will return the property to the
tax rolls and improve the neighbor-
hood, Sorick said.
Lefkowitz said he believes in South
Wilkes-Barre and he presented letters
of support from residents of the city
and petitions signed by hundreds of
people.
We intend to take an eyesore and
turn it into something really nice, he
said. This will be great for the cityand
great for our business.
The property was taken off the Sept.
22 county tax sale and listed for public
sale after the county, city and Wilkes-
Barre Area School District agreed to
put it out for bid, even though the city
still owes $13,054tothe county inback
taxes. Thecitywouldcarrythebalance
until the property is sold, at which
time it would pay the county.
The city originally intended to sell
the building for $38,000 to Leo A.
Glodzik, owner of LAG Towing the
citys towing contractor but that deal
was terminated during the summer.
The Luzerne County Court of Com-
monPleas has ruledthe property must
be sold within six months or it will be
BILL OBOYLE/THE TIMES LEADER
An architects ren-
dering of a new
Harrolds Pharmacy
that would be built
on the site of the
former Old River
Road Bakery if the
city accepts a bid
from Bruce Lef-
kowitz, owner of the
pharmacy.
PHARMACY
Continued from Page 3A
dont mean theyre not
there, said Dones. You just
gotta know what to look for.
Changes in a childs or stu-
dents behavior, the wearing
of certain colors, having un-
explained cash, jewelry or
clothing, could be signs of
gang invol-
vement or
influence,
he said.
Dones
spent the
past few
days visit-
ing with of-
ficials from
Hazleton
Area and
Wilkes-
Barre Area
school dis-
tricts and the Luzerne Inter-
mediate Unit and liked what
he saw in terms of the pro-
grams in place.
He also lauded the efforts
of state Sen. John Yudichak
and U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta
who joined together in Op-
eration Gang Up. The local
initiative discussed at the fo-
rum calls for community and
law enforcement coopera-
tion to address the issue of
gangs.
This is not a paper tiger.
This is something that we
could be proud of and I
know its going to work,
said Dones.
He acknowledged it will
take time and effort to ac-
complish the goals of the ini-
tiative whose number one
priority is to keep down
criminal violence.
Barletta, a Republican and
former Hazleton mayor, said
he and Yudichak, a Demo-
crat, put politics aside and
asked the community to
come together to send a
message about gang activity.
And that message is not
in our neighborhood, not in
our schools and not with our
children, he said.
The program, the second
of five to be presented local-
ly, was planned well in ad-
vance of the Feb. 9 assault in
which a 15-year-old GAR stu-
dent nearly had his left hand
severed. Police charged a 16-
year-old boy as an accom-
plice in the assault. They are
looking for the 19-year-old
man who allegedly swung
the machete.
That incident brought
more attention to effort,
said Yudichak, and gave the
presenters at the forum the
opportunity to try and take
that negative and turn it into
a positive.
Brian Lavan, a former city
police officer who is the di-
rector of police operations
and security for the Wilkes-
Barre Area School District,
said the district does not
have a problem with the
presence of gangs that af-
fects the daily operations of
the schools.
The district 12 years ago
placed school resource offi-
cers in the schools and had
the officers trained in gang
awareness, he explained.
Since then, students have
been arrested for possession
of weapons, drugs and drug
paraphernalia, assaults and
theft.
I can tell you in 12 years
all the incidents the SROs in-
vestigated none were direct-
ly, directly involved with
gang activity, said Lavan.
But the districts students
are influenced by gangs, he
acknowledged.
Were a reflection of our
neighborhoods, he said.
What goes on in Wilkes-
Barre comes into our
schools. We are public
schools.
GANGS
Continued from Page 1A
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
State Sen. John Yudichak, background, and U.S. Rep. Lou
Barletta were on hand Thursday night at the Kings forum.
Just be-
cause you
dont see
em, dont
mean
theyre not
there.
D. Darell Dones
Of the FBI
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 7A
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PAGE 8A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
O B I T U A R I E S
The Times Leader publish-
es free obituaries, which
have a 27-line limit, and paid
obituaries, which can run
with a photograph. A funeral
home representative can call
the obituary desk at (570)
829-7224, send a fax to (570)
829-5537 or e-mail to tlo-
[email protected]. If you
fax or e-mail, please call to
confirm. Obituaries must be
submitted by 9 p.m. Sunday
through Thursday and 7:30
p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Obituaries must be sent by a
funeral home or crematory,
or must name who is hand-
ling arrangements, with
address and phone number.
We discourage handwritten
notices; they incur a $15
typing fee.
O B I T U A R Y P O L I C Y
G enettis
AfterFu nera lLu ncheons
Sta rting a t$7.95 p erp erson
H otelBerea vem entRa tes
825.6477
In Loving Memory Of
Helen Slezak
Who passed away 5 years ago today
Sadly Missed by
Children, Grandchildren,
Brother, Sister, Family & Friends
CHUDOBA Charles, celebration of
life 10 a.m. today in McLaughlins,
142 S. Washington St., Wilkes-
Barre. Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. in the
Church of St. Leo the Great, Ash-
ley. Service of remembrance 11 a.m.
Saturday in St. James Episcopal
Church, Collegeville.
GRAMBERG Joseph, funeral 2 p.m.
today in the Harding-Litwin Funer-
al Home, 123 W. Tioga St. Tunk-
hannock. Friends may call 1 p.m.
until the time of the service at the
funeral home.
KILE Barbara, funeral 10 a.m. today
in the Clarke Piatt Funeral Home, 6
Sunset Lake Road, Hunlock Creek.
MOHR Mary, memorial service 11
a.m. Saturday in The Dallas United
Methodist Church.
ORGANEK Frances, funeral 9 a.m.
Saturday in the Jendrzejewski
Funeral Home, 21 N. Meade St.,
Wilkes-Barre. Mass of Christian
Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Our Lady of
Hope Parish, Wilkes-Barre. Friends
may call 6 to 8 p.m. today.
PARENTE KAUFMAN Gladys,
funeral and viewing 10 a.m. Sat-
urday in First Presbyterian Church,
97 Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre.
ROTHSTEIN Beulah, memorial
gathering 1 p.m. Sunday in Temple
Bnai Brith, Kingston.
RUPCHIS Robert, funeral 9 a.m.
today in the Yeosock Funeral
Home, 40 S. Main St., Plains Town-
ship. Mass of Christian Burial at
9:30 a.m. in St. John the Evange-
list Church, Pittston.
SCOREY William, memorial service
11 a.m. Saturday in the Christian
Assembly Church, 195 E. North-
ampton St., Wilkes-Barre.
SHAW Winifred, funeral 11 a.m.
Saturday in the George A. Strish
Inc. Funeral Home, 105 N. Main St.,
Ashley. Friends may call 9 to 11 a.m.
Saturday.
VANDORICK Robert Sr., cele-
bration of life Mass 10 a.m. March 3
in St. Mary of the Lake Church,
Lake Winola. Friends may call at
the church 9 a.m. until the time of
the Mass.
SWANBERRY Francis, friends may
call 5 to 8 p.m. today in the Desi-
derio Funeral Home Inc., 679 Carey
Ave., Hanover Township.
VERESPY Ruth, funeral 10:30 a.m.
today in the Corcoran Funeral
Home, Inc., 20 S. Main St., Plains
Township. Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at
Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Plains
Township.
WILLIAMS Patricia, funeral 10:15
a.m. today in the Hugh B. Hugh &
Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044
Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort. Mass of
Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St.
Francis Cabrini Church, Carverton.
Friends may call 9 a.m. until ser-
vice time today in the funeral
home.
FUNERALS
BRIAN JOSEPH KELLEY, 42,
of Hanover Township, passed
away Wednesday, February 22,
2012 at his home.
Arrangements are pending
and entrusted to Kniffen OMalley
Funeral Home Inc., 465 S. Main
St., Wilkes-Barre.
WALTER S. CIOLEK, 70, of
Swoyersville, passed away
Wednesday evening, February 22,
2012, at the inpatient unit of Hos-
pice Community Care, Geisinger
South Wilkes-Barre.
Funeral arrangements are
pending from the Corcoran Funer-
al Home Inc., 20 S. MainSt., Plains
Township.
J
acqueline Jean Myers, age 84,
formerly of Harveys Lake and
FortyFort, passedawayWednesday,
February 22, 2012 at the Meadows
Nursing and Rehabilitation Center,
Dallas, surrounded by her family.
Born in Syracuse, N.Y., she was
thedaughter of thelateStephenand
Sylvia Purcell Orme. Jackie was
raised by her maternal grandmoth-
er fromthe age of 7 when her moth-
er, Sylvia, passed away.
Jackie was a graduate of Cough-
lin High School, Wilkes-Barre. In
her early years, she worked at a lace
mill in Wilkes-Barre and for the for-
mer Helen K. Salzburg Candy Com-
pany. In later years, Jackie was em-
ployed by First Eastern Bank in
their Computer Center in Wilkes-
Barre.
She was a member of Forty Fort
United Methodist Church and ac-
tive in many of the churchs clubs
and annual events including the
Couples Club. She and her husband
hosted its annual picnic at their
home at Harveys Lake for a number
of years.
Preceding her in death, in addi-
tion to her parents, were her hus-
band of 44 years, Melvin M. Myers.
Surviving are sons, Richard D.
Myers and wife Janice; Moneta, Va.;
Bruce K. Myers and wife Cheryl,
Dallas; daughter, Pamela Bernoski
and husband Daniel, Ewing, N.J.;
grandchildren, Daniel and Brenda
Bernoski, Gabrielle and Isaiah
Myers; great-grandson, Jonas Ber-
noski.
Funeral services will be held
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 12:30
p.m. from the Harold C. Snowdon
Funeral Home Inc., 140 N. Main
Street, Shavertown. The Reverend
Donald A. Roberts, Pastor of Forty
Fort United Methodist Church, will
officiate. Interment will be made in
Mt. Greenwood Cemetery, Trucks-
ville. Friends may call at the funeral
home Saturday from 11 a.m. until
time of service at 12:30 p.m.
The family wishes to thank the
staff of the Meadows Nursing Cen-
ter and Hospice of the Sacred Heart
for the excellent care, kindness and
compassion Jackie received.
Inlieuof flowers, memorial dona-
tions, if desired, may be made to
Meadows Nursing and Rehabilita-
tion Center, 55 W. Center Hill Road,
Dallas, PA 18612 or the Forty Fort
United Methodist Church, 26 Yeag-
er Avenue, Forty Fort, PA 18704-
4042.
Jacqueline Jean Myers
February 22, 2012
H
elen (Magarowicz) Krushka, of
Shickshinny, passed into the
loving arms of her LordonFebruary
22, 2012 at home.
Born May 22, 1934 in Mocana-
qua, she was a daughter of the late
Ignatius and Helen (Kazanecki)
Magarowicz.
Helen was a graduate of the for-
mer Shickshinny High School. She
workedfor several area garment fac-
tories, first at MacGreagors, Nanti-
coke, then at Sea Isle, Glen Lyon,
and Country Maid, Berwick, and
was last employedinthe cafeteria at
the Garrison Elementary School,
Shickshinny. She was a member of
Holy Spirit Parish/St. Marys
Church, Mocanaqua.
She was the caretaker of her fam-
ily, friends, neighbors and especial-
ly her faithful companion, Buster.
She will be missed by all. We love
you, Coccie.
She was preceded in death by her
brothers, Stanley and Joseph Maga-
rowicz, and sisters Mary Lafrican
and Elizabeth Dorris.
Surviving are a sister, Rose Gar-
nier, New York; nieces, Mary Cutro
and Jeanne McGann; nephews Pa-
trick, James, Michael and Joseph
Dorris; and many great-nieces and
great-nephews and great-great-niec-
es and great-great-nephews.
Funeral services will be Mon-
day, February 27, 2012, at 9:15 a.m.
from the Mayo Funeral Home Inc.,
110 Chestnut St., Berwick, followed
by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10
a.m. in Holy Spirit Parish/St. Ma-
rys Church, 150 Main St., Mocana-
qua. Burial will be in St. Marys
Cemetery, Mocanaqua. A visitation
will be held Sunday at the funeral
home from 3 to 7 p.m.
For additional information, or to
send condolences, please visit
www.mayofh.com.
Helen (Magarowicz) Krushka
February 22, 2012
More Obituaries, Page 2A
MARTHA OLSHEFSKI, 92, of
Spruce Street, Alden, passed away
Wednesday, February 22, 2012, at
the Wilkes-Barre General Hospi-
tal.
Funeral arrangements are
pending from the Stanley S. Steg-
ura Funeral Home Inc., Nanticoke.
M
arty Cardone, 82, of East Broad
Street, Nanticoke, passed away
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.
BornonOctober 31, 1929, inNan-
ticoke he was a son of the late Do-
minic and Filomena Nardozzo Car-
done. He graduated fromNanticoke
High School, class of 1947.
Mr. Cardone served with the U.S.
Army during the Korean War sta-
tioned at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He at-
tainedthe rankof Staff Sergeant. He
later graduatedfromWilkes College
earning a BS in Business Education
and later earned a masters degree,
also from Wilkes College.
From the mid 1950s into the
1960s, Marty also had been a disc
jockey at WNAK Radio, Nanticoke,
with the show Weeks Hits in Re-
view. In 1960, he established Mar-
tys Pizza, first at its initial location
in West Nanticoke and later, East
Broad Street, Nanticoke, which he
took great pride in operating for 45
years. He served on the faculty of
Northwest High School as a busi-
ness teacher, retiringfromthat posi-
tion in 1989.
He was a member of the former
St. Francis of Assisi Church.
Surviving are his wife, the former
Lucy Bonavita, whom he married
on September 25, 1954; a son, Com-
mander Daryle Cardone, USN, and
his wife, Kate, Virginia Beach, Va.;
two granddaughters, Gianna Maria
CardoneandEmmaElizabethSaun-
ders; his brother, Joseph Cardone,
and his wife, Justine, Piscataway,
N.J.; nephew, Damian Cardone, and
his wife, Lizzy, and niece, Adria
Long, and her husband, Brian, all of
New Jersey, and several cousins.
Funeral services will begin
Saturday at noon from Davis-
Dinelli Funeral Home, 170 East
Broad Street, Nanticoke, with a
Mass of Christian Burial at 12:30
p.m. in St. Faustina Kowalska Par-
ish, main site, 520 South Hanover
Street, Nanticoke, with the Rev.
James Nash as celebrant.
Private interment will be in St.
Francis of Assisi Cemetery, Nanti-
coke.
Visitation will be today from 5 to
9 p.m. and after 10:30 a.m. on Sat-
urday at the funeral home. A Chris-
tian wake service will be held today
at 8 p.m.
Contributions in Mr. Cardones
memory may be made to the Na-
tional Kidney Foundation, 111 S. In-
dependence Mall E Ste 411, Phila-
delphia, PA19106-2521.
Marty Cardone
February 22, 2012
JOHNROBERT WARD, age 71,
of West Scranton, passed away
Wednesday evening, February 22,
2012, at the Department of Veter-
ans Affairs Medical Center in
Plains Township. He is survivedby
his wife, the former Jo Ann Ander-
son. Also surviving are his daugh-
ters, Brenda Drobenak of Hum-
melston, and Jacqueline Small and
Joyce Wormuth and husband Ran-
dy, all of Delco, N.C.; nine grand-
children; 17 great-grandchildren;
and nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends may pay
their respects on Sunday from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kearney Fu-
neral Home Inc., 125 N. Main Ave.,
West Scranton, withservices tofol-
low. Entombment in Fairview Me-
morial Park, Elmhurst, will be pri-
vate. Please visit www.Kearney-
FuneralHome.com for directions
or to leave an online condolence.
K
athleen A. Bixby, age 76, of Sor-
ber Mountain, passed away
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at
the Lakeside Nursing Center, Har-
veys Lake.
Mrs. Bixby was born November
11, 1935, in Luzerne, and was the
daughter of the late Manley and
Kathleen Banta Smith. She had
been employed by the former Gen-
eral Cigar Co., Kingston.
Kathleen was an active member
of the Emmanuel Assembly of God
Church, Harveys Lake, where she
taught Sunday school for over 30
years. She enjoyed shopping, yard
sales and flea markets.
Her daughter, Kathleen Lamo-
reaux, died February 15, 2011.
Surviving are her husband of 60
years, Ross Bixby Sr.; son Ross Bix-
by Jr. and his wife, Maria, of Sorber
Mountain, brother Harry Smith of
Harveys Lake; grandchildren, Ta-
nya, Jesse, Bobbi and Vinnie; three
great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held
Monday at 7 p.m. from the Emma-
nuel Assembly Of God Church, 239
Church Road, Harveys Lake, with
the Rev. L. D. Reed officiating.
Kathleens family will receive
family and friends immediately fol-
lowing the service at the church.
Her family requests that in lieu of
flowers, memorial contribution be
sent to the Emmanuel Assembly of
God Church at the above address.
Funeral arrangements are by the
Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home
Inc., corner of routes 29&118, Pikes
Creek. Online condolences can be
made at clswansonfuneralhome-
.com.
Kathleen A. Bixby
February 22, 2012
L
ouis D. Rigle, 86, of Exeter,
passed away Wednesday Febru-
ary 22, 2012 at the Regional Hospi-
tal, Scranton.
Born in Wilkes-Barre, he was the
son of the late Benjamin and Mabel
Weiss Rigle.
Lou was a graduate of Exeter
High School, Class of 1943, and he
attended Bucknell University.
He along with his wife, Fedora,
were proprietors of Lou Rigles Mar-
ket in Exeter for 17 years. He also
workedas amanager of National Ac-
counts with Blue Cross of North-
eastern Pa.
Lou also worked as a congres-
sional aide for the former Rep. Paul
Kanjorski.
He was a charter member of the
Exeter Lions Club holding various
offices. He was instrumental for or-
ganizing the Exeter Little League
and the Exeter Tax Payers Associ-
ation. And the Recreation Club of
St. Anthonys Church.
He served as president of the Ho-
ly Name Society of St. Anthonys
Church and was chairman of the
Red Cross Blood Drive in Exeter,
along with being an active blood do-
nor.
He was preceded in death by his
sisters, Doris Talamelli, Anna Ri-
chey, Margaret Carpenter, and
brothers Nathan and Robert Rigle.
Surviving are his wife of 65 years,
the former Fedora Paci, and daugh-
ters, Janice and her husband, Jo-
seph Zekoski, Kent, Ohio; Lois Wil-
son, Philadelphia; Lynn and her
husband, John Pfeil, Lancaster;
brother Irving and his wife, Agnes
Rigle, Forty Fort; grandchildren,
Joy and her husband, Ryan Snyder;
Joseph and his wife, Maria Zekoski;
Josiah, Esther, Micah, Caleb and
Elijah Wilson; and Jameson and Ge-
offrey Pfeil; great-granddaughter,
Taylor Zekoski; great-grandsons,
Leo Zekoski, A.J. Snyder and J.P.
Snyder.
Relatives and friends are invited
toa visitationonSaturday, February
25, 2012, at the Gubbiotti Funeral
Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter,
from8:30 to11a.m. Funeral services
with interment will commence at
the Denison Cemetery, Swoyers-
ville, immediately following.
Donations, if desired, may be
made to Bancroft Development Of-
fice, 800 N. Kings Hwy., Suite 201,
CherryHill, NJ 08034, inmemoryof
Elijah Wilsons grandfather, Louis
Rigle.
To send the family expressions of
sympathy or condolences, please
visit www.gubbiottifh.com.
Louis D. Rigle
February 22, 2012
GERALDINE J. VALATKA, 75,
of Hamilton, N.J., passed away Fri-
day, February 17, 2012 at the Ha-
milton, N.J., Continuing Care Cen-
ter. Born in Edwardsville, she was
the daughter of the late Humphrey
and Josephine Lukachik. Gerri
was a devoted wife, mother and
grandmother who enjoyed spend-
ing time with her family. Gerri was
very involved in many charities
and was a Eucharistic Minister.
She is survived by her loving hus-
band of 55 years, Thomas R. Valat-
ka, formerly of Pringle; her devot-
ed 11 children; 21 grandchildren;
one great-granddaughter and
three brothers.
Gerri will be sadly missedby all.
G
eorge Kanyuck, 92, of Westamp-
ton, N.J., passed away Tuesday,
Feb. 7, 2012, at Virtua Memorial
Hospital, in Mt. Holly, N.J., after a
recent illness, surrounded by his
family.
Mr. Kanyuck was born in Nanti-
coke to the late John and Mary
(Dzurica) Kanyuck. He was mar-
ried to his beloved wife of 51 years,
the former Theresa Lerda, who pre-
ceded him in death in 2002.
Mr. Kanyuck graduated from
Nanticoke High School. He proudly
served in the Army for 20 years,
earning the rank of sergeant first
class. George servedinWorldWar II
and the Korean War, and was sta-
tioned around the world, including
England and France. He was the re-
cipient of many ribbons and metals,
including the Armys Commenda-
tion Ribbon and Metal Pendant for
his superior service to increasing
operational efficiencies.
Following his Army retirement,
Mr. Kanyuckwas employedby Unit-
ed Aero Products in Burlington,
N.J., for 20 years. He was an avid
reader and enjoyed crossword and
many other word puzzles.
He was predeceased by brothers
Dan and Russell; and sisters, Ethel
and Vilma.
Mr. Kanyuck is survived by three
daughters, Karen (Marc) Krisch,
Cheryl (Jim) Cronce and Mary Ka-
nyuck; and grandchildren, Megan
Theresa Cronce, Marc Alexander
Krisch and James Patrick Cronce
Jr., eachof whomwere his pride and
joy. He is also survived by a brother,
William Kanyuck, in Raritan, N.J.;
cousins and many nieces/nephews.
Funeral Services were held
on Monday February 13, at
Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
Church, 1308 Mt. Holly Road
(Route 541), Burlington, N.J., fol-
lowed by a church service with the
Rev. Harald Peeders, STM, presid-
ing. Interment was held at the NJ
Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Ar-
neytown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family
would appreciate donations, in Ge-
orges name, to Holy Trinity Evan-
gelical Lutheran Church. Arrange-
ments were made with Ed Kaelin II-
II at the Lee Funeral Home, Mt. Hol-
ly.
George Kanyuck
February 7, 2012
C
ynthia M. Mattey, 40, of Pittston,
passed away Wednesday, Febru-
ary 22, 2012 at Geisinger South
Wilkes-Barre, Hospice Community
Care, after a short illness and sur-
rounded by her loving family.
Born in Wilkes-Barre, she was the
daughter of Andrew and Rose Shup-
shinsky Mattey.
She was a member of St. Cecilias
Church ( St. Barbara Parish) and was
a graduate of Pittston Area High
School.
Preceding her in death were her
sister Sandra Jean Panuski and ma-
ternal grandparents, Joseph and An-
na Shupshinksky and paternal grand-
parents, Andrew and Mary Mattey.
Surviving, in addition to her par-
ents are her sisters Lori and her hus-
band, Dr. William Chromey, Exeter,
and Sheri and her husband, George
McCracken, Peabody, Mass.; neph-
ews, Kyle Chromey, Weston
McCracken and Michael Panuski;
and nieces, Lauryn Chromey and Sa-
mantha Panuski.
Funeral services will be held at
the convenience of the family with a
Mass of Christian Burial to be conce-
lebrated by the Rev. Paul McDonnell,
O.S.J.; and by her uncle, Rev. Joseph
J. Mattey, and also the Rev. Dwane
Gavitt. Interment will be in St. John
the Baptist Cemetery, Schooley
Street, Exeter. There will be no pub-
lic visitation.
Funeral arrangements have been
entrusted to the Gubbiotti Funeral
Home, 1030 Wyoming Ave., Exeter.
To send the family expressions of
sympathy or condolences please visit
www.gubbiottifh.com.
Cynthia Mattey
February 22, 2012
L
inda Marie Thomason Wood-
yatt, 52, of Tunkhannock, died
Tuesday evening after a 15-month
battle with cancer.
The daughter of the late Delmo
and Mary Cable Thomason, Linda
was bornonOctober 3, 1959, inYp-
silanti, Mich., and is survived by
her husband, John H. Woodyatt;
son, WaylonThomasonof Bowling
Green, Ohio; brothers, Eric and
Michael Thomason of Florida,
Chris Thomason of Ohio, and four
grandchildren.
Having had a lifelong passion
for horticultureandgardening, she
was a member of the Arbor Day
Foundation and the Creek Side
Conservancy.
Agathering of friends and fam-
ily will take place on Sunday, Feb-
ruary 26, from1 to 3 p.m.
For directions and on line con-
dolences, please visit www.shel-
donkukuchkafuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial
donationtothe Arbor Day Founda-
tion, 211 North 12th Street, Lin-
coln, NE 68508, would be appre-
ciated. Their website may be
found at www.arborday.org.
Linda Woodyatt
February 21, 2012
A
lbert R. Hartzell, 78, of Valley
View Drive, Hunlock Creek,
passed away Wednesday evening
at home.
He was born on February 7,
1934, the son of the late Henry and
Gertrude Sipple Hartzell.
He was owner and operator of
Hartzell Transmission and Auto
Repair of Hunlock Creek for more
than 45 years.
Albert enjoyed hunting and fish-
ing, and especially flying helicop-
ters. He was a certified helicopter
pilot.
He was preceded in death by his
brothers, John and Eugene; sisters
Betty Edwards, Lorraine Shusta,
Marjorie Pickett; infant sister Lu-
cille and infant brother Junior.
He is survived by his wife of 47
years Lola Hill Hartzell, daughters
Deborah Bruno and her husband,
James, and family of Hunlock
Creek; Liza Morganti and her hus-
band, Joseph, and family of Hun-
lockCreek, sister DorothyMasters
of Doylestown, numerous nieces
and nephews.
Funeral services will be held
on Monday at 11 a.m. from the
Charles L. Cease Funeral Home,
634 Reyburn Road Shickshinny,
withthe Rev. C. GlennNeely of the
Reyburn Bible Church officiating.
Interment will be in Sorber
Cemetery, Reyburn.
Friends may call on Sunday
from 2 to 5 p.m.
For directions or online condo-
lences please visit www.charlesl-
ceasefuneralhome.com.
Albert R. Hartzell
February 22, 2012
R
ose M. Reilly, of the Parsons sec-
tion of Wilkes-Barre, passed
away on Tuesday, February 21, 2012
at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Med-
ical Center, Plains Township.
She was born March 21, 1915, in
Wilkes-Barre, a daughter of the late
Thomas J. Reilly Sr. and Rose
McDermott Reilly. She was a gradu-
ate of Coughlin High School and
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
School of Nursing. She attended
Hunter College, graduated from
College Misericordia, and did post-
graduate work at Johns Hopkins
University.
Rose was employed as a regis-
terednurseinNewYorkCityfor sev-
eral years and later served as the As-
sistant Chief of Nursing Services for
the Veterans Hospital, Plains Town-
ship. An active member of the for-
mer St. Dominics Church, she en-
joyed playing bridge.
She was preceded in death by her
brother, Major Thomas J. Reilly Jr.,
U. S. Army; sister, Captain Alice R.
Reilly, U. S. Navy; nephews, Tho-
mas J. Reilly III, David G. Reilly.
Surviving are her grandnephews,
Thomas J. Reilly IVand his wife, Li-
sa; Raymond S. Reilly and his wife,
Tracey; great-grandnephews, Tho-
mas J. Reilly V, Robert A. Reilly, Ai-
dan T. Reilly, Connor W. Reilly.
The funeral will be held Monday
at 9:30 a.m. from the E. Blake Col-
lins Funeral Home, 159 George Ave-
nue, Wilkes-Barre, with a Mass of
Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St.
Benedicts Church, Austin Avenue.
Interment will be inSt. Marys Cem-
etery, Hanover Township. Friends
may call Monday from 9 a.m. until
the time of the service.
Condolences can be sent to the
family at: www.eblakecollins.com.
Rose M. Reilly
February 21, 2012
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 9A
N E W S
7
3
7
8
1
2
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the HEART of your home.
Guarantee long-term satisfaction and performance by consulting
during the planning stages.
C.W. SCHULTZ
& SON INC.
822-8158
Service Experts Since 1921
www.cwschultzandson.com PA001864
PUBLIC MEETING
CITY OF WILKES-BARRE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The City of Wilkes-Barre will hold a public meeting
February 27, 2012 in City Council Chambers of Wilkes-Barre City
Hall at 3:00 p.m.
The purpose of the meeting is to present information on the
proposed Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report
which details the activities related to the expenditures of the
Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Services Grant
and HOME funds during scal year ending December 31, 2011.
Included in this report are nancial summary reports and goals
and accomplishments of the above Federally nanced programs.
All interested persons and agencies are invited to attend and
present their views and comments.
Data concerning the proposed report is available for
inspection by the public at the Wilkes-Barre Ofce of Economic &
Community Development, Wilkes-Barre City Hall, and 40 East
Market Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 beginning Febraury 27,
2012.
Citizen comments regarding this report will be accepted
beginning February 27, 2012 and ending March 28, 2012.
The nalized report will be submitted to the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development no later than
March 31, 2012.
Wilkes-Barre City Hall is a facility which is accessible to
persons with disabilities. Non-English speaking and/or disabled
persons who require special accommodations should notify Ms.
Melissa Popson at (570) 208-4194 or TSD (570) 821-1111
Thomas M. Leighton, Mayor
City of Wilkes-Barre
The City of Wilkes-Barre is an
Equal Opportunity/Afrmative Action Employer
7
4
1
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6
PPL Electric Utilities Corp. (PPL Electric) plans to replace the wires on
the 12.8-mile Susquehanna-Harwood 230 kVTransmission Line. The
transmission line begins at PPL Electrics Susquehanna 230 kV Switchyard
in Conyngham Township, Luzerne County, and terminates at the Harwood
Substation located in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. The transmission
line also traverses portions oI Hollenback and SugarloaI Townships, Luzerne
County. The entire project will be contained within existing PPL Electric
right-oI-way.
This project is required to correct conductor splicing issues that have
resulted in line outages and jeopardized electric service to customers in the
area.
On February 6, 2012, PPL Electric fled a Letter oI Notifcation with the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), which must approve
the project beIore work can begin. Acopy oI this Letter oI Notifcation is
available Ior public inspection on weekdays during business hours at the
Iollowing locations:
Public Notice
Transmission Line Construction
II you wish to participate in the proceeding beIore the PUC, you should
contact:
Rosemary Chiavetta, Esquire
Secretary
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
P.O. Box 3265
Harrisburg, PA17105-3265
As a reIerence aid, be sure to include the projects docket number, which
is A-2012-2287279. II you would like more inIormation about this project,
please contact Martha Herron at 570-459-7314.
Conyngham Township
Municipal Building
10 Pond Hill Road
Mocanaqua, PA18655
SugarloaI Township
Municipal Building
154 North Main Street
Sybertsville, PA18251
Hollenback Township
Municipal Building
660 East County Road
Wapwallopen, PA18660
Hazle Township
Municipal Building
101 W. 27th Street
Hazle Township, PA18202
WILKES-BARRE A man
chargedinseveral different cases,
including the robbery of a city de-
li, pleaded guilty Thursday to re-
latedcharges andwill berequired
to pay thousands of dollars in res-
titution.
Robert West, 25, with a last
known address of Andover
Street, Wilkes-Barre, entered the
plea to two counts of forgery and
theft by deception, andone count
each of robbery and bad checks
before County Judge Joseph
Sklarosky, Jr.
As part of his plea agreement,
West will be required to pay
$18,857 in restitution.
He will be sentenced on the
charges on April 4, Sklarosky
said.
According to court papers, on
July 10 police said West entered
the Hazle Beer and Deli in
Wilkes-Barre and purchased a 50-
cent bag of chips.
A store clerk said that when
she opened the register West re-
achedover andgrabbedthree $10
bills. The clerk screamed, and
West tried to push her away to
grab for more money, police said.
Police said West took his sis-
ters vehicle without her permis-
sion, andusedit to flee the scene.
In the other charges against
West:
Police said that in April he
purchased several items from
Beiters Electronics and Grand
Central in Wilkes-Barre Town-
ship, including two televisions,
with checks he knew would not
go through due to insufficient
funds.
On May 17, West opened an
account at Choice One Federal
Credit Union, and deposited
checks belonging to another per-
son, police said.
Police saidthat inJune, West
made $3,599 worth of purchases
from Sears and Best Buy, using a
credit card that belonged to his
father.
In July, police said, West vis-
ited the Gold Collection kiosk in
the Wyoming Valley Mall and
used several checks to purchase
more than $8,800 worth of jewel-
ry. Police said the checks be-
longed to Wests parents and he
was not authorized to use their
account.
Man owes $18,857 restitution after plea
Robert West, 25, charged with
forgery, robbery, theft by
deception, writing bad checks.
By SHEENA DELAZIO
[email protected]
WILKES-BARRE A West
Hazleton man charged with
having sexual intercourse with
ateengirl over athree-year peri-
odwill faceaJunetrial, acounty
judge said Thursday.
Hernan Torres, 40, of Tama-
rack Street, will face a jury on
charges of rape, incest and two
counts each of involuntary de-
viate sexual intercourse, aggra-
vatedindecent assault andinde-
cent assault, JudgeJosephSkla-
rosky Jr. said.
Torres is represented by at-
torney Barry
Dyller. As-
sistant Dis-
trict Attor-
ney Jenny
Roberts is
prosecuting
the case.
Dyller said
Thursday he
expects to
filea number
of motions in
the case and has yet to view a
videotaped interview of the
now15-year-old girl.
Torres was chargedinAugust
2011 after a woman told police
she believed Torres sexually as-
saulted her daughter.
The girl later toldpolice inan
interview that from around
May 2008 to August 2011,
Torreshadrepeatedlyassaulted
her inside his West Hazleton
home.
The girl said that the abuse
beganfirst as Torres inappropri-
atelytouchingher andthat they
first had sexual intercourse in
June 2009.
The girl said she tried to stop
the assaults, but Torres would
hit her to make her comply.
Torres told the girl repeated-
ly not to tell anyone about the
abuse, court papers say, and
that Torres would physically
harmher if she did.
The incidents happened a
least three times a week for two
years, thegirl toldinvestigators.
Suspect in
teen rape
faces trial
in June
Victim told police that
Hernan Torres repeatedly
assaulted her over 3 years.
By SHEENA DELAZIO
[email protected]
The girl said
she tried to
stop the as-
saults, but
Torres would
hit her to
make her
comply.
SALT LAKE CITY A new
claim has surfaced that the Mor-
mon church has posthumously
baptized a Holocaust victim, this
time Anne Frank.
The allegations come just a
week after The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints apol-
ogized when it was brought to
light that the parents of Holo-
caust survivor and Jewish rights
advocate Simon Wiesenthal
were posthumously baptized by
church members at temples in
Arizona and Utah in late Janu-
ary.
Mormon researcher Helen
Radkey, who revealed the Wie-
senthal baptisms, said this week
she found Franks name in proxy
baptism records dated Feb. 18,
showing the ritual was perform-
ed in the Santo Domingo Tem-
ple in the Do-
minican Re-
public.
The Mor-
mon church al-
most immedi-
ately issued a
statement,
though it didnt
mention Frank by name.
The Church keeps its word
and is absolutely firm in its com-
mitment to not accept the
names of Holocaust victims for
proxy baptism, the Salt Lake
City-based church said.
Church officials did not return
telephone calls and emails from
The Associated Press on Thurs-
day. A spokeswoman for the
Anne Frank House museum in
Amsterdam declined comment.
Larry Bair, the president of
the Mormon temple of Santo
Domingo, said Thursday he had
looked into the reports but was
unable to verify that Frank had
been baptized.
If it did occur, Bair told the
AP, it was a mistake.
Mormon baptism of
Anne Frank claimed
Alleged proxy baptism of
Jewish teen who died in
Holocaust decried by church.
Frank
The Associated Press
SAVORING ETHNICITY AT LCCC
BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
L
uzerne County Community College admissions representative Krista Nice of
Swoyersville, right, serves pierogi to student Keith Wasialowski of Nanticoke at the
annual ethnic food festival on the campus in Nanticoke on Thursday morning. The
event, co-sponsored by student government, NAACP student chapter and diversity
council, featured ethnic foods, gourmet desserts and musical entertainment by EWABO,
a Calypso band.
WILKES-BARRE A Jenkins
Township man who was Tasered
nearly a dozen times in an April
incident in which police say he
was using synthetic drugs
known as bath salts was sen-
tenced Tuesday to two years
probation.
Gustavo Nieves, 32, of Main
Street, was sentenced on a
charge of simple assault by
Judge Tina Polachek Gartley. An
officer said he was injured while
trying to arrest Nieves. He
pleaded guilty to the charge in
December.
Nieves must attend anger
management and be supervised
by the countys Day Reporting
Center, Polachek Gartley said.
HANOVER TWP. Charges
of aggravated assault, simple
assault and reckless endanger-
ment were withdrawn against
Paul Daniel Czerniakowski, 45,
of Wilkes-Barre, on Tuesday.
Hanover Township police
charged Czerniakowski after his
wife, Michelle Czerniakowski,
stated he assaulted her at their
Lee Park Avenue residence on
Jan. 23.
WILKES-BARRE A Shick-
shinny man charged with 42
counts relating to child pornog-
raphy pleaded guilty Thursday
to the charges.
Dennis R. Rustay, Jr., 33, of
Mossville Road, entered the
plea before Luzerne County
Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr.
Rustay will undergo an eval-
uation by the state Sexual Of-
fenders Assessment Board and
will be required to register his
address under Megans Law.
Rustay will be sentenced on
June 15.
According to court papers,
Rustay, a former fire company
volunteer, was charged in Febru-
ary 2011 after America Online
Inc.s legal department reported
one of its users, foreman175,
attempted to e-mail child porn
images, including 17 photos of
young females under the age of
18, investigators said.
WILKES-BARRE Two
experts who assisted in the
homicide case of 37-year-old
Lamont Cherry will receive
$16,500 for their services in the
case.
Judge Tina Polachek Gartley
said in court papers filed Thurs-
day that doctors Marguerite M.
Salam-Host and Michael DAm-
brosio, will receive $3,000 and
$13,500, respectively, for their
work on the case.
Cherry was convicted of third-
degree murder in the May 2009
death of a 1-year-old girl and
later sentenced to 20 to 40 years
in prison.
The two doctors were com-
pensated for their expert opin-
ions, research and testimony at
the request of Cherrys attor-
neys.
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C M Y K
PAGE 10A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
Photographs and information
must be received two full weeks
before your childs birthday.
To ensure accurate publi-
cation, your information must
be typed or computer-generat-
ed. Include your childs name,
age and birthday, parents,
grandparents and great-grand-
parents names and their towns
of residence, any siblings and
their ages.
Dont forget to include a day-
time contact phone number.
We cannot return photos
submitted for publication in
community news, including
birthday photos, occasions
photos and all publicity photos.
Please do not submit precious
or original professional pho-
tographs that require return
because such photos can be-
come damaged, or occasionally
lost, in the production process.
Send to: Times Leader Birth-
days, 15 North Main St., Wilkes-
Barre, PA 18711-0250.
GUIDELINES
Childrens birthdays (ages 1-16) will be published free of charge
C O M M U N I T Y N E W S
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Bria Elizabeth Shuella, daughter
of Joseph and Mary Shuella,
Larksville, is celebrating her
seventh birthday today, Feb. 24.
Bria is a granddaughter of Jo-
seph and Dorothy Mangan,
Hanover Township, and Jeanne
Hann, Kingston. Bria has a broth-
er, Landon, 2 months.
Bria E. Shuella
Ashley Kate Songaila, daughter
of Tom and Lori Songaila, Hard-
ing, is celebrating her ninth
birthday today, Feb. 24. Ashley is
a granddaughter of Wally and
Carole Songaila, Swoyersville;
Barbara Yencha, Pittston; and
Richard Yencha, Tunkhannock.
She is a great-granddaughter of
Sophie Wanat, Inkerman. Ashley
has a brother, Ryan, 13.
Ashley K. Songaila
Joshua Joseph Stochla, son of
John and Tammy Stochla, Larks-
ville, is celebrating his third
birthday today, Feb. 24. Joshua
is a grandson of Mary Ida Gil-
bert, Kingston; Elizabeth Sto-
chla, Edwardsville; and the late
Joseph J. Stochla, former mayor
of Edwardsville. He has two
brothers, Jonathan, 9, and
Heath, 5, and a sister, Maggie, 1.
Joshua J. Stochla
Ryan Geoffrey Swanberry, son of
Michael and Sariya Swanberry,
Cairo, Egypt, is celebrating his
seventh birthday today, Feb. 24.
Ryan is a grandson of Janice
Swanberry and Francis Swanber-
ry, both of Wilkes-Barre, and
Mona St. Leger, Alexandria, Va.
He is a great-grandson of Helen
Swoboda, Wilkes-Barre. Ryan has
a sister, Alyssa Nicole, 4.
Ryan G. Swanberry
TUNKHANNOCK: TheEndless
Mountains BarbershopChorus will
holda special Guest Night for all area
menfrom7-9:30p.m. March1inthe
TunkhannockBaptist ChurchEduca-
tionBuildingonChurchStreet, mid-
waybetweentheBaptist churchand
theMethodist church.
This is a freeopportunitytolearn
what is involvedinsingingbarber-
shop. Attendees will beintroducedto
this Americanart formof four-part, a
cappella harmonyandget tosing
someclassic barbershopsongs with
thechorus andsomeshort tag
tunes whichfeaturecloseharmonic
arrangements. Quartet singingwill
alsobedemonstrated. Noabilityto
readmusic is required. Refreshments
will beserved.
TheEndless Mountains Chorus is
preparingfor its 34thannual show,
FunwithHarmony, tobeheldApril
28at theTunkhannockArea High
School. This is a chancefor morearea
mentobea part of theshow.
For moreinformation, call 570-836-
8595.
IN BRIEF
Tuesday
NANTICOKE: The 2012 Relay for Life
of South Valley, 5:30 p.m. at the
Luzerne County Community College
Educational Conference Center. The
event will take place June 23-24 at
the colleges campus. All proceeds
benefit the American Cancer Socie-
ty. For information call the academ-
ic affairs office at 740-0490 or
800-377-LCCC, ext. 7490.
WILKES-BARRE: The Lithuanian
Womens Club of Wyoming Valley,
noon at Boscovs. Lunch will begin
at noon with a business meeting
chaired by President Martha Warna-
giris at 1 p.m. New members wel-
come.
MEETINGS
The Geisinger LifeFlight helicopter crew recently presented a helicopter landing and safety
seminar to Luzerne County Community College EMT and paramedic students. The seminar was
held at the colleges Public Safety Training Institute helipad. Students in attendance received 2.0
continuing education credits toward maintaining certification. Participants, from left: Wendy Fran-
klin, EMT instructor; Andrew Kopco, firefighter; Nanticoke Fire Department; Travis Temarantz,
firefighter, Nanticoke Fire Department; Rob Cooper, pilot, Geisinger LifeFlight; Darlene Murawski,
clinical coordinator, paramedic program; Mark Ercolani, instructor, paramedic program and flight
nurse, Geisinger LifeFlight; Marty Mahon, flight paramedic, Geisinger LifeFlight; Ed Gromelski,
instructor, paramedic program and flight nurse, Geisinger LifeFlight; Chet Prymowicz, firefighter,
Nanticoke Fire Department; Chandler Prymowicz, firefighter, Nanticoke Fire Department; and
Kevin Kopco, firefighter, Nanticoke Fire Department.
LCCC students attend LifeFlight seminar
The local chapter of Volunteers of America launched a new
after-school program that is helping Wilkes-Barre Area School
District students from low-income families. Learning Works is
designed to teach skills that lead to school success, present a
variety of career paths, provide a hands-on work opportunity and
help families prepare their children for high school and beyond.
Local middle school students called Learning Workers spend an
afternoon once a week, January through May, on the Kings Col-
lege campus, where college student volunteers tutor and mentor
them on a one-to-one basis. Volunteers of America has two full-
time Learning Coaches and a graduate intern who conduct regu-
lar home visits. Certified teachers and coaches provide additional
tutoring for all children in the home and help parents set and
reach monthly goals geared toward school success and family
bonding. Students in fifth through eighth grade at Dodson Ele-
mentary, Kistler Elementary and Meyers Junior/Senior High
schools participate in the after-school program and approximately
70 more receive academic help in the home. Learning Works is
funded by the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Board. The
grant was provided through the Youth Workforce Investment
Board for Luzerne/Schuylkill Counties. Volunteers of America
staff and Kings College personnel planning activities for the
Learning Works program, from left, first row: Summer Krochta,
administrative director, Volunteers of America; Shannon Doyne,
project manager, Learning Works Program, Volunteers of America;
and Giselle Hage, Learning Works coach, Volunteers of America.
Second row: Dr. Bill Bolan, director of the Shoval Center for Com-
munity Engagement and Learning at Kings College; Heather
Elphick, AmeriCorps VISTA member and volunteer at Kings Col-
lege; and Dr. Russell Owens, assistant professor of education and
coordinator of the education fast track program at Kings.
Learning Works program helping area students
Allied Services Integrated Health System recently held a luncheon to honor the employees and
volunteers of the month for January and February. Honored employees and volunteers, from left,
first row: Matthew Santamouris, Allied Rehab Hospital; Cindy Dolchek, Allied Terrace; Derek Traver,
Corporate Services; the Rev. Peter Caliguiri, Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center; Bonnie Maciak,
Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center; and Rosemary Trescavage, Allied Rehab Hospital. Second row;
William P. Conaboy, president and chief executive officer, Allied Services; John Ayers, Corporate
Services; Ed Salva, Corporate Services; Jenna Osborn, Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center; Deb
Monelli, Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center; Amanda Matticks, Behavioral Health; Jim Simpson,
Behavioral Health, Candice Weiss, Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center; Kelly Washeleski, In-Home
Services; Bob Ames, vice president, Community Services; and Jana Gardner, Vocational Services.
Volunteers, employees honored at Allied Services
Members of the Riverstreet Manor Council recently donated
$500 to the local American Red Cross Flood Relief Fund. Participa-
nts, from left, first row: Shirley Loffler; Beverly Singer, president,
Resident Council; and Theresa Letinski, vice president, Resident
Council. Second row: Holly Eichhorn, administrator; Betty Russell;
and Joe Krulick, activity director.
Riverstreet Manor Council donates to flood relief
Piano students of Christine Leandri recently performed a holiday
sing-a-long program of Christmas carols for the residents of Keys-
tone Gardens in Larksville. Participants, from left, first row, are
Saige Stempien, Michael Bufalino and Samantha Bufalino. Second
row: Leandri, Christina Citkowski, Peter Khoudary, Lauren Fletcher,
Kathryn Cusatis and Cody Swan.
Piano students give holiday concert at Keystone Gardens
The residents of The Meadows Manor, a personal care facility in
Dallas, were serenaded by a barbershop quartet from the Wilkes-
Barre Barbershop Harmony Society before their evening meal on
Valentines Day. Members of the barbershop quartet, from left, are
Bill Zdancewicz, Justin Shaffern, David Schooley and Phil Brown.
Meadows Manor residents get Valentines Day treat
My feeling right now is that shes
seen her day, and it probably
ought to come down.
Eugene Kelleher
The Luzerne County councilman, while interested in
learning the cost of mothballing the former Hotel
Sterling in downtown Wilkes-Barre, said demolition seems more likely
for the empty building. He and the 10 other council members are
continuing this month to weigh their options for handling the landmark
property at Market and River streets.
Mundy gives constituents
quality representation
I
am not sure what state Rep. Phyllis
Mundys primary opponent thinks he
can offer the 120th District that Rep.
Mundy cannot, other than an opportunity
for the Republican Party to win the No-
vember election.
If Democrats nominate Phyllis Mundy,
the seat will remain in Democratic hands;
if not, all bets are off.
Rep. Mundy is an unusual legislator who
approaches issues such as health care and
the Marcellus Shale from an impartial
scientific perspective instead of a partisan
political one.
She has offered a genuine solution to our
nations runaway health care costs, and it
aligns perfectly with the approach recom-
mended by the Automotive Industry Ac-
tion Group, American Society for Quality,
Institute for Healthcare Improvement and
other nonpartisan entities. This legislation
would encourage health care providers to
implement quality-management systems
similar to those in widespread use by in-
dustry, which would reduce preventable
harm to patients and also the associated
malpractice lawsuits.
The latter would in turn reduce doctors
malpractice insurance premiums enor-
mously.
Nationwide implementation of these
quality systems would reduce health care
costs 30 to 60 percent (the portion wasted
by inefficiencies and avoidable medical
mistakes), or $2,500 to $5,000 per Amer-
ican not per family, but per individual
annually. The outcome would be much
lower health care costs for patients, and
higher salaries for doctors, nurses and
other health care professionals.
I encourage Democrats to give careful
thought to what the challenger says or
thinks he can do better, and whether he
can command the kind of widespread
respect that Rep. Mundy has earned from
Republicans as well as Democrats.
WilliamA. Levinson
Wilkes-Barre
Sterling could provide
housing for homeless
I
am not sure why we need another study
or meeting of the minds to decide the
fate of the former Hotel Sterling in
downtown Wilkes-Barre.
We have paid for study after study for a
plan to save it. Then we have paid for
studies that deemed it unfit to rehabilitate
and claimed the only choice was to raze it.
We need a more common-sense ap-
proach as a solution to the Sterling. I sug-
gest we open it to the homeless. In return
for shelter, they have to make repairs to
the units they occupy. We will pay for the
heat and water for one year, and then they
would assume that expense (divided
among the number of tenants).
I realize this idea will not be liked by a
lot of people who are trained to think the
homeless are not worth trusting, but it has
worked in other areas. And if implemented
under the proper conditions, you might be
surprised what will happen.
If they raze the hotel, they will have
many costly studies and development plan
charges before there is ever a new struc-
ture built or other use for the property. In
the meantime, there will be no taxes or
other money reaped for the taxpayers.
John T. Banks
Wilkes-Barre
MAIL BAG LETTERS FROM READERS
Letters to the editor must include the
writers name, address and daytime
phone number for verification. Letters
should be no more than 250 words. We
reserve the right to edit and limit writers
to one published letter every 30 days.
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 570-829-5537
Mail: Mail Bag, The Times Leader, 15
N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA1871 1
SEND US YOUR OPINION
K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 11A
WITHIN MINUTES of singer Chris Browns
appearance on the 2012 Grammy Awards
as he moved liquidly to his new single,
Turn Up the Music the phrases woman-
beater and chrisbrownbeatswomen began
trending worldwide on Twitter.
What that means is that people with
Twitter accounts sent those phrases to their
followers, in enough numbers that they
showed up on every Twitter users home
page.
To achieve trending was a victory for
those who wanted to protest Browns ap-
pearance on stage. They said his brutality
three years earlier should have disqualified
him from a Grammy platform; he perform-
ed twice during the show clearly a favor-
ite of the shows producers.
On the eve of the 2009 Grammys, news
broke about Brown beating his then-girl-
friend and fellow pop star, Rihanna. The
images of her beautiful, badly bruised face
were heart-rending. The incident would
later lead to felony assault charges for
Brown, to which he pleaded guilty and
accepted a sentence of community service,
probation and counseling a light-seeming
sentence.
At the 2012 awards show, Brown won his
first Grammy, for best R&B album. After-
ward, the 22-year-old took to Twitter to tell
off his critics: Hate all u want becuz I got a
Grammy now! Thats the ultimate
off!
But Browns was not the most disturbing
reaction of the night. That came from at
least 25 women on Twitter: chris brown
can punch me whenever he wants. And,
chris brown can beat me all he wants ... Id
do anything to have him, oh my.
This is really disturbing. Could these
women really understand what they are
saying? Could they have been in abusive
relationships before and are volunteering
for more? That seems unlikely. More prob-
ably, they are making the age-old mistake of
confusing emotional intensity with love,
and passion.
But the problem with that, of course, is
that it seldom ends with one blow. U.S.
government statistics from1976-2005 state
that 30 percent of all the murders of women
are the result of intimate partner vio-
lence. And what doesnt kill women or
men in abusive relationships, can cripple
them for life. Think of Whitney Houston,
recently dead of an assumed drug overdose,
who became hooked on drugs during an
allegedly abusive 15-year marriage. Abuse,
drugs, self-loathing they can be a toxic
mix.
Before the tweets from these young wom-
en, we could fool ourselves into believing
that they had more self-respect. At one
time, women were believed to stay in abu-
sive relationships for financial reasons or
out of fear. The womens movement with
its push for access to paychecks and the
greater availability of womens shelters
were supposed to have won our freedom.
Now, the Grammys, and the Chris Brown
twitterati, are glorifying a man who put his
then-girlfriend in the hospital.
More disturbing still are the rumors that
Rihanna herself is seeing him again. Gossip
columns report that they spent Valentines
night together. This is a woman who found
the strength to leave him once.
Surely, Brown could be a changed man.
He was only 19 in 2009, and the court or-
dered him into counseling. But if his anger
and narcissism have eased, there is no pub-
lic sign of it. He seems unrepentant.
The only public message is that the
Grammys organization rewards batterers
and so do their fans, and perhaps, their
ex-girlfriends. These are horrific lessons for
our daughters and sons.
Anne Michaud is interactive editor for Newsday
Opinion and a member of the papers editorial
board. Readers may send her email at anne.mi-
[email protected].
An unsettling reaction to Chris Browns Grammy night
COMMENTARY
A N N E M I C H A U D
A
LLOCATING $8 bil-
lioninfederal funds to
the nations commu-
nity colleges for ca-
reer development and training
makes economic sense.
President Obama wants to
create a Community College to
Career Fund to prepare up to 2
million workers in the health
care, transportation and high-
tech manufacturing fields. His
proposal also would increase
the maximum Pell Grant for
college students by $85 a
small amount, but enough to
help many students struggling
to pay tuition.
The proposed funding in
Obamas 2013 budget is his lat-
est attempt to put more empha-
sis on community colleges,
which enroll some of the coun-
trys neediest students. Unfor-
tunately, the funding already
has been threatened by House
budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-
Wis., who said it would leave
thecountrydrowningindebt.
Investing in community col-
leges is a crucial step to putting
Americans in better-paying
jobs. Community colleges have
seen record enrollment amid
the higher tuition and costs at
private and public universities.
When matched with the needs
of local employers through ap-
prenticeships and internships,
community colleges become
the perfect vehicle to train a
workforce.
Akey component of Obamas
latest community college plan
would institute a pay for per-
formance incentive program
to ensure that career-training
students findjobs. It alsowould
promote training of entrepre-
neurs, provide grants for state
and local governments to
recruit companies and support
paid internships for low-in-
come students.
There couldnt be a better
time to emphasize community
colleges roleinreducingunem-
ployment. They will be key to
filling some of the 2 million va-
cant manufacturing jobs ex-
pected through 2018, mainly
due to baby-boomer retire-
ments. Congress shouldnt
want to be an impediment.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
OTHER OPINION: COLLEGE FUNDING
More job training
invests in future
A
LTHOUGHITcannot
be heralded as a
breakthrough, some-
thing noteworthy
tookplace this weekinLuzerne
Countys governmental affairs.
Auniongroupsignaledit was
willing to scale back. Specifical-
ly, the countys prison union
workers offered to forego 3 per-
cent wage hikes for the year, as
per their contract, in order to
limit the number of
expectedlayoffs with-
in the lockup.
An estimated 16
union workers are
likely to lose their
jobs as a result of a re-
cently approved 2012
county budget. The much-de-
bated budget which includes
a 2 percent tax increase will
compel the countys various de-
partments to soon drop an esti-
mated 56 workers. Many resi-
dents had called for no tax in-
crease this year, which would
have meant shedding more
than 100 jobs.
Against this backdrop, union
employees apparently have
seen the writing on the prison
wall and taken the rare step of
drawing up a possible conces-
sion. For that, they should be
applauded. Their willingness to
show some flexibility until the
county can get on better finan-
cial footing deserves praise.
Their concern for fellow em-
ployees livelihoods is com-
mendable.
The proposed deal, however,
packed too many stipulations
to be palatable. Among other
things, it would have barred ad-
ditional layoffs or job elimina-
tions of certain union workers
for budgetary
reasons through
the rest of the
contract, which
expires Dec. 31,
2013.
The countys
interim manger,
TomPribula, on Thursday indi-
cated the plan was a no-go, al-
thoughhe declinedtoelaborate
onwhyuntil countycouncil dis-
cusses the matter.
Even so, lets hope the in-
volved parties dont lose sight
of the larger development
theyve started to explore nec-
essary, if previously taboo, op-
tions. Dont stop talking.
Dont start shouting.
Find compromise.
The county residents who
pay this governments bills
anddependonits services are
counting on nothing less.
OUR OPINION: PRISON WORKERS
Concession offer
a positive step
The proposed deal,
however, packed too
many stipulations to
be palatable.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
PRASHANT SHITUT
President and InterimCEO/Impressions Media
JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ
Vice President/Executive Editor
MARK E. JONES
Editorial Page Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD
MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY
S E RV I NG T HE P UB L I C T RUS T S I NC E 1 8 81
Editorial
C M Y K
PAGE 12A FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
N E W S
She said she would not have ap-
proved Stevens bills had she
known about the irregularities.
Burke also expressed concern
and said he intended to contact
Interim Luzerne County Manag-
er Tom Pribula to suggest he re-
quest a forensic audit of the ac-
count, based on The Times Lead-
ers findings.
This is a serious concern that
requires further inquiry on the
part of appropriate county offi-
cials, Burke said. It is my sug-
gestion (the county) undertake
an independent forensic audit to
confirm if any improper pay-
ments were made.
In an email Thursday, Stevens
saidshehadreviewedsomeof the
records The Times Leader ques-
tioned and determined she had,
in fact, made errors in the bills.
She also sent a fax to Pribula ad-
vising himof the issue.
Inheremail, Stevenssaidtravel
time entries were included on
eachindividual bill as amatter of
course without knowing which
petitions would be delivered in
groups.
When petitions were deliver-
ed in groups the final bills should
havebeenadjustedtoreflect asin-
gle charge for delivering all the
petitions. Unfortu-
nately, these ad-
justments were
not made, Ste-
venswrote. Myof-
fice will work with
the county to recti-
fytheerror. Wewill
also re-evaluate
our internal billing
procedures so that
this error is not re-
peated in the fu-
ture.
Stevens law
partner, James Py-
rah, said he be-
lieves the billing
errors were an
oversight. He said
the office has be-
gun a comprehen-
sivereviewof all its
billings with the
county.
Basedonevery-
thing Ive seen, it
appears as if cer-
tain routine en-
tries like travel
time andfees toprepare petitions
got carried over across files, Py-
rah said. We are going to under-
take a comprehensive review of
all theserecords. . . Wewant toget
this right.
Pool of 18lawyers
Stevens, a member of the bar
sinceNovember2001, wasamong
18 attorneys the county retained
last year to represent parents
whosechildrenhadbeentakenby
Children and Youth Services
based on allegations of abuse or
neglect.
The attorneys, who were paid
$55per hour, wererequiredtofile
petitions each month detailing
the work they performed, such as
meeting with clients and attend-
ing hearings.
The newspapers investigation
showedStevens collectedat least
$38,517infees solelyfor workshe
performed in creating and deliv-
ering her fee petitions to Pola-
chek Gartley and several county
offices, including $7,293 in Au-
gust and $8,860 in October.
Rules of legal ethics allowanat-
torney to charge for travel and
time spent creating a bill, said at-
torney Sam Stretton of West
Chester, an expert in legal ethics.
The issue for Stevens is she
chargeda separate fee for eachin-
dividual bill she delivered, allow-
ing her to collect as many as 38
separate fees for bills that appear
to have been delivered on the
same day.
Stretton said that would be an
ethical violation. Attorneys can
charge for travel time, but they
cannot charge the full fee for the
travel to multiple clients for a sin-
gle trip, he said.
If Imgoingtovisit a judge and
it takesme20minutestogotothe
courtroom for him to sign a pet-
itionandI have50petitions, I only
get travel time for one petition,
not the other 49, Stretton said.
She should not be billing the
same hour every time for every
fee petition. That would be
wrong.
Stevens invoices show she did
just that dozens of times.
For instance, on Aug. 17, 2011
Stevens sought payment of $33
for .60 hours (36 minutes) for
time she spent traveling to the
county courthouse from her of-
fice to deliver petitions for pay-
ment for June to Polachek Gar-
tley.
Stevens listed that fee on each
of 19 payment petitions she had
filedonbehalf of clients, resulting
in a total payment of $627 ($33 x
19). That equated to pay for 11.4
hours of work.
Two days later, Stevens return-
edtothe courthouse topickup31
fee petitions for
work performed in
February and June
that had been ap-
proved by Pola-
chek Gartley. She
charged$22for .40
hours (24 min-
utes) for travel
time oneachof the
31 invoices, result-
ingina payment of
$682.
Between Aug.
22 and 23, she
charged an addi-
tional $2,420 in
fees for trips she
made to deliver 30
fee petitions to the
Clerk of Courts
and Prothono-
tarys offices in the
main courthouse,
andtotheRegister
of Wills and Public
Defenders Office
locatedat thePenn
Place building. On
Aug. 31, she
chargedanother$2,937, whichin-
cluded delivery and preparation
fees for 39 petitions.
Asimilar pattern of billing was
repeated in numerous other
months in 2011, including Febru-
ary, April, June, July, October,
September, November and De-
cember.
Other charges
The newspaper alsouncovered
other questionable charges, in-
cluding 11 separate invoices she
submitted for travel time to the
law office of attorney Andrew
Lentowski inWilkes-Barretopick
upthefilesof11clientsonOct. 27.
Stevens charged $38.50 for .7
hours(42minutes) for eachof the
11clients, nettingafeeof $423.50.
Other questions revolve
around the amount of time Ste-
vens claimed to have spent gath-
ering information so she could
prepare her fee petitions.
For instance, Stevens claimed
to have prepared 46 fee petitions
onOct. 31, eachof whichtookone
hour to prepare. Thats not possi-
ble given there are only 24 hours
in a day. She made similar claims
for bills prepared in July and
March.
In her email response, Stevens
said the work entailed in prepar-
ingthebills was actuallyperform-
edonvariousdaysoveracourseof
a month, not on a single day, as
her invoices indicated.
Stevens saidshemadethedeci-
sion to add a single charge for the
work, typically on or near the last
day of the month, for bookkeep-
ing purposes.
In hindsight I recognize that
this practice can cause some con-
fusion and we will reconsider in-
cremental billing, she said.
Got $144Kin2011
TheTimes Leader beganinves-
tigating payments made to Ste-
vens after a report obtained from
the Controllers Office showed
she had been paid $144,554 in le-
gal fees fromthe special legal ser-
vicesfundnearlyhalf of thetotal
$334,117 that was spent on the
fund in 2011.
At $55per hour, that meant Ste-
vens had to have worked an aver-
age of roughly 50 hours per week,
every week for 52 weeks to have
earned that much.
Thepayment toStevens was al-
sosignificantlyhigher thanthe17
other attorneys who represented
parents, which ranged from $176
paid to attorney Matthew Loftus
to$52,362paidtoLaureenYeager
Pierce.
Areporter reviewedasampling
of billing statements submitted
bythefiveattorneyswhoreceived
the most money from the fund.
No other attorneys appeared to
have charged for travel time, al-
thoughsome didcharge for creat-
ing fee petitions.
No one in the courts or county
ever detected issues with Ste-
vens invoices, even though the
bills went through three sets of
eyes.
All invoices submitted by the
attorneys were first presented for
approval to Polachek Gartley,
who headed the countys family
court division in 2011.
Once the court order was
signed, the order and invoices
went to Chief Public Defender Al
Flora Jr., who had agreed to hold
the funds in his budget, even
thoughnopublicdefendersrepre-
sented the parents.
Flora wouldsigna payment au-
thorization formthat, along with
thecourt order andinvoices, next
went to Controller Walter Grif-
fith, who issued the checks.
Polachek Gartley acknowl-
edged she never reviewed invoic-
es submitted by Stevens or any of
the other attorneys. Flora and
Griffith said they did not review
them either because they be-
lievedthat hadalready beendone
since there was a court order ap-
proving them.
Polachek Gartley said she did
not review each of the petitions
because the attorneys were taken
at their word.
Each attorney was required to
sign a document, known as a ver-
ification, under penalty of law at-
testing to the accuracy and rea-
sonableness of their charges.
They could be subject to charges
of perjury if the information was
not correct.
The judge saidshe believedthe
verificationprovidedanadequate
safeguard to ensure charges
wereaccurate. Askedwhyneither
shenor her staff performedevena
cursoryreviewof invoicestoseeif
any red flags jumped out, Pola-
chekGartleysaidthat wasnot fea-
sible.
Thepetitions wereamonghun-
dredsof motionsandcourt orders
that would be presented to her
daily for her signature, she said,
and there was not time to cross
check one petition against anoth-
er, as a reporter had done.
You have to submit itemized
bills and verify under penalty of
perjury this is your sworn time,
Polachek Gartley said. We made
it clear. Youare onyour honor un-
der penalty of law.
Countyofficials react
Pribula on Thursday de-
nounced the court for its lack of
oversight, saying it had the obli-
gationtoreviewthedocumentsto
ensure charges were appropriate.
To trust attorneys to say their
bills are 100 percent accurate is
absurd. I dont care if theyare offi-
cers of the court, Pribula said.
Someone fromthe court needed
to attest to the accuracy of the
bills.
Griffith said hes also upset the
fund was not more closely scruti-
nized.
As controller, Griffith is known
as an avid watchdog of county
spending. He has frequently re-
fused to issue payments if he
questions the appropriateness of
a bill.
In this case, he said he did not
reviewtheinvoicesbecausehebe-
lievedthat hadalready beendone
by the courts. Regardless, he was
not in the position to determine
the reasonableness of the charg-
es.
When the bills come over, I
dont know what an attorney is
doing in court. My position is to
make sure there is a payment au-
thorizationandcourt order,Grif-
fith said. If there is an affidavit
from two people, one who is a
judge and one who is an attorney
who did the work, who am I to
question it?
Floraalsosaidhedidnotreview
the invoices because the money
to pay the attorneys, while it was
heldinhisaccount, wasnothisde-
partments money. Hewas simply
the conduit through which the
funds, whichcamefromthecoun-
tys general fund, were disbursed.
All they were doing was uti-
lizing a line item in my budget
simplyas apass throughsothein-
voices couldget paid, Flora said.
The court reviews the invoices
for the purpose of determining
the reasonableness of the bill.
Safeguards not utilized
Pribula and Griffith said they
were also upset because they be-
lieved Burke and Polachek Gar-
tley were trying to deflect criti-
cismby pinning blame on county
officials for failing to follow sug-
gestionsthecourt madewhenset-
ting up the fund.
In the interviewTuesday, Pola-
chek Gartley said she suggested
to the county the attorneys hired
bepaidaset salary, but thecounty
optedtogowithanhourlyrate in-
stead.
There also was no contract es-
tablished that set the parameters
for what were permissible and
non-permissible charges, and no
cap was placed on the amount an
attorney could charge.
Burke made note of Polachek
Gartleys recommendations in a
memo he sent to Pribula on
Wednesday seeking the forensic
audit. Burke suggested the coun-
ty revisit the courts recommen-
dation that the county engage
lawyers on a fixed contract.
Judge Gartley has argued
strenuously in the past that this
approach would optimize meet-
ingthegoal of cost containment,
Burke said.
Pribula said Thursday he was
livid when he received the me-
mo because that statement insin-
uates county management offi-
cials were somehow responsible
for the issues with the fund.
Theyaretryingtopushit back
on the county. Why the hell did
they let it get out of control like
this? Pribula said. Theywant to
be autonomous, but when some-
thing blows, they want to blame
someone else.
Told of Pribulas comments,
Burke said his intent was not to
cast blame oncounty officials. He
acknowledged there were issues
with the courts oversight of the
fund.
There was a protocol in place.
The court relied primarily on the
attorney verification attached to
the fee petitions. Inhindsight, its
realized perhaps there could be a
systemwith better controls to re-
viewsubmissions, Burke said.
Burke said he believes issues
with oversight arose partly due
the tremendous workload the
court, which was down three
judges, carried in 2011.
He noted that in addition to
handling family court matters,
PolachekGartleywasalsoheavily
involved in criminal court cases,
includingseveral homicide trials.
Youhadanextraordinarily bu-
sy judge playing an administra-
tiveroleinthis area, coupledwith
a docket that was relentless in
both family court and criminal
court area, Burke said. Over the
past twoyears, nojudgeinthehis-
tory of this county has ever
worked harder or taken on more
responsibility.
Regardless of who was at fault,
Burke said the key issue nowis to
audit the fund to determine if im-
proper payments were made and
toaddresschangesthatneedtobe
made.
Its evident that better con-
trols should be in place regarding
this process, he said.
AMANDA HRYCYNA/ FOR TIMES LEADER
Stacks of bills attorney Angela Stevens submitted for representing parents in Children and Youth cases sit on a table in the Luzerne
County Controllers Office.
SUSQUEHANNA
RIVER
SUSQUEHANNA
RIVER
Kingston Kingston
Edwardsville
P
IE
R
C
E
S
T
.
P
IE
R
C
E
S
T
.
Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre
MAP AREA
4 days, 122 petitions, 76.3 hours, $4,196
Source: Invoices submitted by Angela Stevens to the county Mark Guydish/The Times Leader
Kingston attorney Angela Stevens billed unusually high total hours for travel time
to and from the Luzerne County Courthouse and county ofces at Penn Place for
delivery and pick up of petitions for payment for her work. Here are four samples,
from October 2011. She billed $55 per hour in increments of 0.1 hour (6 minutes).
Round trip distance: 1 mile
Round trip distance: 2.4 miles
Oct. 7 $869
Deliver September petitions to
Judge Tina Polacheck Gartley
27 petitions, 15.8 hours
Oct. 12 $819
Pick up approved September petitions
from Judge Polacheck Gartley
26 petitions, 14.9 hours
Oct. 13 $1,144
Pick up July/August petitions from
Judge Polacheck Gartley
38 petitions, 20.8 hours
Oct. 14 $1,364
Deliver approved August/September
petitions to Public Defenders ofce
31 petitions, 24.8 hours
Public
Square
Public
Square
P
I
E
R
C
E
S
T
.
P
I
E
R
C
E
S
T
.
Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre
PennPlace PennPlace
Courthouse Courthouse
Stevens
ofce
Stevens
ofce
Public
Square
Public
Square
P
I
E
R
C
E
S
T
.
P
I
E
R
C
E
S
T
.
Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre
PennPlace PennPlace
Courthouse Courthouse
Stevens
ofce
Stevens
ofce
ATTORNEY FEES
These are the total amounts paid by
Luzerne County in 2011 from a special legal
services fund to attorneys who
represented parents of children taken by
Children and Youth Services. The Luzerne
County Controllers ofce provided the
data.
Mark Guydish/The Times Leader
Attorney Fees
Aregood-Schonfeld, Daniel $26,396
Arnone, Christopher $736
Bolus-Grosek, Debra $4,254
Brown, Jami T. $8,656
Conser, Janet $633
Davison, Robert $21,805
Delaney, Paul $24,852
Height, Amanda $2,063
Lehman, Qiana $7,100
Loftus, Matthew $176
McNelis, Edward P. $13,753
Moore, Jennifer N. $894
Pendolphi, Michael $1,966
Salavantis, Stefanie $7,358
Stevens, Angela $144,554
Terrana, Joseph J. $8,465
Watt III, William $8,096
Yeager Pierce, Laureen $52,362
TOTAL $334,117
CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER
The office of Pyrah and Stevens Law Firm on Pierce Street in
Kingston.
ATTORNEY
Continued from Page 1A
If Im going to vis-
it a judge and it
takes me 20 min-
utes to go to the
courtroom for him
to sign a petition
and I have 50 pet-
itions, I only get
travel time for one
petition, not the
other 49. She
should not be bill-
ing the same hour
every time for ev-
ery fee petition.
That would be
wrong.
Attorney Sam Stretton
Legal ethics expert
C M Y K
SPORTS S E C T I O N B
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NEW YORK National
League MVP Ryan Brauns 50-
game suspension was overturn-
ed Thursday by baseball arbitra-
tor Shyam Das, the first time a
baseball player successfully
challenged a drug-related penal-
ty in a grievance.
The decision was announced
Thursday by the Major League
Baseball Players Association,
one day before the 28-year-old
outfielder was due to report to
spring training
with the Mil-
waukee Brew-
ers.
Brauns uri-
ne tested posi-
tive in October
for elevated
testosterone,
and ESPN revealed the positive
test in December.
Braun has insisted that he did
not violate baseballs drug
agreement.
I am very pleased and re-
lieved by todays decision, he
said in a statement. It is the
first step in restoring my good
name and reputation. We were
able to get through this because
I aminnocent and the truth is on
our side.
MLB executive vice president
Rob Manfred said management
vehemently disagrees with
Das decision.
Das, who has been baseballs
independent arbitrator since
2000, informed the sides of his
decision, but didnot give thema
written opinion. He has 30 days
to do so.
Today the arbitration panel
announced its decision, by a 2-1
vote, to sustain Ryan Brauns
grievance challenging his 50-
game suspension by the com-
missioners office, a statement
from the players association
said.
Manfred and union head Mi-
chael Weiner are part of the ar-
bitration panel, and manage-
ment and the union almost al-
ways split their votes, leaving
Das, the independent panel
member, to make the decision.
MLB and cable sports tried
to sully the reputation of an in-
nocent man, Green Bay Pack-
ers quarterback Aaron Rodgers
said on Twitter. Picked the
wrong guy to mess with. Truth
will set u free
Brewers closer John Axford
added on Twitter: All I can say
is that Braun has exemplary
character is continuing to han-
M A J O R L E A G U E B A S E B A L L
Braun has suspension overturned
Braun
By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
See BRAUN, Page 3B
Dallas is trying to turn back
the clock to the 1970s once
again.
Last year, the Mountaineers
claimed their first district team
championship since 1974. That
title followed one in 73.
With five returning regional
qualifiers including three
district seconds from last year
and seven wrestlers with at least
20 wins entered into todays
District 2 Class 2A Tournament
at Lake-
Lehman, the
Mountain-
eers could be
positioned
for another
champion-
ship run.
Repeating
wont be an
easy task
though.
Western
Wayne
claimed the
Class 2A
Duals cham-
pionship
earlier this
month with a criteria win over
Lake-Lehman. The Wildcats
defeated Dallas 36-28 in that
tournament, but during the
regular season Lehman only
beat Dallas by one point.
FOUR TO GO
Meyers standout Vito Pasone,
who is a two-time state qualifier
taking seventh last year, is
shooting for his fourth consec-
utive District 2 championship.
With three more wins, he will
accomplish the feat and become
just the 23rd wrestler in D2
history to do so. He is the Mo-
hawks all-time wins leader with
136 and is in the 113-pound
bracket. The previous two sea-
sons he participated at 112,
while his freshman year he was
at 103.
SHOOTING FOR THREE
Andy Schutz, a junior at
Wyoming Area, is going for his
third consecutive district title
H . S . W R E S T I N G
A repeat
could be
possible
for Dallas
Mountaineers have solid
chance for consecutive titles
for first time since 1974.
By DAVE ROSENGRANT
[email protected]
See WRESTLING, Page 6B
District 2
Class 2A
Tournament
When: today
and tomorrow
at
Lake-Lehman
H.S.
Times:
Wrestling
begins at 5
p.m. today and
11 a.m. Saturday.
The finals are
slated for 6:30
p.m.
Admission: $6
adults; $4
students
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
Roush Fenway Racing will
have three cars at the front of
the season-opening Daytona
500.
Matt Kenseth won the sec-
ond of the twin 150-mile qual-
ifying races Thursday with a
bold pass of teammate Greg
Biffle. The victory gave Ken-
seth a spot on the second row
for Sundays race right be-
hind teammates Carl Ed-
wards and Biffle.
Tony Stewart, the defend-
ing NASCAR champion, won
the first race and will line up
next to Kenseth at Daytona
International Speedway.
Biffle was leading headed
into the final lap, but he tried
to block Kenseth, who dove
to the inside and used a push
from Jimmie Johnson to take
the lead.
Well, we were going so
much faster that we were go-
ing to go by him regardless,
Kenseth said. I think that
was his only hope, is to try to
get up the track, try to line
my front bumper up where I
had to push him. The prob-
lem was, I was going too fast.
Even if I wanted to slow
down, which I didnt want to
on the last lap, I couldnt
have.
AP PHOTO
Matt Kenseth celebrates with his daughter, Kaylin, in victory
lane after winning the second of two NASCAR Gatorade Duel 150
qualifying races in Daytona Beach, Fla., Thursday.
D AY T O N A 5 0 0
Stewart, Kenseth win qualifying races
Kenseths victory gives Roush
Fenway three of the top four
spots in Daytona 500.
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
See DAYTONA, Page 7B
The Wilkes men needed to hit
tripledigits inovertime. BothMi-
sericordia teams trailed in the
secondhalf before takingcontrol.
The Kings women were just two
seconds away from elimination.
And all of them won.
They did it the hard way, but
four local college basketball
teams that made it tothe postsea-
son have advanced to set up a
one-of-a-kind championship Sat-
urday of basketball.
It begins at 1 p.m. in Wilkes-
Barre when Kings hosts Miser-
icordia at Scandlon Gymnasium
for the Freedom Conference
womens title. After that, its a
short trip up Route 309 to Dallas
for the Freedom Conference
mens final between Misericordia
andWilkes at 4 p.m. at the Ander-
son Center.
The winner of each game will
earn a spot in the NCAA tourna-
ment, which opens next week a
64-team field for the women and
62 teams for the men.
Both contests will serve as a
rubber match. The Wilkes and
Misericordia men split their reg-
ular-season series, as did the
Kings and Misericordia women.
The home team won all four
games.
The Kings women are the
most recent of the four to capture
C O L L E G E B A S K E T B A L L
Four locals
to decide
Freedom
champions
Misericordia and Wilkes men,
Misericordia and Kings
women to play for titles.
By DEREK LEVARSE
[email protected]
Championship
Saturday
Freedom Conference
tournament
Womens championship
Misericordia at Kings
1 p.m. Saturday
Scandlon Gymnasium
Mens championship
Wilkes at Misericordia
4 p.m. Saturday
Anderson Center
Winners earn an automatic
berth into the NCAA
tournament.
Tickets are $6 for adults, $4
for seniors and $2 for students
with ID. Children under 6 get in
free.
See FREEDOM, Page 7B
WILKES-BARRE TWP.
Scott Munroe raised his hands
in relief as the puck rang off the
crossbar inthe final roundof the
shootout.
Prior to that, Munroe had
been through a nightmare of a
game as the Wilkes-Barre/
Scranton Penguins edged out a
7-6 shootout win over the Man-
chester Monarchs on Thursday.
Im going to take these two
points, put them under my pil-
low, go to sleep and try to forget
about it, Munroe said. Proba-
bly the greasiest, weirdest win
of my career.
The shootout win improves
the Penguins to 32-16-2-5 and
moves themtwopoints aheadof
idle Norfolk for first place in the
East Division and one point be-
hind St. Johns for the confer-
ence lead.
It was valuable, but not pretty.
Despite outshooting Man-
chester 15-5 in the first period,
the Penguins wound up down
by two goals thanks to a rare
turnover fromBrian Strait and a
defensive breakdown in front of
the net.
But the Penguins tightened
things up in the second period
with four goals in a 10-minute
span.
Brandon DeFazio scored at
the five minute mark to make it
2-1, and the floodgates opened
as Brian Gibbons, Jason Wil-
liams and Cody Chupp all con-
nected to make it 4-2 Penguins
AMERI CAN HOCKEY L EAGUE
Penguins survive
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
Penguins Paul Thompson (top center) and Brian Gibbons (9) descend on the Monarchs net in the second period of Thursdays AHL
game at Mohegan Sun Arena with the Penguins Brian Gibbons scoring the eventual goal.
WBS gets shootout victory over Monarchs
By TOMVENESKY
[email protected]
7
PENGUINS
6
MONARCHS
See PENS, Page 3B
K
PAGE 2B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
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GAR freshman win tourney
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The GAR freshman boys basketball team recently captured the Wilkes-Barre Holiday
Tournament. Pictured are (from left): First Row: Chris Campbell, Tino Altavilla, Garry Kroll,
Dajon Rush and Saul Wilkins. Second Row: Coach Lenny Martin, Oscar Barrientos, Brent
Stephenson, Antwone Easter, Tydus Winstead, Gregory Skrepenak, Rashaun Jackson, El-
isha McAllister, Toby Tighe, Damon Lawrence, Reheem Twyman and Coach Jerry Altavilla.
BUL L E T I N BOARD
Bulletin Board items will not be
accepted over the telephone. Items
may be faxed to 831-7319, emailed to
[email protected] or dropped
off at the Times Leader or mailed to
Times Leader, c/o Sports, 15 N, Main
St., Wilkes-Barre, PA18711-0250.
MEETINGS
Wyoming Valley West Baseball
Booster Club will meet Monday at
7 p.m. at Murphys Pub, Swoyers-
ville. Parents of players are en-
couraged to attend.
Wyoming Chapter of ASA Umpires
will meet Monday at 7 p.m. at
Konefals Restaurant.
Tipsy Turtle Over 50 Softball Team
will meet Sunday at 6 p.m. at the
Jenkins Township Turtle.
REGISTRATION/TRYOUTS
South Wilkes-Barre Little League
will be holding sign-ups for this
season Saturday from10 a.m. to 1
p.m. Sign-ups will be held at two
locations: Firwood Church, 130 Old
River Road, and at Stanton Bowl-
ing Lanes. Players ages 4-14 are
elgible. Any player residing in the
Mayflower section of Wilkes-Barre
is eligible. Cost is $60 per family
for T-ball through Little League,
$55 or $80 for family for Junior
league. There will also be a $30
deposit for a lottery ticket fun-
draiser. More information can be
found at www.swblittleleague.com.
Nanticoke American Legion Base-
ball will hold sign-ups on Saturday
from1-3 p.m. at the Honey Pot
Legion Field, Nanticoke. Eligible
participants will be between the
ages of 13-18, and reside in the
Nanticoke, Northwest or Hanover
Area school districts. Registration
fee is $100. Any questions, call Joe
at 814-1430.
Plymouth West Side Fast-Pitch
Softball will be holding sign-ups
Saturday from10 a.m. to noon at
the Plymouth Borough Building.
Cost is $35 for the first child and
$50 for family. For more informa-
tion, call Shawn at 406-2385.
Plymouth Little League will hold
registration Saturday from1-3 p.m.
at Plymouth Hose Co. No. 1, Gay-
lord Ave. Registration fees are $35
per player or $50 per family. For
more information, call Mike Spece
at 328-4612.
Hanover Area Little League will
hold final registration Saturday
from10 a.m. to noon in the cafete-
ria at Hanover Area High School.
All children residing in Warrior
Run, Sugar Notch and Hanover
Twp., excluding Preston and New-
town, ages 4-16 as of April 30, are
eligible to play. Registration costs
are $45 per player (ages 4-12) or
$75 per family. Cost for Junior/
Senior league, ages 13-16, is $65
per player. E-mail questions to
[email protected].
Swoyersville Softball Slow-Pitch
League will be holding sign-ups
Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at
the borough building on Main
Street for girls ages 7-17. For more
information, call Craig at 287-
8074.
Northwest Little League regis-
trations will be held Saturday from
8 a.m. Noon at the Northwest
High School cafeteria. For more
information, visit eteamz.com/
nwall.
Mountain Top Area Little League
Baseball and Softball will hold its
final registration Saturday from
1-3:30 p.m. at Crestwood High
School. Baseball and softball
programs for boys and girls ages
6-15 (by April 30). For additional
information, call Terry at 823-7949
or visit www.mountaintoparealit-
tleleague.com.
Nanticoke Area Little League will be
having final registration on Sat-
urday and Sunday from11 a.m. 3
p.m. at the GNA Elementary Cen-
ter cafeteria. Three proofs of
residency are required for all
players. If there are questions,
please call Wade at 735-0189 or
visit www.nanticokelittleleague-
.com.
Ashley/Newtown Little League will
be holding registrations for the
upcoming season on Saturday
from10 a.m. Noon at the Hanover
Area High School cafeteria. Regis-
trations will be $40 per child or
$60 per family for little league and
$65 per child or $90 per family for
junior and senior league baseball.
Remember to bring along a copy
of birth certificate and three forms
or proof of residency to meet Little
League requirements.
NBA
Favorite Points Underdog
Sunday
NBA All-Star Game
EAST 1 West
College Basketball
Favorite Points Underdog
YALE 4 Columbia
Cornell 4.5 BROWN
Penn 5.5 DARTMOUTH
HARVARD 11 Princeton
VALPARAISO 1.5 Butler
UTAH ST 5.5 Idaho
W VIRGINIA 1.5 Marquette
Loyola-MD 2.5 RIDER
MANHATTAN 17.5 Canisius
IONA 7.5 Fairfield
Niagara 3 ST. PETERS
NHL
Favorite Odds Underdog
Rangers -$145/
+$125
ISLANDERS
CAPITALS [-$135/
+$115]
Canadiens
BLUE JACKETS -$110/-
$110
Avalanche
DEVILS -$110/-
$110
Canucks
Bruins -$145/
+$125
SABRES
STARS -$160/
+$140
Wild
Home Teams in Capital Letters
AME RI C A S L I NE
By ROXY ROXBOROUGH
CIRCULAR REPORT: On the NHL board, the Capitals - Canadiens circle is for
Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin (questionable).
BOXING REPORT: In the WBA super welterweight title fight on May 5 in Las
Vegas, Nevada, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is -$650 vs. Miguel Cotto at +$450; in the
WBA/IBF welterweight title fight on May 19 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Amir Khan is
-$450 vs. Lamont Peterson at +$350; in the WBO welterweight title fight on June 9
in Las Vegas, Nevada, Manny Pacquiao is -$400 vs. Timothy Bradley at +$300.
L O C A L
C A L E N D A R
TODAY'S EVENTS
HS BOYS BASKETBALL
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 4A
Quarterfinals
Wyoming Valley West vs. Williamsport, at Berwick,
7:30 p.m.
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 3A
Quarterfinals
Crestwood vs. Pittston Area, at Wyoming Area, 7
p.m.
Tunkhannock vs. Abington Heights, at Carbondale,
6 p.m.
Dallas vs. North Pocono, Pittston Area, 7:30 p.m.
Holy Redeemer vs. Scranton Prep, at Carbondale,
7:30 p.m.
HS GIRLS BASKETBALL
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 4A
Quarterfinals
Hazleton Area vs. Williamsport, at Berwick, 6 p.m.
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 2A
Riverside vs. Meyers, at Scranton, 6 p.m.
Dunmore vs. Wyoming Seminary, at Scranton, 7:30
p.m.
Mid Valley vs. Lake-Lehman, at Pittston Area, 6
p.m.
HS WRESTLING
District 2 Class 2A Championships at Lake-Leh-
man, 5 p.m.
District 2 Class 3A Championships at Hazleton Ar-
ea, 5 p.m.
National Prep Championships
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
HS BOYS BASKETBALL
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 2A
Quarterfinals
Riverside vs. GAR at Scranton, 2:30 p.m.
Holy Cross vs. Hanover Area, at Lackawanna Col-
lege, 1 p.m.
Dunmore vs. Meyers, at Wyoming Area, 1 p.m.
HS GIRLS BASKETBALL
DISTRICT 2 CLASS 3A
Quarterfinals
Holy Redeemer vs. Dallas, at Pittston Area, 2:30
p.m.
Crestwood vs. Honesdale, at North Pocono, 1 p.m.
Nanticoke vs. Valley View, at Pittston Area, 1 p.m.
Pittston Area vs. Scranton Prep, at North Pocono,
2:45 p.m.
DISTRICT 2 CLASS A
Quarterfinals
MMI Prep vs. Blue Ridge, at Scranton, 1 p.m.
HS SWIMMING
District 2 Diving Championships, at Wilkes-Barre
CYC, 10 a.m.
HS WRESTLING
District 2 Class 2A Championships at Lake-Leh-
man, 11 a.m.
District 2 Class 3A Championships at Hazleton Ar-
ea, 11 a.m.
National Prep Championships
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Widener vs. Kings at Diamond Nation, NJ., 2 p.m.
MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Freedom Conference Championship
Wilkes at Misericordia, 4 p.m.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Freedom Conference Championship
Misericordia at Kings, 1 p.m.
MEN'S COLLEGE LACROSSE
Kings at Neumann, 1 p.m.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE LACROSSE
Kings at Hood College, 3 p.m.
COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD
MAC Indoor Championships, TBA
SUNDAY, FEB. 26
COLLEGE WRESTLING
Metropolitan Tournament at Elizabethtown, 10 a.m.
W H A T S O N T V
(All times Eastern)
AUTO RACING
11 a.m.
SPEED NASCAR, Sprint Cup, practice for Day-
tona 500, at Daytona Beach, Fla.
12:30 p.m.
SPEED NASCAR, Sprint Cup, practice for Day-
tona 500, at Daytona Beach, Fla.
2 p.m.
ESPN2 NASCAR, Nationwide Series, pole qual-
ifying for Drive4COPD 300, at Daytona Beach, Fla.
4 p.m.
SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series, pole qualifying
for NextEra Energy Resources 250, at Daytona
Beach, Fla.
7:30 p.m.
SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series, NextEra Ener-
gy Resources 250, at Daytona Beach, Fla.
BOXING
9 p.m.
ESPN2 Junior lightweights, Juan Carlos Burgos
(28-1-0) vs. Cristobal Cruz (39-12-3), at Dover, Del.
GOLF
10:30 a.m.
TGC LPGA, Womens Champions, second
round, at Singapore (same-day tape)
2 p.m.
TGC PGA Tour-WGC, Accenture Match Play
Championship, third round matches, at Marana,
Ariz.
6:30 p.m.
TGC PGA Tour, Mayakoba Classic, second
round, at Playa del Carmen, Mexico (same-day
tape)
MEN'S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL
7 p.m.
ESPN2 Loyola (Md.) at Rider
YES Columbia at Yale
9 p.m.
ESPN Marquette at West Virginia
MEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY
7:30 p.m.
NBCSN Boston U. at Vermont
10 p.m.
NBCSN North Dakota at Denver
NBA
9 p.m.
TNTExhibition, RisingStars Challenge, at Orlan-
do, Fla.
NHL
7 p.m.
MSG, PLUS N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders
PLUS2 Vancouver at New Jersey
WOMEN'S COLLEGE
BASKETBALL
7:30 p.m.
FSN, ROOT Baylor at Kansas
WOMEN'S COLLEGE
GYMNASTICS
8 p.m.
BTN Nebraska at Minnesota
H O C K E Y
National Hockey League
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
N.Y. Rangers............... 58 38 15 5 81 161 118
New Jersey ................. 59 35 20 4 74 168 162
Philadelphia ................ 59 33 19 7 73 198 181
Pittsburgh .................... 60 34 21 5 73 186 160
N.Y. Islanders.............. 60 25 27 8 58 140 176
Northeast Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Boston.......................... 58 36 20 2 74 194 134
Ottawa.......................... 62 32 22 8 72 190 185
Toronto ........................ 61 29 25 7 65 182 186
Buffalo.......................... 60 26 27 7 59 150 176
Montreal....................... 61 24 27 10 58 160 167
Southeast Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Florida.......................... 59 27 20 12 66 146 165
Winnipeg...................... 62 29 26 7 65 157 175
Washington................. 60 29 26 5 63 161 173
Tampa Bay................... 59 27 26 6 60 166 197
Carolina ....................... 61 23 26 12 58 160 184
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Detroit .......................... 62 41 18 3 85 194 145
St. Louis....................... 60 36 17 7 79 152 121
Nashville...................... 60 35 19 6 76 168 155
Chicago........................ 61 33 21 7 73 191 179
Columbus .................... 60 18 35 7 43 142 198
Northwest Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Vancouver ................... 61 39 16 6 84 199 150
Calgary ........................ 60 28 23 9 65 143 161
Colorado...................... 61 30 27 4 64 155 169
Minnesota.................... 60 27 24 9 63 134 156
Edmonton.................... 59 23 30 6 52 159 178
Pacific Division
GP W L OT Pts GF GA
San Jose...................... 59 32 20 7 71 172 149
Phoenix........................ 60 30 21 9 69 157 151
Los Angeles ................ 61 27 22 12 66 129 135
Dallas ........................... 60 30 26 4 64 155 167
Anaheim ...................... 61 26 25 10 62 157 173
NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime
loss.
Wednesday's Games
Ottawa 5, Washington 2
Boston 4, St. Louis 2
Colorado 4, Los Angeles 1
Thursday's Games
Anaheim 3, Carolina 2, SO
Minnesota 3, Florida 2, SO
Vancouver 4, Detroit 3, SO
San Jose 2, Toronto 1
St. Louis at Nashville, late
Tampa Bay at Winnipeg, late
Dallas at Chicago, late
Phoenix at Calgary, late
Philadelphia at Edmonton, late
Today's Games
Vancouver at New Jersey, 7 p.m.
N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Montreal at Washington, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Boston at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday's Games
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
St. Louis at Winnipeg, 2 p.m.
Phoenix at Edmonton, 4 p.m.
Washington at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Boston at Ottawa, 7 p.m.
Buffalo at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Florida at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Colorado at Detroit, 7 p.m.
Chicago at Los Angeles, 8 p.m.
San Jose at Nashville, 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Calgary, 10 p.m.
American Hockey League
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
St. Johns .............. 52 33 13 5 1 72 174 147
Manchester ........... 57 28 26 0 3 59 148 165
Worcester.............. 51 24 18 4 5 57 136 134
Providence............ 54 25 23 3 3 56 130 148
Portland ................. 53 24 23 3 3 54 149 176
East Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
Penguins.............. 55 32 16 2 5 71 180 167
Norfolk ................... 54 33 18 1 2 69 192 148
Hershey................. 55 29 17 4 5 67 187 165
Syracuse............... 52 21 23 4 4 50 166 172
Binghamton........... 53 21 29 2 1 45 145 173
Northeast Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
Connecticut........... 53 26 17 5 5 62 160 151
Bridgeport ............. 51 28 18 3 2 61 155 140
Albany.................... 52 24 20 5 3 56 134 153
Springfield............. 53 24 25 2 2 52 152 166
Adirondack............ 52 24 25 2 1 51 144 153
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Midwest Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
Charlotte................ 54 30 19 2 3 65 152 145
Chicago................. 52 30 18 1 3 64 153 132
Peoria .................... 54 29 22 2 1 61 164 151
Milwaukee ............. 51 26 22 2 1 55 144 138
Rockford................ 53 21 26 2 4 48 151 179
North Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
Toronto.................. 54 30 18 4 2 66 160 133
Lake Erie............... 55 27 24 2 2 58 137 153
Rochester.............. 54 24 21 6 3 57 158 165
Hamilton ................ 53 24 24 1 4 53 137 160
Grand Rapids........ 51 21 21 5 4 51 163 168
West Division
GP W L OL SL Pts GF GA
Oklahoma City...... 53 34 14 2 3 73 156 113
Houston................. 53 25 16 3 9 62 143 144
Abbotsford ............ 52 28 20 3 1 60 125 131
San Antonio .......... 53 28 22 2 1 59 137 148
Texas..................... 53 23 26 2 2 50 158 172
NOTE: Two points are awarded for a win, one point
for an overtime or shootout loss.
Wednesday's Games
Grand Rapids 4, Hamilton 2
Rochester 5, Hershey 2
Oklahoma City 5, Texas 1
Thursday's Games
Lake Erie 4, Hershey 2
Penguins 7, Manchester 6, SO
Today's Games
Oklahoma City at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Portland at Connecticut, 7 p.m.
Lake Erie at Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.
Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m.
St. Johns at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.
Bridgeport at Springfield, 7:30 p.m.
Albany at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m.
Providence at Worcester, 7:30 p.m.
Adirondack at Rochester, 7:35 p.m.
Abbotsford at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
San Antonio at Peoria, 8 p.m.
Rockford at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Houston at Texas, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday's Games
Grand Rapids at Toronto, 5 p.m.
Portland at Worcester, 7 p.m.
Providence at Bridgeport, 7 p.m.
Connecticut at Springfield, 7 p.m.
Albany at Manchester, 7 p.m.
Norfolk at Hershey, 7 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Adirondack at Binghamton, 7:05 p.m.
Syracuse at Penguins, 7:05 p.m.
Lake Erie at Rochester, 7:35 p.m.
Abbotsford at Chicago, 8 p.m.
Houston at Texas, 8 p.m.
Milwaukee at Rockford, 8:05 p.m.
San Antonio at Peoria, 8:30 p.m.
Penguins 7, Manchester 6, SO
Manchester............................................ 2 0 4 0 6
Penguins .............................................. 0 4 2 0 7
First Period
Scoring 1. MCH, Juston Azevedo 12 unassisted
12:55. 2. Stefan Legein 9 (Vey) 18:21. Penalties
WBS, Despres (delay of game) 9:34; WBS, Chupp
(slashing) 15:06.
Second Period
Scoring 3. WBS, Brandon DeFazio 8 (McDonald,
Mormina) 5:00. 4. WBS, Brian Gibbons 9 (Thomp-
son, Lerg) 9:08. 5. WBS, Jason Williams 9 (McDo-
nald, Bortuzzo) 12:04. 6. WBS, Cody Chupp1(Gib-
bons, DeFazio) 15:30. Penalties MCH, Deslau-
riers (cross-checking) 7:06; MCH, Campbell (inter-
ference) 12:29; MCH, Mullen (charging) 18:56.
Penalty Shot WBS, Williams NG, 14:29.
Third Period
Scoring 7. MCH, Linden Vey 15 (Czarnik, Mullen)
4:05. 8. WBS, Jason Williams 10 (Lerg, Street)
B A S K E T B A L L
DISTRICT 2 BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
CLASS 4A
(two advance to states)
Today's game
No. 5 Wyoming Valley West (11-12) vs. No. 4
Williamsport (14-8), 7:30 p.m. Berwick M.S.
Saturday's game
No. 3 Delaware Valley (17-5) vs. No. 6 Wallen-
paupack (8-14), 4:30 p.m. North Pocono H.S.
Wednesday, Feb. 29
(Sites & times TBA)
No. 1 Scranton (18-4) vs. Valley West/Williamsport
winner
No. 2 Hazleton Area (18-4) vs. DelVal/Wallen-
paupack winner
Saturday, March 3
Championship, site & time TBA
CLASS 3A
(two advance to states)
Today's games
WVC No. 1 Crestwood (13-9) vs. WVC No. 5
Pittston Area (13-9), 7 p.m. Wyoming Area H.S.
WVC No. 3 Tunkhannock (14-9) vs. Lackawanna
No. 2 Abington Heights (19-5), 6 p.m. Carbondale
H.S.
WVC No. 2 Dallas (14-8) vs. Lackawanna No. 3
North Pocono (11-13), 7:30 p.m. Pittston Area
H.S.
No. 4 Holy Redeemer (10-12) vs. No. 1 Lackawan-
na Scranton Prep (16-6), 7:30 p.m. Carbondale
H.S.
Tuesday, Feb. 28
(Sites & times TBA)
Crestwood/Pittston Area winner vs. Tunkhannock/
Abington winner
Dallas/North Pocono winner vs. Redeemer/Prep
winner
Friday, March 1
Championship, site & time TBA
CLASS 2A
(three advance to states)
Saturday's games
Lackawanna No. 1 Holy Cross (20-4) vs. Lacka-
wanna No. 5 Montrose (18-8), 2:30 p.m. Lacka-
wanna College
WVC No. 2 GAR (20-2) vs. Lackawanna No. 3
Riverside (20-2), 2:30 p.m. Scranton H.S.
Lackawanna No. 2 Lakeland (17-8) vs. WVC No. 3
Hanover Area (10-11), 1 p.m. Lackawanna College
WVC No. 1 Meyers (20-2) vs. Lackawanna No. 4
Dunmore (19-7), 1 p.m. Wyoming Area H.S.
Wednesday, Feb. 29
(Sites & times TBA)
Holy Cross/Montrose winner vs. GAR/Riverside
winner
Lakeland/Hanover Area winner vs. Meyers/
Dunmore winner
Saturday, March 3
Championship game, site & time TBA
Third-place game, site & time TBA
CLASS A
(two advance to states)
Tuesday, Feb. 28
(Sites & times TBA)
No. 1 Susquehanna (6-15) vs. No. 4 MMI Prep
(4-16) or Forest City (2-20)
No. 2 Old Forge (7-14) vs. No. 3 MMI Prep (4-16)
or Forest City (2-20)
Friday, March 2
Championship, site & time TBA
National Basketball
Association
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W L Pct GB
Philadelphia ................. 20 14 .588
New York...................... 17 18 .486 3
1
2
Boston........................... 15 17 .469 4
Toronto ......................... 10 23 .303 9
1
2
New Jersey .................. 10 25 .286 10
1
2
Southeast Division
W L Pct GB
Miami............................. 27 7 .794
Orlando ......................... 22 13 .629 5
1
2
Atlanta........................... 20 14 .588 7
Washington.................. 7 26 .212 19
1
2
Charlotte....................... 4 28 .125 22
Central Division
W L Pct GB
Chicago.......................... 27 8 .771
Indiana............................ 21 12 .636 5
Cleveland ....................... 13 18 .419 12
Milwaukee...................... 13 20 .394 13
Detroit ............................. 11 24 .314 16
G O L F
PGA Tour
Mayakoba Golf Classic Par Scores
First Round
Will Claxton ............................................32-3466-5
Charles Howell III ..................................33-3467-4
Greg Owen.............................................33-3467-4
Marc Turnesa.........................................32-3567-4
John Huh................................................33-3467-4
Alejandro Canizares..............................35-3267-4
Mark D. Anderson.................................34-3367-4
Matt Every...............................................35-3267-4
Kevin Stadler .........................................34-3468-3
Josh Teater.............................................35-3368-3
Dicky Pride.............................................35-3368-3
Seung-Yul Noh......................................31-3768-3
Hunter Haas...........................................35-3368-3
David Hearn...........................................36-3268-3
Michael Allen .........................................35-3368-3
Sunghoon Kang.....................................35-3368-3
Nick Price ...............................................35-3469-2
Stephen Ames .......................................34-3569-2
Roland Thatcher ....................................36-3369-2
Robert Allenby.......................................36-3369-2
Chris Stroud...........................................35-3469-2
Colt Knost...............................................34-3569-2
Daniel Summerhays..............................34-3569-2
Billy Horschel .........................................35-3469-2
William McGirt........................................33-3669-2
Matt Bettencourt ....................................34-3569-2
Edward Loar...........................................33-3669-2
Rich Beem..............................................35-3570-1
Chad Campbell......................................34-3670-1
Patrick Sheehan.....................................35-3570-1
Garrett Willis ..........................................36-3470-1
Stephen Gangluff ..................................36-3470-1
Richard S. Johnson ..............................36-3470-1
Tim Herron .............................................38-3270-1
Billy Mayfair ............................................36-3470-1
Tom Lehman..........................................34-3670-1
Briny Baird..............................................33-3871 E
John Merrick ..........................................34-3771 E
Gavin Coles ..........................................38-3371 E
Vaughn Taylor.......................................35-3671 E
Ben Curtis..............................................35-3671 E
Skip Kendall ..........................................35-3671 E
Craig Barlow..........................................35-3671 E
Erik Compton........................................34-3771 E
Jon McLean...........................................37-3471 E
Garth Mulroy .........................................34-3771 E
Brian Harman........................................35-3671 E
Jose de Jesus Rodriguez....................37-3471 E
Brett Wetterich......................................35-3671 E
Steve Flesch.........................................36-3571 E
Will MacKenzie.....................................36-3672+1
Michael Thompson ..............................36-3672+1
J.J. Henry ..............................................35-3772+1
Cameron Beckman ..............................34-3872+1
Tim Petrovic..........................................36-3672+1
Troy Kelly ..............................................36-3672+1
Marco Dawson......................................37-3572+1
Harrison Frazar ....................................36-3672+1
Brian Gay...............................................36-3672+1
Jose Maria Olazabal ............................34-3872+1
Paul Stankowski ...................................37-3572+1
Esteban Toledo.....................................35-3772+1
Russell Surber......................................34-3872+1
Shaun Micheel ......................................37-3673+2
Heath Slocum........................................39-3473+2
Fred Funk..............................................36-3773+2
Jerry Kelly..............................................37-3673+2
Joe Durant .............................................37-3673+2
Jarrod Lyle ............................................37-3673+2
Kent Jones ............................................34-3973+2
Kyle Thompson ....................................37-3673+2
Charlie Beljan........................................34-3973+2
Robert Damron.....................................40-3373+2
Nathan Green........................................38-3573+2
Johnson Wagner ..................................37-3673+2
Spencer Levin.......................................38-3573+2
Jhonattan Vegas...................................33-4073+2
Kirk Triplett ............................................36-3773+2
Chris Riley.............................................37-3673+2
Joe Ogilvie ............................................38-3573+2
Billy Hurley III ........................................36-3773+2
John Peterson ......................................38-3573+2
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W L Pct GB
San Antonio ................... 23 10 .697
Dallas.............................. 21 13 .618 2
1
2
Houston.......................... 20 14 .588 3
1
2
Memphis ........................ 19 15 .559 4
1
2
New Orleans.................. 8 25 .242 15
Northwest Division
W L Pct GB
Oklahoma City ............. 26 7 .788
Portland......................... 18 16 .529 8
1
2
Denver .......................... 18 16 .529 8
1
2
Minnesota..................... 17 17 .500 9
1
2
Utah............................... 15 17 .469 10
1
2
Pacific Division
W L Pct GB
L.A. Clippers.................. 20 11 .645
L.A. Lakers..................... 20 13 .606 1
Golden State.................. 13 17 .433 6
1
2
Phoenix .......................... 14 20 .412 7
1
2
Sacramento ................... 11 22 .333 10
Wednesday's Games
Oklahoma City 119, Boston 104
Indiana 102, Charlotte 88
New Orleans 89, Cleveland 84
Toronto 103, Detroit 93
Sacramento 115, Washington 107
Orlando 108, New Jersey 91
New York 99, Atlanta 82
Chicago 110, Milwaukee 91
Houston 93, Philadelphia 87
Minnesota 100, Utah 98
Golden State 106, Phoenix 104
L.A. Lakers 96, Dallas 91
L.A. Clippers 103, Denver 95
Thursday's Games
Miami 102, New York 88
Atlanta 83, Orlando 78
San Antonio at Denver, late
L.A. Lakers at Oklahoma City, late
Today's Games
No games scheduled
T R A N S A C T I O N S
BASEBALL
Major League Baseball Players Association
MLBPAAnnounced the 50-game suspension of
Milwaukee OF Ryan Braun was overturned by by
baseball arbitrator Shyam Das.
American League
NEW YORK YANKEESAgreed to terms with 3B
Eric Chavez on a one-year contract.
National League
HOUSTON ASTROSAgreed to terms with OF
Jason Bourgeois, RHP David Carpenter and LHP
Wesley Wright on one-year contracts.
LOSANGELESDODGERSClaimedOFMatt An-
gle off waivers fromBaltimore and added himto the
40-man roster. Placed RHP Rubby De La Rosa on
the 60-day DL.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIESPromoted Kevin
Gregg to manager, baseball communications.
FOOTBALL
National Football League
TAMPABAYBUCCANEERSNamedRonCooper
secondary coach.
HOCKEY
National Hockey League
DETROIT RED WINGSRe-signed F Todd Ber-
tuzzi.
FLORIDA PANTHERSRecalled RW Michal Re-
pik and C Jonathan Matsumoto from San Antonio
(AHL). Assigned DNolan Yonkman to San Antonio.
NEWYORKISLANDERSRecalled FCasey Cizi-
kas from Bridgeport (AHL). Activated D Travis Ha-
monic from injured reserve. Sent G Kevin Poulin
and D Aaron Ness to Bridgeport.
PHOENIX COYOTESReassigned F Matt Wat-
kins to Portland (AHL).
TAMPABAYLIGHTNINGClaimed FTimWallace
off waivers from the New York Islanders.
4:32. 9. WBS, Zach Sill 10 (DeFazio, Picard) 4:48.
10. MCH, Robert Czarnik 8 unassisted 10:53. 11.
MCH, Linden Vey 16 (Kolomatis, Kozun) 16:51. 12.
MCH, Trent Hunter 1 (Hickey, Azevedo) 19:12. Pe-
nalties None.
Overtime
Scoring None. Penalties None.
Shootout
WBS McDonald NG; Walker G; Lerg G; Wil-
liams NG; Street - NG
MCH Vey G; Azevedo NG; Clich NG; Hun-
ter NG; Kozun - NG
Shots on goal
Manchester 5-7-14-0-0-26
Penguins 15-13-8-3-1-40
Power-play Opportunities
Manchester 0 of 2
Penguins 0 of 3
Goaltenders
Manchester Jeff Zatkoff (27 saves 33 shots);
Martin Jones 4:48 of the third period13-14-2 (6-6)
Penguins Scott Munroe 12-4-3 (20-26)
Starters
Manchester GJeff Zatkoff, DJake Muzzin, DSla-
va Voynov, LW Marc-Andre Clich, C Justiin Aze-
vedo, RW Trent Hunter
Penguins G Scott Munroe, D Brian Strait, D Rob-
ert Bortuzzo, LWBryan Lerg, CBen Street, RWJa-
son Williams
Three Stars
1. WBS, Jason Williams (two goals) 2. MCH, Linden
Vey (two goals, assist) 3. WBS, Bryan Lerg (two as-
sists, shootout goal)
Referee Darcy Burchell, Marcus Vinnerborg. Li-
nesmen Alex Stagnone, Francis Trempe
Attendance 5,011
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 3B
S P O R T S
CLASS 4A
Outlook: Scranton (18-4) overcame a season-ending injury
to Karlon Quiller and an illness to superstar Terry Turner to
gain the first seed. The Knights have been favored to win the
tournament since the season tipped off.
Hazleton Area (19-4) had its 12-game winning streak snapped
by fifth-seeded Wyoming Valley West (11-12) on Feb. 17. The Cou-
gars wasted a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in that game but
recovered to defeat Crestwood for the WVC Division I title.
That Valley West rally epitomized the teams season, as the
Spartans have been up and down for the most part.
Fourth-seeded Williamsport (14-8) has lost four games by
four points or less, including a pair of one-point setbacks.
Three losses by third-seeded Delaware Valley (17-5) have come
at the hands of Scranton. Two were by 20 or more points, the
other by three.
Sixth-seeded Wallenpaupack (8-14) won seven of its first 10
games, but its been downhill since then. The Buckhorns first-
round opponent, DelVal, defeated them by 36 two weeks ago.
Dark Horse: Williamsport only because of its fourth seed.
The Millionaires are probably the second or third best team in
the tournament.
Upset Special: Delaware Valley over Hazleton Area. DelVal
has close wins recently against Abington Heights and Scran-
ton Prep. If the Warriors can keep it close, which could be a
tough task, they shouldnt be rattled at the end.
Best Opening Game: Valley West vs. Williamsport. William-
sport defeated Valley West 65-49 on Jan. 25, but considering
the way the Spartans came back to defeat Hazleton Area after
previously being blown out twice, they could make this game
interesting.
Prediction: Scranton to defeat Hazleton Area for the title,
with both moving to the state tournament.
CLASS 3A
Outlook: Abington Heights (19-5) and Scranton Prep (16-6)
looked like the favorites early in the season. The gap has
closed, however, to the point where its anybodys tournament.
Even North Pocono (11-13), which has a victory over a very good
but hurting at the time Scranton team.
Crestwood (13-10) has defeated the other four WVC reps
Dallas (14-8), Tunkhannock (14-9) and Holy Redeemer (10-12)
once and Pittston Area (13-9) twice. The Comets are playing
the best of the WVC bunch at this time, winning nine of their
last 11.
Dark Horse: Pittston Area. Only two of the Patriots 13 victo-
ries have come against teams with a winning record. But they
have two one-point losses and two two-point losses against
strong opponents.
Upset Special: Redeemer over Prep. The Royals have been
and up-and-down team as expected with all new faces in the
lineup. But if they put it all together, they can knock off Lacka-
wannas top seed.
Best Opening Game: Crestwood vs. Pittston Area. Pittston
Areas Steve Stravinski, the WVC Division I scoring champ, had
his two worst league games against Crestwood in 52-50 and
49-37 losses. If he can break out, this game could go down to
the wire.
Prediction: Abington to defeat Prep for the title. Crestwood
to defeat Dallas for third place and the final state berth.
CLASS 2A
Outlook: Of the three WVC teams involved in the eight-team
tournament, WVC second seed GAR (20-2) drew the toughest
assignment in Lackawanna No. 3 Riverside (20-3). All of the
defending champion Vikings losses have come against Holy
Cross, the Lackawannas top seed. GAR hasnt made it past the
round of eight in two of the past three seasons.
WVC No. 1 Meyers (20-2), which handed GAR its only losses,
also has a tough task with Lackawanna No. 4 Dunmore (19-7).
Dunmore has allowed 60 or more points only three times this
season. WVC No. 3 Hanover Area (10-11) has struggled against
better competition and its opponent, Lackawanna No. 2 Lake-
land (17-8), has won 11 of its last 13.
Lackawanna No. 1 Holy Cross (20-4) had its three-season
reign end last year. The Crusaders have won eight in a row,
including victories over Dunmore, Lakeland and Riverside.
Their opponent, Lackawanna No. 5 Montrose (18-8), has lost
three of its last four.
Dark Horse: Dunmore because it has a defense that could
slow down up-tempo opponents.
Upset Special: Dunmore over Meyers, if the Bucks can slow
down the Mohawks.
Best Opening Game: GAR vs. Riverside. The loser deserves
a better fate.
Prediction: Holy Cross to defeat Meyers for the title. GAR to
top Lakeland for third place and the final state spot.
CLASS A
Outlook: The field is among the weakest in recent seasons,
with no team close to the .500 level.
Five-time defending champion Old Forge (7-14) lost a coin
flip with Susquehanna (6-15) for the No. 1 seed. The Blue Devils
open with No. 3 seed Forest City (2-20). Susquehanna gets No.
4 seed MMI Prep (4-18).
The Blue Devils appear to be the favorite once again. They
have a four-game losing streak, but three of the losses have
been by three points or less. Plus, theyve played two quality
teams Dunmore and Riverside tough in the second-half
season.
MMI Prep, the WVCs only team in the bracket, could guaran-
tee itself a place in the state tournament with a win against
Susquehanna. No sites or times have been set for the semi-
finals, which will be played Tuesday.
Dark Horse: MMI has played well in some of its losses and
looks like the only team that can knock off either top seed.
Upset Special: Really, nothing appears to be an upset un-
less someone knocks off Old Forge.
Best Opening Game: Susquehanna vs. MMI Prep.
Prediction: Old Forge to defeat Susquehanna for the title,
with both teams moving to states.
-- John Erzar
DISTRICT 2 BOYS BASKETBALL
PREVIEW
dle this in an unbelievable man-
ner.
An evidentiary hearing on
Brauns appeal was held Jan. 19-
20 in New York, ending the day
before the player accepted the
NL MVP award at a black-tie din-
ner.
We provided complete coop-
eration throughout, despite the
highly unusual circumstances. I
have been an open book, willing
to share details from every as-
pect of my life as part of this in-
vestigation, because I have noth-
ing to hide, Braun said in his
statement. I have passed over
25 drug tests in my career, in-
cluding at least three in the past
year.
A person familiar with the sit-
uation told The Associated Press
that, after being informed of the
positive result, Braun asked to
have another urine test taken,
and that the second test was
within normal range.
During the hearing, Brauns
side challenged the chain of cus-
tody from the time the urine
sample was collected by Com-
prehensive Drug Testing Inc. to
when it was sent nearly 48 hours
later to a World Anti-Doping
Agency-certified laboratory in
Montreal, the person said. The
person spoke on condition of
anonymity because what took
place in the hearing is supposed
to be confidential.
Baseballs drug agreement
states that absent unusual cir-
cumstances, the specimens
should be sent by FedEx to the
laboratory on the same day they
are collected.
Positive tests for performance-
enhancing drugs have been rela-
tively rare under the major
league testing program, with just
two others in 2011: Tampa Bay
outfielder Manny Ramirez and
Colorado Rockies catcher Eliez-
er Alfonzo. Ramirez at first re-
tired rather than face a 100-game
suspension for a second positive
test. Wanting to return this year,
he is serving a 50-game penalty
the length was shortened be-
cause he missedmost of last year.
It has always been Major
League Baseballs position that
no matter who tests positive, we
will exhaust all avenues in pur-
suit of the appropriate discipline.
We have been true to that posi-
tion in every instance, because
baseball fans deserve nothing
less, Manfred said. As a part of
our drug testing program, the
commissioners office and the
players association agreed to a
neutral third party review for in-
stances that are under dispute.
While we have always respected
that process, Major League Base-
ball vehemently disagrees with
the decision rendered today by
arbitrator Shyam Das.
Braun hit .312 with 33 homers
and 111 RBIs last year and led
Milwaukee to the NL champion-
ship series, where the Brewers
lost to the eventual World Series
champion St. Louis Cardinals.
The Brewers are counting on his
offense following the departure
of Prince Fielder, who became a
free agent and signed with the
Detroit Tigers.
Braun already was signed
through 2015, but the Brewers
gave him a new deal running
through 2020 that added $105
million and guaranteed him a to-
tal of $145.5 million over a dec-
ade.
BRAUN
Continued from Page 1B
Duringhis first twoDistrict 2-4
Class 3A diving championships,
Wyoming Valley West junior Col-
lin Vest was chiefly concerned
with making it to states.
Two district crowns in the bag,
Vests degree of difficulty nearly
assures himself a trip to the PIAA
swimming and diving champion-
ships in Lewisburg.
But Spartans diving coach Rob
Jacobs cautions that Vest wont
be easing up anytime soon.
Collin is doing more difficult
dives at districts in preparation
for PIAAs, Jacobs said. He isnt
coming in thinking that he has it
made. He knows that on the div-
ing board, when you take that
hurdle, you dont know where
youre going to land.
Vest seeks to break Mike
McGinleys 30-plus year diving
record at districts at the Wyom-
ing Valley Catholic Youth Center
in Wilkes-Barre. The 11-round
District 2 Class 2A boys and girls
championships beginSaturday at
10 a.m. followed by the Class 3A
championships at 3 p.m.
Oddly enough, the focus at Sat-
urdays district meet will be on
Vests teammate Ibrahim Ismail.
Since only seven schools com-
pete at the Class 3A level, only
one automatic qualifier is award-
ed to District 2. Ismail must post
a higher score than all non-qual-
ifying divers in the state for one
at-large slot.
What he has been doing is up-
ping his degree of difficulty, Ja-
cobs said. Hes working on
cleaner entries and staying re-
laxed.
Vest continued his torrent, re-
cord-breaking diving career this
season and hovered around the
350 mark towards the end of the
season. Ismail joined what Ja-
cobs called a handful of divers in
the state when he eclipsed a 300
score with a 302.7 in the Spar-
tans final meet against Hazleton
Area.
Boasting a season-high 254
mark, Dallas Sarah Zerfoss also
looks to defend her title as a re-
turning two-time Class 2A dis-
trict winner. Zerfoss limped her
way to a district crown a year ago
withher foot ina cast. The Moun-
taineer senior broke her toe in
early February 2011and was side-
lined for three weeks prior to the
meet.
She has some newdives, Dal-
las diving coach Matt Nonnen-
berg said. She could break over
400. It just depends on what kind
of dives she makes. Shes been
working hard in practice.
Zerfoss top competition
Lake-Lehmans Brinley Williams
is unavailable to dive Saturday
due to a stress fracture. Holy Re-
deemers Olivia Vitali scored a
win over Dallas earlier this
month and looks to be a potential
threat. Hanover Area boasts Ash-
lynn Heller, who qualified for
states a year ago with a second-
place showing.
Wyoming Valley Wests Karina
Zabresky and Delaware Valleys
Kristiana Brush look to be the fa-
vorites at the girls Class 3Alevel.
Zabresky narrowly defeated
Brush, last years district runner-
up, at the Ray Willis Invitational
on Jan. 23.
The two of them should be
neck and neck, Jacobs said.
The Delaware Valley girl is a
great diver, and it should proba-
bly play out to the final dive.
The District 2 Class 2A boys
championships should be high-
lighted by a set of new faces.
Lake-Lehman freshman Matt Ed-
kins posted one of the highest
scores in the Wyoming Valley
Conference with a 264 and ap-
pears to be one of the favorites in
a wide-open field.
Hes a little nervous but hes a
hard worker, said Erin Yurko, a
first-year diving coach at Lake-
Lehman. He listens to what I
have to tell him so hes a joy to
work with. I dont think he under-
stands how well he is capable of
doing on Saturday.
Edkins top competition will
be Dallas sophomore Patrick Ma-
daya, who has a season-high 236
score. Madaya missedmost of his
freshman season after breaking
his toes on a dive in his second
meet.
Patricks entries are perfect,
Nonnenberg said. Come district
time, he might sneak in there.
Holy Redeemers Mike Pahler
will alsobe one of the favorites on
the boys side.
D I S T R I C T 2 D I V I N G
Vest, others eye district titles
By JAY MONAHAN
For The Times Leader
UP NEXT
District 2 Diving
Class 2A
10 a.m. Saturday
Wyoming Valley CYC
Class 3A
3 p.m. Saturday
Wyoming Valley CYC
at the end of the second period.
We had a little more urgency
in our game, said head coach
John Hynes. We didnt take our
offensive chances for grantedand
made them count.
The offensive explosion con-
tinued into the third period, and
the Penguins needed it after
Manchesters Linden Vey scored
at 4:05 to close within one.
But the Penguins responded
quickly when Bryan Lerg blewby
a defender at the blueline, gloved
down a loose puck and raced into
the right faceoff circle. Lerg
quickly passed behind a Man-
chester defenseman in the slot to
Williams, who was wide open for
the one-timer to make it 5-3.
Sixteen seconds later Zach Sill
picked off a clearing pass from
Manchester goaltender Jeff Zat-
koff in the middle and sent a slap-
shot into the net to make it 6-3.
But it was far from over.
I wasnt feeling good at all
about the lead, Hynes said. I
thought we were good, but we
were sleepy at times.
With less than half the period
remaining, Manchesters Robert
Czarnick scored on a breakaway
to make it 6-4. Six minutes later,
Veyscoredhis secondgoal for the
Monarchs with a shot from the
point to make it 6-5.
Munroe could sense the mo-
mentumhad changed as the Pen-
guins still clung to a one-goal
lead with four minutes left.
I kept looking at the clock
thinking why is this taking so
long, he said. It was a bit of a
grind because I felt like I was do-
ing the right things, but it just
wasnt going my way.
Then, with 48 seconds left,
Manchesters Trent Hunter
scored to tie things up, 6-6, and
force overtime and eventually a
shootout.
You dont expect to be in a
game where you score six goals
and end up in a shootout, Mun-
roe said.
Vey connected for Manchester
in the first round of the shootout,
and Geoff Walker and Lerg
scored in the following two
rounds to give the Penguins the
advantage.
In the fifth and final round, it
was upto Munroe to earnthe win
and the extra point for the Pen-
guins as he faced Manchesters
Brandon Kozun.
PENS
Continued from Page 1B
YATESVILLE Wyoming Val-
ley West moved one step closer
to a state tournament berth, and
got a little work in as well.
The Spartans led throughout
and maintained a double-digit
lead for the final 24:04 in a 65-
30triumphover DelawareValley
in a District 2 Class 4A girls bas-
ketball quarterfinal game at Pitt-
ston Area on Thursday.
The victory sends Valley West
(19-5) intothe semifinals against
the winner of the quarterfinal
between Wallenpaupack (14-8)
and Scranton (5-17) tonight.
It was our normal routine,
Valley West coach Curt Lloyd
said of playing on Thursday, a
day ahead of the rest of the dis-
trict. But after coming off such
ahighonMonday(theWyoming
Valley Conference Division I
championship game), it was a
bit tough to focus. This was a
first for me, having such a quick
turnaround.
Tara Zdancewicz had a game-
high 25 points, 10 rebounds and
five assists. She was one under
her seasonaverage of 17.0 points
at halftime. Her 25 points was
her third-best outing of the sea-
son, trailing just a 28-point night
against Abington Heights on
Jan. 23 and a 26-point game at
Crestwood on Feb. 6.
Both of those games were also
Valley West wins, with the
Abington Heights victory kick-
ing off the Spartans current 10-
game win streak.
The Spartans mixed up de-
fenses throughout the night and
heldDelaware Valley (4-19) to21
percent shooting fromthe field
including just 15 percent in the
second half, which saw the bulk
of Valley Wests 38-7 run. Center
Olivia Hoffman spent some time
at the top of the Spartans 1-3-1.
We did that with Olivia at
Crestwood in the second half,
and just a trip or two Monday,
Lloyd said. She has such a long
wingspan that she creates a mis-
match with the long passes.
Shes unique that shes a bigplay-
er who can move at the top.
Valley West appeared to run a
number of offensive sets as well,
gettingina makeshift practice as
the game wore on. Eight Spar-
tans hadbaskets inthe game and
seven posted assists.
Other than our three starting
seniors, were so young, Lloyd
said of getting all of his players
into the game. We dont have
any juniors, so we are predomin-
antly sophomores and fresh-
men. Its great toget thema little
time in a playoff game.
Kate Smicherko had nine
points, seven rebounds and five
assists for the Spartans, who
shot 53 percent from the field
and enjoyed a 24-8 advantage in
turnovers through three quar-
ters. Taylor Reillymatcheda sea-
son high with eight points. Cas-
sie Smicherko added seven
points, and Olivia Hoffman had
four blocks and six points.
Senior Megan Braunagel, a 6-
foot-1center, was the lone bright
spot for the Warriors. She had
eight of her 11 points in the first
half and finished with nine re-
bounds.
We are always working on
getting Megan the ball in prac-
tice, Delaware Valley coach Gi-
na Lee said. Her effort was out-
standing.
Delaware Valley finished with
losses in 14 of its final 15 games.
WyomingValleyWest 65, DelawareValley30
DELAWARE VALLEY (30): Pascella 0 2-4 2,
Cadigan 1 0-0 2, Midlarsky 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0,
Hartey 11-13, Noto00-00, Murphy 01-21, Walter
1 0-0 2, J. Peters 0 0-0 0, E. Peters 1 3-4 5, Kenne-
dy 2 0-0 4, Braunagel 4 3-5 11, Hammond 0 0-0 0.
Totals 10 10-16 30.
WYOMING VALLEY WEST (65): Judge 0 0-1
0, C. Smicherko 3 0-0 7, Reese 3 0-1 6, Reilly 2 4-4
8, K. Smicherko 3 2-2 9, Kane 1 0-1 2, Lupinski 0
0-0 0, Zdancewicz 9 6-8 25, Piazza 1 0-2 2, Hoff-
man 3 0-0 6, Usefara 0 0-0 0, Simonson 0 0-0 0.
Totals 25 12-19 65.
Delaware Valley ........................ 7 10 6 7 30
Wyoming Valley West.............. 18 15 20 12 65
3-Point Field Goals WVW 3 (C. Smicherko, K.
Smicherko, Zdancewicz)
D I S T R I C T 2 G I R L S B A S K E T B A L L
Valley West wins opener easily
PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER
Tara Zdancewicz of Wyoming Valley West eyes the basket as
Delaware Valleys Patricia Pacella (left) and Megan Braunagel
attempt to block the shot during Thursdays District 2 Class 4A
playoff game at Pittston Area High School.
By JOHN MEDEIROS
[email protected]
C M Y K
PAGE 4B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
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DETROIT Daniel Sedin
scored his second goal of the
game with 15.4 seconds left
in regulation and Alex Bur-
rows had the only score in a
shootout, lifting the Van-
couver Canucks to a 4-3 vic-
tory that snapped the De-
troit Red Wings NHL-record
23-game home winning
streak.
Detroit hadnt lost at Joe
Louis Arena since Nov. 3
against Calgary.
The NHL-leading Red
Wings hold a one-point lead
over Vancouver in the West-
ern Conference. The Ca-
nucks have won an NHL-high
21 games on the road this
season.
A sold-out crowd stood
during the shootout, which
started with Roberto Luongo
stopping Jiri Hudlers shot
and Jimmy Howard going
low to smother David
Booths attempt.
Henrik Zetterberg missed
the net on Detroits second
attempt and Alexander Edler
was denied.
Todd Bertuzzi, who signed
a two-year extension with
the Red Wings, couldnt put
his team ahead and Burrows
took advantage with a back-
hand.
Detroit was 16 seconds
away from getting the win in
regulation, but the Canucks
pulled Luongo to have an
extra skater in the Red
Wings end for a faceoff.
Sedin took a slap shot
from the slot that Howard
never saw after his team-
mates failed to clear the
puck when it was behind the
net.
Justin Abdelkader scored
with 6:14 left in the third
period to give Detroit a 3-2
lead 20 seconds after
Vancouvers Cody Hodgson
tied the game.
Newly acquired defense-
man Kyle Quincey scored to
put Detroit ahead 6:05 into
the third period and Darren
Helm had a goal 11:16 into
the game to give the Red
Wings a 1-0 lead.
Sedin tied it at 1 at 13:34
of the second and Hodgson
tied it again, getting credit
for a goal that went in off
the right skate of Detroit
defenseman Niklas Kronwall.
Quincey, in the first game
of his second stint with the
Red Wings, couldnt hide his
smile on the bench after
putting them ahead 2-1.
The Red Wings, who draft-
ed Quincey in 2003, acquired
him for a first-round pick
and prospect Sebastien Piche
from Tampa Bay on Tuesday
in a three-team trade with
Colorado.
Luongo made 33 saves and
Howard had 40 stops.
Detroit led 1-0 after the
first period despite being
outplayed.
Vancouver outshot the Red
Wings 17-5 in the first, but
defenseman Kevin Bieksa
had the puck poked away by
Helm and his fluttering wrist
shot got past Luongo at
11:16.
Detroit didnt do much
with three power plays in the
first, going scoreless and
getting only one shot com-
bined with an extra skater.
The Red Wings looked out
of sync, missing playmaking
center Pavel Datsyuk for a
second game. Datsyuk, the
teams leading scorer, is ex-
pected to be out for two
weeks after right knee sur-
gery Tuesday.
Sedin tied the game at 1 at
13:34 of the second. He slid
the puck around Howard and
into the net while engaged
with defenseman Ian White.
The Red Wings were fortu-
nate the game was tied after
Quincey was called for two
penalties in the first half of
the second period and Drew
Miller put Vancouver on
another power play, holding
the Canucks scoreless each
time they had an extra skat-
er in the period.
Detroit outshot the Ca-
nucks 15-8 in the second
period, but had nothing to
show for it.
The Red Wings created
more chances in the third
period, especially when Ab-
delkader swiped at a puck in
the crease that Luongo
didnt cover.
Ducks 3, Hurricanes 2
RALEIGH, N.C. Saku
Koivu scored the only goal in
the shootout to lift Anaheim
over Carolina.
Corey Perry, who reached
30 goals for the third time in
his career, and Luca Sbisa
scored in regulation for Ana-
heim. Jerome Samson and
Jamie McBain had goals for
Carolina.
Jonas Hiller had 30 saves
for the Ducks, who went
5-1-2 on their eight-game,
15-day road trip. Anaheim
improved to 2-22-2 when
trailing after two periods.
Carolinas Justin Peters,
starting his second straight
and playing in his fourth
consecutive game because
Cam Ward is injured, made
35 saves.
The Hurricanes Jiri Tlusty
assisted on Samsons goal to
extend his point streak to
nine games, two short of the
longest run since the club
moved to North Carolina
from Hartford in 1997.
Wild 3, Panthers 2
SUNRISE, Fla. Matt
Cullen and Erik Christensen
scored in the shootout in
Minnesotas victory against
Florida.
Cullen and Kyle Brodziak
scored in regulation, Dany
Heatley had two assists, and
Niklas Backstrom stopped 41
shots for the Wild.
Christensen scored the
first goal in the shootout,
followed by Cullen. Back-
strom stopped Kris Versteeg
and Sean Bergenheim to seal
the win. Cullen is 7-for-13 in
shootout attempts this sea-
son.
The Wild won for just the
second time in nine games.
Bergenheim and Mikael
Samuelsson scored for the
Panthers, who got 26 saves
from Jose Theodore. Florida
has lost four straight.
Sharks 2, Maple Leafs 1
TORONTO Patrick
Marleau scored two goals,
and San Jose sent stumbling
Toronto to its seventh loss in
eight games.
James Reimer started in
goal against the Sharks and
made 24 saves, but his re-
cord dropped to 11-9-4. Mar-
leau was the only player to
beat him with a pair of sec-
ond-period goals that lifted
the Sharks (32-20-7) to their
first win in five games. Antti
Niemi made 29 saves.
Jake Gardiner scored for
the Maple Leafs (29-25-7),
who are 1-6-1 since Feb. 7.
Blues 3, Predators 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Shootout goals by T.J. Oshie
and Andy McDonald pushed
St. Louis past Nashville.
Chris Stewart and Vladi-
mir Sobotka scored for St.
Louis in regulation. Roman
Josi and Colin Wilson had
goals for Nashville.
Jaroslav Halak made 25
saves for the Blues, then was
perfect in the shootout, stop-
ping Wilson and Martin Erat.
Pekka Rinne stopped 22
shots for the Predators.
Stewart got the only goal
of the opening period, then
Josi and Wilson gave Nash-
ville a 2-1 lead. Just 34 sec-
onds after Wilsons goal,
Sobotka tied it.
Stars 3, Blackhawks 1
CHICAGO Michael Ryd-
er scored on a deflection
with 5:02 left in regulation
as the Dallas Stars rallied
with three goals late in the
game to defeat Chicago,
ending the Blackhawks four-
game winning streak.
Tied at 1, Ryder got behind
Chicagos defense and redi-
rected Mike Ribeiros shot
between Corey Crawfords
left pad and the near goal
post.
Dallas Loui Eriksson was
credited with a goal 74 sec-
onds later that made it 3-1.
He scored after Ryders shot
deflected off Chicago defen-
seman Brent Seabrooks
skate.
Dallass Steve Ott scored
on a deflection midway
through the third to tie it at
1.
Stars backup Richard Bach-
man made 26 stops in his
first start since Feb. 2, a
stretch of 11 games.
Marian Hossa scored Chi-
cagos lone goal and Corey
Crawford finished with 22
saves.
AP PHOTO
Detroit Red Wings left wing Justin Abdelkader (8) skates past
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Sami Salo (6) in the first period
of an NHL game in Detroit on Thursday.
N H L
Canucks end Wings home win streak
The Associated Press
MIAMI Jeremy Lin was
no match for the Miami Heat.
Forcing Lin into easily the
worst game of his remarkable
run as New Yorks starting
point guard by running
streams of defenders at him,
Miami topped the Knicks 102-
88 on Thursday night the
eighth straight win for the
NBA-leading Heat.
Chris Bosh scored 25 points,
Dwyane Wade added 22 and
LeBron James finished with 20
points, nine rebounds and
eight assists for Miami, which
will go into the All-Star break
with the NBAs best record
(27-7).
Lins final line: 1 for 11 from
the field, eight points, three
assists a far cry from the
23.9 points and 9.2 assists he
had been averaging over his
first 11 games in the Knicks
rotation, when he breathed
immeasurable life into a team
that was floundering.
Hawks 83, Magic 78
ATLANTA Josh Smith
scored 22 points and pulled
down 12 rebounds to help
Atlanta snap a three-game skid
with an win over Orlando.
Jannero Pargo added 15
points and Willie Green had
14 for the Hawks.
J.J. Redick finished with 13
points and Dwight Howard
had 12 for the Magic, who
had won two straight and six
of seven.
The Magic recovered from a
10-point second quarter by
scoring 25 in the third to pull
within three heading into the
final period. Howards lay-in
cut the lead to 69-68 with
4:42 left, but the Magic never
got any closer.
N B A R O U N D U P
Heat have
no trouble
with Lin
The Associated Press
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 5B
PHILLIES
Utley hopes to stay healthy
CLEARWATER, Fla. Chase Ut-
leys batting average and slugging per-
centage have dropped each season
since 2007. Hes played in fewer games
the last two years and spent more time
on the disabled list.
Is the five-time All-Star on the de-
cline?
Im always looking for ways to im-
prove. I havent come to the conclusion
that I need to change things, Utley
said after the Philadelphia Phillies
practiced on Thursday. I think what
Im doing now is putting me on track
to contribute like I have in the past.
The biggest question surrounding
Utley is his health. The second base-
man missed the first 46 games last
season because of a right knee injury.
Though he returned in late May, Utley
clearly wasnt himself. He batted just
.259 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 103
games.
MARINERS
Montero looking to develop
PEORIA, Ariz. At first glance, its
easy to see the potential in Jesus Mon-
tero.
The Seattle Mariners prized acquisi-
tion in an offseason trade with the New
York Yankees is an imposing presence.
Hes a catcher and designated hitter
listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, and the
ball jumps off his bat with a crack audi-
ble across the Mariners spring training
facility.
The 22-year-old Montero went 20 for
61 in 18 games with the Yankees after a
September call-up last season. He hit
four home runs. When the Mariners
went in search of offense combined
with youth and promise, Montero was
their target.
The team hopes to develop him as a
catcher, with veteran Miguel Olivo
providing some power and handling
the pitching staff while Montero works
on his defense and game-calling.
METS
Beltran will pay up
JUPITER, Fla. Carlos Beltran
plans on paying New York Mets lefty
and former teammate Jonathan Niese
in person for a $10,000 nose job.
Beltran, now with the St. Louis Car-
dinals, said Thursday that hell have a
check for Niese when his new team
plays the Mets in spring training. The
clubs are about a 40-minute interstate
drive apart in Florida.
I did get the bill, yeah, Beltran
said. I want to go there and give it to
him personally.
Beltran maintained he didnt recom-
mend surgery last summer, but he did
offer to foot the bill after Niese said the
procedure wasnt a priority.
He came to me the day after the
conversation and he said Are you sure
youre going to pay for it? Beltran
said. I said, Well, Ill pay for it if
youre going to do it. I guess he was
happy that he didnt have to pay
$10,000 for his nose.
GIANTS
Lincecum says hes healthy
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. San Francis-
co right-hander Tim Lincecum went all
out during his bullpen session Thurs-
day and reported that he felt just fine.
The two-time NL Cy Young Award
winner said he took a precautionary
route after feeling some tightness in
his back earlier in the week.
Giants closer Brian Wilson also aired
it out during his bullpen session.
-- The Associated Press
I N B R I E F
AP PHOTO
Smile for the camera
Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann
works out with a camera mounted on
his helmet during spring training
Thursday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
TAMPA, Fla. Eric Chavez spent the
offseason wondering where and if
he might play again.
There was only one place he really had
in mind.
Chavez was back with the New York
Yankees on Thursday after agreeing to a
$900,000, one-year deal. The 34-year-old
Chavez said retirement was a possibility,
but he was happy to return to the Yan-
kees after playing 58 games with them
last season.
If there was no interest at all, in my
mind I was probably going to shut it
down, Chavezsaid. I wouldnt sayhere
or nowhere but this was obviously
coming back to a place
I was familiar with. ... I
knewthis was going to
be a good team, obvi-
ously a team that was
going to have an op-
portunity to go back to
the playoffs.
Once a centerpiece
in Oakland, Chavez was already consid-
ering retirement after the 2010 season,
his 13th with the Athletics. He ended up
signing a minor league deal with New
York and was able to work his way into a
part-time role for the Yankees.
Chavez hit .263 with two homers and
26 RBIs last year, starting 33 games at
third base and also playing a bit at first.
He adds depth to our club, and if you
giveAlex(Rodriguez)adayoff, thisguys
a player, manager Joe Girardi said. You
knowhes going to catch it. Hes got very
good hands.
Chavez is a six-time Gold Glove win-
ner, but he broke a bone inhis left foot on
May 5 after just 17 games and didnt re-
turn until July 26.
That was part of a disturbing pattern
for Chavez, who has played only 122
games over the last four seasons. Hes al-
so had shoulder and back problems.
I actually felt that when he got hurt
we missed him, Girardi said. He was
playing really well for us. He plays an ex-
cellent third base, swings the bat. The
big thing about Chavvy is keeping him
healthy. Last year was kind of a freaky
thing that he had. We hope that hes be-
yond the freaky things, but you dont
know.
Chavez played in the postseason five
times withOakland. Hedidnt playmuch
for the Yankees in last years Division Se-
ries loss to Detroit, striking out in a
Game 2 loss in his only at-bat of the se-
ries.
NewYorks status as a perennial World
Series contender made it an attractive
franchise for Chavez.
Its the winning, its the way everybo-
dy goes about their business here its
very professional and it became too
appealing for me not to come back
again, he said. It took a long time, but
Im happy the way things worked out.
The teamlooks fantastic. It looks like its
ingoodpositiontowina lot of ballgames
again.
Chavez said he found out in recent
weeks that it might be realistic to come
back to the Yankees.
There were a fewother teams. I dont
know how serious it was. I dont even
know how serious it was an interest on
my part, Chavez said. This was the
spot that if I was going to come back
I wanted it to be.
NOTES: Right-hander Phil Hughes is
part of alogjamof startingrotationcandi-
dates after New York acquired Michael
Pineda and Hiroki Kuroda in the offsea-
son.
Chavez signs deal with Yankees
Veteran corner infielder signs for
one year with New York, where he
played in 58 games last season.
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
Chavez
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. Ja-
son Bay signed with the New
York Mets following an All-Star
2009 season in Boston that was
also one of the best of his ca-
reer.
Two years and a $66 million
investment
later, Mets
management
is still waiting
to see if hell
ever display
that kind of
talent in
Queens.
After post-
ing 20 or more home runs in
six of his first seven major
league seasons including
four with 30-plus concus-
sion, rib and shoulder issues
culminated in Bay hitting just
18 total homers the past two
years for the Mets.
But after a summer of virtual
training isolation spent hitting
off a tee-like contraption and
concentrating on the basics,
Bay said Thursday hes hopeful
people will get to see the player
he knows he can be.
Im trying to approach (the
season) like any other one, he
said. The first year I came in, I
was kind of the new guy and
then last year, coming off the
concussion, Im just trying to
get back to it, and I did it this
offseason. Not really trying to
work on anything new. But just
trying to do what Ive always
done. Thats the way Im gonna
approach it, regardless of
whats happened in the past.
Theres no question that a lot
could be riding on Bay making
a significant improvement with
the Mets doing very little in the
way personnel tweaking this
offseason.
The Mets have about half of
their payroll this year promised
to Bay, pitcher Johan Santana
and third baseman David
Wright. So another year of sub-
par production could bring
about wholesale change.
Those arent sentiments lost
on Bay.
I think everybody knows we
have some work to do no
question, Bay said. I dont
think anybody (in the club-
house) thinks any differently. ...
Are we the No. 1 favorite for the
division? Probably not. But I
dont think its out of the realm
of truth that we can be pretty
good.
Aside from the injuries, an-
other thing that has slowed
Bays production with the Mets,
he said, was tinkering with his
batting stance last season.
Mets Bay
is hoping
to return
to old self
Outfielder has really
struggled at the plate in his
two seasons with the Mets.
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Associated Press
Bay
JUPITER, Fla. Despite a new hair-
cut and new uniform, Jose Reyes was
easy to recognize on his first day at
spring training Thursday.
Several dozen fans shouted Reyes
name as they clustered along a practice-
field fence at the Miami Marlins com-
plex, and when he walked over to sign
autographs, the tumult resembled a
New York subway station at rush hour.
Dont push! Dont push! one fan
said.
Make a line, for Gods sake! said an-
other.
Thats why the Marlins signed Reyes:
to cause a commotion. They figure hell
do it on the bases, leading off and using
his speed to disrupt defenses, like last
year with the New York Mets when he
won the NL batting championship.
Theres also the Big Apple-style buzz
hes bringing to the Marlins, a franchise
in transition after finishing last in NL
attendance each of the past seven years.
The Marlins anticipate sellout crowds
this season in their new ballpark, and
theyre being touted as potential playoff
contenders thanks to an offseason
spending spree.
The biggest deal was a $106 million,
six-year contract for Reyes, and the
shortstop already ranks among the most
popular players with Marlins fans. His
No. 7 jersey has become a common
sight in Miami.
They havent seen me play here yet,
he said. When they see me play, theyre
going to fall in love with me, because
Im a guy who gives 100 percent every
day.
They loved him in New York, where
he made the All-Star team four times
and hit .337 last season with 39 steals
and an NL-high 16 triples.
He had been with the organization
since age 16, but the cash-strapped fran-
chise didnt make a serious offer when
he became a free agent this offseason.
Marlins officials began courting him in
person at a New York hotel at midnight,
only moments after the signing period
began.
He sealed his deal with Miami at the
winter meetings, and Reyes is now so
eager to start earning his big salary that
he reported for camp three days before
the first full-squad workout.
This is my new team, my new fam-
ily, he said. Its a good feeling.
Reyes sported closely cropped hair af-
ter having his dreadlocks shorn to com-
ply with the Marlins dress code. He said
he likes the new look, but his daughter
needed time getting accustomed to it.
AP PHOTO
Miami Marlins Jose Reyes signs autographs at spring training in Jupiter, Fla., Thursday.
Reyes reeling in Marlins fans
Free agent shortstop has spring
training crowds buzzing as he brings
his batting title to Miamis lineup.
By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
JUPITER, Fla. The offseason has
been a whirlwind for suddenly famous
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Da-
vid Freese. After rocketing to stardom
as the NL championship series and
World Series MVP, the teams No. 6 hit-
ter got the red carpet treatment all over.
There was a late-night sitdown with
David Letterman, an appearance on the
Country Music Awards and countless
interviews. He savored them all.
The biggest honor was getting recog-
nized at the Texas-Missouri football
game not long after the Cardinals fin-
ished off the Texas Rangers.
Seeing the highlights on the Jum-
botron, that crowd on its feet for two
minutes or however long it was, that
was incredible, Freese said Thursday, a
big grin on his face. That was an amaz-
ing feeling.
Another highlight was visiting his al-
ma mater, Lafayette High School, in St.
Louis County.
I had a great time in L.A. and all
that, Freese said, but the stuff that
really hits home is stuff thats closer to
home.
Around Thanksgiving, he decided
that baseball would always come first.
The celebrity appearances didnt halt
completely, but Freese had his priorities
straight. He arrived at spring training a
few days early, ready to work on an
encore for a magical October that prob-
ably cant be topped.
It would have been a shame to not
have taken advantage of the things that
he was able to do and see, because
some people never, ever, experience
that in their lifetime. Most dont, man-
ager Mike Matheny said. He had that
timeframe and then it ended and he got
pretty diligent. If you look at him, he
looks in as good a shape as Ive ever
seen him.
Freese hit five homers and drove in 21
runs in the postseason, becoming the
sixth player to be named MVP of a
league championship series and World
Series in the same season. Rather than
worry about heightened expectations,
hell concentrate on just doing his part.
When he began lifting weights with
teammates Matt Holliday and Chris
Carpenter in St. Louis, it was go time,
it was 2012.
Thats the way its got to be.
Series MVP ready to get back to baseball
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
AP PHOTO
St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Da-
vid Freese handles a grounder Tuesday
during spring training baseball in Jupi-
ter, Fla.
M A J O R L E A G U E B A S E B A L L
C M Y K
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It might take a group effort by
all sevenWyomingValley Confer-
ence Class 3A teams to knock off
Delaware Valley from the top of
District 2 at this weekends indi-
vidual tournament at Hazleton
Area.
The Warriors, who rolled to
the district duals title earlier this
month and won two meets at the
PIAA Championships, are the
runaway favorite to claim their
first team title in school history
this weekend. They enter the
tourney with six No. 1 seeds and
three No. 2s. No other team has
two top seeds and just two other
schools have two second seeds.
The defending teamchampion
is Pittston Area, which was third
in the WVC Division I standings
this season. Thetwoteams ahead
of the Patriots, Coughlin and
Wyoming Valley West, were both
blasted by DelVal at district
duals. Coughlin is looking for its
first team championship since
1995, while a winfor the Spartans
would be their first since 2002.
It wont be easy for the WVCto
stop Delaware Valley, which ran
away with the teamtrophy at last
weekends Lackawanna League
Tournament winning by 127
points over the second-place
Abington Heights.
FOUR TO GO
There has only been one wres-
tler fromtheLackawanna League
to win four district champion-
ships, West Scrantons Dave Mor-
gan from 2001-04. Delaware Val-
leys C.J. Palmer is looking to tie
Morgans mark and become just
the 23rd wrestler in the entire
district to accomplish the feat.
SHOOTING FOR THREE
Jamie Scarantino has quietly
had a nice career for Pittston Ar-
ea. After taking fifth in his first
district tournament as a fresh-
man, he has won two champion-
ships in row. Now, the 103-poun-
der is looking for his third
straight title. He enters as the top
seed in his bracket with a 24-5 re-
cord and enters with 103 career
wins. He is the only wrestler in
the 3A tournament looking to
earn the accolade.
A REPEAT PERFORMANCE
After finishing third in the dis-
trict his first two years, Crest-
woods Kyle Hankinson claimed
his first title in 2011 and placed
fourth at regionals. Now, hes
gunning for his second straight
D2-3Atitle. Hes the No. 3 seed at
145 entering with a 22-2 record
and 91 career wins.
GOING FOR FIRST GOLD
The top wrestlers dont always
win district championships.
Just as Chad Hoffman.
The Hazleton Area senior
placed eighth at the PIAA Cham-
pionships last season and is the
districts only returning state
medalist in Class 3A. He did all
that last year without winning a
district title, being a two-time
third-place finisher. He may be in
line for his first district title this
weekend at his home gym. Hes
the top seed at 195 with a record
of 28-3 and has 102 career wins.
Wyoming Valley Wests Kyle
Krasavage is ina similar situation
as Hoffman. His previous two
seasons he placedsecond, includ-
ing a trip to states in 2010, and
was one winawayfromstates last
year. Entering with 90 career
wins and a 26-2 mark this season,
he is the No. 2 seed at 126.
Coughlins Brad Emerick (285
pounds), the only unbeaten in
Class 3A at 33-0, may have the
best chance to win his first dis-
trict gold. The junior is seeded
first in his bracket and no one in
his weight has less than five loss-
es. He took third last year.
Also placing third last year and
being a No. 1 seed this time
around is Crestwoods Bob Gray.
A senior, hes 18-14 this season
and sits atop the 113-pound
bracket.
Second-place finishers from
last year looking for their first
gold medal are Coughlins Billy
Poray (113) and Frankie Mah-
moud (138) and Crestwoods
Roger Legg (182).
ROOKIE STEPPING STONE
Keep an eye on the following
freshmen who pulled upsets
throughout this seasonandcould
pull off a few more and grab a
gold medal: Coughlins Bobby
Hawkins (103); Hazleton Areas
Larry Romanchik (113); Crest-
woods Dan Ritz (126); and
Wyoming Valley Wests Cody
Cordes (145). The foursome have
combined for a 94-30 mark.
LOOKING AHEAD
The top four placewinners ad-
vance to the Class 3A Northeast
Regional Tournament at Free-
dom High School in Bethlehem
March 2-3.
D I S T R I C T 2 C L A S S 3 A W R E S T L I N G
DelVal is big hurdle
for WVC wrestlers
By DAVE ROSENGRANT
[email protected]
District 2 Class 3A
Tournament
When: today and tomorrow at
Hazleton Area H.S.
Times: Wrestling begins at 5
p.m. today and 11 a.m. Saturday.
The finals are slated for 6:30
p.m.
Admission: $6 adults; $4
students
when he takes the mat today at
132. With a 24-2 record, the
Warrior currently has 90 career
wins. He could have his hands
full with Dallas Steven Mingy
(22-18) and Meyers Jeff Nealon
(25-9) also seeded in the brack-
et. He won golds at 119 the
previous two years.
A REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Winning a district title is an
achievement for any wrestler,
winning two is twice as nice.
Five grapplers are up for that
honor this weekend, but only
four can win.
Thats because Lake-Leh-
mans Nick Shelley (21-3) and
Dallas Bill Dixon (26-5) are
both in the 160-pound weight
class and both are seniors.
Shelleys teammates Bryan
Carter (15-2, 152) and Austin
Harry (30-1, 126) are also look-
ing for their second straight. As
is Meyers senior Darren Stuck-
er (18-4, 145), who missed out
on states last year by one win.
GOING FOR FIRST GOLD
A trio of Dallas wrestlers
Dominic DeGraba (106), Ste-
ven Mingy (132) and Kris Roc-
cograndi (152) were all sec-
ond-place finishers last year
and will be looking to get over
the hump this weekend.
DeGraba and Roccograndi
are top seeds with records of
36-8 and 20-6, respectively,
while Mingy (22-18) is a No. 4
seed.
In addition to the Mountain-
eers, Hanover Areas Steve
Radzwilla was a third-place
finisher at 171 in 2011. This
year, hes the top seed at 182,
entering with a 26-4 mark.
At 195, Nanticokes Pedro
Bracero is the No. 1 seed with
upper-hand are Lake-Lehmans
John Tomasura (106) and Jim-
my Stuart (113). They are both
seeded second in their respec-
tive brackets. Hanover Areas
Dominic Vitale, seeded fourth
at 138, is also an intriguing
candidate entering with a 24-7
record. GARs Zac Faust, a
220-pounder, is in a weight
with just five wrestlers, but the
top seed is Lackawanna Trails
Eric Laytos, a state champion
in 2010.
LOOKING AHEAD
The top three placewinners
from the Class 2A tournament
advance to the Northeast Re-
gional Tournament, which will
be held March 2-3 at William-
sport High School.
just one loss on his record
opposed to 22 wins. He was a
third-place finisher at 189 a
year ago.
GAR sophomore A.J. Luton
(113), Meyers Kashif Alston
(126) and Dallas Zach Ma-
cosky (138) were also third-
place finishers and regional
qualifiers last season. Wyoming
Areas Nick Heck (138) was
second-place finisher in 2010
and is this years top seed.
ROOKIE STEPPING STONE
There always seems to be a
freshman coming through at
the district tournament and
this season is no different.
Winning a gold medal wont
be easy for any ninth grader,
but a few that may have an
WRESTLING
Continued from Page 1B
MARANA, Ariz. The roar
resonated across Dove Moun-
tainfromfans packedaroundthe
18thgreenas Tiger Woods, need-
ing a birdie on the last hole to
stay in his match, hit a shot that
dropped out of the Arizona sky
and landed 5 feet from the hole.
That was followed by silence.
Woods missed the putt so bad-
ly that it never even touched the
hole.
No one was more surprised
than Nick Watney, who removed
his cap to shake hands with
Woods after a1-upvictoryThurs-
day in the Match Play Cham-
pionship. It was the third
straight time in this fickle event
that Woods failed to get out of
the second round, and it raised
more questions about his ability
to make key putts that once
seemed so automatic.
I was fighting the blocks all
day withmy putter, saidWoods,
who missed three putts inside10
feet onthelast sixholes. Left-to-
right putt, I took it slightly shut
right there, and I knew it and
blocked it open.
Watney was so sure that
Woods would square the match
that he already had his yardage
bookout, checkingthe hole loca-
tion on the first green (the 19th
hole of their match), trying to
decide if 3-wood was the right
club off the tee.
The old adage is to expect
your opponent to make it, Wat-
ney said. And when its Tiger
Woods, you really expect him to
make it.
Just not this Tiger Woods.
I didnt miss a single shot
coming in, which is good. And
that was fun, to hit the ball that
well, Woods said. Unfortunate-
ly, I just didnt make a putt when
I needed it.
Two weeks ago, Woods
couldnt buy a putt at Pebble
Beach and closed with a 75,
which was 11 shots worse than
playing partner and eventual
winner Phil Mickelson. He also
struggled to make putts in Abu
Dhabi, when he failed to win de-
spite being tied for the 54-hole
lead with Robert Rock.
In other matches Thursday:
U.S. Open champion Rory
McIlroy, the No. 2 seed, made
only three birdies but won two
straight holes with par to put
away Anders Hansen and ad-
vance to the third round. He
plays Miguel Angel Jimenez, the
48-year-old Spaniard who beat
PGA champion Keegan Bradley.
Dustin Johnson, headed for
defeat inthe openingrounduntil
outlasting JimFuryk in 20 holes,
blasted Francesco Molinari early
and rolled to a 7-and-5 win. I
was definitely in a better mood,
Johnson said of the short day.
Johnson has played two medi-
um-length players in Furyk and
Molinari. Next up is another pea
shooter, Mark Wilson, who
breezed to a win over Robert
Rock of England.
Steve Stricker celebratedhis
45thbirthday instyle. Twodown
on the back nine, he rallied to
catch Louis Oosthuizen, then
won the match with a 20-foot
birdie putt on the 18th hole that
had so much break even Stricker
wasnt sure he could make it.
He will play Hunter Mahan,
who never trailed in beating Y.E.
Yang.
Ernie Els, one day after be-
coming only the third No. 64
seed to win, had another short
day that precedes a long flight
home. He lost, 5 and 4, to Peter
Hanson of Sweden.
G O L F : M AT C H P L AY C H A M P I O N S H I P
Tiger Woods is eliminated by Nick Watney
AP PHOTO
Tiger Woods checks the wind direction on the seventh fairway
while playing Nick Watney during the Match Play Championship
Thursday in Marana, Ariz. Woods lost 1-up.
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
C M Y K
THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 PAGE 7B
S P O R T S
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34, 114 and 151
clearances are
required. Starting
salary will be
$75,000. Please
send a letter of
interest and resume
to Mr. Anthony
Ryba, Secretary /
Business Manager,
HASD Administra-
tion Building, 1515
West 23rd Street,
Hazleton, PA,
18202-1647, no
later than Friday,
March 9, 2012 at
2:00 P.M. For
additional informa-
tion reference our
website at http://
www.hasdk12.org/
postings. Hazleton
Area School District
Is An Equal Oppor-
tunity Employer
538 Janitorial/
Cleaning
HOUSEKEEPER
Flexible schedule.
Experience
required. Please
send resume & 3
references to:
275 Memorial Hwy
PO Box 301
Dallas, PA 18612
548 Medical/Health
PHYSICIAN SUBSTITUTE
Physician Substitute
position available in
a growing, face
paced and success-
ful plasma collection
facility. This position
is responsible for
providing instruc-
tions and explana-
tions, medical eval-
uations, and coun-
seling to potential
and current plasma-
pheresis donors.
Potential employee
must be a Licensed
Practical Nurse or a
Registered Nurse in
Pennsylvania, CPR
certified, and must
have good commu-
nication and prob-
lem solving skills.
Interstate Blood and
Plasma offers an
excellent work envi-
ronment, competi-
tive wages and ben-
efits package. The
hours will be after-
noons into early
evenings.
Fax resume to
570-823-7366 or
email apanzarella@
interstate
bloodbank.com
551 Other
PLASMA DONORS
NEEDED
INTERSTATE BLOOD
AND PLASMA
665 CAREY AVE
WILKES-BARRE
IMMEDIATE PAY-
MENT
CALL WITH QUES-
TIONS
823-4119
566 Sales/Retail/
Business
Development
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE:
WNEP-TV has a
rare opportunity for
an experienced
Account Executive.
Candidate must
have excellent
organization, pres-
entation, and nego-
tiation skills. New
business is a must.
Minimum 3 yrs.
media sales
required.
See details on
our website:
www.wnep.com/
business
Garden Center
Work with plants &
garden supplies.
Must have knowl-
edge of Annuals,
Perennials and Fer-
tilizers. Hours will
vary seasonally.
Retail
Must have cash,
register and sales
experience. Excel-
lent communication
skills needed.
Apply in person, no
phone calls please.
Dundee Gardens
2407 San Souci
Pkwy
Hanover Twp, PA.
E D WA R D S V I L L E
Collectors
Market Now Open!
378 Main St
Open Saturday &
Sunday 9am-5pm
570-718-1123
Minutes from
Wilkes-Barre.
Antiques, Col-
lectibles, toys &
MUCH MORE!
Bid Board, Sunday,
February 26, 12 noon
FLEAMARKET
& BID BOARD
EDWARDSVILLE
681 Main Street
space available .
Open every day
but Monday.
DESIGNER CLOTHING,
CARS, TOYS, SOFT AIR
GUNS, AVON, ELEC-
TRONICS ANTIQUE
FURNITURE. MANY
COLLECTIBLES & MORE
CALL TO RESERVE
SPRING AND SUMMER
OUTDOOR SPOTS.
570-417-1269
570-855-2703
Vendor &
Craft Market
758 Miscellaneous
GENERATOR. Husky
portable, 5,000
watt. Like new,
used once. $450.
Harveys Lake
570-639-3178
906 Homes for Sale
NANTICOKE
182 Robert Street
Nice single or
duplex. Gas heat.
Detached garage.
This home is high
and dry, and avail-
able for immediate
occupancy. Call
Jim for details.
Affordable @
$104,900
TOWNE &
COUNTRY R.E.
570-735-8932
570-542-5708
SUGARLOAF
REDUCED!!!!
2 houses. Must sell
together. Each has
its own utilities on
2.5 + acres. 3 car
garage with 3 large
attached rooms.
For Sale By Owner.
$239,900
Call (570) 788-5913
WILKES-BARRE
Nicely remodeled
fully rented Duplex,
near schools, hospi-
tal, parks & bus
route. Separate utili-
ties and off street
parking. MLS 12-
599 $96,500.
CLASSIC
PROPERTIES
570-793-9449
Call Steve Shemo
570-718-4959
947 Garages
NANTICOKE
Available heated
storage space.
Great for boat or
car storage. $65 /
month. Call
570-650-3358
950 Half Doubles
KINGSTON
5 bedrooms,
2 bathrooms,
stove provided,
washer/dryer
hookup, off-street
parking, $745/per
month, plus utilities,
security & lease.
Call 570-338-2207
746 Garage Sales/
Estate Sales/
Flea Markets
G A T O R A D E
D U E L 1
Results
Thursday
At Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Lap length: 2.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (6) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 60laps, 135.3rating,
$55,725.
2. (2) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 60, 85.8,
$40,725.
3. (3) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 60, 80.4, $35,725.
4. (13) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 60, 97.7, $30,725.
5. (1) Carl Edwards, Ford, 60, 66.9, $28,725.
6. (21) Michael McDowell, Ford, 60, 87.6, $26,325.
7. (12) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 60, 108.6,
$25,225.
8. (10) AJ Allmendinger, Dodge, 60, 90.3, $24,225.
9. (25) Robby Gordon, Dodge, 60, 56.2, $24,200.
10. (16) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 60, 83.6,
$24,175.
11. (4) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 60, 101.2,
$24,150.
12. (5) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 60, 76.6, $24,125.
13. (11) BradKeselowski, Dodge, 60, 59.3, $24,100.
14. (9) David Ragan, Ford, 60, 53.3, $24,075.
15. (7) Aric Almirola, Ford, 60, 91.8, $24,050.
16. (17) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, accident, 59,
65.7, $24,025.
17. (20) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 59, 92.9, $24,000.
18. (19) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, accident, 51, 59.6,
$23,950.
19. (15) David Stremme, Toyota, vibration, 27, 32.1,
$23,925.
20. (24) Mike Wallace, Ford, engine, 23, 34.2,
$23,900.
21. (18) Terry Labonte, Ford, vibration, 12, 31.7,
$23,850.
22. (23) David Gilliland, Ford, accident, 8, 36.3,
$23,825.
23. (14) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, accident,
8, 37.1, $23,775.
24. (8) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, accident, 8, 41.8,
$23,750.
25. (22) Landon Cassill, Toyota, vibration, 3, 24.9,
$23,725.
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 159.104 mph.
Time of Race: 0 hours, 56 minutes, 34 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.209 seconds.
Caution Flags: 3 for 8 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C.Edwards 1; T.Stewart 2-3; C.Ed-
wards 4; D.Earnhardt Jr. 5-9; M.Ambrose 10-14;
D.Hamlin 15; T.Stewart 16; D.Hamlin 17-42; T.Ste-
wart 43-60.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led):
D.Hamlin, 2 times for 27 laps; T.Stewart, 3 times for
21 laps; D.Earnhardt Jr., 1 time for 5 laps; M.Am-
brose, 1 time for 5 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 2
laps.
NASCAR Driver Rating Formula
A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.
The formula combines the following categories:
Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running
Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under
Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Fin-
ish.
G A T O R A D E
D U E L 2
Results
Thursday
At Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Fla.
Lap length: 2.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (7) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 60 laps, 120 rating,
$56,726.
2. (18) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 60, 103.7, $41,713.
3. (6) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 60, 117.6,
$36,713.
4. (16) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 60, 97.2, $31,713.
5. (1) Greg Biffle, Ford, 60, 130.9, $29,713.
6. (9) Joey Logano, Toyota, 60, 101, $27,313.
7. (12) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 60, 93.4, $26,213.
8. (3) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 60, 86.6, $25,213.
9. (8) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 60, 75.2, $25,188.
10. (10) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 60, 71.7, $25,163.
11. (5) Mark Martin, Toyota, 60, 67.5, $25,138.
12. (14) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 60, 72.9, $25,113.
13. (4) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 60, 66.3, $25,088.
14. (15) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 59, 62.7, $25,063.
15. (24) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 59, 50.4, $25,038.
16. (19) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 59, 47.4, $25,013.
17. (17) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 59, 51.4, $24,988.
18. (2) Casey Mears, Ford, 59, 48.6, $24,938.
19. (22) Robert Richardson Jr., Toyota, 58, 36,
$24,913.
20. (20) Bill Elliott, Toyota, 58, 37.5, $24,888.
21. (13) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 57, 45.3, $24,838.
22. (11) Tony Raines, Ford, vibration, 9, 29.1,
$24,813.
23. (21) David Reutimann, Toyota, vibration, 6,
29.9, $24,763.
24. (23) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, engine, 4, 23.5,
$24,738.
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 194.175 mph.
Time of Race: 0 hours, 46 minutes, 23 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.209 seconds.
Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps.
Lead Changes: 5 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: G.Biffle 1-3; M.Kenseth 4-12; J.Loga-
no 13-17; Ky.Busch 18-22; G.Biffle 23-59; M.Ken-
seth 60.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led):
G.Biffle, 2 times for 40 laps; M.Kenseth, 2 times for
10laps; J.Logano, 1timefor 5laps; Ky.Busch, 1time
for 5 laps.
NASCAR Driver Rating Formula
A maximum of 150 points can be attained in a race.
The formula combines the following categories:
Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running
Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under
Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Fin-
ish.
Robby Gordon and Michael
McDowell earned the two
spots up for grabs in the first
race, while Joe Nemechek and
Dave Blaney each raced their
way into the 500 in the second
qualifying race.
Two-time Daytona 500 win-
ner Michael Waltrip failed to
qualify for the race after
wrecking as he tried to return
to the track surface after a late
pit stop. The accident means
it will be the first time since
1972 neither Darrell Waltrip
or Michael Waltrip will be in
NASCARs biggest race of the
season.
I just went the wrong way
and lost the car, said a deject-
ed Waltrip. I feel like I let ev-
erybody down. I dont know
what to say. Its just sad.
The two qualifying races
could not have been more dif-
ferent, and both were far cal-
mer than Saturday nights ex-
hibition Daytona 500. That
race was the first display of
new rules NASCAR imple-
mented to break up the two-
car tandem racing that fans
vehemently opposed.
But the return of pack rac-
ing led to three multi-car acci-
dents and a sling-shot pass at
the end of the race that gave
Kyle Busch the win over Stew-
art.
The first race on Thursday
had one early five-car accident
that began when McDowell
ran into David Gilliland, who
shot directly into Juan Pablo
Montoya and Paul Menard.
Menard then questioned the
style of racing NASCAR has
created.
Its a mess out there, said
Menard, who was also
wrecked in the Shootout.
NASCAR is trying to dictate
physics. Physics says two cars
are going to push and theyre
trying to make rule changes to
keep us from doing it, so its
kind of hybrid pack racing and
tandem racing. Its causing a
pretty unsafe situation.
On the last lap of the race,
with Stewart trying to hold off
Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a race to
the checkered flag, Danica Pa-
trick was wrecked as the pack
raced down the backstretch.
Patrick was hit by Aric Al-
mirola as they raced along the
backstretch. The contact sent
her car sliding across the
track and into an inside retain-
ing wall. Her Chevrolet lifted
off its wheels as it hit the
SAFER barrier, which notice-
ably softened the blow.
She was not injured and will
make her Daytona 500 debut
on Sunday.
It happened really quick,
she said. We were just look-
ing to finish, to be honest, and
unfortunately that wasnt the
case. It felt pretty big. I dont
know what it looked like.
Stewart, who owns Patricks
car, said he tried to watch her
race from his rearview mirror.
I got to see a replay of it,
but I didnt see how it start-
ed, he said. The little bit I
could see, I thought she did a
good job. There wasnt any
doubt in my mind she would
do that. Its hard for her now
because shes trying to gain
the confidence of the guys
around her that shes solid and
is going to make good deci-
sions.
Shes trying to gain the oth-
er drivers confidence.
The second race was cau-
tion-free and had very little ac-
tion until the end, when Ken-
seth passed Biffle for the win.
It made it unclear what the
Daytona 500 will look like, but
Stewart, who is 0 for 13 in this
race, said hes not been hold-
ing back during SpeedWeeks
and will race hard on Sunday.
DAYTONA
Continued fromPage 1B
a conference championship, last
winning in 2003. Wilkes and
coach Jerry Rickrode won the
league in 2001.
Misericordia joined the Free-
domConferencein2008-09. Both
the mens and womens programs
are looking for their first title.
On the mens side, the Cougars
(20-6) have won 11 straight after
beating FDU-Florham 76-73 in
the semifinals. Wilkes (17-8)
topped Eastern 103-98 in over-
time.
Its pretty evenly matched
teams. You could probably pick it
out of a hat and have just as much
luck, Misericordia coach Trevor
Woodruff said. Its going to be a
grind. Its going to be two phys-
ical teams tough, interior
teams. Itll probably come down
to who makes the fewextra jump
shots, the few extra free throws
one way or the other.
I expect it to be a terrific col-
lege basketball game.
The Colonels, meanwhile, are
heating up offensively. They shot
an impressive 32-of-62 (52 per-
cent) from the floor in 45 min-
utes against the Eagles on
Wednesday.
I thought we did a decent job
in the second half, getting into
our half-court offense, Rickrode
said after the game. Now we
didnt get into it late in the game
because they kept fouling us, but
once we were in it, we moved the
ball well especially around the
perimeter and were able to find
some open threes.
We did a good job shooting
the ball and knocking down our
free throws late.
Though the game happened
backinNovember, Wilkes has the
distinction of handing Misericor-
dia its worst loss of the season at
78-50.
We erased that one, Wood-
ruff said with a smile. That one
(makes) you just throw your
hands up. It was over that quick.
I tried to watch (the film)
leading into our second game
with them, but nothing I was go-
ing to watch was going to help us
prepare. We were so bad that
there wasnt any sense in going
back to it.
For the women, Misericordia
(16-10) was the only Freedom
Conference team to beat top-
seeded Kings during the regular
season. But that came at the An-
derson Center.
Saturdays tilt will be at Scan-
dlon, where the Lady Monarchs
(22-4) have won 15 straight, in-
cluding a dramatic 55-53 victory
against Eastern in the semifinals.
Down by one, Senior Samantha
Simcox came up with an offen-
sive rebound, scoring the put-
back and drawing a foul with two
seconds left.
I think we have not yet played
our best basketball, Kings
coachBrianDonoghuesaidhead-
ing into the playoffs. They un-
derstand that theyre playing ve-
ry well, but they understand we
still have a couple more things
that we can do, especially offen-
sively.
The Cougars, meanwhile, had
much less tension in their semi-
final win, closingstronglyagainst
four-time defending champ De-
Sales, the teamthat beat themin
last years title game.
I told them (after the win),
Lets make sure this isnt the
highlight of our season, Miser-
icordia interim coach Dave Mar-
tin said. Just getting back to the
championship shouldnt be the
highlight of our season.
FREEDOM
Continued fromPage 1B
FIRST TEAM
Player Pos PPG Yr
Katlin Michaels, King's G 10.0 Jr.
Sondrine Glovas, DSU G 14.9 So.
Christine Marks, MU F 19.3 Sr.
Meghan Nowak, Eastern F 20.4 Fr.
Emily Soper, DelVal F/C 15.4 Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Player Pos PPG Yr
Tyann McDaniel, MU G 10.9 Jr.
Kyra Dayon, FDU G/F 16.6 Fr.
Samantha Simcox, King's G/F 11.0 Sr.
Paige Carlin, King's F 12.0 Sr.
Bekah Roland, Eastern F 13.7 Sr.
Cherelle Simmons, DSU F 8.5 Sr.
Player of the year: Meghan Nowak, Eastern
Rookie of the year: Meghan Nowak, Eastern
Coach of the year: Nate Davis, Eastern
W O M E N S
A L L- F R E E D O M T E A M S
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Reserve Andre Dawkins scored
22 points and freshman Austin
Rivers added 20 to lead No. 5
Duke to a 74-66 victory over
No. 15 Florida State on Thurs-
day night.
The win kept the Blue Devils
(24-4, 11-2) tied with No. 7
North Carolina for first place in
the Atlantic Coast Conference
while Florida State (19-8, 10-3)
dropped a game behind.
Dawkins scored 18 points
over the last 11:23 of the first
half, going 5 of 7 from 3-point
range as Duke took a 39-32
lead. The Blue Devils took the
lead for keeps at 17-15 on a
layup by Rivers with 10:44
remaining in the half.
Ryan Kelly added 13 points
and Miles Plumlee had 10 for
Duke, which shot 42.3 percent
from the field, including 13 of
28 from 3-point range.
Michael Snaer had 18 points
for the Seminoles, while Ber-
nard James added 13 points,
nine rebounds and five blocked
shots. Snaer, whose first of two
buzzer-beating game-winning
3-pointers this season ended
Dukes 45-game home winning
streak 33 days ago, sat out the
last 9:49 of the first half after
drawing his second personal
foul.
The Seminoles, who have
never won an ACC title, beat
Duke and North Carolina last
month. But they never got a
shot at any last-second heroics
Thursday although they got
within three points twice, the
last at 61-58 with 4:17 left on a
three-point play by James.
Dawkins scored 12 points in a
3-minute span that sparked a
14-4 run midway through the
half that gave the Blue Devils a
26-17 lead. The 6-foot-4 Daw-
kins hit successive 3s just 24
seconds apart a bit later to give
the Blue Devils their largest
lead of the half, 39-26. Duke led
53-40 6 minutes into the second
half.
Dawkins finished 6 of 9 and
Rivers was 4 of 8 from 3-point
range.
Florida State was just 4 of 15
from long range, 12 of 12 at the
free throw line and shot 39.7
percent overall.
Florida State, which had won
10 of its last 11 games, was
unbeaten in six previous confer-
ence home games while Duke
was undefeated in six league
road games.
Murray St. 80,
Tennessee St. 62
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Isaiah
Canaan scored 16 of his 24
points in the first half, and No.
14 Murray State routed Ten-
nessee State, avenging the
Racers lone loss this season.
The Racers (27-1, 14-1 Ohio
Valley Conference) blew a 13-
point lead in losing 72-68 on
Feb. 9. They used a 14-0 run
over the final 2:31 of the first
half Thursday with four Racers
each hitting a 3-pointer in blow-
ing open a tight game.
WOMENS ROUNDUP
Delaware 71,
George Mason 53
NEWARK, Del. Elena
Delle Donne had 28 points and
11 rebounds, and No. 9 Dela-
ware coasted past George Ma-
son to stretch its winning
streak to 15.
The Blue Hens (25-1, 16-0
Colonial Athletic Association)
scored the games first six
points and never trailed. Delle
Donne outscored George Ma-
son 22-21 in the first half and
finished 9 for 16 from the field,
including 3 for 5 from beyond
the arc, and went 7 for 8 at the
foul line.
It was a redemptive perform-
ance for the 6-foot-5 junior, who
tallied a season-low12 points
on 4-for-19 shooting in a 40-39
win over Drexel on Sunday. She
did hit the game-winner in that
game with 2 seconds left.
Arkansas 72, Tennessee 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. Lynd-
say Harris scored 20 points and
hit a pair of free throws with 6
seconds left to help Arkansas
beat No. 10 Tennessee in over-
time.
Shekinna Stricklen hit a
layup for Tennessee with 48
seconds left to play to cut Ar-
kansas lead to 70-69. The Lady
Vols got the ball back when
Keira Peak lost it out of bounds
under the Arkansas basket.
Peak fouled Stricklen, who
missed both of her free throws
with 10 seconds left. Kamiko
Williams fouled Harris, who
sealed the win for Arkansas
(21-6, 10-5 Southeastern Confer-
ence).
Georgia 87, Mississippi 52
ATHENS, Ga. Meredith
Mitchell scored 20 points and
18th-ranked Georgia pulled
away in the second half for a
Southeastern Conference victo-
ry over Mississippi.
Jasmine Hassell added 15
points and Anne Marie Arm-
strong and Khaalidah Miller
had 14 apiece for the Lady
Bulldogs (21-7, 10-5), who came
into the game tied for third in
the league with Arkansas, LSU
and South Carolina.
Purdue 60, Michigan 49
ANN ARBOR, Mich. Brit-
tany Rayburn scored 15 points
to help No. 22 Purdue break a
three-game losing streak with a
victory over Michigan.
Rayburn hit double figures
for the 88th time in her career.
Chantel Poston added 12 points
and Courtney Moses 11 for the
Boilermakers (20-8, 10-5 Big
Ten).
Michigan State 73,
Nebraska 53
EAST LANSING, Mich.
Klarissa Bell scored 19 points to
pace Michigan State to its third
straight victory with a decision
over No. 23 Nebraska.
Taylor Alton hit four 3-point-
ers and scored 18 points for the
Spartans (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten),
who shot 52 percent (29 of 56)
and went 9 of 18 from long
range. Porsche Poole added 13
points and nine assists.
Kentucky 53,
South Carolina 50
LEXINGTON, Ky. Adia
Mathies scored 21 points and
the No. 13 Kentucky women
defeated South Carolina.
The win give the Wildcats a
17-0 home record this season,
the third time in program histo-
ry they have gone undefeated at
home.
M A J O R C O L L E G E S
AP P HOTO
Dukes Andre Dawkins starts to celebrate late in the second half
of an NCAA basketball game against Florida State on Thursday
in Tallahassee, Fla. Duke won 74-66.
Blue Devils keep
pace with UNC
The Associated Press
C M Y K
PAGE 8B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
C M Y K
Jobless applications steady
Weekly applications for unemploy-
ment benefits were unchanged and the
four-week average of applications fell to
its lowest level in four years last week.
The figures add to evidence that show
the job market is improving.
No states reported significant in-
creases in unemployment applications.
For the week ended Feb. 11, Pennsylva-
nia showed the second-largest decline
in applications, 3,789, due to fewer
layoffs in the construction, retail, scien-
tific and technology services and enter-
tainment industries.
State data lags one week behind the
national data.
P&G cutting 5,700 jobs
Consumer products maker Procter &
Gamble Inc. said Thursday it plans to
cut 5,700 jobs over the next year and a
half as part of a cost-cutting plan.
The job cuts equal about 10 percent
of the companys non-manufacturing
workforce, and are expected to be
complete by the end of the fiscal year
that ends June 2013. The cuts include
1,600 jobs that P&G announced earlier
this month.
Other parts of the cost-cutting plan
include streamlining operations and
cutting costs related to packaging and
materials.
Oil sands survives test
A European Union committee failed
Thursday to reach a definite decision
on labeling oil derived from oil sands
as worse for climate change than crude
oil a proposal vigorously opposed by
officials in Canada, where such oil is
produced.
Canada had threatened to take the
EU to the World Trade Organization if
it singled out that type of oil as worse
for the environment than others. But
the European Commission contends
that science justifies its proposal.
T-Mobile losing subs
Customers have been leaving T-
Mobile USA, the countrys No. 4 cell-
phone company, for the last two years.
Now that all three of the bigger carriers
have the iPhone, that stream has turn-
ed into a flood.
The company on Thursday said it
lost a net 526,000 subscribers in the
fourth quarter. Worse, it lost a net
802,000 subscribers on contract-based
plans, which are the most lucrative.
Thats an unheard-of figure for an in-
dustry that was characterized by rapid
growth for more than a decade.
I N B R I E F
$3.71 $3.22 $3.52
$4.06
07/17/08
JacobsEng 47.61 +2.85 +17.3
JohnJn 65.10 +.10 -.7
JohnsnCtl 33.47 -1.18 +7.1
Kellogg 53.10 +.57 +5.0
Keycorp 8.06 +.17 +4.8
KimbClk 71.90 +.67 -2.3
KindME 89.81 -.29 +5.7
Kroger 22.98 -.66 -5.1
Kulicke 11.15 -.09 +20.5
LSI Corp 8.55 +.22 +43.7
LancastrC 69.00 +.99 -.5
LillyEli 38.79 -.03 -6.7
Limited 46.01 +.53 +14.0
LincNat 25.18 +.19 +29.7
LizClaib 10.10 +.31 +17.0
LockhdM 88.29 +.67 +9.1
Loews 39.17 +.46 +4.0
LaPac 7.68 -.10 -4.8
MDU Res 21.86 +.28 +1.9
MarathnO s 34.84 +.45 +19.0
MarIntA 34.30 -.14 +17.6
Masco 11.93 +.06 +13.8
McDrmInt 14.05 +.69 +22.1
McGrwH 45.97 +.50 +2.2
McKesson 81.10 +.15 +4.1
Merck 38.51 +.29 +2.1
MetLife 38.21 +.31 +22.5
Microsoft 31.37 +.10 +20.8
NCR Corp 21.46 -.12 +30.4
NatFuGas 49.88 +1.28 -10.3
NatGrid 50.89 +.13 +5.0
NY Times 7.31 +.24 -5.4
NewellRub 18.51 -.31 +14.6
NewmtM 63.80 +1.02 +6.3
NextEraEn 60.21 +.03 -1.1
NiSource 23.56 +.04 -1.0
NikeB 106.14 +.41 +10.1
NorflkSo 69.31 +.86 -4.9
NoestUt 35.74 -.20 -.9
NorthropG 59.62 +.07 +1.9
Nucor 43.63 +.06 +10.3
NustarEn 60.12 +.34 +6.1
NvMAd 14.90 -.01 +1.5
OcciPet 104.67 +1.41 +11.7
OfficeMax 6.04 +.52 +33.0
ONEOK 84.16 +.82 -2.9
PG&E Cp 41.66 -.25 +1.1
PPL Corp 28.61 +.06 -2.8
PennVaRs 25.29 +.56 -.9
PepBoy 15.01 -.04 +36.5
Pfizer 21.03 -.33 -2.8
PinWst 47.48 +.08 -1.5
PitnyBw 17.80 +.01 -4.0
Praxair 110.05 +.38 +2.9
ProgrssEn 53.18 +.09 -5.1
ProvEn g 12.05 +.06 +24.4
PSEG 30.50 -.46 -7.6
PulteGrp 8.73 +.40 +38.4
Questar 19.78 +.05 -.4
RadioShk 7.24 +.09 -25.4
RLauren 173.24 +1.73 +25.5
Raytheon 50.36 -.05 +4.1
ReynAmer 40.65 +.33 -1.9
RockwlAut 81.64 -.56 +11.3
Rowan 38.47 +.10 +26.8
RoyDShllB 74.39 +.86 -2.1
RoyDShllA 73.71 +.90 +.8
Safeway 20.95 -1.72 -.4
SaraLee 20.30 +.12 +7.3
Schlmbrg 79.59 -.41 +16.5
Sherwin 100.96 +1.38 +13.1
SilvWhtn g 39.14 +.77 +35.2
SiriusXM 2.10 +.01 +15.4
SonyCp 21.19 +.31 +17.5
SouthnCo 44.24 +.06 -4.4
SwstAirl 8.87 -.15 +3.6
SpectraEn 31.56 +.25 +2.6
SprintNex 2.52 +.29 +7.7
Sunoco 39.76 +.39 +16.5
Sysco 29.31 -.09 -.1
TECO 17.94 -.05 -6.3
Target 54.50 +1.53 +6.4
TenetHlth 5.62 +.07 +9.6
Tenneco 39.24 +.24 +31.8
Tesoro 28.73 +.14 +23.0
Textron 27.72 -.05 +49.9
3M Co 87.90 +.14 +7.5
TimeWarn 37.31 +.23 +3.2
Titan Intl 25.36 -1.32 +30.3
UnilevNV 34.21 +.34 -.5
UnionPac 111.95 -.13 +5.7
UPS B 76.64 +.74 +4.7
USSteel 28.13 +.46 +6.3
UtdTech 83.49 -.46 +14.2
VectorGp 18.34 +.18 +3.3
ViacomB 47.49 -.28 +4.6
WestarEn 27.82 +.08 -3.3
Weyerhsr 20.89 +.18 +11.9
Whrlpl 70.90 +.82 +49.4
WmsCos 29.06 -.24 +7.8
Windstrm 12.07 -.05 +2.8
Wynn 116.34 -1.40 +5.3
XcelEngy 26.48 ... -4.2
Xerox 8.34 +.19 +4.8
YumBrnds 65.83 -.07 +11.6
Mutual Funds
Alliance Bernstein
BalShrB m 15.55 +.06 +7.4
CoreOppA m 13.29 +.06 +9.9
American Cent
IncGroA m 26.55 +.11 +9.2
ValueInv 6.05 +.03 +7.1
American Funds
AMCAPA m 20.78 +.10 +10.4
BalA m 19.37 +.06 +6.4
BondA m 12.68 ... +1.5
CapIncBuA m51.12 +.16 +3.9
CpWldGrIA m35.26 +.15 +9.8
EurPacGrA m39.46 +.20 +12.2
FnInvA m 38.68 +.18 +9.3
GrthAmA m 32.11 +.16 +11.8
HiIncA m 11.05 +.02 +4.9
IncAmerA m 17.42 +.07 +3.9
InvCoAmA m 29.39 +.12 +8.5
MutualA m 27.24 +.08 +5.3
NewPerspA m29.16 +.20 +11.5
NwWrldA m 51.85 +.07 +12.4
SmCpWldA m38.28 +.36 +15.4
WAMutInvA m29.96 +.10 +5.5
Baron
Asset b 50.33 +.29 +10.1
BlackRock
EqDivI 19.21 +.06 +5.6
GlobAlcA m 19.64 +.07 +8.1
GlobAlcC m 18.28 +.06 +8.0
GlobAlcI 19.73 +.07 +8.2
CGM
Focus 29.53 ... +15.1
Mutual 27.35 -.05 +12.0
Realty 28.76 +.41 +7.3
Columbia
AcornZ 31.41 +.30 +14.0
DFA
EmMktValI 31.05 -.06 +19.6
DWS-Scudder
EnhEMFIS d 10.54 ... +5.7
HlthCareS d 26.03 +.22 +7.7
LAEqS d 43.24 -.13 +16.0
Davis
NYVentA m 35.40 +.16 +8.9
NYVentC m 34.14 +.15 +8.8
Dodge & Cox
Bal 73.52 +.36 +9.0
Income 13.64 +.01 +2.6
IntlStk 32.99 +.19 +12.8
Stock 112.73 +.72 +10.9
Dreyfus
TechGrA f 34.29 +.19 +14.8
Eaton Vance
HiIncOppA m 4.37 +.01 +4.4
HiIncOppB m 4.38 +.01 +4.3
NatlMuniA m 9.94 -.01 +6.4
NatlMuniB m 9.94 ... +6.3
PAMuniA m 9.15 -.01 +4.1
Fidelity
AstMgr20 13.12 +.02 +3.2
Bal 19.45 +.08 +6.9
BlChGrow 48.29 +.23 +13.8
CapInc d 9.17 +.02 +6.6
Contra 74.29 +.34 +10.1
DivrIntl d 28.55 +.19 +11.9
ExpMulNat d 22.63 +.13 +9.4
Free2020 14.03 +.05 +6.9
Free2030 13.90 +.06 +8.3
GNMA 11.84 -.01 +0.4
GrowCo 93.28 +.83 +15.3
LatinAm d 55.63 +.13 +13.8
LowPriStk d 40.07 +.14 +12.1
Magellan 70.45 +.50 +11.9
Overseas d 30.36 +.24 +14.7
Puritan 19.05 +.07 +7.7
StratInc 11.08 +.03 +3.2
TotalBd 11.02 +.01 +1.4
Value 71.26 +.36 +12.3
Fidelity Advisor
ValStratT m 26.67 +.21 +14.5
Fidelity Select
Gold d 47.60 +.35 +12.7
Pharm d 14.02 +.22 +3.2
Fidelity Spartan
500IdxAdvtg 48.39 +.22 +8.8
500IdxInstl 48.39 +.21 +8.7
500IdxInv 48.39 +.22 +8.8
First Eagle
GlbA m 48.87 +.13 +8.3
FrankTemp-Frank
Fed TF A m 12.43 ... +2.7
FrankTemp-Franklin
CA TF A m 7.32 ... +3.3
GrowB m 46.95 +.10 +10.1
Income A m 2.17 +.01 +4.5
Income C m 2.19 +.01 +4.3
FrankTemp-Mutual
Beacon Z 12.70 +.07 +8.7
Discov Z 29.19 +.06 +6.3
Euro Z 20.54 +.01 +8.4
Shares Z 21.39 +.10 +7.2
FrankTemp-Templeton
GlBond A m 13.22 +.01 +7.4
GlBond C m 13.25 +.02 +7.4
GlBondAdv 13.18 +.01 +7.4
Growth A m 18.11 +.10 +11.2
GMO
QuVI 23.29 +.07 +5.6
Harbor
CapApInst 41.81 +.20 +13.3
IntlInstl d 60.24 +.44 +14.9
Hartford
CpApHLSIA 42.20 +.24 +13.5
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
YTD
Name NAV Chg %Rtn
52-WEEK YTD
HIGH LOW NAME TKR DIV LAST CHG %CHG
52-WEEK YTD
HIGH LOW NAME TKR DIV LAST CHG %CHG
Combined Stocks
AFLAC 47.24 +.28 +9.2
AT&T Inc 30.46 +.18 +.7
AbtLab 56.29 +.06 +.1
AMD 7.29 +.15 +35.0
AlskAir 69.22 -.86 -7.8
Alcoa 10.46 +.08 +20.9
Allstate 31.59 +.12 +15.2
Altria 29.70 +.05 +.2
AEP 37.91 -1.93 -8.2
AmExp 52.67 -.12 +11.7
AmIntlGrp 27.99 +.32 +20.6
Amgen 67.34 +.55 +4.9
Anadarko 87.50 +.18 +14.6
Apple Inc 516.39 +3.35 +27.5
AutoData 53.80 -.01 -.4
AveryD 30.85 +.49 +7.6
Avnet 36.06 +.45 +16.0
Avon 19.12 -.04 +9.4
BP PLC 47.27 +.40 +10.6
BakrHu 52.40 +.04 +7.7
BallardPw 1.68 -.04 +55.6
BarnesNob 12.99 +.61 -10.3
Baxter 56.59 -.05 +14.4
BerkH B 79.37 +.44 +4.0
BigLots 43.70 +.38 +15.7
BlockHR 16.12 -.07 -1.3
Boeing 75.85 -.21 +3.4
BrMySq 32.35 +.12 -8.2
Brunswick 23.83 +.58 +31.9
Buckeye 60.65 +.76 -5.2
CBS B 29.44 +.01 +8.5
CMS Eng 21.47 -.05 -2.8
CSX s 21.69 +.36 +3.0
CampSp 33.54 +.43 +.9
Carnival 30.16 +.06 -7.6
Caterpillar 116.20 +.39 +28.3
CenterPnt 18.83 +.04 -6.3
CntryLink 39.41 +.12 +5.9
Chevron 108.35 +.85 +1.8
Cisco 20.23 +.11 +12.3
Citigrp rs 32.71 +.35 +24.3
Clorox 68.11 +.50 +2.3
ColgPal 93.33 +.19 +1.0
ConAgra 26.82 +.71 +1.6
ConocPhil 74.81 +.68 +2.7
ConEd 57.96 +.10 -6.6
ConstellEn 36.23 -.18 -8.7
Cooper Ind 60.51 -.61 +11.7
Corning 13.58 +.02 +4.6
Cummins 122.56 +.18 +39.2
DTE 54.81 +.43 +.7
Deere 84.10 -.27 +8.7
Diebold 38.37 -.12 +27.6
Disney 41.48 +.21 +10.6
DomRescs 50.94 +.47 -4.0
Dover 65.58 -.24 +13.0
DowChm 33.86 +.19 +17.7
DryShips 3.60 +.16 +80.0
DuPont 51.43 +.15 +12.3
DukeEngy 20.89 -.04 -5.0
EMC Cp 27.25 +.18 +26.5
Eaton s 51.87 -.29 +19.2
EdisonInt 41.90 +.18 +1.2
EmersonEl 51.07 -.89 +9.6
EnbrEPt s 32.52 -.01 -2.0
Energen 54.78 +.55 +9.6
EngyTEq 43.31 +.23 +6.7
Entergy 67.15 -.34 -8.1
EntPrPt 51.27 -.53 +10.5
Exelon 39.02 -.16 -10.0
ExxonMbl 87.02 +.10 +2.7
Fastenal s 51.93 +.64 +19.1
FedExCp 91.97 +1.22 +10.1
FirstEngy 44.00 +.25 -.7
FootLockr 28.72 +.36 +20.5
FordM 12.40 +.12 +15.2
Gannett 15.42 -.19 +15.3
Gap 23.52 +.54 +26.8
GenDynam 70.60 +.20 +6.3
GenElec 19.31 +.09 +7.8
GenMills 38.63 -.03 -4.4
GileadSci 45.15 +.62 +10.3
GlaxoSKln 44.69 +.43 -2.1
Goodrich 125.88 -.02 +1.8
Goodyear 13.23 +.08 -6.6
Hallibrtn 38.21 -.03 +10.7
HarleyD 47.22 +.42 +21.5
HarrisCorp 42.97 +.51 +19.2
HartfdFn 20.60 +.49 +26.8
HawaiiEl 25.34 -.06 -4.3
HeclaM 5.46 +.03 +4.4
Heico s 56.01 -2.28 -4.1
Hess 66.38 +1.15 +16.9
HewlettP 27.05 -1.89 +5.0
HomeDp 46.95 +.38 +11.7
HonwllIntl 59.00 -.51 +8.6
Hormel 28.39 -.65 -3.1
Humana 87.78 -1.38 +.2
INTL FCSt 23.49 +.69 -.3
ITT Cp s 23.43 +.62 +21.2
ITW 56.34 +.12 +20.6
IngerRd 40.68 -.15 +33.5
IBM 197.61 +3.74 +7.5
IntPap 32.96 -.14 +11.4
JPMorgCh 38.49 +.42 +15.8
Name Last Chg %YTD Name Last Chg %YTD Name Last Chg %YTD Name Last Chg %YTD Name Last Chg %YTD Name Last Chg %YTD
Stocks of Local Interest
98.01 72.26 AirProd APD 2.32 91.91 +1.06 +7.9
34.67 25.39 AmWtrWks AWK .92 34.12 +.46 +7.1
50.10 36.76 Amerigas APU 3.05 45.80 +1.11 -.2
23.44 19.28 AquaAm WTR .66 22.61 +.45 +2.5
38.02 23.69 ArchDan ADM .70 31.74 +.19 +11.0
361.98 247.36 AutoZone AZO ... 358.50 -.45 +10.3
14.70 4.92 BkofAm BAC .04 8.02 +.07 +44.2
31.45 17.10 BkNYMel BK .52 22.03 +.19 +10.6
17.24 2.23 BonTon BONT .20 4.93 +.15 +46.3
45.00 31.30 CVS Care CVS .65 44.04 +.35 +8.0
52.95 38.79 Cigna CI .04 44.83 -.31 +6.7
71.77 61.29 CocaCola KO 2.04 69.18 -.07 -1.1
29.29 19.19 Comcast CMCSA .65 29.81 +.53 +25.7
28.95 21.67 CmtyBkSy CBU 1.04 28.13 +.58 +1.2
42.50 14.61 CmtyHlt CYH ... 24.69 +.84 +41.5
42.34 29.57 CoreMark CORE .68 42.32 +.85 +6.9
61.31 39.50 EmersonEl EMR 1.60 51.07 -.89 +9.6
13.63 4.61 Entercom ETM ... 7.58 +.55 +23.3
21.02 10.25 FairchldS FCS ... 14.98 +.22 +24.4
9.55 3.81 FrontierCm FTR .40 4.57 -.02 -11.3
18.16 13.09 Genpact G .18 16.17 +.49 +8.2
13.24 7.00 HarteHnk HHS .34 9.29 +.17 +2.2
55.00 46.99 Heinz HNZ 1.92 53.76 +.13 -.5
62.38 49.88 Hershey HSY 1.52 60.72 +.48 -1.7
39.06 30.43 Kraft KFT 1.16 37.98 -.01 +1.7
28.46 18.07 Lowes LOW .56 27.06 +.11 +6.6
90.76 66.40 M&T Bk MTB 2.80 82.11 +1.25 +7.6
102.22 72.89 McDnlds MCD 2.80 100.81 +.15 +.5
24.10 17.05 NBT Bcp NBTB .80 22.92 +.60 +3.6
10.28 5.30 NexstarB NXST ... 8.51 +.20 +8.5
64.37 42.70 PNC PNC 1.40 59.68 -.03 +3.5
30.27 24.10 PPL Corp PPL 1.44 28.61 +.06 -2.8
17.34 6.50 PenRE PEI .60 14.07 +.98 +34.8
71.89 58.50 PepsiCo PEP 2.06 63.13 +.03 -4.9
82.77 60.45 PhilipMor PM 3.08 82.17 -.12 +4.7
67.72 57.56 ProctGam PG 2.10 66.42 +1.98 -.4
66.94 42.45 Prudentl PRU 1.45 61.24 +.41 +22.2
1.64 .85 RiteAid RAD ... 1.61 +.07 +27.8
17.11 10.91 SLM Cp SLM .50 16.36 +.15 +22.1
60.00 39.00 SLM pfB SLMBP 4.63 47.94 +.45 +22.9
44.65 26.83 SoUnCo SUG .60 43.88 +.13 +4.2
35.55 23.92 TJX s TJX .38 35.93 +.80 +11.3
33.53 24.07 UGI Corp UGI 1.04 29.19 +.78 -.7
40.48 32.28 VerizonCm VZ 2.00 38.13 -.08 -5.0
62.63 48.31 WalMart WMT 1.46 58.54 -.06 -2.0
44.22 36.52 WeisMk WMK 1.20 43.07 +.16 +7.8
32.97 22.58 WellsFargo WFC .48 30.65 +.06 +11.2
USD per British Pound 1.5716 +.0045 +.29% 1.6499 1.6200
Canadian Dollar .9988 -.0007 -.07% .9892 .9903
USD per Euro 1.3337 +.0093 +.70% 1.4423 1.3744
Japanese Yen 80.08 -.16 -.20% 76.66 82.53
Mexican Peso 12.8481 +.0004 +.00% 12.3385 12.1808
CURRENCY CLOSE PVS. %CH. 6MO. 1YR.
Copper 3.80 3.83 -0.67 -4.76 -12.07
Gold 1784.90 1770.00 +0.84 -3.95 +26.11
Platinum 1723.00 1720.80 +0.13 -8.36 -3.57
Silver 35.54 34.24 +3.81 -15.93 +7.13
Palladium 718.10 717.45 +0.09 -6.03 -7.67
METALS CLOSE PVS. %CH. 6MO. 1YR.
Foreign Exchange & Metals
INVESCO
ConstellB m 21.40 +.12 +12.3
GlobEqA m 11.18 +.07 +8.8
PacGrowB m 19.98 +.07 +12.0
JPMorgan
CoreBondSelect11.93+.01 +1.1
John Hancock
LifBa1 b 13.12 +.05 +7.5
LifGr1 b 13.04 +.06 +9.5
RegBankA m 13.52 +.20 +11.9
SovInvA m 16.74 +.08 +8.4
TaxFBdA m 10.27 -.01 +2.7
Lazard
EmgMkEqtI d 19.77 -.06 +17.7
Loomis Sayles
BondI 14.62 +.05 +5.8
MFS
MAInvA m 20.52 +.09 +9.9
MAInvC m 19.84 +.09 +9.7
Merger
Merger m 15.71 +.01 +0.8
Metropolitan West
TotRetBdI 10.53 +.01 +2.2
Neuberger Berman
SmCpGrInv 19.64 +.28 +11.4
Oakmark
EqIncI 28.97 +.10 +7.1
Oppenheimer
CapApB m 41.72 +.17 +11.1
DevMktA m 33.53 +.05 +14.4
DevMktY 33.15 +.05 +14.4
PIMCO
AllAssetI 12.27 +.02 +6.3
ComRlRStI 7.09 +.02 +8.4
HiYldIs 9.29 +.01 +4.4
LowDrIs 10.41 ... +1.6
RealRet 12.06 ... +2.5
TotRetA m 11.10 -.01 +2.6
TotRetAdm b 11.10 -.01 +2.6
TotRetC m 11.10 -.01 +2.4
TotRetIs 11.10 -.01 +2.6
TotRetrnD b 11.10 -.01 +2.6
TotlRetnP 11.10 -.01 +2.6
Permanent
Portfolio 49.71 +.33 +7.9
Principal
SAMConGrB m13.83+.06 +7.7
Prudential
JenMCGrA m 31.18 +.15 +12.2
Prudential Investmen
2020FocA m 16.80 +.16 +13.0
BlendA m 18.51 +.13 +12.7
EqOppA m 15.13 +.07 +11.3
HiYieldA m 5.53 ... +4.2
IntlEqtyA m 5.96 +.03 +11.2
IntlValA m 19.46 +.07 +10.9
JennGrA m 20.48 +.09 +13.3
NaturResA m 53.57 +.38 +15.6
SmallCoA m 22.42 +.25 +12.7
UtilityA m 11.23 +.01 +3.9
ValueA m 15.46 +.12 +12.1
Putnam
GrowIncB m 13.80 +.06 +10.7
IncomeA m 6.84 ... +1.6
Royce
LowStkSer m 16.54 +.16 +15.6
OpportInv d 12.06 +.16 +16.9
ValPlSvc m 13.92 +.17 +16.0
Schwab
S&P500Sel d 21.28 +.09 +8.7
Scout
Interntl d 31.47 +.20 +12.5
T Rowe Price
BlChpGr 43.42 +.16 +12.3
CapApprec 22.06 +.03 +7.0
DivGrow 24.94 +.08 +6.9
DivrSmCap d 17.59 +.20 +13.9
EmMktStk d 32.59 -.11 +14.3
EqIndex d 36.83 +.16 +8.7
EqtyInc 25.02 +.08 +8.5
FinSer 13.47 +.13 +13.5
GrowStk 35.91 +.19 +12.8
HealthSci 36.98 +.45 +13.4
HiYield d 6.76 +.02 +5.3
IntlDisc d 42.52 +.23 +14.0
IntlStk d 13.98 +.06 +13.8
IntlStkAd m 13.92 +.06 +13.6
LatinAm d 45.66 -.06 +17.6
MediaTele 52.54 +.38 +12.0
MidCpGr 58.71 +.50 +11.3
NewAmGro 35.14 +.21 +10.5
NewAsia d 15.62 -.13 +12.3
NewEra 47.46 +.36 +12.9
NewHoriz 35.17 +.40 +13.3
NewIncome 9.74 ... +1.1
Rtmt2020 17.29 +.07 +8.7
Rtmt2030 18.21 +.08 +10.1
ShTmBond 4.84 ... +0.9
SmCpVal d 38.24 +.58 +10.9
TaxFHiYld d 11.31 ... +3.9
Value 24.72 +.05 +9.7
ValueAd b 24.48 +.05 +9.6
Thornburg
IntlValI d 27.42 +.07 +11.6
Tweedy, Browne
GlobVal d 23.16 +.01 +6.0
Vanguard
500Adml 125.93 +.56 +8.7
500Inv 125.91 +.56 +8.7
CapOp d 32.20 +.16 +9.1
CapVal 10.81 +.05 +17.1
Convrt d 12.84 +.04 +8.4
DevMktIdx d 9.46 +.07 +11.4
DivGr 16.16 +.08 +4.8
EnergyInv d 66.60 +.57 +11.1
EurIdxAdm d 57.60 +.53 +11.6
Explr 81.02 +.94 +13.4
GNMA 11.07 ... +0.4
GNMAAdml 11.07 ... +0.5
GlbEq 17.74 +.08 +11.5
GrowthEq 12.05 +.07 +11.7
HYCor d 5.87 +.01 +4.2
HYCorAdml d 5.87 +.01 +4.2
HltCrAdml d 56.43 +.21 +3.9
HlthCare d 133.73 +.50 +3.9
ITGradeAd 10.16 ... +2.3
InfPrtAdm 28.26 +.03 +2.0
InfPrtI 11.51 +.01 +1.9
InflaPro 14.39 +.02 +2.0
InstIdxI 125.11 +.55 +8.8
InstPlus 125.12 +.55 +8.8
InstTStPl 31.06 +.18 +9.7
IntlExpIn d 14.75 +.08 +15.1
IntlGr d 18.61 +.11 +13.8
IntlStkIdxAdm d24.59+.13 +12.6
IntlStkIdxIPls d98.36 +.53 +12.6
LTInvGr 10.41 +.02 +1.9
MidCapGr 21.31 +.13 +13.2
MidCpAdml 99.66 +.72 +11.8
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MuIntAdml 14.25 ... +2.1
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PrecMtls d 22.40 +.25 +15.5
Prmcp d 66.89 +.27 +8.3
PrmcpAdml d 69.39 +.27 +8.4
PrmcpCorI d 14.49 +.07 +7.4
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REITIdxAd d 87.38+1.21 +6.4
STCor 10.74 ... +1.3
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SelValu d 20.10 +.16 +8.1
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SmGthIst 24.32 +.32 +13.0
StSmCpEq 21.08 +.23 +12.0
Star 20.14 +.07 +7.5
StratgcEq 20.74 +.18 +13.1
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TgtRe2020 23.19 +.08 +6.9
TgtRe2030 22.68 +.10 +8.4
TgtRe2035 13.66 +.07 +9.2
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TotBdAdml 11.02 ... +0.6
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TotBdMkInv 11.02 ... +0.6
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TotStIAdm 34.31 +.20 +9.6
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WellsI 23.58 +.04 +2.8
WellsIAdm 57.12 +.10 +2.8
Welltn 33.14 +.14 +5.7
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WndsIIAdm 49.38 +.16 +7.9
WndsrII 27.82 +.09 +7.9
Wells Fargo
DvrCpBldA f 6.89 +.01 +8.3
DOW
12,984.69
+46.02
NASDAQ
2,956.98
+23.81
S&P 500
1,363.46
+5.80
RUSSELL 2000
829.23
+12.73
6-MO T-BILLS
.13%
...
10-YR T-NOTE
2.00%
...
CRUDE OIL
$107.83
+1.55
p p n n p p q q
n n p p p p p p
NATURAL GAS
$2.62
-.02
BUSINESS S E C T I O N B
THE TIMES LEADER FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012
timesleader.com
The next building to go up in
the CenterPoint Commerce &
Trade Park will be hard to miss.
Mericle Commercial Real Es-
tate Services on Thursday an-
nounced construction of a
120,416-square-foot speculative
flex building, saying it is the
first project in the new Center-
Point East Phase IIC section. Be-
cause it will be highly visible
from I-81 and I-476, there will be
more emphasis on the exterior
appearance, said Mericle spokes-
man Jim Cummings.
Nice exterior finishes and
high-end glass will be used both
to impress passing drivers and
so that it will be attractive not
just to manufacturers and distrib-
utors, but to office and medical
tenants, Cummings said.
Flex buildings are designed to
offer varied amounts of space, ac-
commodating one or many ten-
ants.
Pretty much all the buildings
we construct are designed so
they can be subdivided, Cum-
mings said. Occasionally a tenant
will want the entire building, but
more often multiple businesses
of different types take smaller
spaces.
Work is well under way on the
newproject site, a 22.78-acre par-
cel located at 501-575 Keystone
Ave. in Jenkins Township, a Mer-
icle release stated.
Mericle Vice President Bob Be-
secker estimates the building
will house four to eight tenants
and more than100 jobs when ful-
ly occupied. The space can be
subdivided as small as 12,083
square feet.
Besecker said the building will
be ready for tenants in late sum-
mer.
Cummings said Mericle is see-
ing a lot of interest inspaces from
5,000 to 30,000 square feet. We
just needtostayaheadof demand
and have something to show
when companies come calling,
he said.
The building will be the 20th
developed by Mericle in Center-
Point since 2005 and will grow
the total square feet constructed
intheparkto5.5million. Closeto
3,000 people work in Center-
Point.
While declining to provide a
figure, Cummings said the occu-
pancy rate inCenterPoint is high-
er than state or national levels.
Mericle
out front
of demand
By RON BARTIZEK
[email protected]
NEWYORKSears saidThursdaythat
its unloading some of its profit-busting
stores, but theretailer fell short of revealing
how it plans to woo shoppers back into its
remaining ones.
Investors have long speculated the trou-
bled retailer could sell off its massive real
estate holdings to generate extra cash. But
industry watchers say that will do little to
solve Sears main problem: Rivals have
been able to lure customers away fromthe
chainbecauseof itsdrabstoresandunexcit-
ing merchandise.
The image is atrocious. The stores are
old and theyre run down. They dont look
like a nice place to visit, said Ron Fried-
man, a partner in the retail and consumer
products industrygroupof accountingfirm
MarcumLLP in NewYork.
As part of a plan to turn around the com-
pany, Sears, based outside of Chicago, said
on Thursday that it will spin off its smaller
Hometown and Outlet stores as well as
some hardware stores ina deal expectedto
raise $400 million to $500 million.
Inaseparatedeal, Sears will sell 11stores
tothe real estate companyGeneral Growth
Properties for $270 million. The company
also said it plans to cut inventory by $580
million.
Shares soared 19 percent Thursday on
the news, despite that the company alsore-
porteda$2.4billionlossforthefourthquar-
ter that was much worse than what Wall
Street analysts had expected.
Industry watchers werent as impressed
as Wall Street. Theysaidthat Sears biggest
problemis that the company hasnt invest-
ed in its stores.
Sears grappling with losses
By ANNE DINNOCENZIO
and MAE ANDERSON
AP Retail Writers
No local Sears or Kmart stores are on the
expanded list of locations to be closed
released Thursday. The additional 15 stores
are concentrated in the Midwest and South;
none is in Pennsylvania.
LOCAL STORES
ESCAPE CLOSINGS
BUILDING BLOCKS CUTS RIBBON FOR EXPANSION
AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER
Z
ubeen Saeed, center, is surrounded by employees, students and members of the Greater Wilkes-Barre
Chamber as she cuts the ribbon for the grand opening of the expanded Building Blocks Learning Center in
Plaza 315, Plains Township. Saeed said the larger facility will accommodate more than 100 families and employ
eight additional full-time and four additional part-time teachers.
NEWYORKPepsi is hop-
ing to win back soda drinkers
with a compromise.
Some people dont like the
calories in regular soda, but
loathe the taste of zero-calorie
diet drinks. So the nations No.
2 cola company is rolling out
Pepsi Next, a cola that has
about half the calories of regu-
lar Pepsi at 60 calories per can.
The cola, which is slated to
hit store shelves nationally by
the end of March, is Pepsis
biggest product launch in
years. Thedrinkcomes as peo-
ple increasingly move away
from sugary drinks to water
and other lower-calorie bever-
ages because of health con-
cerns. Its also an attempt by
Pepsi to revive the cola wars
against Coke and others.
Pepsi Next isnt the first
drink to try to hit the sweet
spot between diet and regular
cola. Dr Pepper Snapplerolled
out its low-calorie Dr Pepper
Ten, which has 10 calories.
The company said the drink,
which has sugar unlike its diet
soda, helped boost its fourth-
quarter sales.
But coming up with a suc-
cessful mid-calorie soda,
which has more calories, has
been more challenging for
beverage makers. In 2001,
Coke rolled out C2 and Pep-
si in 2004 introduced its Pep-
si Edge, both of which had
about half the calories of regu-
lar soda. Both products also
were taken off the market by
2006 because of poor sales.
Pepsi says its latest stab at
an in-between soda uses a dif-
ferent formula to more closely
imitate the taste of regular so-
da. Pepsi Next is made with a
mixof three artificial sweeten-
ers and high fructose corn syr-
up.
Pepsi Next a calorie compromise
By CANDICE CHOI
AP Food Industry Writer
AP PHOTO
Pepsi Next, is a mid-calorie
drink that has about half the
calories of regular Pepsi at
60 calories per can.
C M Y K
PAGE 10B FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com
W E A T H E R
1
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401 Coal St., Wilkes-Barre
570-829-2661 [email protected]
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When I went to the sales team at Odyssey, they matched me up with Mary Majikes. From
the frst consultation, Mary was professional and genuinely wanted to help me meet my goals.
I decided to buy 12 sessions and meet with Mary once a week. During the time I spent with
Mary she stayed focused on what my needs were to lose weight. She gave me tons of advice
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doing with my exercise plans during the week to make sure I was on track. Every week I
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ALMANAC
REGIONAL FORECAST
NATIONAL FORECAST
For more weather
information go to:
www.timesleader.com
National Weather Service
607-729-1597
Forecasts, graphs
and data 2012
Weather Central, LP
Yesterday 50/39
Average 39/22
Record High 69 in 1985
Record Low -2 in 1964
Yesterday 20
Month to date 701
Year to date 3675
Last year to date 4533
Normal year to date 4419
*Index of fuel consumption, how far the days
mean temperature was below 65 degrees.
Precipitation
Yesterday trace
Month to date 0.35
Normal month to date 1.68
Year to date 2.25
Normal year to date 4.05
Susquehanna Stage Chg. Fld. Stg
Wilkes-Barre 2.80 -0.15 22.0
Towanda 1.76 -0.05 21.0
Lehigh
Bethlehem 3.07 0.75 16.0
Delaware
Port Jervis 3.06 -0.06 18.0
Todays high/
Tonights low
TODAYS SUMMARY
Highs: 44-54. Lows: 24-30. Cloudy skies
with showers likely today. Showers early;
otherwise, mostly cloudy tonight.
The Poconos
Highs: 60-68. Lows: 35-39. Showers likely
today. Showers will end early tonight.
The Jersey Shore
Highs: 37-45. Lows: 22-28. Cloudy with a
mix of rain and snow today. Cloudy skies
and snow showers tonight.
The Finger Lakes
Highs: 62-64. Lows: 35-36. Showers likely
today. Showers will end early tonight.
Brandywine Valley
Highs: 68-72. Lows: 35-42. Showers and a
chance of thunderstorms today.
Decreasing clouds tonight.
Delmarva/Ocean City
Anchorage 29/24/.00 26/15/s 30/22/c
Atlanta 66/61/.00 59/35/sh 56/32/s
Baltimore 64/48/.00 65/39/sh 48/32/pc
Boston 55/43/.05 41/33/sh 42/27/c
Buffalo 37/31/.02 37/28/rs 32/23/sn
Charlotte 76/46/.10 70/34/sh 54/29/s
Chicago 40/29/.20 36/26/sn 32/26/pc
Cleveland 44/30/.01 39/27/rs 32/27/sn
Dallas 82/52/.00 61/38/s 64/42/s
Denver 49/26/.06 40/22/s 55/26/pc
Detroit 42/31/.00 37/27/sn 35/21/sf
Honolulu 81/70/.00 82/70/pc 82/70/s
Houston 82/69/.00 61/42/c 59/45/sh
Indianapolis 51/35/.02 42/25/rs 37/26/c
Las Vegas 72/54/.00 65/49/s 70/42/s
Los Angeles 76/50/.00 74/52/s 64/51/s
Miami 86/63/.00 87/69/s 79/67/pc
Milwaukee 39/23/.00 35/24/sn 33/25/pc
Minneapolis 39/28/.00 30/15/sn 29/22/pc
Myrtle Beach 70/63/.00 71/41/t 57/38/s
Nashville 77/45/.00 54/30/c 50/28/s
New Orleans 79/69/.00 67/45/sh 62/48/c
Norfolk 75/51/.01 75/40/t 53/32/s
Oklahoma City 64/46/.00 56/31/s 63/39/w
Omaha 45/34/.04 38/22/pc 42/34/s
Orlando 85/66/.00 87/58/pc 68/51/pc
Phoenix 78/50/.00 80/52/s 79/52/s
Pittsburgh 52/35/.00 45/28/sh 35/25/sn
Portland, Ore. 49/37/.01 53/39/r 49/36/sh
St. Louis 69/43/.03 45/28/pc 43/30/s
Salt Lake City 48/30/.00 45/32/pc 49/25/pc
San Antonio 85/54/.00 61/42/pc 58/40/pc
San Diego 66/54/.00 68/51/s 64/51/s
San Francisco 67/47/.00 61/44/s 57/44/s
Seattle 47/37/.00 49/38/r 45/34/sh
Tampa 77/69/.00 79/58/pc 70/52/pc
Tucson 77/43/.00 77/46/s 76/45/s
Washington, DC 67/47/.00 67/38/sh 48/33/pc
City Yesterday Today Tomorrow City Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Amsterdam 54/45/.00 51/41/sh 49/41/pc
Baghdad 63/50/.00 64/42/pc 65/42/pc
Beijing 43/19/.00 44/24/c 33/13/s
Berlin 50/39/.03 48/39/sh 47/39/c
Buenos Aires 77/54/.00 80/59/pc 84/61/pc
Dublin 57/52/.00 53/40/sh 51/41/c
Frankfurt 46/37/.04 52/45/c 54/36/sh
Hong Kong 81/70/.00 73/66/pc 73/66/sh
Jerusalem 66/48/.00 59/43/pc 56/40/s
London 63/50/.00 58/51/sh 58/39/c
Mexico City 79/50/.00 75/46/pc 74/44/pc
Montreal 37/32/.00 32/29/sn 32/13/sn
Moscow 32/21/.00 35/28/sf 32/20/c
Paris 54/45/.00 55/49/c 57/50/c
Rio de Janeiro 91/75/.00 90/75/t 92/74/s
Riyadh 66/41/.00 77/49/s 82/53/pc
Rome 63/41/.00 65/45/s 65/44/pc
San Juan 86/75/.06 83/72/sh 82/72/sh
Tokyo 52/41/.00 55/43/pc 53/43/sh
Warsaw 43/36/.09 44/34/sh 37/33/c
City Yesterday Today Tomorrow City Yesterday Today Tomorrow
WORLD CITIES
River Levels, from 12 p.m. yesterday.
Key: s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sn-snow, sf-snowurries, i-ice.
Philadelphia
63/36
Reading
57/32
Scranton
Wilkes-Barre
44/26
46/30
Harrisburg
58/31
Atlantic City
66/39
New York City
54/35
Syracuse
42/28
Pottsville
51/28
Albany
42/28
Binghamton
Towanda
42/26
45/28
State College
50/27
Poughkeepsie
48/30
61/38
36/26
40/22
61/35
30/15
74/52
62/46
42/26
39/24
49/38
54/35
37/27
59/35
87/69
61/42
82/70
34/17
26/15
67/38
Sun and Moon
Sunrise Sunset
Today 6:46a 5:48p
Tomorrow 6:45a 5:49p
Moonrise Moonset
Today 7:38a 8:52p
Tomorrow 8:05a 9:52p
First Full Last New
Feb. 29 March 8 March 14 March 22
Area rainfall
amounts this
morning range
from 3 to 6
tenths of an inch
with more show-
ers on the way
for this after-
noon. Later in
the day, the wind
will shift to the
west and
strengthen up to
30 m.p.h. Under
partial clearing
tonight, temper-
atures will drop
to near freezing,
then strong,
gusty winds will
continue
through the day
tomorrow. Snow
showers will
develop during
the day then
diminish
Saturday night.
Sunday will fea-
ture sunshine
and light winds.
For most of next
week, tempera-
tures will trend
back above nor-
mal with odds
favoring more
rain at midweek.
- Tom Clark
NATIONAL FORECAST: A storm system will produce unsettled weather throughout the East. Showers
and thunderstorms will be likely over the Southeast, with a few strong to severe storms possible.
Showers will fall over southern New England, with snow in the colder air north of the storm system
over northern New England. Snow will extend back into the central Great Lakes region.
Recorded at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Intl Airport
Temperatures
Heating Degree Days*
Precipitation
TODAY
Showers, sun, windy
late
SATURDAY
Mostly
cloudy,
windy
38
31
MONDAY
Partly
sunny
50
27
TUESDAY
Cloudy
47
32
WEDNESDAY
Rain
possible
50
35
THURSDAY
Cloudy
45
40
SUNDAY
Sunny,
gentle
winds
40
23
49
38