times leader 09-29-2011

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WILKES-BARRE, PA THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 50timesleader.com

The Times Leader709185

$20 VOUCHERFOR ONLY$10

People selling class mementosas prices of gold on the rise

LIFE, 1C

Extra cash hasa nice ring to it

Tom Smith, a tea party leaderfrom Western Pennsylvania

NEWS, 3A

Gearing up totake on Casey

Nearly 29 years to the day that hegunned down 13 people, mass murdererGeorge Bankshas beengranteda reprievefrom his death sentence based on a stateSupreme Court ruling Wednesday thatdeemedhim to be incompetentto be exe-cuted.

The unanimous deci-

sion by the states highcourt leaves LuzerneCounty prosecutors on-ly one option an ap-peal to the U.S. Su-preme Court if they wish to continue theirdecades-long effort toput Banks to death forthe Sept. 25, 1982, ram-page in Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Town-ship that killed13people,includingfiveofhis own children.

Ina 32-pageopinion,the state SupremeCourt said evidence presented at Bankslast competency hearing one of threethat were held in April 2010 demon-stratesthatBanks does nothavea rationalunderstanding of the reason he is facingdeath.

The U.S.SupremeCourt has previouslyheld that rational understanding must be

present in order to execute a defendant.The courts decision upholds Luzerne

County Judge Joseph Augellos ruling is-sued in May 2010 that deemed Banks tobe incompetent for execution.

Former countyJudgeMichael Conahanhad previously twice reached the sameconclusion,but thosedecisionswerelatervacated on appeal.

Attorney Al Flora, who has handledBanks appealsfor decades, saidhe hopesprosecutorswill realize thelatest rulingisthe end of the line and not seek to appealthe case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Florasaidthe evidence presentedat thelast competency hearing was verystrong, noting that even Dr. Robert Sa-

High court:No deathfor BanksState Supreme Court grants mass

murderer reprieve from execution,

ruling hes too mentally ill.

ByTERRIEMORGAN-BESECKER

[email protected]

Banks

SeeBANKS, Page 2A

Northeastern Pennsylvaniacant catch a break.

For the third time in about amonth, severe weather led towidespreadstreet floodingandforced some Luzerne Countyresidents from their homes asheavy rains pelted the areaTuesday and Wednesday.

And the rainstorms couldcontinue intothe weekend.

Parts of But-ler Townshipnear Edge- wood in thePines golf club

wereevacu atedby boatWednesdaymorningas Ne-scopeck Creekoverflowed its

banks, covered roadways andinundated the course.

Partsof SleepyHollowRoad,St. Johns Road, Nesco ManorRoad, Deep Hollow Road andMill Mountain Road wereflooded, cutting off access toabout 20 homes, Butler Town-ship Manager SteveHahn said.Localized flooding also shutdown state Route 309 in both

S E V E R E W E A T H E R For third time in a month, storms cause flooding around Northeast Pa.

Flood-weary area drenched again

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Butler Townshipresident Bob Dinkelacker meandersalong MillMountain Road checkingon residentsproperties thatwere

inundated by flood waters from the Nescopeck Creek on Wednesday.

[email protected]

SeeFLOODING, Page 2A

The Susque-hanna ispredicted tocrest at 21.9feet onFriday morn-ing, just

below thenatural floodstage of 22feet.

R I V E RC R E S T

INSIDEA NEWS: Local 3A

Obituaries 2A, 6AEditorial 9A

B SPORTS: MLB 2BScoreboard 5BBusiness 9B

C LIFE: Birthdays 3CMovies/TV 4CCrossword 5CFunnies 6C

D CLASSIFIED

WEATHERKatie Quinn

More showers, warm.

High 72. Low 60.

Details, Page10B

liberatedfor about twohours be-

WILKES-BARRE A federaljury on Tuesdayruledagainst anarea woman who was seekingmore than$20 millionfromToysR Us for injuries she allegedlysuffered when an oversizedcandy dispenser fell and struck ry Elizabeth JordanFlickinger of

large M&M candy dispenser atthe chains flagship store in NewYork City dislodged as she at-tempted to dispense candy. Thedispenser struck her in the headand snapped her neck back, ac-cording to the lawsuit filed in2010.

The dispenser, part of thestores M&M Colorworks dis-play, is a rectangular tube at-tached vertically to a free-stand-ingcylinder. It stood several feetabovethe ground, accordingto aphoto included in court records.

Jury rejects area womans $20M injury suit against Toys R UsClarks Summit woman claimed

falling candy dispenser in NYC

caused severe injuries.

By TERRIE MORGAN-BESECKER

[email protected]

SUBMITTED PHOTO

This candy dis-

play at the ToysR Usin New York

was the subjectof a multimillion-

dollar lawsuit

filedby a womanwho alleged she

was injuredwhenoneof the rect-

angular tubesstruck her.

DALLAS TWP. Escalatingcosts anddeclining revenue havecombined to force radical chang-esin U.S.health care,andno localphysician or insurer is exempt, aconsultant told health care pro-fessionalsat MisericordiaUniver-

sity.Its notdoom andgloom, said

NathanS.Kaufman,managingdi-rectorof KaufmanStrategicAdvi-sors.Itsjust arithmetic.

Speaking Wednesday at a med-ical symposium sponsored byGeisinger Health System and Wyoming Valley Health Care,Kaufman rattled off sobering sta-tistics that, he argued, will forcedoctorsto take paycuts andpushhealthcare providersto integrateand streamlineservices.

Adrugsoldhereisthreetimes

more expensive than the samedrug sold in New Zealand wepay primary care physicians al-most twice as much as they arepaid in our peer countries wepay specialists almost twice asmuch.

And government pressure tocurbcostswill grow,with planstosavemoneyinMedicareandMed-icaid. Just three days ago Con-gress proposedto freeze primarycare physician payfor 10years, toreducespecialistpay by almost 6percent per year for three years,

and then freeze it for the remain-ingseven years.

Everygroupthatrelies on fed-eralfundingshouldexpecta 10to20percent drop infunding.

Thegovernmentandinsurancecompanies also are pushing forgreater accountability, launchingwebsites that allow a patient tosee how successful a doctor hasbeeninhisspecialty.Doctorswithhigher-than-average mortalityrates will have to make chang-

Cuts in health care inevitable, expert warns

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Nathan S. Kaufmanlectures Wednesdayon the future of health

careduringa Health Care Symposium at Misericordia University.

Kaufman Strategic Advisors

chief says industry wont

escape arithmetic.

ByMARKGUYDISH

[email protected]

See HEALTH, Page7A

SCRANTON A man serving alife sentence for the murder of aPlymouth man escaped from theLackawanna County Prison on Wednesday afternoon and wasquickly captured by Scranton po-lice.

Preliminary reports indicate in-mateMichaelSimonson, 34, scaled

a wall of theprison andcarjacked aPennsylvania American Water Co.vehicle whileholding a homemadeknife, said Scranton Police Capt.Carl Graziano. He punched PAWemployee Dave Hughes in the faceonce and took the vehicle.

The guy, in more or less words,told mehe brokeoutof prison, thatheneeded myvan,andwhen I toldhim No, I wasnt going to give itup, he punchedme in the face and

showed me like a little penknife,Hughes told WBRE-TV. At thatpoint, I unsnapped the seatbeltbuckle and willingly gave it up tohim.

Simonson thendrove into down-town Scranton and abandoned thevehicle after he crashed it into an-other car across from the Lacka- wanna County Courthouse onNorth Washington Avenue.

Scranton police chased him on

foot, andofficer KevinDavisappre-hendedSimonson inthe rear of the400 block of Spruce Street, Grazia-no said.

Charges will be filed jointly bythe Scranton Police Departmentand Lackawanna County detec-tives, but the investigation is toopreliminary to know what the ex-tentof thosechargeswould be,said

Killer briefly escapes Lackawanna prison

Simonson

ByRICHHOWELLS and

CHRISTOPHER J.HUGHES

For the Times Leader

SeeESCAPE,Page2A

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PAGE 2A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Airhart, MaryAufiero, Rocco

Bialko, John Sr.Cook, H. Harrison

Edwards, the Rev.James

Farris, RuthGoodstein, Arlene

McClernon, MichaelNagle, Maureen

Pellegrino, BettyJoan

Poslusney, JohnRegan, William

Rothenbecker, NancySilberstein, Dr. Ruth

Soltis, JosephThompson, Dorothy

Williams, Russell

OBITUARIES

Page 2A, 6A

BUILDING

TRUST

The Times Leader strives tocorrect errors, clarify storiesand update them promptly.Corrections will appear in thisspot. If you have informationto help us correct an inaccu-racy or cover an issue more

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Lottery officials said 58players matched four num-bers and won $314 each and2,467 players matched threenumbers and won $12.50each.

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Issue No. 2011-272

Scranton Police Chief Dan Duffy.Simonson pleaded guilty in Lu-

zerne County Court last year tokilling Donald Skiff of Plymouthin April 2009.

Hewassentenced tolifein pris-on without parole.

Hewasbeingheldat theLacka- wanna County Prison while heawaited trial on charges of at-tempted homicide for the beatingof inmate Nicholas Pinto in theLackawanna County Prison onAug. 8, 2010.

Simonson withdrew a previousguilty plea for attempted murderinJulyandis scheduledfortrialin

November.Lackawanna County DistrictAttorney Andy Jarbola said hewas told a nearbyresident sawSi-

monson jump a prison wall andimmediately called police.

Inmates have tried to escapefrom the prison by leaving workrelease or in other ways, but Jar-bola could not recall anyone everescapingin themannerSimonsonallegedly did.

Its concerningnot onlyfor meas D.A. and a member of the pris-on board, but to the general pub-lic. I dont know howit happenedyet. Im waiting to receive wordfrom the officials from the Lacka-wanna County jail as to how thishappened, Jarbola said at an af-ternoon press conference held inhis Scranton office.

Obviously, if thereis a problemthat canbe corrected soit doesnthappen again, Im sure the newwardenwill takeall measuresthat

are necessary.Jarbola said the incident oc-curred only an hour after thecounty prison board held its

monthly meeting at the facility.Meetings are more commonly

heldat the county administrationbuilding at 200 Adams Ave.,Scranton.

He said he will suggest that Si-monson be sent to another facil-ity, possibly the nearby statefacil-ity in Chase, and the inmate willprobably be placed in isolation toprevent further incidents.

You justcant climbover thosewalls. Ivebeenin theprison yard.Ive been through there. I justdont know which wall he wentover.

Lackawanna County Commu-nications Director Lynne She-dlock offered a brief statement:An investigation into the Mi-chael Simonsonescapeis current-ly under way. He is back in custo-

dy andposes nothreat to thegen-eral public. We will have no fur-ther comment at this time untilthe investigation is concluded.

ESCAPEContinued from Page1A

directions in the township for

several hours Wednesday morn-ing.

Overflow from the Twin Lakesflooded part of Harveys Lakealong Carpenter Road on Wednesday night, and the Lu-zerne County Emergency Man-agement Agency corrected a re-port thata damatoneofthelakesbreached.

It is doing exactly what it issupposed to do, said Steve Be-kanich, countyEMA coordinator,after inspecting the dam at thepondbelowthelargerlakethatal-so has a dam.

A flood warning from a poten-tial dam break was issuedWednesday night for a portion ofthe borough, but was later calledoff. Bekanich said the warning was based on information fromsomeone on the scene and madein the interest of public safetyand life safety. We all know whatwater can do.

The lakes are on the 110-acreproperty ownedby R.N.FitchandSons, saidDrewFitch. Thedamsareinspectedby thestateDepart-ment of Environmental Protec-tion, he said.

A similar overflow occurred in2006,said Fitch.Ithinktheback-to-back rain is what did this, headded.

Rains fell heavily Tuesdaynight and Wednesday morning.TheNational WeatherService re-corded 2.37 inches of rainfall on Tuesday at the Wilkes-Barre/

Scranton International Airport,butisolated areas received more. The Hazleton area received atleast 3.4 inches of rain on Tues-day, with showers continuing

Wednesday.More rain could make 2011 the

wettest year on record for the ar-ea.Morethan49 inches, thethirdmost since records have beenkept,has been recordedat theair-port since Jan. 1. The record is53.72 inches, recorded in 1948.

Water rescue crews from theHanover Township Fire Depart-ment and Germania Hose Com-pany transported about 15 resi-dents and atleast five petsto dryground in Butler Township.

The American Red Cross setup a shelter for Wednesday morn-ing in the Butler Township Com-munity Center. John Kyle, theRed Crosss Emergency ServicesManager for Luzerne County,said about 20 residents had stop-pedby theshelter by Wednesdayafternoon.

The National Weather Serviceis callingfor showers to continuethrough Saturday morning, theproduct of a low pressure systemthathasstayedput over theGreatLakes since last weekend.

The flood waters drew withinthreeyardsof thebasementdoorsto Henry Deisenroths home onSleepy HollowRoad,and thesat-

uratedground aroundits founda-tion filled his basement withseepage flooding.

He said the creek also rosewhen tropical storms Irene and

Lee struck the region earlier thissummer, butthis is theclosest itscome to flooding his basementsince 2006.

Deisenroths homeis on higherground than many of his neigh-bors, whose homes he could see

half submerged from his back yard. He said he had not beenevacuated, but was moving lum-ber and other items to higherground Wednesday afternoon,just in case.

The rainfall added aggravationforarea residentsaffected by ear-lier flooding.

Near Solomon Creek in South Wilkes-Barre, where residentshave been evacuated twice thissummer, Department of PublicWorks crews shut theflood gateson four bridges Tuesday night.

At noon Wednesday they reo-pened the bridge on BarneyStreet to allow access to theneighborhood, but kept the re-maining three bridge gates shutas a precautionary measure.

City spokesman DrewMcLaughlin said the creek roseto 8 feet Wednesday morning.The creek walls protect up to 14feet. No evacuations were or-dered.

On Wednesday evening, a carcrashed into the flood gate onSouth Franklin Street and dam-aged it. Bob Thomas, who livesnear thebridge,saidhe called911toreportthe crashandwentto as-sist the elderly driver. He reallydidnt get hurt. The airbag wentoff, said Thomas. There are nosigns posted to alert drivers thatthe gates are in place, said Tho-mas.They needreflectorson thebridge, he added.

In flood-weary West Pittston,

Mayor Tony Denisco said stormdrains clogged with flood mudagain spilled over, causing road- way and basement flooding onExeter Avenue, Lacoe Street and

York Avenue.Denisco said public works

crews workedthroughoutthe dayto clear the catch basins, but as

flood victimscontinueto depositmudscrapedfromtheirhomesintheir yards, that mud ends up inthe storm drains when it rains.

Mother Natures not cutting

us a break at all, Denisco saidWednesday. Even today, its call-ing for more heavy rain later ontonight.But wereout thereclean-

ing out the catch basins trying tostay on top of it.

Jerry Lynott, a staff writer forThe TimesLeader,contributed tothis story.

FLOODINGContinued from Page1A

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

A carcrashed into theflood gate on South Franklin Streetanddamagedit Wednesdaynight.

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency CoordinatorSteve Bekanich, center, explained to RonFitch, secondfrom right,and DrewFitch, right, what led tothe false report of a breacheddam on the Fitch property in HarveysLake.

The National Weather Service ispredicting additional rain couldaffect the area through this week-end. The forecast today and to-morrow is as follows:Thursday: 70 percent chance of

showers, high of 71 FThursday night: 40 percentchance of showers, low of 53 FFriday: 40 percent chance ofshowers, high of 65 FFriday night: 40 percent chance ofshowers, low of 47 F

M O R E R A I N P O S S I B L E

Dr. Ruth Grun Silberstein, 90, ofPortland, Ore., died Saturday,

September 24, 2011, at her home.Born April 6, 1921, she was a nativeof theWyomingValleyand a daugh-terof thelateOswaldA.and RuthE.McGinley Grun, and step-daughterof the late John Wilton.

A 1939 graduate of Meyers HighSchool, Ruth earned her bachelorsdegree from Wellesley in 1943 and

Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr in 1952.Ruth served in the U.S. Map Ser-

vice duringWorldWarIIas acartog-rapher. Inthe fallof1945,shejoinedthe Red Cross and was stationed inJapan to support the 11th AirborneDivision of the U.S. Occupation Ar-my. She later became a professor inthe field of 17th-century British his-tory and taught at colleges in Bing-hamton, N.Y., Harrisonburg, Va.,Greensboro, N.C., Lexington, Ky.,and at Wilkes University.

Ruth married Dr. Gerard. E. Sil-berstein in 1961 in Cambridge,Mass.,and thecouplesettledinLex-ington, Ky., for the next four dec-ades.

Ruth is survivedby herdaughter,

Dr.MarianE. Silberstein, ofHillsbo-ro, Ore.; and two first cousins, Nan-cy Jane McGinley Dupuy of Man-hattan, N.Y., and Dell McGinley Si-meone of Westfield, N.J.

Celebration of Ruths Lifewill be held from 10 a.m. to 1

p.m. Saturday at McLaughlins,142S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre.Graveside services at Saint MarysCemetery in Hanover Township will follow.

Permanent messages andmemo-ries can be shared with Ruths fam-ily at www.celebrateherlife.com.

Dr. Ruth Grun SilbersteinSeptember 24, 2011

William G. Regan, of Mayflower

Crossing, Wilkes-Barre, diedWednesday, September 28, 2011, inthe Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

Born June 30, 1931, in Wilkes-Barre, he was a son of the late Wil-

liam and Margaret Schappert Re-gan.

William wasa former managerofthe Williamsport Village Apart-ments and also Mayflower Apart-

ments, Wilkes-Barre. He was cur-rentlyan attendant atthe BlackmanStreet Laundromat, Wilkes-Barre.

Hewasa memberof St.Nicholas

Church, Wilkes-Barre.Surviving are his daughter, Kim-

berlyRegan,Nanticoke;brothersJe-rome, of Wilkes-Barre; Thomas, of

Edwardsville, and Martin, of Wilkes-Barre; sisters, MargaretAdams of Mountain Top, PatriciaDonnelly of Wilkes-Barre, and Mar-ian Smith of Bear Creek; as well asseveral nieces and nephews.

Williamwas precededin deathby

his wife, Mary Ann Regan, andbrothers Joseph, Robert, Donaldand Charles Regan.

A Mass of Christian Burialwill

be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in St.Nicholas Church, Wilkes-Barre. In-termentwill be in WildwoodCeme-tery,Williamsport.Friends maycallfrom5 to7 p.m. Friday atthe Mam-ary-Durkin Funeral Service, 59 Par-rish Street, Wilkes-Barre.

William G. ReganSeptember 28, 2011

John T. Bialko Sr., 67, a resi-dent of C ra gle Hill Roa d,

Shickshinny, passed away at hishome Monday, September 26,2011.

He was born April 5, 1945, inNanticoke, a son of the late Vic-tor and Rose Conti Bialko.

John was employed for many

Shickshinny; two grandchildren,Reilly and Regan Bialko, Shick-shinny; and a brother, CharlesBialko, Nanticoke.

Funeral service will be heldat 11 a.m. Saturday at the ClarkePiatt Funeral Home Inc., 6 Sun-set Lake Road, Hunlock Creek.Pastor John Recene will offici-

John T. Bialko Sr.September 26, 2011

doff, the psychiatrist who initial-ly testified against Banks at histrial for the murders, now agreesheis toomentallyill tobe execut-ed.Thatcarries a lotof weight,Flora said.

County District Attorney Jac-queline Musto Carroll said shecould not say whether she willseek anyfurther appealsuntilshehashadan opportunityto fully re-view the courts decision

go from here, she said.Psychiatric experts for the

prosecution and defense haveagreed that Banks is severelymentally ill and that he, for themost part, has a factual under-standing of why he was sen-tenced to death. But the law alsorequires that understanding berational.

In its opinion, the SupremeCourt cited the testimony of sev-eral of the psychiatric experts, who said Banks did not believehis incarceration and death sen-tence were related to the mur-

alty andthereasonsforit, asa re-sult of his mental illness, Banksdoes not have a rational under-standing, the court said.

The court said its ruling is notmeant to diminish the enormi-ty of Banks crimes, but the evi-dence clearly supported Augel-los finding that Banks is incom-petent to be executed.

It appears Banks is in a differ-ent place mentally than he wasnearly30 yearsagowhen hecom-mittedhis crimes. Perhaps thatdeterioration provides some sol-ace to Banks, even though it pro-

BANKSContinued from Page1A

Detours around Hotel Sterling set up


Barriers areput up on Market St. around the former Hotel Sterling in Wilkes-Barre onWednesday to detour traffic around the damaged building. Northbound traffic on River St.is being detoured to W. Northampton St. Also closed are the two westbound lanes of W.Market St. between Franklin and River streets. Traffic that turns off Public Square onto W.Market St. toward the Market Street Bridge must detour onto N. Franklin St. Northboundtraffic on S. Franklin St. is slow moving, as two lanes merge as traffic crosses Market St.because of construction barriers in the left lane in the first block of N. Franklin St.

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 PAGE 3A

LOCAL

timesleader.com

WILKES-BARRE

Chalk fest postponed againHeavy rains anda risingSusquehanna

River have again pushedback theChil-drens Chalk Festival planned for thisweekendat TheRiver Common. Thefestival hasbeen postponeduntilSat-urday, Oct. 8,11a.m. to 3 p.m.

WILKES-BARRE

PFA against LAG ownerA Trucksville woman filed a protection-

from-abuse orderagainst theowner ofLAG Transport, alleging a history ofviolence between the former couple.

ThePFA, filed by Marti Calpin, 32,against Wilkes-Barre tower Leo Glodzik,III, 40, cites a recent incident in whichGlodzik allegedly assaulted her andslashed her cars tire.

The temporary PFAwas granted by countyJudge David Lupas.Ahearing is scheduledforOct. 6.

According to courtpapers, Calpincited thereasons for herfiling,includingthe Sept. 23incident at herCarverton Road homewhere Glodzik was charged with harass-ment andcriminal mischief, as well asanother case in which Glodzik is awaitingtrial in thealleged assault of a policeofficer investigating a disturbance withCalpinin September 2010.

In thePFA filing, Calpinsaid Glodzikassaultedher on two other occasions, onMarch12, 2011,and in August 2009.

PLYMOUTH TWP.

Session for flood victimsSupervisors are hosting an information-

al session for township flood victims at 5p.m. today in thetownship municipalbuilding, 925 W.Main St. Representativesfrom theFEMA andstate andfederalofficials will address flood-related issues.

WILKES-BARRE

Penn Plaza gets Save-A-LotDiscount grocery store Save-A-Lot will

be thecenterpiece of the$2 million face-lift project at Penn Plaza,South Main

Street.In May, developers said they were

waiting to get a lease signedfor thestore.Michael Kon,property manager for C.V.Limited, the development company thatownsthe plaza,saida lease has beensignedwith thechain to move into theshopping center that once housedanAcme Market.

DURYEA

Clothes for flood victimsTheIndependentBible Churchof

Duryea, cornerof Main and StephensonStreets, Duryea, has free clothing forflood victims. Theclothingis located inthechurch basement accessed from Ste-phenson Street.

Thechurch will be open today and

Friday from9 a.m.until 5 p.m., and onSaturday from 9 a.m.until 3 p.m.

WILKES-BARRE

Flu vaccinations are setThecity HealthDepartment setthe

schedule for the 2011 flu vaccinationclinics, which arefree to allcity residents.Allfree clinics will be at theKirby HealthCenter, 71N. Franklin St.

Two drive-through clinics are set Fri-day between 4:30 and 8 p.m.and Sat-urday between10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The city will alsooffer fluclinics onthefollowing datesand times: Monday,10a.m.-1p.m.;Oct. 7,1-4p.m.;Oct.13,3 -7p.m.; Oct.14,10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Oct.17,1- 4p.m.; Oct. 21, 1-4 p.m.; Oct. 24, 4- 8 p.m.;Nov. 4, 2-4 p.m. Allresidents must bring

proof of residency. Formore information,contact the Wilkes-Barre City HealthDepartment at 570-208-4268.

WILKES-BARRE

Clothing drive/swap setThe Coughlin Girls SoccerBooster

Club is holding a clothing drive/swapmeet to benefit any personor familyaffected by therecent flooding.

Gentlyused or newclothing, shoes,boots, coat, blanket, towel donations candropped it off at theSenior CitizensCenterin thePlains Fire Hall on SecondStreet, Friday,5 to 7 p.m. or Saturday,noon until 2 p.m.

Theclothingswap meet will be Sat-urday, 2 to5 p.m.and Sunday, 11 to1 p.m.

Left over items will then be donated to

I N B R I E F

Glodzik

SCRANTON TomSmith,a teapartyleader from Western Pennsylvania, has joined a growing field of GOP candi-dates hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. BobCasey next year.

Smith, 63, of Armstrong County,starteda two-day swing throughoutthestate on Tuesday with stops in Pitts-burgh, Middletown and Philadelphia.

On Wednesday, he began the day at theLackawannaCoal Mineat McDadeParkin Scranton.

Thelocation is symbolic in twoways.First, Smith is a former coal miner

who eventually started his own coalfirm in 1989. He sold his companies --which mined 1 million tons of coal peryear andemployed more than100-- lastyearto RosebudMining Co.Second, thestop wasin Caseys hometown of Scran-ton.

While he spoke of hisfrustrations with the waythe nations finances arebeinghandled bythoseinWashington and with hisplans tochange themind-setin thenationscapital,he took aim at Casey,who often touts himselfas a conservative Demo-crat.

Smith, who is married to Saundy, hiswife of 43 years, criticized Caseys sup-portof the2008 WallStreet bailout, the2009 federal stimulus and the 2010health care reform act.

After hisstopin Scranton,Smith flewto Johnstown and then to Erie forevents before returning to his familys400-acre working farm near Eldertonfor a rally. The father of seven andgrandfatherof eighttold thosegatheredthat he wasa registered Democrat until

earlier this year.Hemadetheswitch, not torunfor of-

fice, but because he was always a con-servative and he became disillusionedwith theDemocraticParty. Heformedagroupcalledthe Indiana-ArmstrongTeaParty Patriots group in 2009and servedas chairman until a few months ago.

Smith emphasized his background inbusiness andagriculture. He also point-ed out he is not a professional politic-

ian.CaseysspokesmanLarry Smar de-clined to comment on Smiths state-ments.

Right now, Bob Casey is focused oncreating jobs, providing flood relief toPennsylvania families and businessesand fighting unfair trade practices thatare sending Pennsylvania jobs overseas.Hewill bepreparedto runa strongcam-paign that highlights his record of al-waysputting the interests of Pennsylva-nia first.

U . S . S E N A T E R A C E Tom Smith, a businessman from Western Pa., lists conservative views

Tea party leader challenges CaseyByANDREWM. SEDER

[email protected]

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Republican Tom Smith at the Anthra-

cite Heritage Museum.

For an ex-tendedversion, visitwww.timesleader.com

Luzerne County prison and humanservicedepartment employees will startusing the countys new time clocks thisweekend, county officials said.

Training went very well, and we areready, said county CommissionerChairwoman Maryanne Petrilla. Natu-rally, weare expecting someglitchesandwill deal with them as problems comeup.

Other employees will begin using thesystem in early December, she said.

Roughly 1,000 em-ployees are in the firstgroup includingabout300 atthe prisonand 600 in the humanservices, drug-and-al-cohol, aging, childrenand youth and mentalhealth/mental retar-dation departments,

Petrilla said.Employees will enter a four-digit per-

sonalcodeand inserta fingerintoa scan-ning device to clock in and out of work.

Some employees will enter their per-sonal codes through computers if they

are frequently on the road or work insmall satellite offices that wont beequipped withtime clocks, officialssaid.

County Controller Walter Griffith isconcerned that too many workers andmanagers will be permitted to entertheir time on computers, ratherthan us-ing the scanning devices.

Griffithsaid hewill presscommission-ers to publicly approve a list of employ-eeswhowill beclockingin bycomputer,in part because there may be an in-creased cost for web licenses.

I think the time clock system itself isgood, but we want to make sure thattheres no ability for people to work thesystem, he said.

Commissioners have instructed man-agers to limit computer entries to thebare minimum, but some will be un-avoidable, Petrilla said.

We do have people who work in thefield a lot, she said.

Thecounty purchasedthe timeclocksandsoftwarefor $233,405from Chelms-ford, Mass.-based Kronos Inc. Another$273,765 and a $5,000 monthly fee arebeing paid to Minnesota-based ACS En-terpriseSolutionsInc. to implement andmaintain the system.

Commissioners have stressed that allemployees must clock in or enter theirhoursthroughcomputers to receive pay-checks because the new time clock sys-tem will be tied to payroll.

CountyCourtof CommonPleasPresi-dent JudgeThomasBurkesaid Wednes-day he has not determined if employeesin court branches will use the timeclocks because the courts are a separategovernment branch. Burke said he is

County will

start usingtime clocksAbout 1,000 county workers will

begin to use the system this

weekend, officials say.

JENNIFER LEARN-ANDES

[email protected]

Petrilla

WILKES-BARRE A homicide sus-pect will be assigned a lawyer after hisprivate attorney withdrew from hiscase Wednesday, citing he hadnt beenpaidfor hisservices.

Luzerne County Judge Tina Pola-chekGartleygrantedtherequest,madeby Philadelphia-based attorney Nicho-las Fausto, who had represented Izel Walter Garrett in previous court ap-pearances.

Garrett,19, ischargedwith homicideand other related charges after policesaid he fired a .38-caliber handgun at

His brother, Isiah Jesse Garrett, 22,also of Mechanicsburg, and their cou-sin,TyrekSmith,25,ofHarrisburg,alsoface similarchargesin LuzerneCountyCourt.

The three men pleaded not guilty tothe charges at a June formal arraign-ment, and are tentatively scheduled tostandtrial in December.

IncourtpapersfiledbyFaustorecent-

ily members would be able to pay a re-tainerand costsassociatedin thecase.

Fausto said that, to date, he has notreceived any payment. Polachek Gar-tley saidGarrettwillbe assigned a pub-lic defender.

Isiah Jesse Garrett is represented byPhiladelphia-based attorney RobertMozenter. Smith is represented by at-torney Royce Leon Morris of Harris-

Citing non-payment, attorney drops client in homicide caseBy SHEENADELAZIO

[email protected], 19, is charged with homicide and other related charges after police

said he fired a .38-caliber handgun at Abdul Shabazz, 30, of Hazleton, inside

an apartment on North Third Street in West Hazleton on Dec. 6, 2010.

HARRISBURG The Federal Emer-gency Management Agency has begunmoving mobile homes officiallytermed temporary housing units into Pennsylvania for flood victims whose homes are uninhabitable andwho cant find a home or apartment torent.

FEMA spokesman Mike Sweet saidon Wednesday that15 temporary hous-ing units were on display Tuesday inHarrisburg for tours by state officials.

dishes and silverware,

Sweet said, addingmopsand broomsare al-so provided.

If theapplicant knowsof a commercial site inthe area where a trailercould be placed or if itcan be placed on theproperty of a family orfriend, thats acceptable

if electrical,water and sewagehookupsare available. If not, FEMA would ei-ther find a site or construct one thatwould accommodate multiple units.

THUs cannot be placed in a floodplain. So if someones home was dam-aged by flooding, a trailer cannot beplaced on the property, Sweet said.

Where theyre going, I dont have

that information yet, Sweet said, add-ingthat applicants for rentalassistancehave been telling FEMA officials thattheres an incredible lack of rental re-sources in the areas where they are.He didnt have specifics on those loca-tions.

Sweet said any flood victim regis-tered with FEMA who qualifies forrental assistance should qualify for atemporary housing unit, or THU, ifthey cant find a rental unit. TheyshouldcallFEMAat (800) 621-3362,or TTY (800) 462-7585 for the hearingimpaired.

TheTHUsare34 by12feet,withtwobedrooms to accommodate a family offour. They come furnished. The kitch-en has a living kit with pots, pans,

FEMA readies temp housingThe federal agency is moving

mobile homes into the state for

use by flood victims.

By STEVEMOCARSKY

[email protected]

Find links toFEMA vid-eos of thetrailers atwww.timesleader.com.

Sending a message to Congressman Barletta


Members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees urge U.S. Rep. Lou Bar-letta, R-Hazleton, to support the American Jobs Act introduced earlier this month by President BarackObama. Eugene Powell joined a dozen other people at the intersection of South Church and Broadstreets on Wednesday for the protest near Barlettas office. Sean Kelly, a spokesman for Barletta, said,The bill was introduced last week. There are zero cosponsors and we will review the bill.

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PAGE 4A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

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One-fifth of Medicare nursinghome patients with advancedAlzheimers or other dementias were sent to hospitals or othernursing homes for questionablereasons in their final months, of-tenenduringtubefeeding andin-tensive care that prolonged theirdemise, a new study found.

Nursing homes mayfeelhospi-talcare is warrantedwhen a frail,elderly patient develops swallow-ingproblems, pneumoniaor a se-rious infection, but researcherssuspect a different motive formanytransfers: money. Medicarepays about three times the nor-mal daily rate for nursing homesto take patients back after a briefhospitalization.

I think thats unfortunately afactor in whats happening here,said Dr. Joan Teno, a palliativecare physician and health policyprofessorat Brown University. Alot of this care just feels like in

and out, in and out. You reallyhave to question, is the healthcare system doing a good job ornot.

She is a co-author of the study,published in todays New En-gland Journal of Medicine anddone with researchers from Har-vard University and DartmouthMedical School.

Among the nearly 475,000 pa-tients studied, 19 percent weremoved for questionable reasons. The study provided no evidencethatmoney motivatedsuch trans-fersor thatthere waswrongdoinginvolved.However, thelarge vari-ation that researchers saw fromstate to state suggests moneymay be playing a role.

Rates of such transfers variedfrom 2 percent in Alaska to morethan 37 percent in Louisiana.

Dementia patients

treatment probedStudy shows money may bereason for prolonged care of

dying Alzheimers patients.

ByMARILYNNMARCHIONE

AP Medical Writer

have started to withdraw sometroops from the nearly decade-long Afghan war, saying theyhave made progress in tamingthe Taliban insurgency by rout-ing their strongholds in thesouth. But the Taliban has hitback with several high-profileat-tacks in the capital and assassi-nations of government officials

KABUL, Afghanistan Gun-men killed eight policemen atcheckpoint in southern Afghan-istan on Wednesday, while theUnited Nations said the averagenumber of armed clashes, road-side bombings and other vio-lence in the country each monthis running 39 percent higher in2011 compared to last year.

In addition, NATO said thatthree international troops havebeen killed in a roadside bomb-ing in eastern Afghanistan onWednesday.

NATOdid notrelease anyoth-er details of their deaths.

So far this year, 124 interna-tional troops have been killed inAfghanistan.

The U.S. and other nations

and key senior figures that hasraised questions about how sol-id a gripthe Afghangovernmentand its Western allies have onsecurity and whether the Af-ghan forces can ever secure thenation by themselves.

In its quarterly report on Af-ghanistan released Wednesday,the U.N. said that as of the end

of August, the average monthlynumber of incidents stood at2,108, up 39 percent over the

same period a year earlier. The report also said that

while the number of suicide at-tacks remained steady, insur-gents were conducting morecomplex suicide operations in- volving multiple bombers andgunmen. It said that on average,threecomplexattacks havebeencarriedout each month this year a 50 percent increase com-pared with the same period lastyear.

The ambush on the policecheckpoint took place nearLashkar Gah, the capital of Hel-mand province. The city is oneof seven areas of Afghanistan where Afghan security forceshave started taking over fromU.S.-led coalition forces.

Gen. Nabi Jan Mullahkhail,deputy regional commander inthe south, said three policemenalso were wounded in the pre-dawn attack.

Gunmen kill eight Afghan policemen at security checkpoint

APPHOTO

Afghans hold portraits of a former Afghan president who was

killed last week as they shout anti-government slogans Tuesday.

U.N. says violent incidents

each month are 39 percent

higher this year than last.

ByRAHIMFAIEZ

Associated Press

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PAGE 6A THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com O B I T U A R I E S

TheTimes Leader publishesfree obituaries, which have a27-line limit, and paidobituaries,whichcanrun with a photo-graph.A funeralhome repre-sentative cancall theobituarydeskat (570) 829-7224, sendafaxto (570) 829-5537or e-mailto [email protected]. Ifyou fax ore-mail, pleasecalltoconfirm. Obituaries must besubmitted by 9 p.m.Sundaythrough Thursday and 7:30 p.m.Friday and Saturday. Obituariesmust besentby a funeral homeor crematory, or must namewhois handlingarrangements, withaddress andphone number. Wediscourage handwritten notices;they incur a $15 typingfee.

O B I T U A RY P O L I C Y

In Loving Memory Of

Allen Itchy Stratton

Happy Birthdayin Heaven

September 29Entered Heaven:

June 3, 2011

Your Loving Wife, Nina;Daughters Ninaleigh Leah Marie; Son

God saw you getting tiredAnd a cure was not to be.

So He put his arms around youAnd whispered Come to Me.

With tearful eyes we watched you,And saw you pass away.

Although we loved you dearly,We could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,Hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,He only takes the best.

Always in our hearts and on

our minds.

In Loving Memory OfRita Ann BatorWho passed away 2 years ago

1/28/33 - 9/29/09

No one knows how much I miss you,No one knows the bitter painI have suffered since I lost you,Life has never been the same.In my heart your memory lingers,Sweetly, tenderly, fond and trueThere is not a day, dear mom

BRASBY Evelyn, funeral noonSaturday at the Mt. Zion BaptistChurch, 105 Hill St., Wilkes-Barre.Visitation 10 a.m. until time ofservice.

CERULLI Eleanor, funeral 9 a.m.Friday from the Howell-Lussi

Funeral Home, 509 Wyoming Ave.,West Pittston. Mass of ChristianBurial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Anthonyof Padua Church, Exeter. Visitationat the funeral home 6 to 8 p.m.today.

EVANS Donald, funeral 7 p.m.today in the Metcalfe and ShaverFuneral Home Inc., 504 WyomingAve., Wyoming. Visitation 4 to 7p.m. today at the funeral home.

GIDDINGS Susan, funeral 10:30a.m. today from the McCuneFuneral Home, 80 S. MountainBlvd., Mountain Top. Servicesfollow in St. Pauls LutheranChurch, Mountain Top.

KOVALESKI Bernard Sr., memorialmass 9 a.m. Saturday in Ss. Peter& Paul Catholic Church, 13 HudsonSt., Plains Township.

LEONARD William Jr., memorialservice 7 p.m. today in the John V.Morris Funeral Home, 625 N. MainSt., Wilkes-Barre. Visitation 6 p.m.until the time of services.

MCNEELY Barbara, memorialservice 1 p.m. Saturday in the NeboBaptist Church, 75 Prospect St.,Nanticoke.

OLINITS Marie, funeral 10:30 a.m.

Friday from the E. Blake CollinsFuneral Home, 159 George Ave.,Wilkes-Barre. Mass of ChristianBurial at 11a.m. in St. BenedictsChurch, Wilkes-Barre. Visitation 5to 8 p.m. today.

PAGNOTTI Joseph, funeral10 a.m.today in the Prince of Peace Par-ish, St. Marys Church, Old Forge.

RIHAN Joan, Mass of ChristianBurial 10:30 a.m. today at theBlessed Sacrament Chapel atMercy Center, Dallas. Visitation8:45 to 9:45 a.m. at the KopickiFuneral Home, 263 Zerbey Ave.,Kingston.

SMITH James, memorial service 10a.m. Saturday in the Metcalfe andShaver Funeral Home Inc., 504Wyoming Ave., Wyoming.

STURR Roy, celebration of life11a.m. Saturday in the Christ Com-munity Church, Kingston.

TARNOWSKI Sophie, funeral 11a.m.Saturday from the George A.Strish Inc., Funeral Home, 211W.Main St., Glen Lyon. Mass of Chris-tian Burial at 11:30 a.m. Holy SpiritParish/St. Adalberts Church, GlenLyon. Visitation 9 a.m. until servicetime.

WILDONER Milton, visitation 7 to 9p.m. today at Clarke Piatt FuneralHome Inc., 6 Sunset Lake Road,Hunlock Creek. Memorial serviceat 8 p.m.

WILSON John, funeral 10:30 a.m.Friday from the Harold C. SnowdonFuneral Home Inc.,140 N. Main St.,Shavertown. Visitation 5 to 7 p.m.today.

FUNERALSRUSSELL J. WILLIAMS, 86, ofAndrew Drive, Ashley, formerly ofHeather Highlands, Pittston,passedawayFriday,September23,2011, at the Department of Veter-ans Affairs Medical Center, PlainsTownship. He was born in Bangoron April 16,1925. He was a son of

thelateHenryH. andAliceM. Rot-zell Williams. Russ was a U.S. Ar-my veteran of World War II, serv-ing from November 1943 to De-cember1945. He was employed inthelocaltextileindustry. Russwasa member of the Disabled Ameri-can Veterans and a member of thePennsylvania HarnessHorsemensAssociation.

Private funeral services wereheldfromtheGeorge A.StrishInc.Funeral Home, 105 N. Main St.,Ashley. Interment was held Wednesday, September 28, 2011,in the Indiantown Gap NationalCemetery, Annville. There wereno public calling hours.

JOSEPH SHELLY SOLTIS,84, of Wilkes-Barre, passed awayMonday, September 26, 2011, atNorthside Hospital while visiting

his daughter in Atlanta, Ga.Funeral arrangements are

pending and will be announcedSunday by the Corcoran FuneralHome Inc., 20 S. Main St., PlainsTownship.

John F. Poslusney, 83, of Pittston Township, passed away Sunday,

September 25,2011,in theHospitalof the University of Pennsylvania,Philadelphia, after surgical compli-cations. His wife of 62 years is theformer Lillian Dominick.

Hewasasonof thelateLouisandMary Spivak Poslusney. John wasthe father of Janice Lane, Suscon,PittstonTownship, and the grandfa-ther of Tara and her husband, Da-niel Waitkus, Clarks Summit.

He was the brother of seven sib-lings,Edwardand Theresa(both de-ceased); Bernard, Old Forge; Emil,Pittston;Phyllis Polinski,Bridgewa-ter,N.J.;Louise Posley, Dupont,andJoseph, Wilkes-Barre.

He was Uncle Johnny to hismany nieces and nephews. John was generous with his time andmany talents.Hewas always willingto lend a helping hand to his manyfriends, as well as his family.

John was born in Dupont on July30, 1928, and attended Dupontschools.He servedin theU.S.Army.

He workedin thearea coalminesfor several years and then workedfor Mecadon Brothers before estab-lishing his own plumbing and heat-ing business.

He waspresentlyon theBoardofDirectors of the Pittston TownshipSanitary Authority and also servedas an inspector. He was a lifelonghunter and fisherman, a formermember of The Duryea Rod and

Gun Club, and a member of theAmerican Legion, Duryea.

John and his wife, Lillian, weremarried in Our Lady of Mt. CarmelChurch, Pittston, where he hassince been a member.

A Mass of Christian Burialwillbe heldat9:30a.m. Friday

in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church,Pittston. Those attending the Fu-neral Mass are asked to go directly

tothe churchFridaymorning. Inter-ment will be private and at the con-venience ofthe familyin St. RoccosCemetery. There will be no callinghours.

In lieu of flowers, the family re-spectfully requests memorial con-tributions are made to the donorsfavorite charity.

Arrangements are entrusted tothe Adonizio Funeral Home Inc.,251William St., Pittston.

John F. PoslusneySeptember 25, 2011

MAUREEN L. NAGLE, 56, ofWyoming, passed away Tuesday,September 27,2011,at theWilkes-Barre General Hospital.

Her funeral arrangements arepending from the Simon S. RussinFuneral Home, Plains Township.

MICHAEL J. MCCLERNON,39, of West Pittston, passed away Wednesday, September 28, 2011,at Hahnemann University Hospi-tal, Philadelphia.

Funeral arrangements arepending Kiesinger Funeral Servic-es Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Duryea.

TheRev.JamesE. Edwards, 81, ofNewtonLake, Greenfield Town-

ship, died Wednesday, September28, 2011. His wife of 55 years is theformerMarionM.Sydoriak.BorninCarbondale, hewasa sonofthe lateJames and Elizabeth Sears Ed-wards.

Rev. Edwards was a graduate ofBenjamin Franklin High School,Carbondale; Lackawanna Bible In-stitute; Luzerne County Communi-ty College, Nanticoke; Wesley The-ological Seminary Pastors School,Washington, D.C.; and he was con-tinuing education at University ofEdinburgh, Scotland.

He was a Korean War Veteranhaving served proudly in the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ofthe U.S. Air Force in Korea from1950 to 51.

Rev. Edwards wasan ordainedEl-derin theUnitedMethodistChurchin 1967 and became an Associatemember of the Wyoming AnnualConferenceof the UnitedMethodistChurch in1984. From1963 to 1992,he served the following UnitedMethodist Churches full time: La-nesboro, StevensPoint,Bethel Hill,First in West Nanticoke, Askam,GlenLyon,Wanamie,Avoca, Moos-ic, Duryea, Plymouth and Larks-ville.

He served interim pastoratesfrom 1992 to 2002 in Carbondale,Ransom,Bethel,MapleGrove, Loy-alville and Nicholson; and Ouaqua-ga, N.Y. and Harpursville, N.Y.

On December 8, 1974, at the in- vitation of the late CongressmanDan Flood, he had the distinct hon-orof serving asChaplain ofthe Dayin the U.S. House of Representa-tives, where he gave the invocationto open that days House session.His prayer is recorded in the Con-gressional Record of that day.

He was a member of many orga-nizations including: Past Master,Nanticoke Lodge No.541F.&A.M.;Caldwell Consistory Valley ofBloomsburg; Past Noble Grand, As-kamLodge No.877IOOF;life mem-ber of the Welsh National GymanfaGanu Association; Past President,St. Davids Society of Wyoming Val-ley Inc.; National Welsh-AmericanFoundation; Shawnee Senior Citi-zens, Plymouth; Lifemember oftheGreenfield Twp. Historical Society;AmericanLegion PostNo.0945;lifemember VFW Post No. 15040; andLife member Korean War VeteransAssociation Inc.He servedas Chap-

lin/Chaplin Emeritus of the 67th Tac Recon Reunion Society andhost for its 10th reunion in 2011.

During his years in the ministry,hewas activein theMinisteriums ineach area where he served and heldoffices in each one. He enjoyed thetruespiritofEcumenismin allareasof his life.

Serving and loving His Lord, hisfamilyand hiscountrywerehis firstand foremost priorities. He was a

pastor, preacher andfriend;he wasaloving husband, a great dad, and adoting grampa and great grampa.

Hewaspreceded indeath bytwosisters, Ruth Reese and Ella Schus-ter;and a nephew, CharlesSchuster.

Alsosurviving aretwo daughtersand sons-in-law, Holly and the Rev.Norman Ted Faux, Lake Ariel,and Suzanne and Mark SmerdonSr., Moosic; six grandchildren,Mark Jr., and Christine Smerdon;Amanda, Elizabeth, Paul and Nath-anFaux;and a great-grandson, Jere-miah Thomas Faux.

The funeral will be at 11 a.m.Saturday in the First United

Methodist Church, 10 NorthChurch St., Carbondale, with theRev. Donald E. Walls officiating. In-terment with military honors willbe held in Valley View MemorialPark, Montdale. Friendsmay callatthe church from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday

and from 10 a.m. until the time ofservice Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, memorial con-tributions may be made to theAmerican Diabetes Association orKorean War Veterans AssociationInc.; or Lake Ariel Faith Fellow-ship,152 Deacon Hill Road, LakeAriel.

Arrangements are by the OliverShifler & Scotchlas Funeral HomeInc., 62 N. Main St., Carbondale.Visit www.shiflerfuneralhome.com.

The Rev. James E. EdwardsSeptember 28, 2011

H. Harrison Cook, 79, of Dallas,passed away peacefully Tues-

day, September 27, 2011, in theWilkes-Barre General Hospital. Hewas bornFebruary 20,1932,a sonofthe late Walter and Alverda Harri-son Cook.

Harrison was a graduate of King-stonTownshipHighSchool,classof1950. He earned a Bachelor of Sci-ence Degree in Business Adminis-tration and Economics from WilkesCollege, graduating in 1954.

Hewasemployedas a sales repre-sentative for National Gypsum Co.,retiring in 1996.

A lifelong resident of the BackMountain, Harrison was a propo-nent of Dallas athletic programsand a fixture on the sidelines atmanyareasportingevents.Hewasamember of the George M. DallasMasonic Lodge, Bloomsburg Con-sistory and Irem Temple.

Harrison was an active memberof Shavertown United MethodistChurch.

He will be deeply missed by hislovingfamilyandall whoknewhim.

Surviving arehiswife, theformer

Katie Snedeker, Morgan Cook andDylan Harrison Cook.

Funeral services will be held at11:30 a.m. Saturday in ShavertownUnited Methodist Church, 163 N.PioneerAve., Shavertown. The Rev.M. LynnSnyder willofficiate.Inter-ment will be made in WoodlawnCemetery, Dallas. Friends may callfrom5 to8 p.m. Fridayatthe HaroldC.Snowdon Funeral Home Inc.,140N. Main St., Shavertown.

Memorial donations, if desired,

H. Harrison CookSeptember 27, 2011

RoccoAufie-ro, 23, of Mountain Top,passed awayMonday eve-ning, Septem-ber 26, 2011.Born October24, 1987, inMountain Top,

he was a son of Donna M. Aufieroand the late John R. Aufiero.

Rocco was a graduate of Fair-viewElementary,CrestwoodHighSchool and attended Temple Uni- versity. While he was in elemen-tary school, he was a member ofvarious youth leaguesand theCubandBoy Scouts ofTroop 60.Whileinhigh school,he wasa memberofthe Future Business Leaders ofAmerica and the Speech and De-bate Club.

Hewas employedby variousres-taurants throughout the area,most recently as a banquet serverat the WestmorelandClub, Wilkes-Barre.

Rocco wasknownfor hiscaptiv-ating eyes andinfectioussmile.Heloved spending time with his fam-ily and friends. He also enjoyedlive music, cooking and a good

time. He will be sadly missed by hisfamily, friends and his dog, Cham-pagne.

Hewas preceded indeathby hisfa-ther, John R. Aufiero; infant sister,DawnMarie; maternalgrandparents,Stephen and Dorothy Piston; pater-nal grandparents, John Aufiero andIreneRomano; and great-grandmoth-er, Clara Evans.

Surviving are his mother, the for-mer Donna M. Piston; brother, JohnAufieroof JerseyCity, N.J.; aunts anduncles, Rene Aufiero of Ashley, Be- verly Lipski of Plymouth, StephenPiston and his wife, Cathy, of Allen-town, and George Romano and hiswife, Diana, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.;as well as numerous cousins.

Funeral will be held at 9:15 a.m.Saturday morning from the S.J.Grontkowski Funeral Home, 530 W.Main St., Plymouth, followed by aMassof Christian Burial at10 a.m. inSt. Jude Church, Mountain Top. In-terment will immediately follow inSt. Marys Cemetery, HanoverTown-ship. Family and friends may callfrom 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.

Please visit www.sjgrontkowski-funeralhome.comfor directions or tosubmit online condolences to Roc-cos family.

Rocco AufieroSeptember 26, 2011

RuthAnn Farris,70,of GoeringerAvenue, Shavertown, passed

away Wednesday, September 28,2011, at the Wilkes-Barre General

Hospital from complications ofALS, Lou Gehrigs disease.

She was born in Wilkes-Barre onMay 3, 1941, a daughter of the lateThomas and Ann (Golias) Breznay.Shewasa memberofthe graduatingclass of Hanover High School, classof 1959. She was employed by the Worldwide Travel Department ofAAA Travel.

Ruth was a member of Gate ofHeaven Church, Dallas, where sheserved as Extraordinary Ministerofthe Eucharist. She also served asPast President of theAltar andRos-ary Society in 1991.

She volunteered her time at theSt. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. More recently, sheworked at Mr.ZsSupermarket,Dal-las.

Surviving are her husband of 44

years, Thomas Farris, at home;daughters, Michele Kelly and herhusband, Paul, West Chester, andMaria Walp andher husband,Ryan,Jackson Township; son, MichaelFarris, and his wife, Alicia, Flour-town; five grandchildren, Patrick,Lauren and Jack Kelly, and Adamand Sarah Walp; brother, Thomas

Breznay, DuBois; sisters, Mary JoBrody, Dallas,and KathyLaumeyer,Harveys Lake; as well as severalnieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at9:15 a.m. Saturday from the GeorgeA. Strish Inc. Funeral Home, 105 N.Main St., Ashley. A Mass of Chris-tian Burial will be held at 10 a.m.from Gate of Heaven Church, Dal-las.Interment willbein St.Anthony

of Padua Cemetery, Courtdale.Friendsmaycallfrom6to 8p.m.Fri-day.

In lieu of flowers, donations canbe made in Ruths memory to GateofHeavenChurch,40 MachellAve.,Dallas, PA 18612; or to St. Vincentde Paul Kitchen, 39 E. Jackson St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702.

Ruth Ann FarrisSeptember 28, 2011

Betty Joan Pellegrino, of Exeter,passed away Wednesday, Sep-

tember 28, 2011, in Highland ManorNursing and Rehabilitation NursingCenter, Exeter. B etty Joan was bornin Wilkes-Barre on July 4, 1931, adaughter of the late Joseph E. andMary M. Chonka Hornick.

She was a member of St. John the

Baptist Slovak Church, Pittston, andcurrently St. Barbara Parish, Exeter.Betty Joan previously lived in Mont-Clair and Denville, N.J.

She retired from Allstate Insur-ance in 1990 after working in the in-surance business for more than 30years.

Betty Joan was preceded in deathbyher son,PeterCicacci,in February2002.

Surviving are sisters, Audrey Ken-nedy, Topeka, Kan., and Mary ClaireManganiello and her husband, Rob-ert, Plains Township; grandchildren,Mark Cicacci and his wife, Molly,McMurray; Jill Cicacci and her hus-band, Chris Hoyt, Palm Coast, Fla.;and Jennifer and her husband, EricGobbler, Wilkes-Barre; great-grand-children, Kaitlyn and Zachary Cicac-ci, McMurray; Billy, Peter and Sabri-na Cicacci Hoyt, Palm Coast, Fla.;andKailie andColin Gobbler, Wilkes-Barre; as well as great-great-grand-child, Kyleigh Cicacci.

Betty Joans family would like tothank thestaffof HighlandManor forthe compassionate care she receivedduring her illness. The family is alsotruly grateful for the kindness of herfriendsand especiallySusan Hughes,Florence Balchune and Sharon Kor-ba.

The funeral will be held at 9 a.m.Saturday morning from the Howell-Lussi Funeral Home, 509 WyomingAve., West Pittston, with a Mass ofChristianBurialat 9:30a.m.in St.Ce-cilias Church, Exeter. Entombment will be held in Denison Cemetery,Swoyersville.Friends maycall from6to 8 p.m. Fridayevening at thefuner-al home.

Betty JoanPellegrino

September 28, 2011

Nancy R. Rothenbecker, 73, of

South River Street, Wilkes-Barre, died Sunday, September 25,2011, at Timber Ridge Health Care

Center.Born May 14,1938, in New York,

she was a daughter of the late Stan-leyand Charlotte KoblyskiSnopkos-ki. Raised in Danbury, Conn., and

Duryea, Nancy was a graduate ofPittston High School.

Before retiring, Nancy was em-ployed by Luzerne County for 30

years.She was a member of the Parish

of Saint Nicholas.

A son, Kevin; daughter MargaretMary; and brother, Charles Snop-

koski, preceded her in death.Nancy will be missed by her hus-

band, John J. Jack Rothenbecker;

children, Jack and his wife, SheilaRothenbecker; Susan Smith; and

Michelleand herhusband, Joel Vin-cent, all of Wilkes-Barre; grandchil-dren, Brenda Carr, Janelle Behm,

Jackson and Jessica Rothenbecker,Julia and Danny Smith, Lauren and

Kalie Decker, Nadine Blihar andMelissa Frankiewicz; six great-

grandchildren; as well as siblings,

Robert and Steven Snopkoski, and

Beverly Norton, all of Connecticut.

Celebrationof Nancys Lifewas

held Wednesday with a family vis-itationat McLaughlins,followedby

a Funeral Mass in the Church ofSaint Nicholas. Interment was in

Saint Marys Cemetery in HanoverTownship.

Memorial donations may bemade to The SPCA of Luzerne

County, 524 E. Main St., Fox HillRoad, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-6911.

Permanent messages and memo-riescanbe sharedwithNancys fam-ily at www.celebrateherlife.com.

Nancy R. RothenbeckerSeptember 25, 2011

MoreObituaries, Page2A

MARY A. AIRHART, 47, of Se-dlar Lane, Dallas, died Sunday,September 25,2011,at theWilkes-Barre General Hospital. Born inWilkes-Barre, she was a daughter

of the late Wilbur K and BlodwenSmith Coolbaugh. Mary was edu-catedin Wilkes-BarreArea schoolsand was formerly employed as an

aidein theHomeHealthCare.Shewasa leaderforCubPack No.456.Mary was a loving mother, goodsister andwill be missed byfamilyand friends. Surviving are sons,

Michael Jr. and Donald Jr.; daugh-ter Michelle; brothers, Joseph and Thomas; sisters, Carol Mitchell,Nancy Kempa and Georgette Eat-

on; and fianc, George Swan.

Memorial Service will be heldat8 p.m.Fridayat theYeosockFu-

neral Home, 40 S. Main St., PlainsTownship. Friendsmaycall from 7

p.m. until time of service.

DorothyThompson, 79,of Wi lkes -Barre, passedinto the handsof the LordWednesday,September 28,2011, at the

Manorcare/Hampton House ofHanover Township. Born October28,1931, in Wilkes-Barre,she wasadaughterof thelate Ernest andJu-lie Lischentski Messimer.

She attended GAR High Schooland a member of the EbenezerBaptist Church of Plymouth.

Priorto herretirement, shehadbeen employed at Coronet Fash-ions as a seamstress. She was amember of the ILGWU.

Throughout her life, she lovedspending time with her grandchil-dren and enjoyed the company ofher family and friends. She en-joyed theholidays andwas an avidNew York Yankees fan.

She was preceded in death byher husband, John E. Sr.; andbrother, Ernest Jr.

Surviving are her son, John E.Thompson Jr., and his wife, Che-ryl, of Hanover Township; grand-children,Jeremy, Melissaand Der-rick Thompson; two great-grand-children, Makenna and Shea;brother, Robert Messimer, and hiswife,Bev, of HanoverTownship;as well as nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Funeral will be held at 1 p.m.Saturday from the S.J. Grontkow-ski Funeral Home, 530 W. MainSt., Plymouth, followed by inter-ment in Maple Hill Cemetery, Ha-nover Township. Family andfriends may call from 6 to 8 p.m.Friday evening.

Dorothys family would like toespecially thank the staff at theHamptonHousefor theirexcellent

DorothyThompson

September 28, 2011

ARLENE GOODSTEIN, ofMountain Top, died Tuesday, Sep-tember 27, 2011, at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.

Funeral arrangements are bythe Rosenberg Funeral Chapel,Wilkes-Barre.

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C M Y K

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es or face a sharp decline in pa-

tientsopting for treatment there.Such transparency is good,

Kaufman said, because it willmake the needed change easier.Without government regula-tion, wewerentdoing it.

Kaufman likened the industryto Eastman Kodak a decade ortwo ago. The film and camera gi-antdominatedits market, yetbe-came an also-ran when digitalphotography emerged.

You ask: Why didnt they in- vent the digital camera? Kauf-mansaid.Theydid,in1978.But

managers dis-missed it andfocused on mi-nor changes toexisting prod-ucts.

Meanwhile,Apple grew toone of thewealthiestcom-panies in the world by em-bracing newtechnology andreinventing it-self every fewyears. Winnersin health care

will be the hospitals and busi-nessesthat becometheAppleofour industry.

He said the health care indus-try suffersfroma culture ofentit-lement, meaning physicians as-sume theyshouldalways getpaidthe same or more regardless of

circumstances, while patients al-ways want unfettered choice ofdoctors. The system has tochangeto a culture ofresponsib-ility, wherewe are all responsiblefor what wedo.

Neither the government northe public can afford to havethings stay the way they are,Kaufman argued, noting medicalcosts have wiped outany incomegains for most people. On aver-age, a person paid 15 percent ofthetotalcost oftheirhealthinsur-ance in 2002; by 2011 it was 26percent.

The economics and arithme-tic just arent sustainable, Kauf-man warned.

And to those who feel theyhavent been touched by thelooming problems yet, Kaufmanquotedthe late comedian GeorgeCarlin.

Just because the monkey isnton your back doesnt mean thecircushas left town.

HEALTHContinued from Page1A

Every group

that relies on

federal fund-

ing should

expect a 10 to

20 percent

drop in fund-

ing.

Nathan S.

Kaufman

Kaufman

Strategic

Advisors

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While the state cannot be theultimate insurer for all people, itis a core function of governmentto protect life and property.

StateSen. Lisa BakerThe Republican from Lehman Township this week chaired a panel of

lawmakers examining whether Pennsylvania should establish a state

disaster assistance program. Legislation will be proposed in the late fall.

Writer: Proposed charterimportant for Nanticoke

Iwant Nanticoke voters to know I sup-port the citys home rule charter, drawnup by the Nanticoke Government Study

Commission, which will be placed on theballot to be voted upon on Nov. 8.

Im concerned that city residents areconfusing this charter with the LuzerneCounty charter. They are not the same.

The Nanticoke charter is the most im-portant piece of legislation offered to theresidents in many years and will affecteveryone living in the city.

If we do not support the Nanticokehome rule charter, property owners inNanticoke will be faced with a substantialincrease in property taxes.

To its credit, the study commission hasheld many public meetings, which wereadvertised; but the events were poorlyattended. It is not too late. You still canattend informational meetings at 7 p.m. onOct. 11 and Oct. 25 at the municipal build-ing.

Join me in voting for Nanticokes home

rule charter on Nov. 8.

AlWytoshekTax collector, Nanticoke

Barletta and crew right

to rein in Stimulus 2.0T

he 2010 election was historic. Con-gressmen including Lou Barletta ofHazleton have worked hard to change

the climate in Washington. Spending cutsand wise use of our taxpayer money arethe new talking points.

Gone are the days of wastefully throwingmoney at every problem except in theWhite House. Our president seems miredin the idea that the only way to solve aproblem is to throw money at it.

We remember the presidents promisethat if we spent $787 billion on a stimulusprogram that unemployment would staybelow 8 percent and all would be well.Instead, we have higher unemploymentand virtually nothing to show for spendingnearly a trillion dollars except the debtpayments that in part go to China.

Now, the president is proposing a newround of stimulus. Stimulus 2.0 is madeup of the presidents jobs and deficit reduc-tion package. The deficit plan raises taxesby $1.5 trillion over 10 years. His jobs planis nothing more than another wastefulgiveaway this time to the tune of a half-trillion dollars.

I thank Barletta for his leadership inWashington. I truly hope and pray that heis able to stop the president from buryingour children and grandchildren in moredebt from this reckless Stimulus 2.0package.

Mary AnnHaasScranton

MAIL BAG LETTERS FROM READERS

Letters to the editor must include thewriters name, address and daytimephone number for verification. Lettersshould be no more than 250 words. Wereserve the right to edit and limit writersto one published letter every 30 days. E-mail:[email protected] Fax: 570-829-5537 Mail:Mail Bag,The TimesLeader, 15N. MainSt., Wilkes-Barre, PA18711

SEND US YOUR OPINION

K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 PAGE 9A

I HAVE spent the lastfew

weeks observing the heart-breaking devastation that twoviolent storms have wroughton the10th CongressionalDistrict, other areas of Penn-sylvania andacross theUnit-

ed States. People are hurting, andthereis noquestion that the federal government musthelp them get started on theroad to recovery.

I alsohave spent the lasteight months inWashington, D.C.,as oneof themore vocaladvocates of deep federal spending cuts.

Some saythesetwo paths shall nevercross.I strongly disagree.This matter is notan ideological conflict.Protecting thelivesand property of Amer-

icans is nota conservative or liberal issue.It isnota Republican vs.Democratdebate. It is avital roleof the government and it isa mess-age that often gets muddled when westarttalking about federal resources and spendingcuts.

We shouldnot even be having this discus-sion. However, we are unfortunately facing anational debt of nearly$15 trillion andthefederal government continues to spendmoremoney than it takes in.

If we take thepath lined with federal spend-ing cuts,elimination of unnecessary programsandfollow a disciplined regimen of debt elim-ination and deficit reduction, we can andwillavoidthesedire circumstances in thefuture.

Restoring our nations fiscalstability willonly ensurethat thegovernmenthas there-sources to carry out its real responsibilities:national security; protecting our borders, ourcitizens and theirproperty; and maintaining

our infrastructure. And, that means federalassistancewhen a natural disaster strikes.

I am committedto makingsure that theFederal Emergency Management Agency andother governmental organizations havetheresources to allowindividuals, businesses andlocal governmentsto bounce back from Hurri-cane Ireneand Tropical Storm Lee.

Yet, I willnot waiver inmy efforts tocutfederal spending, balance the budget, downsizeWashington and keep taxes low.

Some of my colleagues believe that anyincreasein federal assistance to storm victimsmust be matched with additional cuts in gov-ernment spending. I agree wholeheartedly nevertheless, our first responsibility is gettingourcitizensback in their homes or in safe,clean,temporary housing, if that is what ittakes.

We must help farmers clean up their landsand dowhatwe can sothatsmall businessowners can reopen their doors andcall theiremployeesback to work. Then, andonly then,dowe gobackto the drawing table and findthecuts neededto offset theincreasein disas-ter assistance funding.

With allof thewasteand duplicative pro-gramsour federal government is funding, itshouldnot be that difficult.

As vice chairman of theHouseHomelandSecurity Subcommittee on Emergency Prepa-redness, Responseand Communications, I can

tell youof oneglaring example.Thereare17

separate federal entities that administergrantsfor emergency preparedness with budgetstotaling $34 billion. I am convincedthat byconsolidating some of thoseresponsibilities wewill save hundredsof millions of taxdollars.

Just think.If we were notfacinga $14.6trillion national debt and a record-high nationaldeficit, wewouldnot even be havingthis de-bate.

It will take years to straighten outthe eco-nomic mess. Thisis atthe heartof what wearetryingto do in Washington.

Thequestionof theU.S.governmentsroleandfinancial responsibility at home and abroadwill likelydrive thedebate in Washingtoninthecoming monthsand years. I welcome itbecause I believe theoutcome will determinehowprepared andequippedwe areto handleany tragedy that affectsour people, propertyand our nationin the years to come.

Atthismoment, wehave a much morepressing issue.

We mustdo whateverit takes tohelpourfamilies, friends and neighbors recover fromthis disaster.

If thefederal government can bail out thebanks, theauto industry and spend almostatrillion dollars on a stimulus program withtaxpayer money, then the government shouldbe able to return to thetaxpayers some of theirhard-earned dollars to help with a hand upduring thesedifficult times.

U.S.Rep. TomMarinoof Lycoming Township in

Lycoming County represents the 10th Congression-

al District. For information, visit http://mari-

no.house.gov.

We must supply aid first, then renew discussion on cuts

COMMENTARYU . S . R E P . T O M M A R I N O

NOTHING MOVESfaster than the speedof light. Thats beenan axiom of modern

science since Albert Einsteincodified the theory of special

relativity in 1905. It is as relia-ble an assumption about howthe universe operates as Whatgoes up must come down.

Last week, scientists atCERN,the European Organiza-tion for Nuclear Research, an-nouncedthatthey have observ-ed what many consider an im-possibility neutrinos thatmove faster than the speed oflight.

The scientists claim theyvebeen able to clock neutrinosfired from CERNs particle ac-celerator on the Swiss borderto a receptor in Italy 454 milesaway arriving 60 nanosecondsearlier than expected underthe rule governing how fastlight can travel. The cosmicspeed limit, orspeedof light, is186,282 miles per second.

After repeating the experi-ment for three years and get-ting the same result, the scien-tists have releasedtheirdata tothe world so that others canconfirm or dispute the claim

based ontheir ownattemptstoreplicate the tests.The initial response to re-

ports thatthespeedoflighthasbeen surpassed is incredulity.If true, staples of science fic-tion such as faster-than-lightspace travel, dimension hop-ping and even journeying backin time could become possibil-ities.

Skepticism is warranted,however, because of the diffi-culty of measuring any eventinvolving neutrinos, myste-rioussliversof subatomic parti-cles that have almost no mass.Still, it is intoxicating to imag-ine that traveling faster thanthe speed of light could hap-pen.

PittsburghPost-Gazette

OTHER OPINION: NEW RESEARCH

Speed of light getsrun for its money

FORA PROPOSALthathasnt even been putbefore the Legislatureyet, the idea of chang-

ing the way Pennsylvaniaselectoralvotes areawardedhascreated an awful lot of debate.

State Senate Majority Lead-er Dominic Pileggi wants toaward electoralvotesbased on how presi-dential candidatesperform in each con-gressional district.Pennsylvania willhave 20 electoralvotes in 2012. Underhis plan, 18 of the votes would beawarded based onwho wins each congressionaldistrict. Two votes would beawarded based on the state-wide tally. Gov. Tom Corbetthas endorsed the idea.

Some of the reaction hasbeen predictable. Pileggi andCorbett are Republicans, andDemocrats have carried Penn-sylvania in the last five presi-dential elections. DemocratsaccuseGOPleadersof tryingto

tip the scales in favor of a Re-publican candidate. After all,Republicans dominate Harris-burg and will be drawing thecongressional districts.

ButDemocrats arentthe on-ly ones who arent crazy aboutthe idea. The Associated Pressreported some leading Repub-licans have problems with it aswell. State Republican Chair-

man Rob Gleason pointed outthat changing the systemwould be foolish even from apolitical point of view. GOPleadersbelievethey havean ex-cellent chance of carryingPennsylvania in 2012. If thatturns out to be true, Pileggisplanwouldcost theRepublican

candidate electo-ral votes.

In a winner-take-all system,Pennsylvania isone of the bigprizes on the elec-toral map, and thestate draws plentyof attention fromcandidates. Thats

good for the states prestigeandoffers economic benefits aswell.At present Maine andNe-braska are the only states thatapportion electoral votes bycongressional district. Neitherisa regularstopby presidentialcandidates.

Pileggi is basing his argu-ment on the idea that his sys-tem would make each personsvote more relevant. He insists

his motivation is not partisan.Perhaps not, but there

doesnt seem to be any goodreason to turn Pennsylvaniapolitics upside down.

Pennsylvania has plenty ofproblems for the Legislaturetoaddress. This is not one ofthem.

ReadingEagle

STATE OPINION: VOTING FOR PRES.

Electoral processneeds no change

At present Maine

and Nebraska are

the only states

that apportion

electoral votes by

congressional

district.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

RICHARDL. CONNOREditor and PublisherJOSEPHBUTKIEWICZVicePresident/Executive Editor

MARK E. JONESEditorial Page EditorPRASHANT SHITUTPresident/Impressions Media

EDITORIAL BOARD

MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY

S E R V I N G T H E P U B L I C T R U S T S I N C E 1 8 8 1

Editorial

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C M Y K

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and Quinn in Kingston, alleged

thestore wasnegligentfor failingtoensure thedispenser wasprop-erly secured.

The unfavorable verdict is arare loss for Quinn, whose firmhas won numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts over the years.Quinn did not return severalmessages seeking commentWednesday.

Attorney Anthony Trozzolilloof Scranton, who represented Toys R Us, said Wednesday he was relieved by the verdict.Flickinger, an optometrist, wasseeking between $18 million and

$20 million indamages forpast and futureloss of earn-ings,plus anad-ditional severalmillion dollarsfor future medi-cal expenses,he said.

Toys R Ushad maintainedthe store wasnotnegligentasit frequently in-

spectedthedisplayand therewasno evidence to indicate when thebin became dislodged, Trozzolil-lo said.

The chain also questioned whether Flickingers injurieswerecausedby thefalling dispen-ser, or were the result of injuriesshesufferedin a 2007skiing acci-dent information ToysRUs said

was withheld by Flickingers at-torneysuntilthreemonths beforethe trial.

In a pre-trial brief, Trozzolillosaid Flickinger advised store em-ployees that she was not injuredimmediately after the incidentoccurred. It wasnt until ninemonths later that she claimed tohave awakened with neck painshe alleges was caused by beingstruck by the dispenser.

Trozzolillo saidthe jurydid notrender a decision regarding thecause of the injuries, because itdeterminedat theoutset thatthestore was not negligent, whichmade the cause of the injuries amoot point.

Theju

times leader 09-29-2011

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