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Crestwood scored its first four touchdowns on a run and a pass by its offense, as well as a defensive TD and a special teams score in a 49-0 victory over Tunkhannock. Comets quarterback Nick Aigeld- inger carried the ball five times for108 yards in the win.

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 WILKES-BARRE – New head- aches may be in store for motor- ists already frustrated by de- tours near the too-dangerous-to- drive-by Hotel Sterling. Starting Monday and contin- uing for the next six weeks, one lane of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, also known as the Pierce Street Bridge and North Street Bridge, will be closed for paving  work, the Pennsylvania Depart- ment of Transportation an- nounced Friday.  The announcement advises drivers that heavy delays could result and to use an alternate route, if possible. PennDOT spokesman James May said the department is aware of the lane closures on River Street and West Market Street that the city has institut- ed to protect the public from the structurally-unsound Sterling, but the bridge work was planned weeks before the de- tours around the hotel were put in place.  Those detours are set up di- rectly in front of the Market Street Bridge, which links  Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. The Veterans Memorial Bridge links the two municipalities about

Bridge repair more trouble for drivers

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Toaddtoalreadydifficulttrafficpatterns,theVeteransMemorial BridgeisslatedforsixweeksofrepairsstartingMonday.

The Veterans Memorial Bridge is scheduled for patching and partial closure Monday.

ByMATTHUGHES

 mhughes@timesleader.com

SeeTRAFFIC,Page10A

Syl's Auto Sales is still in shambles, butorderhasbeenrestoredtooneroom  whereownerSylvesterKuchinskasmay once again meet with customers.  The dank odor is gone, thanks to a swiftgut-and-remodelsincetheSusque- hanna River inundated the Plymouth  Township business more than three  weeks ago. Kuchinskas must fund repairs be- causehedidn'thavefloodinsurance.He also dipped into his savings to buy a re- placement fax machine, phone, copier and printer, saying he doesn't want to give up on the business he's operated along U.S. Route11for 48 years. "I don't horse around. As long as I'm going broke, I might as well go all the  way," he said. Heeyedthemencleaningandremov- ing debris from the other damaged structures on his property, a reminder that another bill is coming. "Mylosswasgreat,"Kuchinskassaid, letting out a deep sigh. "Over $20,000 I've spent so far, and that's just the be- ginning." FarthernorthonRoute11,JerryLong looked toward the ceiling of his busi- ness, Township Auto, to a new sign he stuck on the wall: "2011flood level." Helost$20,000instockinadditionto expensivevehiclerepairequipment.He

IN FLOOD PLAIN, ALL OCCUPATIONS SHARE ONE SAD, SIMILAR TASK

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

AfamiliarsighttopassingmotoristsdrivingthroughthecenterofShickshinnyistheanimatronicgorillaoutinfrontofBach'sFitnessCenter.Thefitness centerisownedbyJimBach,whoownsthebuildingacrossthestreet,aswell.Bachisinthemiddleofrenovatinghisbusinessesaftertheflood.

The cleanup business

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

JerryLech,oneoftheownersofJLUsedAutoPartsinLarksville,showsa 60svintageThunderbirdthatwasdamagedbytherecentflood.

 Workplaces try to get back on feet

By JENNIFERLEARN-ANDES

 jandes@timesleader.com

SeeBUSINESSES,Page13A

SHICKSHINNY – Just as the return of robins is a sure sign of spring, the reappearance of a goril- la on Main Street might be a tipoff that this little river town is making a comeback. Jim Bach Jr. has had the life- sized stuffed gorilla standing out- side his storefront as an advertising gimmick for about17 years, first placed there when the building housed the furniture store he and his father operated. "Monty" the gorilla, an icon of sorts in the town of 838 residents, took a respite from its post when flood waters engulfed the down- town and left behind flood mud and a swath of destruction. But last  week, Monty was back. "He's still here. But he's the only

Shickshinny stores facing huge struggles

BySTEVEMOCARSKY

 smocarsky@timesleader.com

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PAGE 2A SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

Dzanko,Charles Fluegel,Francis Fritzges,Harold Grey,Della Hilenski,David Krzysik,John Kudrako,Grace Powell,Anne Reisser,EdwardJr. Soha,Helen Soltis,Joseph Traver,RussellSr. Weber,Florence White,Barbara

OBITUARIES

Page 2A, 7A

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Issue No. 2011-275

WILKES-BARRE

 – Fire- fighters freed a cat lodged in the engine compartment of a  vehicle in the parking lot of Scheil's Family Market, 30 Hanover St., shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday. Jeremy Crop said he felt his car's power steering give out shortly after leaving his house on Dexter Street, so he pulled into the nearby parking lot.  When he got out of the car he heard the cat whining, he said, and called 911. Firefighters removed parts of the car to extricate the cat,  whose leg had pulled into a crevice by the turning of the  vehicle's front axle.  The black and brown cat  was taken by firefighters to the Plains Animal Hospital for treatment. It did not appear to be wear- ing a collar or identifying tags.

PLYMOUTH

 – Borough police are investigating a re- ported stabbing on the Wyom- ing Valley Levee system Fri- day. Police were contacted by a  woman who said she was walk- ing on the dike between West River Street and New Street  when a black male grabbed her, displayed a knife and told her not to move or scream.  The woman fled and was stabbed in the right arm, re- ceiving minor injuries, police said.  The suspect is described as a black male, tall and thin,  with dreadlock-like hair. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Officer Kotowski of the Plymouth Police Depart- ment at 779-2147.

WILKES-BARRE

 - City police reported the following: • Michael Deschak, 51, of South Meade Street, faces a charge of retail theft for alleg- edly stealing CDs from Musi- cal Energi on North Main Street on Friday afternoon. • Patrick Ripley, 42, of Ha- zle Avenue, faces a charge of retail theft for allegedly steal- ing a drill from the Home Depot store at 23 Spring St. on Friday night. • Valerie Dattisman, 26, of Hazle Avenue, was taken into custody Friday night on Spring Street on outstanding arrest  warrant for burglary. • Crystal Gonzalez, 29, of Hutson Street, faces a charge of harassment for allegedly striking Stacey Dash, 23, of Plymouth on North Main Street Friday night. • Joseph Cleary, 43, of Ed-  wardsville, faces a charge of criminal trespass after he en- tered the residence of David Casterline, 36, of 30 Gilder- sleeve St. and remained there  without permission. • One driver was trans- ported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township after a two- car crash Friday night at the intersection of Academy and  West River streets. Police said Donald Jedrick, 73, of Wilkes- Barre was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Jedrick was traveling west on Academy with the right of  way when his 1993 Buick Le- Sabre collided with a 1997 Chevrolet Lumina driven by Richard Swartwood, 89, of  Wilkes-Barre that was turning left from Academy onto West River Street. Both cars were towed from the scene. • Mark Kane of Ashley said someone removed cash and an mp3 player from his vehicle at 30 Hanover St. Saturday. • Police said there was a forced entry into Smoker's Choice, 180 Spring St., at 12:49 a.m. Saturday. It is unknown if items were removed, police said. • Police cited Nicole E. Define, 18, of Woodward Street, on underage drinking charges at 87 Madison St. at 1:15 a.m. Saturday.

POLICE BLOTTER

HARRISBURG — Pennsylva- nia's law that governs the collec- tion of DNA may soon get its first overhaul since it was estab- lished16 years ago, but some are  voicing concerns about the pro- posal's effect on civil liberties as  well as the cost to taxpayers. A bill to mandate DNA collec- tion from people accused of seri- ous crimes, among other chang- es, passed the state Senate Judi- ciary Committee unanimously on Tuesday and will probably get a vote in the full Senate sometime this fall. Current law requires people  who are convicted of a set of se- rious felonies to submit to hav- ing a DNA sample taken by a swab on the inside of their cheek. Lawmakers are now con- sidering a requirement that those samples be collected upon arrest — and they would be tak- en for any felony as well as some misdemeanors.  The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania opposes the bill, saying people who have been arrested deserve the pre- sumption of innocence. The ACLU also argues that the ex- pansion would greatly add to the already overburdened state po- lice system and the cost would be some $13 million. The state associations of prosecutors and chiefs of police both support the legislation. About half of the states and the federal government current- ly take DNA from arrestees, and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- peals just upheld the practice.  The bill submitted by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileg- gi, R-Delaware, would also let in-  vestigators, under narrow cir- cumstances, test crime scene samples to see if they contain enough markers to determine  whether the perpetrator was likely to be a close relative of someone whose DNA is already in the state database. That type of "kinship analysis" has been used for paternity reasons and to identify remains. Sen. Daylin Leach of Mont- gomery County, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary pan- el, said that could lead to fishing expeditions by investigators at the expense of privacy. "Privacy rights are ve- ry important," Leach said. "We should only take them away from people in clear circum- stances." Pileggi said police have long been allowed to collect and keep fin- gerprints and photos, records that can convey more information about an individual than their DNA record. "It's a very intention- ally chosen segment of DNA that does not re-  veal personal character- istics," he said. State police have said that their DNA lab last  year received 1,924 cases and completed 1,412, with an average turnaround time of 240 days. The department re- ceived 23,938 convicted offend- er samples for testing, and the state now has more than 240,000 offenders registered in the National Combined DNA In- dex System, better known as CODIS. Over the past five years, state police report more than 2,700 "hits" to samples upload- ed by its lab.  The bill would immediately and automatically purge DNA records after someone is exoner- ated — under current law a court order is required — and ban the use of the records for human behavioral genetic re- search. "Once you open the door to uses other than law enforce- ment, it introduces a whole host of issues and problems that I be- lieve would slow down passage of the legislation and really are not where my focus is on this bill," Pileggi said.  The measure would add to the list of crimes for which testing is required: simple assault against a child under12 by an adult who is at least 21 years old, unlawful restraint, defiant criminal tres- pass on school grounds, conceal- ing the death of a child, endan- gering the welfare of a child and dealing in infant chil- dren. Other updates in- clude accreditation standards for forensic DNA testing labs and continuing education requirements for peo- ple involved in doing the testing. Most recently, the bill was amended to have the testing done  when someone is book- ed, or as soon as pos- sible after arrest, rather than after a preliminary hearing, and to phase in over two years the list of new crimes that are covered. Leach said it would be bad public policy to allow col- lection of DNA for someone who is arrested, before any court has determined whether he or she did something wrong. "Our system depends on neu- tral fact-finders as a protection against arbitrary law enforce- ment," Leach said. Pileggi said the changes will take into account improvements in technology as well as the les- sons learned by the use of DNA in criminal investigations since the state law was first enacted. He sees it as a way to help in-  vestigators solve serious crimes more quickly and efficiently. "The clear picture that emerg- es from both of those trends is  we in Pennsylvania are underuti- lizing this very important inves- tigative tool," Pileggi said. "And  when it is successfully and fully utilized, it literally saves lives."

Plan would file more DNA

Civil libertarians are concerned about possibly expanding the taking of DNA.

ByMARKSCOLFORO

 Associated Press

Other updates include ac- creditation standards for forensic DNA testing labs and contin- uing educa- tion require- ments for people in- volved in doing the testing.

G

race L. Kudrako, 83, of Exeter, passed away Saturday, October 1, 2011, at the Geisinger Wyoming ValleyMedicalCenter,PlainsTown- ship. BorninPittston,shewasadaugh- terofthelateAnthonyGennaroand HilbertMeixell(stepfather)andAl- bertaMorrow.Shewasamemberof First United Methodist Church,  West Pittston, and attended Exeter schools. She had worked in the garment industry and was a member of the International Ladies Garment  Workers Union. She was also a member of the Exeter VFW Ladies Auxiliary Post 833. Preceding her in death was her husband, William Kudrako, who diedinMarch2011.Theyweremar- ried 67 years. Surviving are her sons, William Kudrako Jr., and his wife, Bonnie, Harding, and James Kudrako, Exe- ter; grandchildren; five great-grand- children;sevenniecesandnephews; aswellasabrother,RobertMeixell.

Funeral services

 will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday from the Gub- biotti Funeral Home, 1030 Wyom- ing Ave., Exeter, with The Rev. Ja- netTiebert,pastoroftheFirstUnit- ed Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will be in Mount Zion Cemetery, Exeter Township. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m.  Tuesday evening at the funeral home.

Grace l. Kudrako

October1, 2011

B

arbaraS.White,82,ofKingston, passed away Friday evening, September 30, 2011, at Hospice Care of the VNA, St. Luke's Villa,  Wilkes-Barre. Born in Pen Argyl, she was a daughter of the late Cardinal and BarbaraJeanStephensMcCormick. She was a graduate of Pen Argyl High School and was employed as an office worker for ACME Ware- house until her retirement. Barbara volunteered at the Nes- bitt Hospital, Kingston, and the  Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in her spare time. Shewasprecededindeathbyher husband, Marvin Ross White, on August1,1973. Surviving are her children, Sand- ra Razawich, Tunkhannock, Susan Frohman, Swoyersville, David  White, Luzerne, Donald White, Kingston, and Sharee Eckert, Ed-  wardsville; eight grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services

 will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday from the Hugh B. Hughes & Son Inc. Funeral Home, 1044 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort,  withTheRev.JamesQuinnofficiat- ing. Interment will be held in Deni- son Cemetery, Swoyersville. Friends may call from 9 to 11 a.m.  Tuesday morning at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Make-A-Wish Founda- tion, 1327 Pittston Ave., Scranton, PA18505; or to Hospice Care of the VNA, c/o 80 E. Northampton St.,  Wilkes-Barre, PA18702.

Barbara S. White

September 30, 2011

MoreObituaries,Page7A

 A RAPPER'S DELIGHT

AP PHOTO

T

wo days after getting out of jail, T.I. performs at the BET Hip Hop Awards Saturday in Atlanta. The show will air at 8 p.m. Oct.11. Lil Wayne leads with18 nominations.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Cele- brating the 20th anniversary of the start of his presidential cam- paign, Bill Clinton on Saturday offered a vigorous defense of President Barack Obama against  whathecalledthesameanti-gov- ernment stances he faced during hiscampaignandtwotermsinof- fice.  The former president told a crowd of about 5,000 people out- side the Old State House Mu- seum in downtown Little Rock, the same spot where he an- nounced his White House bid in 1991,thatObamafacesadifferent set of challenges but is battling thesamequestionsabouttherole of government in growing the economy. "Underlying those challeng- es is the same old debate about whether government is the problem or  whether we needsmartgov- ernment and a changing econo- my working together to create the opportunities of tomorrow," Clinton told the crowd, which  was flooded with old campaign signs for him or his wife, Secre- tary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who lost to Obama in 2008's Democratic nominating contest.  The speech was the center- pieceofaweekendcommemorat- ing Clinton's presidential an- nouncement, but it also offered plenty of parallels between his presidency and Obama's, includ- ingoppositiononmultiplefronts from Republicans. "There's not a single example on our planet, not one, where an anti-government strategy has produced a vibrant economy  with strong and broad-based growth and prosperity," Clinton said. Clinton said Obama has of- feredplanstostimulatetheecon- omy, reduce the long-term debt and address the housing crisis, and it's now up to Congress "to act on those plans, and if they don't like them, then come up  with better ideas." Holding hands with Hillary Clinton, the former president ar- rived at the stage to Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," the song that became the anthem of his 1992 presidential bid. The weekend's events included the dedication Fridayofa$10.5millionpedestri- an bridge at his presidential li- brary.  The reunion of Clinton sup- porters and staff turned into a pep rally of sorts for Democrats as they approach the 2012 elec- tion.

Clinton sees parallels to his own years

The former president uses an appearance to defend successor Democrat Obama.

ByANDREWDeMILLO

 Associated Press

Clinton

Lottery summary

DailyNumber,Midday

Sunday: 6-6-5 Monday:1-1-0 Tuesday: 0-5-9 Wednesday: 9-8-5 Thursday: 7-7-4 Friday: 6-8-4 Saturday: 5-6-3

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Sunday:1-7-7-7 Monday:1-6-5-8 Tuesday: 7-0-0-9 Wednesday: 4-9-8-0, 8-8-2-3 Double Draw Thursday: 0-6-2-6 Friday: 5-5-5-4 Saturday: 0-3-0-6

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Sunday:1-8-0 Monday: 0-1-4 Tuesday: 4-0-2 Wednesday: 0-8-7 Thursday: 4-8-0 Friday: 2-7-9 Saturday: 0-1-1

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MIAMI—HurricaneOphelia has intensified to a Category 4 stormasitpasseseastofBermu- daandheadsnorthtowardNew- foundland, where the entire Avalon Peninsula is under a tropical storm watch.  The National Hurricane Cen- ter in Miami said Saturday eve- ning that Ophelia had maxi- mum sustained winds near 135 mph,upfrom120mphlateSat- urday afternoon. It was moving north at 26 mph and was 140 miles east of Bermuda. Ophelia is the sea- son's fourth hurricane. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Philippe was stronger but it re- mained far from land in the At- lantic.

Ophelia targets Canada; Philippe next

The Associated Press

C M Y K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2011 PAGE 3A

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 WILKES-BARRE

Financial writer to speak

Author and financial journalist An- drew Ross Sorkin will deliver the fall 2011Allan P. Kirby Lecture on Tuesday, Oct.18 at Wilkes University. The au- thor of "Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washing- ton Fought to Save the Financial System – and Themselves,"  will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dick- son Darte Center for the Performing Arts.  The event is free and open to the public. A New York Times financial colum- nist and co-host of CNBC's Squawk Box, Sorkin is a leading voice about  Wall Street and corporate America. HBO turned his book into a film, which premiered in May.  The Allan P. Kirby Center Lecture Series brings leading voices in free enterprise and entrepreneurship to the  Wilkes University campus by hosting two lectures annually. These forums provide students and the community insight into the creative process and drive of the entrepreneur.

HAZLETON

Academy applications due

U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, reminds students who are interested in obtaining a nomination from him to one of the five U.S. service academies to submit a completed application to his office by 5 p.m. Friday. Candidates seeking a nomination by Rep. Barletta must live in the11th Congression- al District. Rep. Bar- letta cannot nominate a candidate who lives outside of the11th District.  The five service academies are: • U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y (U.S. Army) • U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. (U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines) •U.S. Air Force Academy at Col- orado Springs, Colo. • U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Conn. • U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y. Information about applying to a service academy can be found online at  www.Barletta.House.gov under the heading "Serving You."

HARRISBURG

Appeals on aid possible

 The Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency said some who registered for federal disaster assistance due to  Tropical Storm Irene and/or Tropical Storm Lee may not qualify for aid, but they can appeal to ensure those affect- ed by the storms will receive all bene- fits to which they are legally eligible. Appeals must be made in writing and sent by mail or faxed to FEMA  within 60 days of the date of the letter of determination. The appeal should include new or missing information, documents and damage repair esti- mates that support the appeal request. Mail appeals to: FEMA - Appeals Officer, National Processing Service Center, P.O. Box10055, Hyattsville, MD 20782-8055. Appeals also may be faxed to:1-800-827-8112. Notification of eligibility for federal aid will be mailed in approximately10 days after an inspection of the dam- aged property has been completed. If the determination is made that the applicant is ineligible for assistance, the property owner will learn from the letter what steps to take to appeal the decision if he or she feels they have damages that have not been addressed, according to a FEMA news release.

LUZERNE COUNTY

DEP schedules spraying

 The Department of Environmental Protection will apply mosquito treat- ments the evenings of Monday and  Tuesday in residential areas of Duryea, Edwardsville, Swoyersville, West  Wyoming and Wyoming boroughs; Hanover, Plains and Plymouth town- ships; and Wilkes-Barre to control adult mosquito populations. As a result of recent flooding, high populations of adult mosquitoes capable of transmit- ting the West Nile virus have been detected near these areas of the county.  The application material has a very low toxicity profile to mammals and is safe for the environment.

I N B R I E F

Sorkin Barletta

BUTLER TWP. – The township's annual tire recycling collection was held on Saturday at the Butler Town- ship Fire Hall, in Drums. Beth DeNardi, Luzerne County's recycling coordinator, said the num- ber of tires collected each year aver- ages about 5,000. She expects to reach that same number this year. Between 9 and 9:30 a.m., 1,000 tires had already been dropped off at the location. In the nine years that the event has been in existence, more than 160,000 tires have been collected. DeNardi said that "160,000 tires has to have made a difference. We are cleaning up the environment…every  year we get better at doing this." Luzerne County Constable Joe  Walters, who was in charge of traffic and safety at the event, explained  where the tires go upon leaving the facility. "They go to Harrisburg, where the  wire is taken out; they are sanitized and melted down." He added "there arealsotwoelectronicsdrivesheldin June, where computers, televisions, house and cell phones are collected."

ENVIRONMENT

Tires will be made into mouse pads, rubber mats, buckets and other products

Recycling rolling in the rubber

FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Volunteers help at the Butler Town- ship tire collection held Sat- urday at the Butler Town- ship Fire Company in Drums. About 5,000 tires were expected to be turned in.

BySUSANBETTINGER

Times Leader Correspondent

See TIRES, Page 4A

Up to seven local school districts, along with West Side Career and Tech- nologyCenterandtheLuzerneInterme- diateUnit,willparticipateinapilotpro- gram for a new state teacher and princi- pal evaluation system that uses student test results to gauge teacher effective- ness. AstateDepartmentofEducationpress releasesaid104districtsandothereduca- tionentitieshadagreedtoparticipatein theprogram.Alistpostedwiththepress releasesaidHazletonArea,Wilkes-Barre Area,GreaterNanticokeArea,andLake- Lehman school districts are participa- ting. Luzerne Intermediate Unit Assistant Executive Director Anthony Grieco –  who sits on a panel helping implement the pilotprogram–saidhe receivedemailnotifica- tion that Dallas and  WyomingAreaalsoare in the program, and that he had heard Pitt- stonAreagotonthelist aswell. LIUExecutiveDirec- tor Hal Bloss said his administrationhaddis- cussed the idea of join- ing the pilot program  with union representa- tives,andthattheagen- cy had decided to par- ticipate because he be- lieves the new system  will become mandato- ry and the LIU wanted tohelpshapeit. Unlikeschooldistricts,theLIUhasno classroombuildings.Itprovidesavariety of services, primarily special education, to area schools. Because of that, Bloss said,hefeltitwasimportanttojointhepi- lot program and make sure the new sys- tem accounts for the way intermediate unitswork.  WestSideCareerandTechnologyCen- ter Executive Director Nancy Tkatch echoedthatpoint.WestSideisoneofon- ly a handful of "comprehensive" voca- tionalschoolsinthestate,meaningthey get students from school districts for a full day and provide both academic and  vocational training. Most career centers havethestudentonlyahalfdayforvoca- tional training, leaving the academic trainingtothestudent'shomedistrict.  WestSidestudentstakethestateread- ing and math tests in grade 11, but also take tests in their vocational skills de-  visedbytheNationalOccupationalCom- petency Testing Institute. Tkatch said the center wants to make sure the new evaluation system takes into account NOCTI test results and the unusual na- tureofcomprehensivecareercenters.

Schools OK test-based evaluation of teachers

The pilot program for the area involves going beyond observation of teachers to gauge effectiveness.

ByMARKGUYDISH

 mguydish@timesleader.com

Districts and other educa- tion entities can participa- te at many levels – using the new eval- uation system in just a few classrooms or one school – and need not use the sys- tem district wide.

See TEACHER, Page 4A

SHAVERTOWN – A cackling flock of free-ranging chickens greeted vis- itors at the annual Fall Festival at  The Lands at Hillside Farms on Sat- urday.  The two-day harvest celebration, Hillside's largest annual fundraiser, features pony rides, a petting zoo, greenhouse tours and a live demon- stration of a working dairy farm, as  well as hay-rides and live musical en- tertainment. "This is a family-focused weekend for families with children," said The Lands' Executive Director Chet Mo- zloom. "It allows us to showcase our livestock and harvest." Mozloom said feedback from past festivals has been extremely positive and people come from far and wide to enjoy the event with family and friends. "This is a publicly owned re- source," stated Suzanne Kelly, The Lands' spokeswoman. "Families come here throughout the year here to en-  joy the farm, walk through the stream and eat ice cream." Mozloom said the extensive farm complex is undergoing continual change and rehabilitation due to a combination of public funding and private donations. Officials said the facility is a year- round learning resource for local school districts and local Luzerne In- termediate Unit students participate in a popular agriculturally sustainable food program at the farm. "This is a great experience for chil- dren," said Joe Charney, who attend- ed the festival with his 3-year-old son, Sebastian. "I bring my son here a few times a year and he loves it."

COMMUNITY EVENTS

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Dressedin period costumes,Katie and Abby Haas walk past a chicken in the garden at the Lands at Hillside Farms Fall Festival on Saturday. The festival continues today from noon to 5:30 p.m.

Bumper crop of fun

Harvest Festival at Hillside a joy for all

BySTEVENFONDO

Times Leader Correspondent

"This is a family-focused weekend for families with children. It allows us to showcase our livestock and harvest."

Chet Mozloom

Executive director

 WILKES-BARRE – Partners of the ArtsSEENGalleryonPublicSquarein  Wilkes-Barre are looking forward to openingasimilargalleryindowntown Pittston.  Thegalleryallowslocalartiststoex- hibit and sell their artwork in the  Wyoming Valley. It was the brainchild of Kathleen Godwin of Arts YOUni-  verseandMikeBurnsideoftheCultural CouncilofLuzerneCounty. Burnsidesaidthegallerychargesart- ists$20permonthtodisplaytheirwork andrequirestheyalsotakepartinstaff- ingthestoreahalfdaypermonth.Art- istsarethenabletokeepallmoneyfor the sales of their work. He noted this notonlymakesitpossibleforartiststo sell their artwork, but to be integrated intothespiritofthegalleryitself. "We have been approached with the opportunitytoopenasimilarstorefront gallery in Pittston and are working to-  wardmakingthatareality,"saidBurn- side,whoindicatedtherearestill"some numberstoworkout." Burnsidesaidhewasoriginallyskep- ticalaboutopeningupasecondgallery inPittston,butupontouringthesiteat 71S.MainSt.,hethoughtthatitwould beaveryappropriatespotbecauseofits accessibility to foot traffic and general structure and wall space. He also said thatareaofPittstonwillbeaddingsome more lighting and doing some major renovations,whichwillservetomakeit

Arts SEEN looking to add gallery in downtown Pittston

The gallery on Public Square lets local artists exhibit and sell their work in the area.

ByGERIGIBBONS

Times Leader Correspondent

CLARK VAN ORDEN/THE TIMES LEADER

Charles O'Donnell, gallery organizer of the Arts SEEN Gallery on Public Square, shows some of the exhib- iting artists' work. The group operating the gallery is con- sidering opening an additional store- front gallery in Pittston.

See ARTS, Page 4A

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Source: https://www.scribd.com/document/67138385/Times-Leader-10-02-2011

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