12/29/2005
Nanticoke holds taxes, but some tempers rise
Outgoing Mayor John Toole has words with Treasurer Albert Wytoshek.
City clerk steps down.
By mbuffer@leader.net

“I understand now you’re trying to pick up some extra money. I just don’t see the need for it.”
John Toole Outgoing mayor after dismissing a proposed $20 fee on requests to verify garbage payments

City officials adopted a $3.5 million budget that maintains the same property tax rate, and some officials were on the hot seat for the last time at Wednesday’s meeting.
Treasurer Albert Wytoshek blasted outgoing Mayor John Toole after Toole dismissed a proposed $20 fee on requests to verify garbage payments for new home purchases.
“I understand now you’re trying to pick up some extra money,” Toole said. “I just don’t see the need for it.”
“See, you see, that’s why you’re a failure,” Wytoshek said. “You don’t know what the hell’s going on.”
“Who’s a failure?” responded Toole, who ran for a third term this year and was defeated in the Democratic primary election.
“You are,” Wytoshek said.
“After eight years, I’m a failure, huh,” Toole said.
Toole boasted that the city property tax rate remained 60.38 mills while he was mayor. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
City resident Richard Butler said maintaining the tax rate wasn’t an accomplishment because it was so high that it could only be raised with court approval or a higher debt payment. Butler, a mortgage banker, also argued against the proposed $20 fee on requests to verify garbage payments.
Wytoshek said the fee wouldn’t cost taxpayers and would be paid by title-search and mortgage companies. Butler said the cost would be passed on to new home buyers.
Wytoskek said his office receives 150 to 300 requests a year to verify garbage payments.
Council voted to table the resolution establishing the $20 fee and allow the new council to vote on it. Three of the four city council members could be different at the next council meeting, which is scheduled for Jan. 3.
John Bushko will become the next mayor and vacate his council seat. A new councilman will have to be appointed to finish Bushko’s term, and two new councilmen elected in November, Jim Litchkofski and Brent Makarczyk, will begin their terms.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, City Clerk Michael Yurkowski said the new leadership didn’t want to retain him, and he announced his resignation effective Dec. 31. He has been city clerk since 1992.
“Thank you on doing a good job, Mike,” Toole said.

12/29/2005
The city fire department has received a $191,071 federal grant
U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski announced Wednesday.
The money is from the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement grant program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Nanticoke Fire Department will use the grant to replace aging Scott Air Packs and install diesel engine exhaust control systems in the fire stations, said Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke.
The air packs allow firefighters and other emergency personnel to enter smoke-filled rooms and buildings.
Kanjorski was among 286 co-sponsors of the FIRE Act of 2000. More than $9 million in federal grants has been awarded to more than 85 fire companies in Kanjorski’s 11th Congressional District since the program began.

12/24/2005
The Citizens' Voice has compiled a list of the area's Top 100 athletes of all time
#7 - Pete Gray

In 1944, a group of sports writers got together to honor Pete Gray with the Courageous Athlete of the Year Award in Philadelphia.
"To Pete Gray," the inscription on the plaque read, "With less, he achieved more."
A more fitting tribute to the Nanticoke native couldn't be written. By making it to the major leagues despite losing his right arm in a childhood accident, Gray authored one of the most inspirational stories in the history of American sport.
Gray lost his arm at age 6 when he fell off the running boards of a grocer's delivery truck, but he never stopped playing the game he loved.
Gray played semi-pro ball in the region as a teenager, earning $100 to suit up for a team in Scranton or a team in Pine Grove, until he got his first big break in 1942.
He was signed sight-unseen by Three Rivers of the Canadian American League. When the club's manager picked him up at the train station, he was shocked to say the least.
"The guy almost passed out," Gray told The Baltimore Sun in 1982.
The day Gray made his debut with the club, a packed stadium chanted his name all game long. When the manager finally gave him an at-bat, it came at a pressure-packed moment.
The bases were loaded with two outs in the ninth inning and Gray's team trailed by a run. He lined a 2-1 pitch down the rightfield line, and as was their custom, fans threw money on the field in tribute. Gray picked up $700 before he was done.
Gray hit .381 in 42 games that season before breaking his collarbone and caught on with Memphis of the Southern Association in 1943. In his second season with the club, Gray hit .333, tied a league record with 68 stolen bases and was named league MVP.
That set up his historic season with the St. Louis Browns in 1945.
Gray's signing was not without controversy. His manager, Luke Sewell, and some of his teammates thought Gray was brought in as a publicity stunt to sell tickets.
That may have been true. With dozens of top players off fighting World War II, major league clubs were often clamoring for paying customers. But with the benefit of hindsight some 60 years later, it seems like a myopic way to view Gray's rise to the big leagues.
He hit .218 in 77 games in 1945, but the season was not without its highlights.
On April 17, Gray made his major league debut, going 1-for-4 as the Browns beat Detroit, 7-1.
On May 20, Gray had his signature day in the majors, helping the Browns to a doubleheader sweep of the New York Yankees. He had three hits and two RBIs in the opener and scored the winning run. He made seven catches in the outfield in the nightcap.
When the players back fromwar returned to the major leagues, Gray went back to the minors. He
retired in 1950 and died in 2002.
DID YOU KNOW?
Gray changed his name from Pete Wyschner when he signed up for a St. Louis Cardinals tryout camp in Minersville in 1931. He chose the surname because his older brother's boxing name was Whitey Gray.
Keith Carradine portrayed Gray in the 1986 TV movie "A Winner Never Quits" on ABC.
Gray used a glove fashioned by a Nanticoke shoemaker. It had little padding and Gray would slide only his fingertips into it, so he could easily flip it off to make a throw after fielding a fly ball.
Gray, in a 1985 story in the Citizens' Voice
"I got chased out of more balparks than anyone I can think of. When I'd show up at a tryout camp or at the gate of a ballpark, they'd take one look at me and holler, "Get this guy outta here or we'll call the cops." But I never gave up wanting to play in the major leagues. And I Did."

12/19/2005
How did America’s pastime impact its past time?
LCCC professor aims to explain role baseball has played in U.S. history.
By kwernowsky@leader.net

It’s possible William Kashatus’ theory about baseball is worthy of academic debate.
Did the sport influence the American culture, or has the culture influenced the sport? Have withering U.S. attention spans created a need for baseball to become a bombastic, showy sport laden with scandals about performance-enhancing drugs? Did Jackie Robinson’s entrance into the major leagues get the civil-rights ball rolling?
Kashatus, a professor and historian who has written more than a dozen books, including several about baseball, says the history of this country owes a lot to the sport considered its pastime. For the spring semester, the Luzerne County Community College professor will instruct a course he hopes will teach people of the impact he believes baseball has had on America.
During a research venture to Yankee Stadium for a book about Lou Gehrig, Kashatus met the club’s historian, Tony Morante. When Morante mentioned he taught a popular course on the history of baseball at a New York-area community college, Kashatus was inspired to start his own.
He theorizes that baseball helped spur some of the greatest movements in many of the most important periods in American history: from women’s and civil rights, to changes in labor relations and gambling.
In one example, Kashatus said baseball became a key part of Northeast Pennsylvania’s coal-mining culture, and eventually led to the creation of the old Anthracite League. The immigrant workers thought the sport was a right-of-passage to becoming an American. It was like speaking English, Kashatus said. It made them more American.
“They started teams basically to try to remove some of the tension and the stress that existed because of the nature of the work in the mines. Sunday-afternoon baseball was something that was healthy for them and a form of entertainment for the community,” Kashatus said. “It was their way of defining their Americanness.”
Jackie Robinson, Kashatus said, became a seminal character in the story of the American civil rights movement when he left the Negro Leagues’ Kansas City Monarchs to join the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946. It’s a move historians say influenced Martin Luther King Jr.
“We talk about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier is a landmark event, not just in the history of baseball, but in the history of all sports,” Kashatus said. “Robinson was, in many respects, as great as King was because he inspired King. He helped to show the rest of America that African-Americans were not inferior.”
This 13-week course isn’t going to be a wash, a slacker class for baseball fans hoping to spin yarns about the sport. It’s going to be a lot of work, Kashatus said.
The three-hour class, which will meet Mondays, will begin with a PowerPoint presentation followed by a discussion and then a workshop or a guest speaker. Kashatus said he hopes to find some heavy-hitters from the sport to speak, but he has yet to confirm their participation.
Kashatus said students will have the opportunity to do an additional research paper he will attempt to have published in a baseball periodical.

For more information about registering for Bill Kashatus’ History 265 – History of Baseball – contact Luzerne County Community College at (800) 377-LCCC. Registration is open until Jan. 12.

12/18/2005
Nanticoke Area Notes
By: Pamela Urbanski

Choral group spreads cheer
Greater Nanticoke Area choral students in grades four through 12 have been delivering the sound of the season in and around the Nanticoke Area.
Voices of Nanticoke, under the direction of Karen Phair, Nancy Evans and Jeniso Bunnell, carry on the tradition of entertaining friends throughout the community. One hundred and fifty students spend time practicing after school to make sure each performance is top-notch.
During the day, they board buses and head out to different locations in the community to spread Christmas and holiday cheer. They have visited places like the Guardian Elder Care Center in Sheatown, Birchwood and Hampton Nursing Homes and the Luzerne County Courthouse. They braved freezing temperatures to sing at the Christmas in the Park celebration.
Senior choral student Tommy McGrady is glad to be able to go out and share his talents. He gives, but he also receives many benefits. "It's great to be able to look into the eyes of the elderly when we perform," said Tommy, "We know we are making a difference."
He told me that by being part of the choir, he has received the gift of friendship. "It is great to be a part of this group. I have made so many friends and learned so many things about them and myself that I normally would not have if there was no choir."
Last Saturday, the students gave their gift to the community by presenting their annual Christmas concert. "I Need a Christmas Vacation" is a story about a huge snowstorm that unexpectedly moves into the area the day before Christmas vacation. Students, faculty and staff fear they will be stranded. They begin to think about the celebrations they will miss. Thirteen actors and the combined choirs participated.
"It really was a great performance," said Phair. "We were able to show a different culture such as Kwanza and Chanukah and more." It was a happy ending as everyone made it home safe and sound.
This week, the choir will visit all the schools in the Nanticoke Area School District. Senior choir member Amy Bono enjoys performing in the schools the best. "I think it's great to be able to go into the schools and show our classmates what we can do," she said. "The kids get so excited!"
There is no rest for this talented bunch. Starting after Christmas, they will begin preparing for the annual musical, "The Sound of Music." It's something to look forward to in the spring, as the performances are always magnificent.
Confession schedule announced
Deanery Advent confession for the Nanticoke Area will be held at St. Stanislaus Church on East Church Street. Area priests will come together Sunday at 2 p.m., Monday at 7 p.m. and Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Bingo postponed at St. Joe's
St. Joseph's bingo scheduled for today has been postponed until January. Watch this column for further announcements.

12/16/2005
Nanticoke cuts insurance cost
Expenses will drop significantly and coverage will grow because of the changes
By MICHAEL P. BUFFER mbuffer@leader.net

City council on Thursday approved two insurance contracts that will increase coverage and reduce insurance expenses by almost 27 percent, officials said.
The city’s insurance tab will drop from $175,000 to $138,000, said Ruth A. Moraski, a consultant from Zigmund Co. The city received quotes from four insurers.
EMC Insurance Companies of Des Moines, Iowa, will provide insurance for property, crime, police-officer and public-official liability and automobiles. That insurance will cost $53,320.
The State Workers Compensation Insurance Fund will provide workers’ compensation insurance. That deal will cost almost $85,000.
Zigmund solicited insurance quotes and is working for the Nanticoke Early Intervention Consortium, which was contracted in February for $80,000 to study the municipality’s finances and develop a comprehensive plan to restore a firm financial footing.
The state has agreed to provide $50,000 to pay the consortium, and the city and county will each contribute $15,000, said city Administrator Greg Gulick. The consortium also includes the Northeast Pennsylvania Alliance, Keystone Municipal Services and Concord Public Finance.
Also Thursday, the city amended a lease agreement with the Stickney Volunteer Fire Department that would allow officials to sell parts from an inoperable fire truck. The truck is a 1970s model, and parting it out could produce several thousand dollars, Councilwoman Yvonne Bozinski said.

12/15/2005
Nanticoke to limit sex offenders’ residences
City’s proposal on restricting where predators can live would be a first for the area.
By mbuffer@leader.net

The city could soon join the growing ranks of municipalities with laws restricting where registered sex offenders may live.
City council has introduced an ordinance that would prevent a sex offender from living within 2,500 feet of any school, child-care facility, community center, park or common open space.
If the ordinance is approved, Nanticoke would become the first municipality in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties with such legislation, said Councilman Joseph Dougherty.
“It’s a great ordinance,” said Dougherty, a father of four daughters who said he is interested in protecting children from sex offenders.
According to a state police Web site, four Nanticoke residents are sex offenders registered under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s law. The total number of sex offenders living in Luzerne County, including incarcerated offenders, is 247.
Dougherty said he doesn’t know what percentage of land in the city would be off limits for sex offenders to reside under the ordinance. City officials are mapping out which neighborhoods would be affected.
The law would not affect offenders who established residence prior to the passage of the legislation.
Council plans to vote on the ordinance in early 2006 after a second and third reading.
Dougherty said he learned about this type of ordinance in Bristol and Doylestown townships in Bucks County when visiting a relative in the Philadelphia area. Nanticoke’s ordinance is based on those ordinances.
At least 10 other municipalities in the Philadelphia area have passed such an ordinance, according to published reports.
More than 40 municipalities in New Jersey have restrictions on sex offenders’ residences, said Tony Manzo, the attorney for Lower and Cape May townships in New Jersey.
Last month, a man who spent a year in jail for having sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Lower Township ordinance.
Manzo said the law will be upheld, citing a U.S. Court of Appeals decision that upheld a similar law in Iowa prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools or day-care centers.
Iowa’s branch of the American Civil Liberties Union issued a news release asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the law, saying it breaks up families, doesn’t focus on offenders who are a threat to small children and doesn’t prevent predators from traveling to areas where children could be abducted.
But in November, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge to the Iowa law.
Manzo defended the Lower Township ordinance, citing a U.S. Court of Appeals decision upholding New Jersey’s Megan’s law, which requires sex offenders to register with police when they move into a community.
New Jersey’s Megan’s Law requires that neighbors be notified, but doesn’t restrict where offenders may live. Local ordinances take the restrictions further.
Megan’s law is named after Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old New Jersey girl killed in 1994 by a sex offender who lived across the street.
Manzo said federal appellate courts have “looked at the objective of safety and protection for children as legitimate.”
Two weeks ago, Lower Township officials amended their ordinance. They decreased the restriction distance from 2,500 feet to 500 feet.
But almost the entire township remains off limits to sex offenders because they can’t live within 500 feet of school bus stops, said township Clerk Claudia Kammer.
The Nanticoke ordinance does not include school bus stops within its restrictions.
To get more on Megan's Law go to: http://www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us/

12/14/2005
LCCC's trustees approve $41 million overhaul of Nanticoke campus
By Robert Kalinowski, Staff Writer

Luzerne County Community College officials believe the health care and hospitality industries are and will continue to be the fastest growing regional job sectors.
Wanting to produce skilled graduates able to meet and fill the demand, school officials are planning a full-scale overhaul of the Nanticoke main campus.
A $41 million "master plan" for the project - set in motion by the desire to build a new health sciences facility - was approved Tuesday night by the school's Board of Trustees at LCCC's Corporate Leaning Center on Public Square.
The plans, recently completed by the school's architects and engineers, include expansion of the hospitality department and the construction of a school-sponsored public safety training institute, among other proposals, officials said.
"It is clear that the health care industry is and will be of growing concern in Pennsylvania and particularly in Northeastern Pennsylvania," LCCC President Dr. Patricia C. Donohue said. "Therefore, LCCC must plan its facilities to prepare for the future of the industry."
Bolstering the hotel and restaurant management program will be of strong emphasis, said Dr. Dustin Swanger, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
"With the growing demand in our region for recreation and entertainment venues such as casinos, new restaurants, and spas, hospitality education is a key area for growth for the college," Swanger said.
The master plan will be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for approval and consideration for funding, officials said.
Generally, Swanger said, the state pays for 50 percent of capital projects, meaning LCCC would have to come up with $20.5 million. That could come from sources such as loans, county funding and fundraising, he said.

12/12/2005
Citizen's Voice Top 100 Athletes
No. 18: Steve Bilko - Nanticoke Baseball
By: Jonathan Bombulie, Staff Writer

He was often referred to as the Babe Ruth of the Pacific Coast League. Nanticoke's Steve Bilko put together three consecutive seasons where he dominated the PCL.
From 1955-57, Bilko, playing for the minor league Los Angeles Angels, led the league in home runs three consecutive seasons, hitting 37, 55 and 56. He consistently hit over .300 and was named the league MVP all three years.
He won the Triple Crown in 1956, batting .360 with 55 HRs and 164 RBI. In the PCL he benefited from an extended schedule because of the good weather, playing 168 games in 1955.
Bilko hit massive home runs and had massive size. The Los Angeles Times once ran a headline titled "Not Even Mrs. Bilko Knows His Weight." For the record, Bilko was listed at 240 pounds.
Signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1945, Bilko made his major league debut with the Cardinals in 1949 at the age of 20. He went on to spend 10 seasons in the majors playing with St. Louis, Chicago (NL), Cincinnati, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit and Los Angeles Angeles. He ended his career with 76 home runs and 276 RBIs and a lifetime .249 BA.
Bilko posted outstanding power numbers in the minor leagues but had difficulty matching the lofty expectations when he reached the majors. He received his first call-up in 1949 after hitting 34 homers for Rochester in the International League but did not stay for a full season until 1953. He suffered a broken arm in 1952. He played every game for St. Louis in 1953 but struck out 125 times.
His best year in the bigs was 1961 while playing for the expansion Angels. He bated .279 with 20 homers. He batted .287 in 1962 but his season was cut short because of a leg injury. He returned to Rochester in 1963 and retired that season. He clubbed 313 homers and batted .312 in his minor league career.
He was inducted into the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in October of 1996.
DID YOU KNOW?
Bilko tied two major league records in 24 hours in 1953. On May 27 he struck out five times in a row against Cincinnati and, the following day, had two doubles as part of a 10-run inning.
While playing for the Los Angels in 1961, he had the distinction of hitting the last home run ever in LA's Wrigley Field.
He was a 2004 inductee into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame.
For more Nanticoke athletes in the top 100 click go to www.gnasd.com and click on sports.

12/11/2005
Nanticoke Area Notes
By: Pamela Urbanski
Enjoy Christmas in the Park
Mayor John Toole and Liz Toole invite Nanticoke residents to the annual Christmas in the Park this coming Saturday at Patriot's Square. The festivities begin at noon and run until 3 p.m.
As in past years, the mayor hopes the event will once again bring the community together. "It's an opportunity for families and friends to come together and have some fun," said Mayor Toole.
There will be carriage rides around the park, free of charge. The Greater Nanticoke Area High School Chorus and the Holy Trinity Choir will put you in the holiday spirit as they offer songs for the season. Hot chocolate will keep you warm and toasty.
And be sure to bring your camera because Santa is making a stop before heading to the North Pole.
For more information, call the city building at 735-1780. See you there.
Ordinance targets sex offenders
Councilman Joseph Dougherty is pleased that an ordinance he proposed passed on its first reading at a council meeting Wednesday, Dec. 7. The ordinance of the City of Nanticoke establishes sex offender residency restrictions and penalties for violations.
"I know some other communities have passed similar ordinances," said Dougherty. "I don't think we should wait until something happens to pass a law."
The ordinance states it shall be unlawful for any sex offender to establish a permanent or temporary residence within 2,500 feet of any school, child-care facility, common open space, community center, public park or recreational facility.
Sex offenders have 45 days to comply with the ordinance and move to a new location not within 2,500 feet of any of the locations listed.
The Nanticoke Police Department will enforce the order. Penalties for violators will be enforced and include imprisonment and fines.
The ordinance must have two final readings before it can become part of the code of the City of Nanticoke.
Yearbooks ready for pick up
MaryAnn Jarolen, Nanticoke Area Junior-Senior High School principal, announced 2005 graduation photos and yearbooks may be picked up at the principal's office Monday thru Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Mill Library friends to meet
Friends of the Mill Memorial Library in Nanticoke will meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Alta Harrington Room to discuss the holiday party.
Hostesses will be Helen Shipkowski and Eleanore Chmielowski. President Marion Diacheysn will preside.
Dues will be collected for 2006. A report on the 2005 Christmas/fall fair will be given.
Holiday program at Berean Church
The Berean Lighthouse Church, 2 W. Green St., Nanticoke, will present its Christmas program Sunday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m. at the church.
The Sunday school students will perform songs and recitations in part one.
The choir will present a Christmas musical entitled, "A Carol to the King," written and arranged by Mosie Lister.
In case of inclement weather, it will be postponed until a later date. All are welcome.

12/11/2005
Optimistic outlook for Nanticoke
By Elizabeth Skrapits, Staff Writer

Downtown plans are in disarray, the business district is slumping, finances are a mess, and people are moving out at record rates.
Mayor-elect John Bushko and incoming members of council know they have a tough job ahead, but they can't wait to get started.
"I don't think you can count Nanticoke out yet," councilmen-elect James Litchkofski said. "I think a lot of people are going to be pleasantly surprised to see what happens in the next few years."
With new officials, new buildings, a recreation park and other projects in the works, and new regional efforts under consideration, change is coming to Nanticoke.
Bushko, Litchkofski and councilman-elect Brent Makarczyk will take office in less than a month. They, with incumbent councilman Joe Dougherty and a third person to be appointed to Bushko's seat on the four-person council, will have the opportunity to make personnel changes and appointments to authorities.
Optimistic mood
The Tropic Isle Tan on Prospect Street has been around for a year. Customers already come from as far as Scranton and Bloomsburg, manager Jackie Knorowski said. A revitalized downtown could attract more.
Dr. David Evans, a practicing eye doctor for 20 years, owns an office building on Prospect Street and other properties around the city, including the John Heinz physical rehabilitation center.
"I'm optimistic about the town," Evans said. "I've invested heavily in Nanticoke, so I believe it's got potential."
Hank Marks, president of the Greater Nanticoke Area Taxpayers' Association, is a fixture at city council meetings. He tells elected officials exactly what's on his mind, especially when he doesn't think they're spending his money wisely.
Marks hopes the new officials will find ways to turn around the city's grim financial picture.
"The people coming in are going to make it better," Marks said. "It can't get worse - it has to get better."
Jim Samselski is outright enthusiastic.
"The future is so bright," he said. "There will be growth over the next eight years, after 20 years of the city being stagnant."
But there has to be more involvement by residents, Makarczyk stressed.
"People only come to the meetings if they need something or something's wrong," he said. "Nothing gets better without a total group effort."
Obstacles to overcome
"This could be one of the toughest starts any administration ever had, because of the situation we're coming into," Makarczyk said.
Top priority is to get finances in order, Litchkofski said.
The city owes at least $4 million in bonds and loans, and has about a $300,000 deficit. Refinancing a bond only got rid of the deficit temporarily, Bushko said.
Nanticoke is enrolled in the state Department of Community and Economic Development's early intervention program, which provides guidance to financially troubled municipalities.
Concord Public Finance and Keystone Municipal Services, working together as early intervention coordinator, plan in January to give city officials a list of things they can do to get Nanticoke back to fiscal stability.
Another priority is reviving Nanticoke's struggling downtown.
Demolition cleared the way for a parking garage and commercial building on East Main Street. However, municipal authority board members say they won't have a solid plan until they or the project developer, Turbotville-based Impact Pennsylvania, find tenants.
Further down the street, the 30,000 square-foot Kanjorski Center sits 80 percent vacant. Next door, the former CVS building recently lost a potential tenant. Dollar General had a shake-up in its executive management that led to the chain retailer backing out 72 hours before finalizing a lease agreement with the city, municipal authority member Robert Bray said.
Nanticoke's population - 10,955 according to the 2000 census - is declining at a rate faster than any other third-class city in Pennsylvania, State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, said. Jobs are being lost as employers such as HealthNow, which took 214 jobs to Dallas Borough in October, move out.
But residential and commercial developments in the works will bring new jobs and people to the city. A study being performed for the South Valley Partnership, a non-profit community organization, will determine the best ways to attract and keep businesses - and help the former coal-mining town figure out how to reinvent itself.
Positive developments
The entranceway to Nanticoke will have a new look by summer. The first phase of the $5 million Lower Broadway recreation park on the Susquehanna River includes a skate park, play area, open field and greenway.
Phase one of Lexington Village on Kosciuszko Street consists of 55 luxury two-bedroom independent living cottages with attached garages. Developer Dominic Ortolani hopes seniors can start moving in in April.
The second phase, a 66-bed Alzheimer's facility that will bring in more than 40 healthcare jobs, should begin late next year, he said.
Except for a $240,000 state grant to reclaim the site, a former culm bank, the $6.5 million project is privately funded, Ortolani said.
The approximately $6 million for the Whitney Pointe development is also mostly from a private investor, Ken Pollack.
He bought the 500 acres of reclaimed mine land stretching across Newport Township and the Honey Pot section of Nanticoke in 2004. Development of the 147 residential and 19 industrial lots began this year.
Pollack also matched $350,000 in state funding to tie the industrial park into an active Canadian Pacific rail line from New York to Philadelphia.
Luzerne County Community College is planning a $9 million Public Safety Institute Fire Training Center, Yudichak said. Administrative offices and classrooms will be built at Prospect Street and Middle Road, which will become the college's main entrance, he said.
The training facility for first responders is expected to attract 4,000 people from 10 counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania to Nanticoke each year, Yudichak said.
The project will be financed with state and county money. U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum have been approached for federal funding, Yudichak said.
Luzerne County Community College is an asset the city always overlooked, incoming officials believe. They want to find a way to bring all those students, faculty and staff to the business district, and also integrate the college more into the community.
"I want to market the community college. I want people to know it's in Nanticoke," Bushko said. "We get 5,000 guests a day from all over the place, and we're not proud of it."
A long way to go
Bushko, Litchkofski and Makarczyk want to continue the progress the current administration has made in terms of infrastructure improvements.
"We have to maintain the roads to the best of our ability, so people driving to work won't hit the same potholes over and over," Litchkofski said.
City officials need to get aggressive in enforcing inspection ordinances and dealing with absentee and neglectful landlords, Bushko said.
He wants to meet with other communities to discuss combining police and fire departments. Regionalization could mean more grants, better coverage, and possibly saving money down the line, he said.
The hardest part of the job will be in the first two months, getting things straightened out, getting new people in, and talking to neighboring municipalities, Bushko said.
"But there's so much opportunity there," he noted. "There's so many ways to do things. All you've got to do is bring them up and sit down."

12/10/2005
Trouble’s in the pipeline as 2 men claim to be Nanticoke’s sewer rep
By mbuffer@leader.net

“What we do is very simple. We get a letter from the city council. The letter says who is appointed. That’s the person we take. If they have a fight, it’s up to them. That’s all up to them.”
Tony Panaway Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority solicitor

The next board meeting of the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority could be like the old TV game show, “To Tell the Truth.”
Will the real authority representative of Nanticoke please stand up?
Two men plan to go the Dec. 20 authority meeting as the city’s lone authority representative.
On Wednesday, city council voted 4-1 to replace William Kearney with District Judge Donald Whittaker on the authority board.
Councilman John Bushko voted against the appointment, claiming it isn’t legal because Kearney’s term on the authority board doesn’t expire until Dec. 31 and because Whittaker doesn’t live in the city or maintain a business in the city.
Those claims are disputed.
An Aug. 3, 2000, letter to the authority from city clerk Michael Yurkowski states says Kearney was re-appointed to a five-year term ending Dec. 7, 2005. But authority Executive Director Fred DeSanto said Kearney’s term ends Dec. 31.
The authority has 17 board members from 14 charter municipalities. Wilkes-Barre has three members.
Authority terms last five years. They expire in different years, but they all expire Dec. 31, DeSanto said.
But authority Solicitor Tony Panaway said the authority defers to municipalities regarding appointment decisions.
“What we do is very simple,” Panaway said. “We get a letter from the city council. The letter says who is appointed. That’s the person we take. If they have a fight, it’s up to them. That’s all up to them.”
Whittaker said he researched the matter and discussed it with Panaway before Wednesday’s vote.
“I don’t want to make the governing body look like fools,” Whittaker said.
Both Kearney and Whittaker said they plan to attend the Dec. 20 authority board meeting. Bushko predicted Wednesday’s appointment will result in “a legal hassle.”
Kearney said he doesn’t mind being replaced and said “it’s up to” the members of city council.
Bushko maintains council should not have voted to replace Kearney until after his term expires Dec. 31. By then, lame ducks who voted for Whittaker – Bill Brown, Mayor John Toole (who also gets a vote) and Yvonne Bozinski – will be gone. Councilman Joe Dougherty voted for Whittaker, too.
They will be replaced by Bushko as mayor, and Jim Litchkofski and Brent Makarczyk on council. Litchkofski said the new council should vote on a representative.
There are other issues surrounding the appointment.
Whittaker lives in Plymouth Township but can represent the city on the authority because he maintains a business – magisterial office -- in the city, Solicitor Bernard Kotulak said.
But Bushko said serving as district judge isn’t the same as maintaining a business.
Whittaker was re-elected to his post this year. His office handles civil and criminal matters for residents of Nanticoke, the borough of Plymouth and the townships of Newport and Plymouth.
“Having an office in Nanticoke, that is not a business,” Luzerne County Commissioner Stephen A. Urban said. “The county pays for the rent of that office. The county pays for his staff.”
Luzerne County is budgeted to pay the city $12,500 next year to rent space in city hall for Whittaker’s magisterial court operation.
The controversy involving Whittaker’s appointment isn’t the first dispute involving an authority board member who didn’t live in the municipality that made the appointment.
In 1998, Forty Fort officials debated whether Patrick Judge should remain the borough’s representative on the authority after Judge moved to Lackawanna County.
Judge said he leased part of an office in Forty Fort, where he used a desk and computer for business purposes. Judge remains the borough’s authority representative.
Urban said conflicts of interest could result from a district judge serving on the sewer authority.
“It’s not a civilian board like a bank board,” Urban said. “This is a political body that gets involved in hiring people and setting rates.”
District Judge Joseph A. Halesey is Hanover Township’s representative on the authority. Halesey lives the township, and his magisterial district includes the township and the boroughs of Ashley, Sugar Notch and Warrior Run.
Whittaker and Halesey said they would recuse themselves from judicial cases that involve disputes with the authority. Halesey said serving on the authority doesn’t conflict with the judicial code of conduct “as long as you don’t receive pay.”
The authority has been providing wastewater treatment since 1962. It was formed by 14 Luzerne County municipalities, which have appointed representatives on the authority’s board.

12/8/2005
District judge at center of controversial Nanticoke appointment
By:Elizabeth Skrapits

Despite uncertainty over whether it was legal, outgoing city officials voted Wednesday night to make a board appointment that has incoming officials steamed.
Solicitor Bernard Kotulak couldn't clarify when the term of Nanticoke's Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority representative William Kearney officially ends, but that didn't stop council from replacing him.
Council members Bill Brown, Yvonne Bozinksi, Joe Dougherty, and Mayor John Toole voted to appoint Magisterial District Judge Donald Whittaker to Kearney's seat for a five-year term - provided it turns out to be legal, they said.
No one except Dougherty will be returning to council next year, and councilman John Bushko, who voted against the motion, will replace Toole as mayor.
The principal argument focused on when Kearney's term expires. Although a board member can be re-appointed early, a new appointment cannot be made until a sitting member's term expires, Bushko said.
Kearney has served on the board for 20 years. An Aug. 3, 2000 letter to the authority from city clerk Michael Yurkowski states that at the Aug. 2, 2000 meeting Kearney was re-appointed to a five-year term ending Dec. 7 2005.
But a letter to Bushko sent Monday by WVSA Executive Director Fred DeSanto states all terms of incorporating municipalities' members end Dec. 31.
Ultimately it will be up to the Sanitary Authority solicitor to determine which date is correct, Kotulak said.
"I don't think his term is up, and the city shouldn't get into a legal hassle over this," Bushko said.
Bushko also questioned whether Whittaker is eligible to represent Nanticoke.
Since the position the WVSA board is not a federal, state or local government position and is unpaid, Whittaker can serve, Kotulak said.
The state Municipal Authorities Act says a municipal authority board member "shall be a taxpayer in, maintain a business in or be a citizen of the municipality by which he is appointed."
Whittaker lives in Newport Township and does not own property in Nanticoke. Luzerne County pays for his magisterial office in Nanticoke City Hall. His salary comes from the state.
That doesn't matter, Whittaker said. He said his research indicated a board member only has to be a county resident.
Councilman-elect James Litchkofski asked why Toole, Brown and Bozinski "orchestrated this midnight appointment." Litchkofski felt he should have had a say in the matter, since the appointee would have to work with the new council and mayor.
Council has delayed making eight appointments to the city's housing and municipal authorities for nearly a year because new city officials might be elected, Bozinski said.
"If we didn't respect you as a group, we could have put all of those eight people in," she said, adding, "I was asked by Mr. Whittaker if I would vote for him if his name came up. No one else came to me. I gave my word."
Prior to the meeting, Whittaker was asked why he wanted to serve on the board.
"They asked me to serve - I'll serve," he said.
But during the meeting, Brown and Bozinski said Whittaker approached them.
When asked again after council's vote whether he approached council or council approached him, he said "Both," and walked away.
In related business, Toole re-appointed Steve Buchinski to the Nanticoke City Redevelopment Authority. His term expired June 30. Toole also appointed Robert Bray to fill the remainder of Jeff Piontkowski's term, which expires June 30, 2006.
Toole did not need a vote by council to make the appointments, Bushko said.
Bray and Buchinski currently serve on the Nanticoke General Municipal Authority board.
Council adjourned the meeting until Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. to vote on insurance for 2006. Insurance consultant Ruth Moraski of Zigmund Co. said she found a way to save $37,000 and get expanded coverage for the city.

12/04/2005
Rocky road
By Elizabeth Skrapits , Staff Writer

No plans for East Main Street, no new tenants for the Kanjorski Center, no 2006 budget, and not enough revenue.
Those are some of the problems the Nanticoke General Municipal Authority faces at the end of 2005.
During a Saturday morning meeting that often grew heated, municipal authority members defended their inability to find tenants for existing and planned buildings.
Councilman and mayor-elect John Bushko asked the municipal authority the status of the project on East Main Street. Three older buildings have been demolished so Impact Pennsylvania, a Turbotville-based development group headed by Robert Yoder, can construct new commercial buildings.
Developer Dominic Ortolani, whose plans for the site were rejected by the municipal authority in favor of Yoder's, asked whether a study had been done to determine what would be appropriate for the site. The municipal authority intends to build to suit tenants lined up in advance.
But there are no tenants, nor are Yoder or the authority any closer to finding them than they were six months ago, authority member Robert Bray admitted.
Yoder is also helping the authority find new tenants for the Kanjorski Center, said Walter Sokolowski, a member of the Nanticoke redevelopment authority who sat in on the meeting.
HealthNow, a Medicare claims processing firm, vacated the Kanjorski Center for the Twin Stacks Center in Dallas Borough at the end of October. That means the loss of $33,200 a month rent, Bray said.
The municipal authority still receives $4,800 a month from its only remaining tenant, the Department of Labor and Industry. That is not enough to cover the authority's operating expenses of approximately $38,000 a month, Bray said.
Expenditures have already been cut substantially, authority member Chester Beggs said. However, municipal authority members have to meet with their accountant Karen Hazleton to work out how to handle the loss of revenue and come up with a budget for 2006, Bray said.

12/04/2005
It looks a lot like Christmas
By: Pam Urbanski
It certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the City of Nanticoke. Patriot Square is decorated and ready for Santa's visits and the wreaths placed along Main Street and up Market Street add nicely to the holiday season.
The wreaths are made possible by donations from area businesses, organizations, and individual donors. Who is responsible for doing the actual hanging of the wreaths? The Public Works Department braved the cold temperatures last week and did a nice job putting the decorations in place. Thanks.
I am sure Santa will have an extra gift or two for you under the Christmas tree!

Practice fire safety this holiday
During the winter months, stories that seem to appear more frequently in the news are those about
fires in our homes or businesses. This is because the winter season brings reasons for celebrations.There is more cooking, home decorating and entertaining, and increased risk of fire due to heating equipment.
Fire Chief Mike Bohan reminds residents to make sure they have installed smoke detectors that are working.
"Seventy percent of all home fire fatalities occur in homes where there are no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms," he said.
Christmas trees are a leading cause of house fires, he added.
"Keep your tree at least three feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, heating vents and other sources of heat," said Bohan. `And remember to check your tree to make sure it has enough water at all times."
He reminds residents that lights should be approved by an Independent Testing Lab (UL) and to throw away any lights with frayed or cracked cords. Put holiday candles well away from Christmas decorations and other combustibles and do not leave candles burning unattended or within the reach of small children.
"Blow them out before you leave the room," said Bohan.
He tells me with the increased cost of gas and oil, homeowners may want to use space heaters to save money. He warns area residents to keep all space heaters and portable heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn.
If you have any questions about fire safety, call fire headquarters at 735-5860.

GNA band student honored
Congratulations to Grace Turner for placing in the Pennsylvania Music Education Association District Band Competition.
Greater Nanticoke Area Music Teacher Brad Bunnell nominated Grace for competition at the district level. She went on to compete with over 100 students from area schools, placing 16th in clarinet and sixth in base clarinet.
Grace credits her elementary music teacher, Nancy Evans, for getting her interested in playing in the band.
'She worked with us on the elementary level and I really enjoyed it," said Grace.
What was the hardest part about the competition? "We had to perform a song on sight."
That means the judges gave her a sheet of music and she had only two minutes to look it over and then she had to play.
Grace said Bunnell and her piano teacher, Barb Hall, whom she has worked with since the fifth grade, helped her prepare for competition.
In January, all students who qualified for district band will perform in concert. Musicians will also have an opportunity to qualify for regional band.
Great job, Grace!

Tax reminder
Albert J Wytoshek, city treasurer announced the 2005 school district taxes and school per capita taxes are now at the penalty amount until Thursday, Dec. 15. This is the last day to make payment for these taxes at the city tax office. Nanticoke City 2005 property and city per capita taxes and school district and school per capita taxes are due on this day.
Separate checks must be made for each tax paid. Payments will not be accepted after Dec. 15.
The tax office, located at the Nanticoke Municipal Building, is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If a receipt is requested, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail in payments will not be accepted by postmark.
It is the property owner's responsibility to forward tax statements to their respect mortgage company or bank.
For more information, call 735-2800.

12/01/2005
Nanticoke maintains tax rate
By mbuffer@leader.net

The city property tax rate would remain the same under a proposed $3.5 million budget unveiled at Wednesday’s city council meeting.
Council approved the first reading of the 2006 budget. A vote to approve the budget is scheduled for Dec. 28.
The current tax rate is 60.38 mills, according to City Administrator Greg Gulick. A mill is a $1 tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.
The total assessed value of properties in the city is almost $14.8 million. According to Gulick, 29.88 mills are earmarked to fund debt service, and a half mill is for funding the library.
The police budget is $903,378, making it the largest expense in the city budget.
Council members discussed the budget briefly during Wednesday’s meeting. In response to a question from Councilman John Bushko, who will become mayor in January, Solicitor Bernard Kotulak said the city has until Feb. 14 to reopen the budget and amend it.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, council approved an ordinance to demolish a house at 205 Phillips St. Kotulak said the house is “severely blighted.”
The ordinance allows Kotulak to ask a judge to approve the demolition. If approved, the city will solicit bids for demolition work and get a lien on the property in the amount of the demolition job, Kotulak said.

11/27/2005
Nanticoke Area Notes
By: Pamela Urbanski

A great season for soccer
The Greater Nanticoke Area Youth Soccer Association just completed another successful soccer season.
Starting back in August, close to 350 players, ages eight to 18, and more than 30 coaches took to the fields for some soccer fun. Most teams practiced twice a week and games were played every Saturday through October.
As with any organized sports' league for youth, it takes dedicated adults to make sure the kids have a good season. Intramural soccer is no different.
This past year, Dave Lane served as president of the league. He and his wife, Charlene, worked very hard to make sure players enjoyed their season.
It wasn't uncommon to see the Lanes at 7 in the morning on a Saturday making sure fields were okay, setting up concession stands or fielding phone calls from parents or coaches. Around 4 or 5 p.m. you would find them putting away equipment, cleaning up and preparing for next week's games.
Dave's favorite part of the season was coaching. "I really enjoy the kids. It has been fun to watch them go from U8 to U16, the age group he coached this year. Our goal is to teach the fundamentals of soccer and have fun," he said. "Hopefully, we can keep their interest in the sport and move them into junior high and then high school soccer."
This year, four teams placed in the Luzerne County Cup, a double-elimination tournament that allows for a little more competitive play with scores being kept and championship games in A and B brackets for ages U10 and up.
The Nanticoke teams did well. It was a gold medal in the A bracket for Dave Chapin and his U12 girls' team. Second place in the A bracket went to Dave Lane and his U16 girls' team. Second place also went to the U14 boys' team coached by Mike Mavus. Paul Cimakasky coached the first-place B division U11 girls.
Dave told me the officers and all volunteers worked hard to ensure a good season. They include Vice President David Chapin, Secretary Ed Whitebread and Treasurer Patty McNulty. Mike Mavus and Ken Smith also helped Lane keep the fields playable.
There is some concern about getting enough volunteers for the upcoming years. "You can't have the same people doing all the work all the time," Dave offered. "They get burned out. We need people to step up if we are going to continue to play youth soccer in Nanticoke.
The next reorganization meeting will be held in January to plan for registration in the spring. If you would like to help out, you can call Dave at 735-2909.
A Holy Child breakfast
Holy Child Parish will hold an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet Sunday, Dec. 4, from 9 a.m. to noon at the parish center on Newport Street in Sheatown. Menu includes scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, cereal, chipped beef on toast, coffee and tea. Cost is $6 per person. Chances for the holiday ham and kielbasa basket also will be sold.
Toy bingo at St. Stan's
St. Stanislaus Parish is holding its annual toy bingo Sunday, Dec. 4, at the parish gym on East Church Street. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the bingo begins promptly at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be available.
Students selling poinsettias
Students of Pope John Paul II School are selling poinsettias for Christmas. The flowers in six-inch pots are available in red, white, pink and the cost $6.50. Red poinsettias in 10-inch pots are selling for $15.50. Orders can be placed with any student or by calling the school at 735-7935. Pick-up date is Friday, Dec. 16.
'Feast of St. Nicholas' set
The Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania is sponsoring "The Feast of St. Nicholas" at St. Joseph's Parish on Dec. 3 following the 6 p.m. Mass. All are invited to enjoy an evening of singing Slovak Advent and Christmas carols and an opportunity to share Christmas memories.
Slovak hospitality will follow. The church is located on East Noble Street.

11/27/2005
Nanticoke students take course in region's history
By Tom Venesky , Staff Writer

A fourth grade class from the Greater Nanticoke Area School District recently got a hands-on look at one of the area's oldest problems.
More than 120 students participated in a walking tour of abandoned mine sites last week. The tours were conducted by the Plymouth Township Planning Commission.
The students visited the Honeypot mine shaft in Newport Township, walked down to the remnants of the Nanticoke Dam at the Susquehanna River, took samples of acid mine drainage in Nanticoke and stood in disbelief at the tragic site of the Avondale Mine Disaster.
At the end of the day, the students came away with a new respect for the environment and the area's history.
"It's important for us to learn about the coal mines and the streams," said Martha Allen, 10. "The water we tested was gross. I never knew most of the streams had iron in them."
Plymouth Township Planning Commission member Robert Hughes, who is also regional coordinator for the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, conducted the tours.
The tours were paid for by a $1,000 grant from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
Hughes said the experience was a real eye-opener for the students as they witnessed coal mining history and the environmental effects that still resonate today.
"They got outside of their neighborhood and it was exciting and visually stimulating," he said. "Experiences like this at this age enhances their education. It was chemistry, history and environmental stewardship rolled into one."
Allen said aside from the mine pollution, she learned what a cattail was and what a breaker did.
"I never saw a cattail before," she said, after viewing the aquatic plants at the Dundee Outfall.
Kendall Schinski, 9, compared the orange water to bright chocolate milk, and saw the difference when bugs were found in the clean sections of stream.
Visiting the Avondale Mine site had an emotional impact on Schinski, especially when she learned that many children her age lost their lives in the 1869 mine disaster.
"It was a lot of walking and cold, but I enjoyed it. The little orange lake was orange on one side, clear on the other with a water fountain on one end," she said, describing the mine treatment system at the Dundee Outfall.
Schinski said she also recognized the importance of keeping the environment clean and pledged to do her part.
"I learned that you can't go in that dirty water because you'll get sick from the bacteria," she said. "Mr. Hughes told us they do cleanups at these places every summer. I'm going to go down next summer and help them out."

11/26/2005
Fire damages Nanticoke home, displaces family
By kwernowsky@leader.net

A fire displaced a family of three Friday evening in the Hanover section of Nanticoke, said fire officials.
The cause of the fire at 122 Pine St. is under investigation by the state police fire marshal, but it isn’t considered suspicious, said Deputy Chief Jay Munson of the Nanticoke Fire Department. No injuries were reported.
The blaze started at about 6:10 p.m. on the second floor of the house, according to Munson, who said the second floor sustained heavy damage. “It’s pretty well gutted.”
The first floor of the home sustained heavy smoke and water damage, Munson said.
The owner, Michael Duda, his wife and child were not home at the time the fire started, Munson said. They are expected to stay with relatives.
Dan Drury was in his basement when he heard his wife scream from upstairs that the house next door was on fire.
Drury, who lives at 126 Pine St., quickly grabbed a hose from his back yard and put it through a second-story window. He hosed down the siding on Duda’s house in an attempt to keep the flames from damaging his own home, which sits about 10 to 12 feet away. Minimal damage was done to Drury’s siding.
Firefighters from all of the Nanticoke companies arrived several minutes later, and in about 15 minutes they had the blaze under control, Munson said. They spent another hour and a half at the house putting out hotspots.

11/23/2005
Thanks, GNA community, for adopting Jones schools
Editor:
When Hurricane Katrina flooded the Gulf Coast, we saw many images of the devastation it caused.
During the 1972 Flood of Agnes we received much needed help from everywhere, including the State of Mississippi.
My sister, Carol Evans and I decided we could do something to help a school district there.
The Greater Nanticoke Area School District adopted the Jones County School District in Ellisville, Mississippi.
Through many personal donations, fundraisers by our students, dances by our PTSA and drawings by our cheerleaders, we were able to collect $3,716.65 which was sent to them.
I want to thank all of those responsible, especially our Superintendent, Mr. Anthony Perrone for allowing this to happen. Also, all of our school principals, personal donors, The 12th Man Football Club, cheerleaders, students, faculty and staff.
Thank you very much.
Jim (J.D.) Verazin
Custodial Technician
GNA Educational Center
Adopt-A-School Organizer

11/22/2005
Nanticoke budget has $300,000 hole
By:Elizabeth Skrapits

In order to fill a $306,362 hole in the 2006 budget, Nanticoke City Council is first looking to expand its revenues.
The preliminary budget council examined Monday night contains $3,539,689 in expenditures and $3,233,327 in revenues.
The city's taxes are already at the maximum rate, so there will not be a tax increase, councilman Bill Brown said.
Council will determine how to reduce the deficit by the next regular meeting, when the first of two votes to accept the budget will be held, Brown said.
To help, Robert Sabatini of Keystone Municipal Services, gave city officials a preliminary emergency action plan, as part of the state's Early Intervention Program.
It focused on revenues because they are easier to enact than making cuts to expenditures, which often involves negotiations, Sabatini said.
The first thing the city needs to do is get new accounting software. The current system is too complicated for city administration, so financial data is not reliable, he said.
"You need a clear understanding of where you are week to week, month to month, and adapt to any shortfall on a timely basis," Sabatini said.
Suggestions for getting more revenue included updating Nanticoke's mercantile and business privilege taxes so it will generate more than the combined $160,000 anticipated for 2006.
Another goal is to improve its delinquent tax collection rate, which tax collector Albert Wytoshek said is around 85 percent. Typically, municipalities should collect 95 percent, Sabatini said.
Owners of vacant properties do not have to pay the $176 annual garbage fee, a practice Sabatini said should be stopped because the city can't effectively verify all vacant properties.
The recommendation that sparked the most discussion was to schedule regular inspections of rental properties and charge landlords an annual permit fee per unit.
The city has an ordinance for property inspections, but the system is ineffective, Sabatini said. A stronger plan with follow-ups would help city officials manage blight, identify properties illegally converted for rental, and help ensure safety, he said.
Brown and councilman John Bushko, both landlords, did not like the idea because an additional fee of $50 combined with other fees such as sewer and garbage would almost make the properties not worth renting.
"I think it's something we need to do, but I'm not crazy about it," Bushko said.
The budget must be passed by Dec. 31, but council has until Feb. 15, 2006 to make amendments to it, Brown said.
In other business, Dollar General, which planned to purchase the former CVS building on East Main Street from the Nanticoke Redevelopment Authority for $300,000, pulled out of the deal three days before closing.

11/20/2005
Nanticoke Area Notes
By: Pamela Urbanski
Making the holiday brighter

Two area churches are doing their part to make sure that people who live in the Nanticoke area have a great meal and are not alone on Thanksgiving Day.
St. Francis Parish will hold its 22nd annual Thanksgiving dinner for people who are unable to provide for themselves, those who will be alone for the holiday or who are homebound on Thanksgiving Day. The dinner will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the parish center, East Green Street.
Anthony Volpicelli, once again, is heading up the group of volunteers who will cook, prepare and serve close to 400 dinners. He is glad to be a part of this tradition.
"I'm happy I'm able to give so many years. As long as my health holds up, I will keep cooking," said Volpicelli. "All of us who volunteer want to make sure that everyone has a dinner to eat on Thanksgiving Day."
He tells me it is also important that everyone has someone to share a meal with. "It really makes the holiday a little nicer." Sit-down dinners, as well as take-outs, are available.
For reservations or more information, call the parish center at 735-6903. Deadline to make a reservation is Tuesday.
At the First Presbyterian Church of Nanticoke, Main and Walnut Streets, church members are prepared to offer turkey and all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day. Dinner will be served at 1 p.m. This is the third annual dinner for anyone who would like to come together and enjoy the fellowship of others and, of course, a delicious meal.
"It is a way of giving back to the community," said church elder and volunteer Martha Price. "All of us who prepare, serve and clean up enjoy what we do."
For more information, call the church at 735-6449.
Both dinners are free to the public.
Spaghetti dinner in Glen Lyon
Looking for something to do today? Don't feel like cooking?
The New Life Committee of Corpus Christi Parish will hold its annual spaghetti dinner today from noon to 3 p.m. in the church hall, Main Street in Glen Lyon. Take-outs are available from 11 a.m. to noon. Containers will be provided. Cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children under 12.
Enjoy a Victorian tea
First Presbyterian Church, Main and Walnut Streets in Nanticoke is sponsoring a Victorian tea on Sunday, Dec. 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. Take a trip back in time to the Victorian era as the church will be decorated to reflect the time period. Refreshments include sandwiches, scones, desserts, tea and coffee. Tickets are $7 and must be purchased before the event by calling M. Price at 735-4043. No tickets will be available at the door. A craft sale, white elephant sale and Chinese auction also will be held in conjunction with the tea. You can enjoy tea and then shop or just shop till you drop.
A Christmas bread sale
Women's Catholic Council of Holy Trinity Church is sponsoring a Christmas bread sale. Delicious homemade poppy, nut, prune and apricot are available and orders must be received by Nov. 25. Call 735-7641 or 735-4978 to place your order. Order sheets also can be found at each entrance to the church.
A Mass for the young
The Rev. Jim Nash, pastor of Holy Trinity/Holy Child/St. Stanislaus Parish Community, invites area teens and young adults to celebrate a Mass geared toward their age group on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. in St. Stanislaus rectory. Following the Mass, refreshments and youth-centered activities will be held. All are welcome.

11/15/2005
To cafeteria workers, guards: Thanks for help at schools
Editor:
Wednesday, Nov. 16 is recognized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly as
"National Education Support Professionals Day"
This resolution cites the dedication of 40 percent of the education work force from kindergarten through 12th grade in carrying out their critical role in supplementing the work of teachers.
All year long educational support professionals keep schools running efficiently and effectively. This date is set aside to say "Thank You" for all their hard work, long hours, and dedication. National ESP day is the perfect opportunity to recognize and celebrate their contributions.
So, to all secretaries, cafeteria workers, aides, cleaning personnel, custodians, crossing guards, hall monitors and maintenance men, thank you for all you do.
It's a job well done.
James (J.D.) Verazin
President
Greater Nanticoke Area Educational Support Professionals

11/15/2005
Three projects move forward in Nanticoke
By: Elizabeth Skrapits

The sound of construction equipment echoed across Nanticoke City as three major projects got under way Monday.
Demolition began on three properties at 108-112, 116 and 120 E. Main St. for an as-yet undefined commercial development by the Nanticoke General Municipal Authority.
In another part of the city, infrastructure is being put in place for phase one of Lexington Village, which will consist of approximately 55 senior housing units on 12.5 acres on Kosciuszko Street near Luzerne County Community College.
And off Lower Broadway in the Honey Pot section of the city bordering Newport Township, progress is being made on the rail line and buildings at Whitney Pointe, a four-phase residential and commercial development.
"It just takes a while to get things going, but when they get going, you'll see some big changes," city Administrator Greg Gulick said. "It's really neat to see these all happening at once."
Sewer lines and fire hydrants are being installed at Lexington Village and the foundations will soon follow, Gulick said.
The project started late because Developer Dominick Ortolani was delayed when a contractor for the project sued him, but that has been settled, said state Rep. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke.
"Because of the delay, the project continues to evolve. They're focusing now on getting the housing units up," he said. The plan is to build some of the units by the beginning of next year.
When the first phase is complete, work will begin on the
second phase of Lexington Village, which includes a 66-bed Alzheimer's facility. It is expected to bring 75 jobs to the area.
The $12 million project is mainly privately financed, but state Sen. Ray Musto, D-Pittston, and Yudichak secured a $260,000 state grant for infrastructure.
Nearly $400,000 in state funding went to Whitney Pointe, toward reviving the existing Glen Lyon rail line. The rail line is part of a bigger line that runs from New York to Harrisburg. Most of Whitney Pointe is financed by Pollock Enterprises, whose principal Ken Pollock has invested more than $1 million in it already, Yudichak said.
Concrete is being poured for offices, and work on the rail line has been ongoing, Gulick said.
The former Dan Flood Industrial Park was vacant for 30 years until Pollock purchased it and began clearing 500 acres of former mine land. There will be 147 residences in Newport Township and 19 commercial units, mainly in Nanticoke. Creative Printing Services is set to move in, and other tenants are being lined up, Councilman John Bushko said.
The Nanticoke General Municipal Authority is having less luck with the East Main Street project, Bushko said.
"They're having conversations with potential tenants. As soon as something's committed, they'll figure out a design," he said. "But if they don't put the parkade in there, it's useless. You need parking downtown."
Nor has Impact Pennsylvania, the developer hired for the project, shown elected officials any concrete plans. The general idea is to get a tenant in and build to suit, Bushko said.

11/11/2005
Poverty rate high, GNA chiefs say
By Ian Campbell - Times Leader Correspondent

Criticism from a taxpayer group sparked protests of unfairness from several board members at the Greater Nanticoke Area School Board meeting Thursday.
Responding to charges that the board needed to keep a handle on costs, board members Kenny James, Jeff Kozlofsky and Pat Bieski said that the boards through the last nine years had done exactly that, bringing the district back from the brink of state takeover and into a well-managed operation.
In reply to charges from one member of the group that test scores were low, Middle School Principal Mike Pawlik and Superintendent Tony Perrone said results were tied to parental involvement, poverty rates and a variety of other issues.
“We have a 51-percent poverty rate in the district, and that impacts what we have to do,” Pawlik said.
In addition to education, the district also has to take care of breakfast for many students, and needs to provide afternoon tutoring in a number of subjects at a variety of levels. In some grade levels, the numbers of children getting reduced or free breakfasts is running near 65 percent, and children who are hungry can’t be expected to learn, he said.
Much of the funding for the tutoring and food comes from state and federal funds, he said after the meeting. The outside funds appear on the budget, but are not directly raised from the property taxpayers, so it gives a slightly unbalanced picture of district spending, he said.
A recent reading skills grant brought in $175,000. A request for a Grade 7 and Grade 8 reading intervention program is with the federal Department of Education, and if approved will generate $30,000 a year. Also, a $60,000 state economic development grant has been requested for supplemental education and incentives, which would be used for snacks prior to and after school tutoring programs.
The high levels of low-income students make those funding options available, Pawlik said, and it makes return of income eligibility forms all the more important.
“We have classes that go from 50 percent eligible one year to 35 percent the next, simply because the forms haven’t been returned,” he said.

11/06/2005
New program helping victims manage stress
By Nichole Dobo , Staff Writer

A local 48-year-old woman leans back in her chair, takes a breath and begins.
Her words slip between bright quips and somber anecdotes about a life "that nearly ended" and the Nanticoke program that helped save her.
A victim dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, the woman said she was spiraling out of control last year. In April, she joined a Nanticoke women's counseling group and the flood of emotions that once ruled her life became manageable.
"I had no place to turn," she said tousling her full hair, then smiling. "I have been absolutely amazed how this place helped turn my life around."
The program is an offshoot of Nanticoke-based Northeast Counseling Services. It helps local women manage symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The meetings are in locations known only to counselors and women who attend the meetings.
About 9 percent of people exposed to extreme trauma will develop some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a U.S. Surgeon General's report. About half of those cases find some relief within six months, according to the report.
For the remainder, symptoms - physical and emotional - can last forever.
There are a number of women in the area dealing with this syndrome, said Laura Wereschagin, director of the Directions post-traumatic stress program. Many are victims of rape, domestic abuse, death of a loved one or sexual abuse, she said.
A partnership three years ago between the Domestic Violence Service Center and Northeast Counseling Services helped form the post-traumatic stress counseling group. As the two foundations partnered up for cross-training, the instance of women in need of post-traumatic stress treatment shot up 2,000 percent, Wereschagin said.
Right now about 13 women are in the Nanticoke program, Wereschagin said. Of those 13, about two or three are living in a local domestic violence shelter.
"This is needed in our area," said Paula Tirano, director of the local Domestic Violence Service Center.
Women from the domestic violence shelter use the Nanticoke and Hazleton post-traumatic stress programs as a way to help heal, Tirano said.
Since the program's inception, Nanticoke-based Northeast Counseling Services has worked with the domestic violence counselors to identify women in need of post-traumatic stress counseling.
This has worked very well, said Howard M. Ogin, clinical director of hospital services for Northeast Counseling Services.
For one woman, this program is most effective because of the women-only environment and the professionalism of the staff.

11/4/2005
Rende: GNA didn’t force me to resign
Former part-time counselor and school board candidate responds to rumors he quit over wrongdoing.
By badams@leader.net

Greater Nanticoke Area School Board candidate Al Rende recently spoke out to clear up questions about his decision to resign from a part-time post as a counselor with the district.
Rende said he wanted to respond to scuttlebutt suggesting that he left because of alleged wrongdoing. He said he was not forced to resign his job at the district’s Family Center. “I’ve heard a ton of rumors,” Rende said. He expressed hope that voters will see through them.
Rende, 43, is aware of one rumor accusing him of taking something from the district. He said it is false and he would welcome an audit of the money he was given to use for center programs. Rende said an audit would show he appropriately used the money.
He is a certified addictions counselor and social worker who facilitated a student anger management group and fatherhood initiative in the district to get fathers more involved in their children’s lives.
District Superintendent Tony Perrone said he cannot discuss personnel matters.
Rende is one of eight candidates for five seats on the Greater Nanticoke Area School Board. Rende, Frank Vandermark and Sylvia Mizdail are on the Republican ballot. Mizdail, Bob Raineri, Jeff Kozlofski, Gary Smith and Cindy Davis Donlin are on the Democratic ballot. Delia Bracero is a write-in candidate.
Rende said he submitted his resignation on Oct. 26 because he needs to step back, refocus and determine who can best help people. Rende said he had become disillusioned in part with the district’s disciplinary practices and with the assistance students receive. Rende said everything he tried to initiate was met with lack of support, such as starting a Watch Dogs program to get fathers to volunteer in schools.
Rende said he had agreed with then-high school Principal Tom Kubasek last school year that alternatives to student out-of-school suspensions should be considered after a large number of students were suspended. The counselor said some people perceived Kubasek as being too lenient and wanted tougher discipline.
The district moved Kubasek from the high school to an elementary school principal position as of July 1 and named Maryann Jarolen as high school principal. No public reason has been given, but Kubasek has retained an attorney and the district has since admitted it was a demotion. A hearing is scheduled later this month to determine if the demotion was justified as Kubasek seeks reinstatement to the high school principal post.
He said he had approached the school board at a public meeting about problems in the district, not realizing that he should have first brought his concerns to the superintendent. “I was out of step,” Rende said.
Rende said that after he supported alternatives to suspension and spoke at the board meeting, the district “roadblocked” him in his efforts to help students at the Family Center. He said the district cited budgetary reasons last summer for decreasing his hours from 16 per week to eight, but Rende said he had no objection to that.

11/03/2005
Nanticoke mayor: No tax hike expected
By mbuffer@leader.net

City officials on Wednesday talked about reviewing next year’s budget but disclosed few details about budget proposals.
Mayor John Toole said city council members got copies of a preliminary draft of the budget this week and said property taxes should not increase. Employee health insurance costs are projected to increase by about 25 percent next year, Toole said.
Despite dramatic increases in health care costs in recent years, the city has avoided tax hikes by not replacing employees who retire, Toole said, noting that the number of city employees has dropped from 58 to 41 since he became mayor in 1998. This year’s budget is about $3 million, Toole said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, city Administrator Greg Gulick said the council needs to introduce a budget for a first reading at its Nov. 30 meeting.
Gulick suggested council members meet in a closed session to discuss labor issues connected to the budget.
City Solicitor Bernard Kotulak said the council could not discuss the budget in a closed session if they discussed “non personnel items,” but council members on Wednesday weren’t interested in meeting behind closed doors. Toole said the city needs to reach a new union contract with office personnel represented by Teamsters Local 401.
During the meeting, city officials discussed having a budget hearing to review budget line items, but they didn’t make a decision on how to review the budget. City officials also said the city will have to put Christmas wreaths on 60 streetlights this month because the South Valley Chamber of Commerce decided not to do it this year.

10/30/2005
Nanticoke official questions county's authority to take funding
By Elizabeth Skrapits Staff Writer

It took Nanticoke officials a while to figure out that what looked like a liability was actually a little windfall.
The cash-strapped city needs every penny of revenue to address mounting debt, tax collector Albert Wytoshek said.
So when the city received a 1999 delinquent tax check from the county controller's office for $5,978 instead of $8,261, Wytoshek wanted to know why.
He is worried auditors will question the amount when they arrive in two weeks for the annual tax office audit.
Luzerne County Controller Steve Flood said it is normal procedure to take money owed by municipalities out of checks issued to them. Nanticoke's auditors will note the deduction and make the appropriate adjustments, he said.
In April, the county treasurer's office found a list of checks from 1999, including one for $8,261 in delinquent taxes Nanticoke had never cashed.
"It was essentially found money - an uncashed check from 1999 that was about to be sent to the state," deputy controller Dave Murawski said.
Wytoshek had a reason to be concerned. His former assistant. Brenda Davis, pleaded guilty in October 2002 to stealing money.
It is estimated the Greater Nanticoke Area School District lost $101,509, the county $53,000 and the city $30,000.
Last year, Flood discovered Nanticoke officials had not applied to Ohio Casualty Group, for funds due because of the Davis case. It settled on $25,000, Flood said.
Part of the Aug. 17, 2004, agreement with Ohio Casualty Group required Nanticoke to pay $2,283 to the county The final release form was signed by Mayor John Toole in September 2004, but the money was not paid by the city.
In December 2004, attorney Harry Skene sent a letter to Nanticoke Solicitor Bernard Kotulak asking for the money
"We heard nothing. They basically ignored the request," Murawski said.
It should have been brought before council so a check could have been cut from the general fund, Wytoshek said.

10/30/2005
Spook-free fun reigns in parade
Nanticoke native organizes the event with local groups to provide some Halloween joy to area children.
By wprice@leader.net

Becky Seman says she feels as if children today don’t have a lot of good to look forward to with the negative elements facing them in society.
So with the help of others, the Nanticoke native and 21-year-old Luzerne County Community College student decided to put together a Halloween parade and costume contest to scare away any woes or worries kids might have. The event took place Saturday afternoon at Patriot Square and was enjoyed by kids, adults and even a few pooches.
“I love kids and I love where I live,” Seman said. “It makes me feel happy seeing kids smile. It helps take their minds off all the negative that’s going on in the world.”
Seman, who is a member of Civic Pride, an organization that keeps the park clean and maintained, came up with the idea for the parade a month ago.
She had help from the Crime Watch group, the drug task force and city officials.
“A lot more showed up than expected,” she said. “We ran out of candy bags.”
But the approximately 250 participants were soon compensated when council members John Bushko and Yvonne Bozinski saved the day by supplying more treats.
“We’re going to try and do this every year,” Bozinski said. “It was a real nice outcome.”
The councilwoman said she came as a hula dancer but had to change because of the cool fall weather.
Not only did children participate in the festivities, but adults also came dressed in Halloween garb.
Debbie Fields, who accompanied her 7-year-old daughter, came dressed as an American Indian.
The area woman moved here two years ago from Philadelphia and said she likes the small-town feeling of Nanticoke.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “There is no way they could set something like this up in Philly. They would have to provide 7 million gift bags.”
There were also a number of dogs dressed up by their owners. A pimped-out pooch, fairy dog and monster mutt were seen making their way through the large crowd.

10/28/2005
GNA admits principal was demoted
Tom Kubasek, formerly principal of the high school, contests his transfer to an elementary school.
By badams@leader.net

Former Greater Nanticoke Area High School Principal Tom Kubasek’s involuntary move to the elementary school caused a public outcry from some parents and students. Now, the district has conceded it was a demotion and not a transfer as it previously maintained.
Kubasek had served as high school principal for four years before he was moved to the principal’s position at K.M. Smith Elementary School. The school board in May replaced him with assistant high school Principal Maryann Jarolen.
“I will attempt to prove that the demotion was arbitrary and capricious and should result in his reinstatement,” said attorney Charles Coslett. Kubasek said the district’s admission that he was demoted after a hearing before the school board. That hearing will continue on Nov. 29 with Coslett continuing to represent Kubasek.
Coslett said the school board will decide the issue and he is not optimistic that it has the “intestinal fortitude” to say Kubasek’s demotion had no merit. The attorney is prepared to appeal the case to Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Gerald Zahorchak where Coslett said it will get an unbiased review.
He said the district belatedly responded to his request to explain why Kubasek was moved, but Coslett on Thursday did not want to disclose that reason.
School Board Solicitor Vito DeLuca said he is representing the district administration in the proceedings and attorney Ellis Katz of Bucks County is representing the board. DeLuca said he did not want to comment on the upcoming hearing. “I don’t think it would be fair to him or the process,” he said of Kubasek.
DeLuca said it was his decision that the district should concede that Kubasek was demoted. He said he made that decision because the principal had received a reduction in pay. The district had paid Kubasek a $1,000 stipend to serve as senior project adviser.
Superintendent Tony Perrone would not comment on the situation.
Parents had complained publicly at school board meetings after the board voted to move Kubasek to the elementary position.
Jarolen had said in August that her previous role as disciplinarian is the main reason behind some parents’ opposition.
“They lied to us and said it wasn’t a demotion,” parent Joanne Capece said Thursday. She said the district took Kubasek out of a position he loved and that the high school students loved him.
“He was tough on them, but he also understood them,” she said. Her two sons attend the high school.
“The school board has made a mockery out of (the) district,” Capece said.

10/27/2005
Nanticoke Road Projects face Uncertainty
By Elizabeth Skrapits Staff Writer

The city's state Liquid Fuels fund has run out of gas, but there's plenty of road to cover before the city's next check.
There is only about $85,000 left in the account, and the next check isn't due until April 2006, city Administrator Greg Gulick told council at Wednesday night's work session.
From the fund, $50,000 has to go to paving Lincoln Avenue, $36,000 to pay for street lighting until next spring, about $40,000 will be needed to buy road salt, plus there will be vehicles to repair and blacktop to purchase, Gulick said.
The city could get a $100,000 bank loan, to be paid off over five years, he said.
"I'm tired of every time we come up with something, going to the bank and borrowing," Mayor John Toole said, suggesting instead the city temporarily take the money from the sewer fund.
Council will have to decide how to make up the deficit at next week's meeting.
Liquid fuels money, which comes from gas taxes, is given by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to municipalities based on how many miles of roads they have. The money can
only be used for road-related expenses.
In other business, Councilman Joe Dougherty proposed passing a Megan's Law ordinance that would put restrictions on where convicted sex offenders can live in Nanticoke. They should be prohibited from living near schools, day care centers, and public facilities like recreation parks, Dougherty said.
Megan's Law, named after a 7-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered by a repeat offender, requires convicted sex offenders to be placed in statewide and nationwide registries.
Solicitor Bernard Kotulak, who was absent Wednesday, would have to determine if such an ordinance could be passed, and if so, write it up.
The ordinance could be unconstitutional, Toole said.
Seven municipalities, all apparently in Bucks County, already have Megan's Law ordinances, Dougherty argued.
The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority is increasing its fees from $130 to $160 per dwelling unit in Nanticoke, city clerk Michael Yurkowski said. Increased costs are being passed on to consumers throughout Luzerne County, not just Nanticoke, Gulick said.
Building permits are down 50 percent from last year, Toole said.

10/27/2005
#60 of the Citizens' Voice Top Athletes
For Boxing - Bill Speary

In the first round of thefirst fight of his boxing career, 40 miles from his Nanticoke home in a
strange armory in Tamaqua, Billy Speary was knocked down. He laughed, got up, won the bout by knockout and went on to stardom.
An 89-pound teenag er with a history of childhood illnesses, Speary walked into a converted Nanticoke firehouse and asked trainer Art Thomas to show him how to box.
By 1937, he had won an AAU national championship as a flyweight. He won the same honor in the bantamweight division the next two years.
By 1940, Speary had fought nearly 198 times as an amateur. He went 183-15, avenged each of his losses in a return bout and recorded more than 100 knockouts.
Speary wanted nothing more than to represent his country in the 1940 Olympics, but World War II stopped those dreams cold.
Undeterred, Speary turned professional and became one of the top-drawing fighters in the country.
He went 46-17-2 and fought several world champions. He beat featherweight titlist Harry Jeffra in a non-title fight in Wilkes-Barre in 1940 and twice battled champion Willie Pep to 10-round decisions.
Did you know?
Speary was the third fighter given the Edward J. Neil Memorial Award by New York boxing writers for contributions to the sport in 1940. Jack Dempsey won in 1938. Billy Conn won in 1939.
89 After retiring from the ring in 1944, Speary settled in the Lehigh Valley where he worked for Bethlehem Steel. Having struggled with heart problems his whole life, he died at age 49 in 1967. Amateur boxers were generally paid under the table in the 1930s. Speary bristled at the notion, but it was rumored that he earned as much as $20,000 during his final three years before turning pro.

10/25/2005
HealthNow completes move; Nanticoke building lacks new tenant
By Elizabeth Skrapits , Staff Writer

Movers were busy Saturday taking apart HealthNow's offices in the Kanjorski Center on Main Street in Nanticoke, and putting them back together in the Twin Stacks Center on Route 415 in Dallas Borough.
"The game plan was to move everything this weekend, so we would be fully functional and operating in full business mode this morning," HealthNow spokeswoman Karen Merkel-Liberatore said Monday.
Nanticoke General Municipal Authority, which owns the Kanjorski Center, does not yet have a replacement for the Binghamton, N.Y.-based healthcare claim processing company, its biggest tenant.
In addition, the authority has to find a new building manager. The current one, Bill O'Malley, terminated the contract his firm, Windham Corp., had with the municipal authority, effective Nov. 2 due to differences over compensation and insurance.
Last month, Municipal Authority solicitor Sue Maza sent a letter to William Wickis of HealthNow requesting $804,986 from the company by Sept. 12. The money was allegedly for operating costs, to return the building to its original condition, and to repay the authority for planning expenses rung up during a now abandoned proposal to expand the Kanjorski Center.
The letter stated if HealthNow did not pay, the lease would be terminated effective Oct. 31.
But Merkel-Liberatore said it was part of the company's relocation plan to be out by the end of October, anyway.
The company still has not paid up, so the authority retained a law firm to pursue the claims against HealthNow, Maza said.
O'Malley said he "could swear on a stack of Bibles there's no $800,000 in damages in there," but normal wear and tear on the building.
However, he noted the municipal authority will have to prepare the Kanjorski Center for a new tenant and make some standard repairs, which there is no money to do. The authority's coffers contain only about $40,000, he said.
The loss of two months' rent at $33,000 a month will be a blow to the authority, which has a $90,000 mortgage payment due to the county by the end of the year, O'Malley said.
He pointed out the municipal authority also needs money for an approximately $9 million project, a commercial and retail complex to be built on East Main Street.
"The municipal authority is aware of what's due and they are working on it," Maza said.
With HealthNow gone, there are 30,000 square feet vacant at the Kanjorski Center. The state Department of Labor and Industry occupies the remaining 4,500 square feet of the building, but as of Jan. 1, the department will be leasing on a quarterly basis so it can leave at any time, O'Malley said.
The municipal authority has not hired a real estate agent to market the Kanjorski Center, Maza said. Instead, it hopes to replace HealthNow through the developer for the East Main Street project, which will also need tenants.

10/17/2005
Nanticoke authority reviewing bids for asbestos removal
By Bill Androckitis Jr. Citizens' Voice Correspondent

Nanticoke Municipal Authority received several bids for asbestos removal at several authority-owned properties at a special meeting Saturday.
The authority recently acquired three buildings along East Main Street that will be demolished to make way for new retail and office space.
Datom Products, Dunmore, submitted the lowest bid of $15,923. PDG Inc., Drums, submitted a bid of $17,200, and Power Component Systems Inc., Harrisburg, had the highest bid at $23,887.
The authority also tentatively accepted contracts from Thomas R. Harley Architects for design services for renovations and expansion of the Kanjorski Center and construction of a new parking garage.
Board member Robert Bray noted that work will not start on the designs until a tenant is lined up for the building.
Karen Hazleton was hired to provide accounting services for 2006 at a cost of $900 per month.

10/13/2005
TIMES LEADER - OUR OPINION
Stealing school kids’ money not a class act

IT’S AWFUL WHEN money that was raised to help others is stolen.
But when the money was raised by kids? That’s even worse.

A thief or thieves broke into K.M. Smith Elementary School in Newport Township last week and ransacked parts of the building. They took a 75- to 100-pound safe that was in a locked room inside the school office area.
Principal Tom Kubasek said the safe contained about $800 that had been collected by kindergarten and first-grade students at the school during a program called “Kids for Kids.” They began collecting the money after Hurricane Katrina hit and continued through September.
“This came from their hearts,” Kubasek said.
This is the second time in recent months that money raised by children has been stolen. Last school year, about $2,000 was stolen from Heights-Martin L. Murray Elementary School. Sixth-graders had collected the money to defray the costs of their class trip and other school activities.
Unfortunately, it’s fairly common to hear about vandalism and thefts at our area schools. We’re not sure what the allure is – perhaps disgruntled students seeking revenge – but we wish it would stop.
How awful it must be for the children whose money has been stolen to have their faith be shaken at such a young age.
Our plea to those who stole money from K.M. Smith and the Heights elementary schools – give the money back. If the money’s gone, confess, and start making restitution.
A Heights parent said Wednesday that $1,000 of the missing money had been returned. That’s a great start. We hope that those who stole the money at K.M. Smith come forward soon. Mistakes are made.
But there’s still time to show these kids the power of an apology.

10/9/2005
GNA aids district damaged by Katrina
A concerned man helps the local school district adopt one in Mississippi.
By kamerman@leader.net

“I’m the type of guy … if I get an idea I run with it’
J.D. Verazin Leader of project

J.D. Verazin knows what it’s like to need help.
In the flood of 1972, as a member of the local National Guard, Verazin watched bodies and homes float down streets as he and others tried to restore conditions in Luzerne County.
Among the people from around the country that came to assist Verazin and others in the disaster relief was a group from Gulfport, Miss.
Now, Verazin, a custodian and Web master for the Greater Nanticoke Area School District, is spearheading an effort to get people in Mississippi back on track.
“I saw what a flood can do,” Verazin said, recalling how bodies from a local cemetery washed up.
(See Agnes of 1972 flood website)
After Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, Verazin said his sister brought up the idea of “adopting” a school.
“I’m the type of guy … if I get an idea I run with it.”
Verazin said he began researching areas that need help and eventually learned that two libraries and a computer area of a school in the Jones County School District in Ellisville, Miss. were destroyed. So, the Greater Nanticoke Area School District has decided to raise money for the school district.
About $475 has been raised.
“There is money coming from each of the five schools,” Verazin said.
He said only checks are being accepted and several school organizations are holding fund-raisers for the program.
He said some of the money that was stolen from K.M. Smith Elementary School in Newport Township Monday night or early Tuesday morning was earmarked for the program.
A safe containing about $800 in cash and checks was stolen from the school during the break-in. Also, parts of the school were ransacked. Police are investigating the burglary.

10/6/2005
New Nanticoke housing head introduced
By wprice@leader.net

Mayor John Toole announced the hiring of the new housing authority director at Wednesday’s council meeting.
Perry Clay, of the Philadelphia area, was formally introduced to the council and the public.
The authority oversees 419 housing units in six complexes throughout the city.
“I hope to serve residents with everything I can offer,” Clay said. He said he was looking forward to serving the city and is moving his family in shortly from the Philadelphia area.
“He’s a good person and will be an asset to the community,” Toole said. “Everyone seems to like him already.”
He replaced Edward M. Brosh, a housing authority commissioner and acting executive director.

In other news:
Toole asked for the city’s support and participation in the second annual Smith Health Care Parkinson’s Disease Walk-a-thon. Friend of the mayor Linda Jacoby, a sufferer of the disease, is organizing the event.
Smith Health Care, a nursing home where Jacoby resides, will sponsor the event.
The fund-raiser will be held on Oct. 23 at Smith Health Care Ltd., 452 S. Main Road, Mountaintop. Anyone interested in participating in the walk should register by 9 a.m. and should contact Jacoby at 868-5356. The walk begins at 10 a.m., rain or shine.
Don Perkoski, a member of the Nanticoke Crime Watch, applauded the police department. “They’re doing a fantastic job.”
He asked council members and the mayor to participate in the Dec. 1 Crime Watch meeting. Perkoski reminded residents that meetings take place the first of every month.

10/3/2005
Hearts heavy for Nanticoke church shuttered by fire
Members of St. John’s Lutheran find temporary quarters at St. John’s Slovak Lutheran. The pastor sees a return taking several weeks.
By kkazokas@leader.net

For the second consecutive week, some parishioners at St. John’s Lutheran Church worshipped in a not-as-familiar environment Sunday.
A fire Sept. 23 at the church on 231 State St. has for