Clark E. Mead Jr. will remain behind state prison bars after a three-judge state Superior Court panel on Thursday dismissed his second appeal of his conviction for sexually molesting two boys in 2005 and 2006 in McAdoo.

Mead failed to comply with court rules requiring him to outline what mistakes he said occurred before or during his trial, the panel ruled in dismissing his appeal.

“(Mead) failed to preserve any issues for appellate review,” Judge Jacqueline O. Shogan wrote in the panel’s eight-page opinion.

As a result, Mead will remain at State Correctional Institution/Houtzdale in Clearfield County, where he is serving at least 27 1/2 years for his crimes.

After a two-day trial, a Schuylkill County jury convicted Mead on June 5, 2012, of six counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault and two each of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children.

County President Judge William E. Baldwin, who presided over Mead’s trial, sentenced him on Sept. 27, 2012, to serve 27 1/2 to 55 years in a state correctional institution, pay costs and submit a DNA sample to law enforcement authorities. In addition, Baldwin ruled that under Megan’s Law, Mead is a sexually violent predator and subject to lifetime sanctions once he leaves prison.

McAdoo police had charged him with sexually assaulting the two boys, who were 4 and 5 years old, on multiple occasions between August 2005 and March 2006.

In the panel’s opinion, Shogan wrote that in his appeal, Mead wrote only that the county court erred in denying his petition, providing no detail about what those alleged errors were. That does not satisfy the law, Shogan wrote.

“We conclude that (Mead) has waived any issues he might have raised on appeal,” Shogan wrote.

A second panel member, Judge Mary Jane Bowes, joined Shogan’s opinion, while the third, Senior Judge James J. Fitzgerald III, concurred in the result but not the opinion.

A different three-judge Superior Court panel had affirmed Mead’s conviction and sentence on July 29, 2014.

The Megan’s Law sanctions to which Mead will be subject include requirements that he report his address, employment and educational statuses, and any change in them, to state police for the rest of his life after he leaves prison. Any failure to comply with those sanctions is a crime in itself and could result in further prosecution.

Megan’s Law was enacted in Pennsylvania, numerous other states and at the federal level following the 1994 murder of Megan Nicole Kanka, 7, of Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey.

Jesse Timmendequas, Kanka’s killer, was a convicted sex offender and one of the girl’s neighbors. He is serving a life sentence following then-New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine’s commutation of his death sentence after that state abolished its death penalty.

Defendant: Clark E. Mead Jr.

Age: 32

Residence: Taylor

Crimes committed: Six counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault and two each of corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children

Prison sentence: 27 1/2 to 55 years in a state correctional institution, plus lifetime Megan’s Law sanctions

In May, the Rotary Club of Pottsville, Club No. 5319, donated $2,000 to the Schuylkill County Historical Society.

On Wednesday, the club held its August meeting at the society’s headquarters and had the opportunity to see how the society put the money to use.

“We bought three new PCs (personal computers) for our photo archive and material archive upstairs on the second floor. We bought them from Dell directly. And the computers came equipped with monitors and keyboards,” Thomas B. Drogalis, the society’s executive director, said.

On Wednesday afternoon, one of the society’s volunteers, Dottie Loy, 88, of Pottsville, was using one of the new computers to scan and catalog vintage photos.

“The computers we were using up there were very old computers, probably close to 10 years old. And the hardware and the software was not replaceable,” Drogalis said.

Every year, the Rotary Club makes an effort to give “about $10,000” to area nonprofit organizations, said Terry L. Bixler, funeral director at Lord-Bixler Funeral Home, Pottsville, and president of the Rotary Club of Pottsville since June.

Earlier this year, Drogalis sent the Rotary a letter, asking if the Rotary could afford to support the society’s technological needs.

“We expressed our need to the Rotary Club and they were gracious enough to do this for us. It’s really an integral part of the society’s holdings. We have over 25,000 photographs that we’ve been scanning and archiving with museum software which we can use to find them if we do an inquiry search,” Drogalis said.

“The whole objective of Rotary is to raise money and give it away. We try to give it to what we believe are worthy causes in our community and certainly the historical society here has been a worthy cause for years. And we hope that this helps them continue and maintain our history here in the community,” Bixler said.

In December, the Rotary Club of Pottsville, which was established in 1915, merged with the Rotary Club of Minersville, which was established in 1936.

The Pottsville Business Association is interested in buying the former “Miss Dolly Trolley,” a 26-passenger bus once used by the Schuylkill Transportation System.

But at the PBA’s August meeting Thursday morning at Union Station, Karen Kenderdine, PBA’s president and treasurer, wasn’t sure if the business association could afford it.

“They are about to put it out for bid,” Kenderdine told a crowd of 26 people who came out to the morning meeting.

“We’ll hopefully have it out for bid by the end of the year,” David A. Bekisz, the executive director at STS since August 2014, said Thursday afternoon.

STS bought the six-wheel Double K brand vehicle in 2007 from Double K Inc., Hometown Trolley, Crandon, Wis., for $145,186. State and local funds were used to buy it, according to Bekisz.

It looks like a vintage trolley car. It’s maroon-colored and it’s accented by wood panels.

“There’s a wheel-chair lift. And it’s air conditioned,” Bekisz said.

It was named after Dorothy “Dolly” Vinchofsky Kuehn. She was employed for more than 34 years with STS, first as a bus driver and later as operations and safety supervisor. She retired May 12, 2013, then returned as operations coordinator until her failing health no longer allowed her to work, according to the STS website.

She died Feb. 3 in Hurricane, West Virginia, according to her obituary, which was published in The Republican-Herald on Feb. 11.

STS rented the vehicle out to communities and private parties for special events, he said.

But a federal regulation approved in October 2012 put a stop to that. It’s Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49 — Transportation, Part 604 — Charter Service.

“It precludes us as a public agency to do private charter work,” Bekisz said.

“The purpose of this part is to implement 49 U.S.C. 5323(d), which protects private charter operators from unauthorized competition from recipients of federal financial assistance under the Federal Transit Laws,” according to the law, which can be viewed on the website for the U.S. Government Publishing Office at www.gpo.gov.

The last time “Miss Dolly Trolley” received a state inspection sticker was in 2014.

It’s parked in back of the STS Administrative Office at 252 Industrial Park Road at the Saint Clair Industrial Park. The mileage is “about 30,800,” Bekisz said.

“They got back two estimates on the trolley. It does have value. PennDOT said they couldn’t give it away because its useful life had not been exhausted,” Kenderdine said at the PBA meeting Thursday.

STS has to follow state guidelines, Bekisz said.

“Whenever an asset that was purchased with state funds still holds value, but it needs to be disposed of, the department requires the grantee attempt to re-coup as much funding as possible when selling that asset. They can accomplish this by putting the asset out for public bid, or putting it out to bid through eBay. This way the process is transparent and fair to anyone who may want to bid on that asset. The funding they receive from the sale will go back into the service they provide,” Ronald J. Young Jr., district press officer for PennDOT, District 5, Allentown, said Thursday.

“There are rules and regulations that need to be followed in this circumstance, and we’re following those rules,” Bekisz said.

“So, it will be put out for bid,” Kenderdine said.

PBA is interested in the trolley because it would like to run tours of the city with stops at its businesses.

“I did ask Dave if there’s any way STS can have a division that runs tours. Williamsport, they run a trolley for tours, as does Scranton,” Kenderdine said.

The PBA has more than 160 members. According to its July financial statement from BB&T Financial, PBA has $9,130.64 in total checking and money market savings accounts.

On Saturday, the 23rd annual Great Pottsville Cruise, hosted by the Pottsville Lions Club, will be held in the city, and hundreds of show cars, from antiques to rat rods, will roll in for the event.

PBA will have a presence there, according to Kenderdine.

“We’re going to put a banner up,” Patricia Setlock, the PBA’s secretary, said.

It will be at 100 N. Centre St., a building owned by Matthew DiRenzo, Pottsville.

“It’s just going to welcome people into the area,” Setlock said.

Next year, Kenderdine said, the PBA hopes to have more of a presence at the cruise.

The PBA was incorporated in 1905. It has gone through a few changes in the past year as its members worked to chart its future. In April, its president since July 2015, John Plachko, stepped down from the post because he took a new job that changed his schedule. In May, Kenderdine was named treasurer and president.

“Next year, we may have a PBA table and be a raffle stop. We’ll look into that for next year,” Kenderdine said.

In other matters, the PBA decided to donate $100 to a volunteer group called The Skook Recovers, which has been making efforts to clean up downtown Pottsville. Travis “The Featherhawk” Snyder, Hegins, a former drug addict, started the group in June 2015.

On July 29, representatives of the group visited the city to clean up Garfield Square. On Aug. 4, they returned to clean up litter from Centre Street. Kenderdine said the group was back in the city on Thursday.

NORRISTOWN — State Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s decision not to present any defense at her trial was a unique trial strategy and huge gamble for her, several area attorneys said.

“I understand her not taking the stand. I don’t understand them not presenting any other defense,” said Joe D’Andrea, a longtime Lackawanna County defense attorney. “Clearly, it’s not the norm. They may not have had an alternative.”

Kane’s defense team made the surprise announcement moments after Montgomery County prosecutors rested their case early Friday afternoon.

Kane, 50, of Waverly Township, is charged with perjury and several other offenses for allegedly leaking grand jury information and lying about her actions. The trial will resume Monday with closing arguments.

By law, a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty and does not have to present any defense if he or she believes the state has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Citing credibility issues of some witnesses, Kane’s attorneys maintain the state did not meet that burden with the 14 witnesses it presented over four days of testimony.

It’s rare for the defense not to present any witnesses or other evidence in a criminal case, D’Andrea and two other area attorneys said.

“There may not have been a defense other than the commonwealth can’t prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” D’Andrea said.

The attorneys, none of whom are involved in the case, cautioned they don’t know all the facts. Based on what they do know from media reports of the trial, they questioned the decision.

“Some people could say this was on heck of a waste of a trial if this is what the defense is going to be,” said Bob Buehner, former longtime district attorney for Montour County.

Buehner said the prosecutors were very skilled and seemed to present a well-organized, concise case. He felt it was incumbent upon Kane to answer her accusers personally.

“I was expecting her to take the stand, look the jury in the eye and say ‘I didn’t do it,’ ” he said.

Although the law says a defendant is not required to take the stand, it is commonly believed jurors want to see that, said Ernest Preate, a former Lackawanna County district attorney who served as state attorney general from 1988 to 1995.

“The jury is looking for an explanation to give you the benefit of the doubt,” Preate said.

That’s particularly true in a case involving a high profile defendant like Kane, the chief law enforcement officer in the state, Preate said.

“It’s a very risky proposition when you are high profile defendant and say I’m not taking the stand and not presenting any evidence,” he said.

Preate knows a little about the situation Kane is in. In 1995, he was forced to resign as state attorney general when he was charged with racketeering and corruption. But instead of going to trial, he pleaded guilty to mail fraud and served a year in federal prison.

The attorneys all said they suspect Kane’s attorneys chose not to put her on the stand because they feared she would not hold up well under cross examination.

“I don’t know all the facts. There were some issues I don’t think she could explain,” D’Andrea said. “I think they were worried about her stammering and falling all over herself.”

Preate said he suspects the defense is counting on jurors to closely evaluate the credibility of several witnesses against Kane who were granted immunity or who admitted they lied in previous testimony.

“The prosecution is so weak, there are so many people who had a reason to lie or had immunity that they didn’t prove their case,” Preate said. “That’s the argument they are going to make.”

A lot is riding on the defense’s closing argument, he said.

“It’s going to be absolutely critical to her,” he said.

HEGINS — A Valley View Boy Scout working toward his Eagle Scout project hopes to create an inclusive playground at Hegins-Hubley Elementary.

Micah Ulicny presented his case Wednesday before the Tri-Valley school board.

The board also heard two other presentations — one from a parent and educator concerned about the disparity of the district’s elementary class sizes and the other touting the success of the district’s agriculture program.

Courtyard plans

Ulicny said the inclusive playground he’s proposing would be erected in the 40-by-120-foot courtyard area of Hegins-Hubley Elementary, Valley View.

“I’m really excited and happy to be doing this,” Ulicny, 16, said.

The goal of the project is to convert the Hegins-Hubley courtyard into an inclusive playground, catered to meet the needs of Kate Herb’s Life Skills students.

“We are focused on giving the students a playground specialized for them and giving the students a place to bond with other students not in the Life Skills program. We are planning to add a sensory garden to the courtyard. The garden’s objective is to give the students a place to stimulate the senses and give them a place to relax,” Ulicny said.

The current layout concept is being worked on by a group of Master Gardeners that have agreed to donate their time to help out, he said.

The garden would be placed in the end of the courtyard closest to the road. The existing trees would stay. There is a drain in the courtyard area that would need to be addressed, Ulicny said. A cover could be made to be placed over it when the kids are playing there.

Play equipment

The playground equipment is designed to be special-needs accessible and was selected by Herb. Ulicny said cost estimates are about $10,000, plus freight expenses. Landscape Structures may supply the playground equipment and assisted in getting prices, Ulicny said.

The proposed equipment and costs were as follows: a Metallophone, a musical instrument-type play area, $3,890; a swing with a molded seat, $840, or an alternative called JOKI spider (swing) at $149; Clear Paint Panel finger painting station, $505; Stationary Cycler, $1,800; a free-standing play seesaw (with availability for two people on each of the two sides; either two students or a student with an aide on the ride together), $2,790.

Ulicny said there’s a group of Scouts interested in assisting with the project and with any picnic tables or benches that may be needed.

Funding

Grants and fundraisers are options that could cover project costs. Ulicny said the Boy Scouts of America board would have to approve the effort to make sure everything was being done ethically.

Ulicny said some of the promising grants that could be pursued are CVS Caremark Community Grant; Hot Potato 5K Grant through Sterman Masser Potato Farms; Lowe’s Toolbox For Education Grant; the Eat, Learn, Live & Grow Grant from Chartwells (gardening education); Home Depot Community Impact Grant; Atlantic Sunrise Awards, and State Farm Grant. Depending on funding, Ulicny said plans are to erect the playground and garden in the spring and summer of 2017.

Herb also attended the meeting.

“When he approached me about this, it was phenomenal,” Herb said. “Sometimes when I send my kids out to the playground, I do worry because sometimes I do have ‘runners,’ so you have to be on top of them all the time. It’s harder to get them out on the playground. Some of my kids don’t understand the concept of play. So I have to teach that. So having an area where I can teach that in a smaller setting with less stimulation, as far as equipment goes, it would be a dream come true.

Those approving the concept of Ulicny’s plan were directors Diane C. Dietrich, John E. Schmeltz, Kenneth L. Smeltz, Karrie L. Bowman, Roger D. Heidlebaugh, Guy M. Julian, Carl D. Shankweiler and Curtis H.E. Zemencik. Director Jerry R. Beaver was absent.

Class size

Mandi Lucht, a parent, taxpayer and elementary teacher in the district, addressed the board about the disparity in class sizes at Hegins-Hubley Elementary and Mahantongo Elementary, Klingerstown.

According to Lucht’s report, for this coming school year, there are 13 third-graders at Mahantongo and 51 at Hegins-Hubley for class sizes of 25 and 26; 19 fourth-graders at Mahantongo and 59 at Hegins-Hubley for class sizes of 29 and 30; 25 fifth-graders at Mahantongo and 59 at Hegins-Hubley for class sizes of 29 and 30; 16 sixth-graders at Mahantongo and 46 at Hegins-Hubley for class sizes of 23 and 23.

She said there are still two and a half weeks before school begins, so the possibility of additional students moving in is very high and the problem is not going away.

“Two weeks ago, I was told there are 65 first-graders combined at Hegins-Hubley. So when that class gets to third grade, you’re going to be looking at 30-plus students between two classrooms,” she said.

The classes are heterogeneously mixed, Lucht said, with advanced, on-average and below-grade level pupils who may have individual education programs or IEPs. Rightly so, she said, they need additional attention in the learning process.

On average, in the upper grades from third through sixth, there are about six students with IEPs per room. In third grade last year, she said there were 11 students with IEPs in one classroom.

“The students in your average range will not get the attention needed by a student-teacher ratio of 30 to 1. Packing that many students into a single classroom is not educationally equal. I know our teachers do the very best they can in both buildings to make sure each child in their classroom gets what they need. But more and more continue to be added with no help for these kids,” Lucht said.

The board thanked Lucht for her address, but it took no action Wednesday.

Ag honors

In other matters, high school Principal Charles W. Hall said Tri-Valley’s Agricultural Science Program was named as the outstanding secondary agriculture education program for the state by the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Education.

Hall also announced the efforts of Gretchen Dingman, agriculture educator, along with Barry Palmer, garnered the district a $10,000 grant from Monsanto’s “America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education” program. The funds will be used to buy an aquaponics system and associated training and curriculum.

Dingman attended the meeting and shared the success that district student had at the Schuylkill County Fair. Students donated 45 volunteer hours at the fair, manning a “Farming for a Day” exhibit. Other individual winners with prize-winning livestock included Hunter Snyder (graduate), Rebecca Witmer, Elise Laudenslager, Bryce Laudenslager, Karlee Klinger and Karli Snyder.

Also on Wednesday, Hall announced scheduling for the high school is complete, including the new dual enrollment courses. Student schedules will be available for pickup at the high school office Monday, he said. The high school open house will be 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13.

A native of Trinidad, Lisa Jack, owner of Shop 203 at 203 W. Market St., Pottsville, took home the top prize in the Pottsville Area Development Corp. 2016 Business Plan Competition.

“I want to give thanks to God for all of the blessings I’ve been given so far. And I wanted to thank my sister. She helped me put my plan together. She is always a phone call or a Skype away. Her name is Maria Harrington-Hosein. She lives in Trinidad,” Jack, who resides in Pottsville, said Friday.

“It was evident that Lisa benefited from attending the various lunch and learn seminars facilitated by PADCO,” Brad C. Dixon, PADCO’s executive director, said when announcing the winners Friday.

She received a $10,000 PADCO general business loan with a zero percent interest rate for five years. She also received a 10-inch computer tablet from 12 Volt Dave’s Audio; $100 in cash from Beehive Hair Salon; a one-year membership to the Schuylkill County Historical Society, and a “$500 coupon” for Jerry’s Northeast Auto Sales, Dixon said.

“And that’s amazing, because I just got my driver’s license on Monday and I don’t have a car,” Jack said.

Shop 203 opened in December 2014.

New businesses and established businesses starting new enterprises in the city were eligible to enter the competition. PADCO does not hold it every year because there isn’t always a pool of entries. The last time it was held was 2010, according to the newspaper’s archives.

On Nov. 28, applications for the 2016 Pottsville Business Plan Competition were available at PADCO’s office on the second floor of 1 S. Second St., and on its website at www.downtownpottsville.org.

There was no cost to enter. The deadline for applications was Jan. 28. Business plans had to be submitted by March 24.

“Applicants were required to successfully complete a three-phase evaluation process. Phases consisted of sharing a thorough, descriptive business concept, completion of a formal business plan and, finally, a personal presentation addressing their interest in pursuing the venture,” Dixon said.

In July, the entries were judged by Joseph H. “Jay” Jones Jr. and Craig S.L. Shields.

Prizes were also awarded to the first and second runners-up:

• Brian and Patricia Setlock, proprietors of Bake Shop VI, 22 North Centre St., were the first runners-up. Bake Shop VI will open in September.

They received two free monthly reserved parking spaces for one year, compliments of the Pottsville Parking Authority, valued at up to $1,320; reduced rent with Barefield Development, a $300 value; brochure/envelope printing provided by Eastern Press, a $100 value; $50 cash provided by DiCello Chiropractic, and a one-year free membership to the Pottsville Lions Club, Dixon said.

• Lori Quinn, proprietor of ArtWorks17901, an art gallery at 402 Mahantongo St., was the second runner-up. She plans to open in first quarter 2017.

She received one free rental of the Majestic Theater, a $225 value; $150 cash provided by Rick Seitzinger; a one-year membership with the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau; a one-year membership with the Pottsville Business Association, and a one-year basic AAA Schuylkill County membership, Dixon said.

The first Pottsville business plan competition was held in 2004.

Following are the top winners of the previous competitions in Pottsville:

• 2004, David R. Cipko, pretzel shop and factory.

• 2005, Schuylkill Women In Crisis for its weaving business, The Grateful Thread.

• 2007, Bartel Services, a transportation firm.

• 2008, there was a tie between Schuylkill Photo Memories and The Dirty Dog.

• 2010, The White Pear, a chic consignment boutique.

Eighteen people received a second chance from the Schuylkill County judicial system on Tuesday, as they entered a program that will allow them to have their criminal records eliminated if they successfully complete it.

Defendants admitted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program by President Judge William E. Baldwin, at the request of prosecutors, must pay all costs of participating in it, plus $50 to the Criminal Justice Enhancement Account, perform community service and comply with all directives from the court and the Adult Probation and Parole Office.

“The ARD program is for first-time offenders charged with nonviolent crimes,” Baldwin told the 18.

Anyone successfully completing the program will have charges against them dismissed and can petition the court to have their record expunged. Those who do not complete it successfully will be removed from the program and have their cases returned to the trial list.

Those entering the program, and the crimes they were charged with, included:

Joshua C. Cahill, 21, of Saint Clair; retail theft and receiving stolen property. Cahill also must pay $24.99 restitution.

Michael Demalis, 44, of Shenandoah; driving under the influence.

Charles R. Faust, 27, of New Philadelphia; DUI, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nicholas J. Forte, 43, of Barnesville; theft by deception. Forte also must pay $740 restitution.

Kim D. Groff, 60, of Pottsville; DUI.

Jonathan M. Hand, 32, of Pottsville; DUI. Hand also must pay $60 restitution.

Robert J. Hank, 69, of Mahanoy City; DUI. Hank also must pay $60 restitution.

Maria C. Justus, 19, of Allentown; DUI. Justus also must pay $60 restitution.

Beatrix Koenig, 46, of Cressona; DUI.

Ashley M. McCullough, 28, of Middleport; retail theft.

Tonya McJunkin, 32, of Pottsville; DUI.

Robert R. Miller, 56, of McAdoo; two counts of disrupting operation of train and one each of disorderly conduct and defiant trespass.

Amanda L. Mooney, 27, of Mahanoy City; making prohibited loan on firearm and obstructing administration of law.

Brandon D. Morin, 22, of Hazleton; DUI. Moyer also must pay $120 restitution.

Jacob S. Moyer, 20, of Schuylkill Haven; DUI.

James D. Munch, 23, of Barto; DUI, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lindsay A. Ryon, 37, of Orwigsburg; DUI.

Andrew T. Schlegel, 30, of Nesquehoning; DUI.

FRACKVILLE — The Frackville Borough Council received an update on the land bank program in Schuylkill County during Wednesday’s monthly meeting.

Christopher Gulotta, principal with The Gulotta Group LLC, Easton, was invited by Councilman Paul Klevis to speak with the council on the basics of the process of obtaining properties through the Schuylkill County Land Bank. Klevis is chairman of the council’s Economic Development Committee. The borough joined the land bank in February.

“I have a consulting business in Easton, but I helped the land bank get formed in late 2015,” Gulotta said. “I am the acting administrator.”

Gulotta said there are seven communities in the county that are land bank members: Frackville, Ashland, Girardville, Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Minersville and Delano Township.

“What we’re doing at this stage is putting together a plan of action on how we can be helpful to municipalities, what properties would you like us to focus on and what are the proposed uses of those properties,” Gulotta said.

The creation of land banks in the state came through the passage of HB 1682 in 2012. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. John Taylor, R-177, and supported in the state Senate by Senators David G. Argall, R-29, and Gene Yaw, R-23. The bill was signed by Gov. Tom Corbett on Oct. 24, 2012.

According to Smart Growth America, the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide, HB 1682 enables municipalities in Pennsylvania to create land banks, local entities that can hold and manage vacant properties and direct their reuse and redevelopment. Land banks make it easier and cheaper for prospective buyers to redevelop blighted properties into homes and businesses, ultimately reversing cycles of economic decline and getting delinquent properties back on municipal tax rolls.

“Under Pennsylvania law, the land bank has some advantage in terms of acquiring tax delinquent properties, particularly at the judicial sale stage,” Gulotta said. “We can prevent speculators from bidding on those properties, and if the land bank is interested in buying one of those properties, we can enter into an agreement with the tax claim bureau to buy that property. Our goal is basically to quarterback the effort to deal with blighted properties in Schuylkill County.”

Gulotta said the law permits the land bank to better deal with situations involving title issues that prevent a property from being purchased.

“A lot of times one of the reasons that a property has been sitting and sitting is because there is a title issue, and we can get that cleared up and hopefully see the property go back into productive use,” he said. “And that is the key. The ultimate objective is to see properties return to the tax rolls and see them redeveloped for productive uses with the idea of not only eliminating blight, which has an obvious impact on the values of surrounding properties, but also for returning them to productive uses.”

Gulotta said there are 12 land banks in Pennsylvania and he was involved in the formation of four of them, including in Schuylkill County.

“I’ve met with Councilman Klevis twice and tried to basically look at how the land bank can add value in your community, what types of properties do you want us to purchase eventually, how do you want those properties repurposed,” Gulotta said. “I’ll be attending the Economic Development Committee meeting later this month to continue that discussion. We’re interested in any thoughts you have about the focus of the land bank in your community. The land bank is not here to serve the land bank, we’re here to serve the member communities.”

Klevis pointed out that the properties can be residential or commercial. Gulotta said the land bank will be pursuing state grant funding in the fall.

“We’re are trying to grow our resources gradually. We’re starting small and hopefully we’ll ramp up considerably later on this year and definitely in 2017,” Gulotta said.

Council President Ronald Jordan said that most of the member communities, with the exception of Minersville, are in the “northern tier” of the county.

“I think the answer to your question is that we had to start somewhere,” Gulotta said. “Except for Minersville, it is mostly the northern part of the county. We wanted to start with a relatively limited number so that we could provide good service. The key to this is making sure you get out of this what you put into it and more. You’re providing $1,000 a year toward the land bank, so you have to get that back and more.”

Gulotta welcomes contacts from other communities to discuss the program.

During his committee report, Klevis said the committee met on July 25 and the next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 in the council chambers. Klevis said the committee meets on the fourth Monday of the month and is open to the public.

Thinking about potential expansion of its historic headquarters, a fire company in Pottsville is spending more than $30,000 to knock down a blighted home next door to it.

“This is a unique opportunity to own the property next door. We’re virtually landlocked in a long, narrow building. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along all the time. Now we won’t be as landlocked as we otherwise would have been,” Michael R. Glore, Pottsville, an assistant engineer with Phoenix Fire Company No. 2, said Wednesday.

“It also helps with the neighborhood. It’s not an eyesore,” James W. Pryce, the fire company president, said Wednesday.

“It is under a demolition order by the city, because of fire damage,” Mark J. Atkinson, a city councilman who is one of the fire company’s trustees, said Wednesday.

On April 28, the Phoenix Fire Company No. 2 at 320 E. Norwegian St. bought the three-story home at 322 E. Norwegian St. from Barry Fox for $8,500.

Since then, the fire company hired Eshleman Salvage of Richland, Lebanon County, to knock down the blighted building at a cost of $23,000, Pryce said.

“That comes out of our own funds,” Atkinson said.

“The work started two weeks ago. And in about two weeks, it should be down,” Pryce said.

The former home at 322 E. Norwegian St. was damaged in a fire that occurred in January.

“It was occupied up until the fire,” Pryce said.

The fire started in 324 E. Norwegian St. on Jan. 26. Thomas Maurice Howard, 59, was on the second floor of address 324 at the time and died of smoke inhalation, according to the newspaper’s archives.

The fire company is interested in buying the three-story building at 324 E. Norwegian St., which is owned by Richard P. Bauer, Allentown.

Eshleman Salvage is also in the process of knocking that building down as well.

“It was heavily damaged in that fatal fire,” Glore said.

“Our hope is we’ll be able to obtain the 324 property as well. That will give the firehouse more space for future endeavors,” Atkinson said.

“We could use it for parking, or maybe for a small building for storage. There are all kind of options that we have,” Pryce said.

“It’s a unique opportunity because of the way these buildings are laid out. We have this long, narrow piece of property and this would give us the opportunity to expand that a little bit,” Glore said.

Both the firehouse building and addresses 322 and 324 are bordered by East Norwegian Street and an alley that intersects with Line Street.

“I forget what the name of that alley is. If you brought the level right up to the street, you’d be able to drive right through there. We’ll probably end up putting up a fence there temporarily until we discuss plans for the future,” Pryce said.

The demolition of 322 will expose the east wall of the fire house, which is made of red brick.

“And that’s one of the things we’re watching for, in terms of our funding. We want to make sure we have enough to do the site prep, make it decent and make sure we take care of anything with regards to the wall,” Glore said.

In 1829, the Schuylkill Hydraulian Company was founded. In 1867, it was chartered as the Phoenix Engine Company, according to the newspaper’s archives.

According to a cornerstone at the fire house, the building at 320 E. Norwegian St. was erected in 1885.

The fire company has 68 members, including 15 active members, Atkinson said.

HECKSCHERVILLE — All 120 employees of the Gordon Food Service’s Pottsville Distribution Center at Highridge Business Park will lose their jobs.

The facility at 1044 Keystone Blvd. is closing, according to a letter from Tim Fatum, senior manager at human resources with Gordon Food Service Inc. to Danette Lay, division chief of state operations for the state Department of Labor & Industry.

“This layoff will impact all employed by Gordon Food Service’s Pottsville Distribution Center within the state. The company expects to begin eliminating positions on Nov. 5, 2016, and will continue in phases until complete closure on Jan. 18, 2017,” the Aug. 3 letter states. None of the employees are represented by a union.

A call to Fatum was not returned but Deb Abraham, spokeswoman for Gordon Food Service, responded.

“After careful consideration, Gordon Food Service has made the difficult decision to close its Pottsville Distribution Center effective November 5, 2016. Customers currently being served by the Pottsville Distribution Center will be transitioned to other distribution centers in the area including Taunton, Massachusetts; Aberdeen, Maryland; and Imperial, (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania.

“Gordon Food Service is committed to helping Pottsville-based team members successfully transition to new employment. Most employees impacted by this change will have opportunities to transfer to one of the company’s other locations. For those who aren’t able to relocate or secure other employment within the company, severance and outplacement services will be offered to ease the transition,” she said.

In another email, Abraham said the employees were notified in person Aug. 3 “during team and individual meetings. The company has communicated their desire for the employees to consider working at other Gordon Food Service locations. Several have expressed interest in staying with the company and pursuing opportunities at the company’s other locations, including Aberdeen, Imperial, Taunton and others,” Abraham said.

She said the “primary” reason for the closure is the “proximity of the facility (the Pottsville site) to our customers in the region.”

Brad Walter, director of warehousing at the Pottsville facility, declined to comment and referred questions to Abraham.

Frank Zukas, president of the Schuylkill Economic Development Corp., said he spoke to Walter, who spoke very highly of the workforce.

“The move is prompted by market conditions,” Zukas said.

He was notified by the local Career Link office in Pottsville about the news. Zukas said the decision to close comes as a surprise. He said there were open positions at the facility as of last month. He said there was “no indication on the horizon” about the closure.

Zukas said the employees were all full time. The company has been at the 148,000-square-foot building since November 2009. The site was servicing the restaurant industry from that location. He said there was a refrigeration section, freezer area and dry good area within the building. Steps have already been taken to give information on the property to prospective local tenants, whom he declined to name. The property is in both Cass and Foster townships but the building and the improvements are in Cass Township, Zukas said. The appropriate local, state and other leaders were notified.

Schuylkill County commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. said he was notified earlier in the week.

“It was surprising. Gordon Food Service has been a good corporate partner,” he said.

He said he was sad to learn about the loss of jobs.

“The first concern you have is for the families that it is going to affect,” he said.

He said perhaps another business entity will step in an use the space and potentially hire the workers.

“It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said.

Schuylkill County Commissioner Frank Staudenmeier also knew about the closure.

“It’s always unfortunate. We never want to hear this type of news,” he said, adding it was a business decision.

Commissioner Gary Hess did not return a call for comment.

n Fountain Springs: The Anthracite Youth Wind Symphony will perform a concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the North Schuylkill school complex. The young musicians are under the direction of Christopher Evans, Blue Mountain; Matt Tenaglia, North Schuylkill, and Walter Choplick, Shenandoah Valley. For more information, email kolonsky@hotmail.com.

n Heckscherville: Clover Fire Company, 8 Clover Road, will sponsor a breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon Aug. 21 at the firehouse. The cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children. A dollar from each adult will be donated to the Alzheimer’s walk team Wee Wees. For more information, call 570-294-0612.

n Mahanoy City: The local Elks lodge, 135 E. Centre St., will have an advance-sale-only broasted chicken dinner from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25 at the lodge. The cost is $10 and meals will also include a baked potato, green beans, cole slaw, roll/butter and dessert. Patrons may eat at the lodge or take meals out. For tickets or more information, call 570-773-3185, 570-773-0467 or 570-467-2612.

n Orwigsburg: Salem United Methodist Church, 133 S. Liberty St., will have a free block party from 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 28. The event will include music, food and community groups. There will also be a cook-off contest for chicken wings in the social hall. All entries must be received by Aug. 22 and competitors will have to bring at least 36 wings. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-943-7688.

n Pottsville: The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians is sponsoring a bus trip to the Padre Pio Shirne in Barto from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 10. The cost is $35. Participants will also visit the AOH Medal of Honor grave in Valley Forge and have lunch on their own at the Pied Piper Diner. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-874-3868.

n Schuylkill Haven: Covenant United Methodist Church, 215 E. Main St., will have Café Covenant from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 27 featuring the Good News Traveling Band. Refreshments will be available and people should bring lawn chairs to enjoy the performance, which will be held indoors in the event of rain. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-385-1401.

n Schuylkill Haven: The Schuylkill County Motorcycle Club will have a motorcycle rally from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the clubhouse, 958 Schuylkill Mountain Road. The event will feature a 2 1/2-hour ride and participants will need a digital camera or phone capable to taking photos. Pizza and soda will be available after the ride. For more information, call 570-754-7208.

n Schuylkill Haven: The First United Church of Christ, 110 Route 61 South, will have a ham-and-turkey dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 20 in the social hall. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and younger, payable at the door. Dinners include ham, turkey, potato filling, veggies, pepper cabbage, applesauce, beverage and peach sundae for dessert. All are welcome. For more information, call 570-385-5979.

n Schuylkill Haven: Orientation for fifth-grade students and new students will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 24 in the auditorium of the Schuylkill Haven Area Middle School auditorium. An open house for Schuylkill Haven Area Middle School is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 in the auditorium. Parents will have the opportunity to learn about the middle school programs and curriculum and meet their child’s teachers.

n Tremont: The Tremont Fire Company will stage its 20th annual car-and-truck show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 21 at the Tremont Elementary Baseball Field, 139 Clay St. Judging will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with awards at 2:30 p.m. The event will also include games, food and music. For more information, call 570-617-1299 or 570-695-3915.

Christina E. Hale

FRACKVILLE — A 33-year-old man charged with assaulting his wife at their Barnesville home on July 18 waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Christina E. Hale.

Edward Lee Dutill, 886 Barnesville Drive, was arrested by state police Trooper Michael Breznik of the Frackville station and charged with one count each of simple assault and harassment.

By waiving his right to a hearing, Dutill will now have to answer to both offenses in Schuylkill County Court.

Breznik charged Dutill with head butting Kimberly Parliament in the face during a domestic argument. The woman had profuse bleeding from her nose and also suffered a cut on her nose and swelling on her face, the officer said.

Other court cases included:

Tylor Blackwell, 20, of 215 S. Broad Mountain Ave., Frackville — waived for court: theft and receiving stolen property.

Michael J. Tassone, 48, of 113 W. Main St., Floor 2, Girardville — waived for court: DUI-controlled substance, disregard for single traffic lane, careless driving and having a blood alcohol level of 0.02 percent or higher-3rd offense.

Steven R. Melsom, 20, of Schuylkill County Prison, Pottsville — withdrawn: burglary. Waived for court: theft, simple assault and harassment.

Richard D. Eroh Jr., 33, of 2648 Melanie Manor, Ringtown — waived for court: possession of drug paraphernalia, DUI-controlled substance, driving without insurance, disregard for single traffic lane, driving at an unsafe speed, careless driving and failure to use safety belts.

NORRISTOWN — Confident the prosecution didn’t meet its burden of proof, state Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane opted not to testify at her trial or present any witnesses on her behalf Friday.

Kane took the stand briefly in Montgomery County Court to confirm to Judge Wendy Demchick-Alloy that she did not wish to testify and made that decision willingly.

“As I sat there and listened to the commonwealth’s case, I don’t believe it is necessary for me to testify,” Kane said.

A Scranton native, Kane, 50, of Waverly Township, is the state’s first elected Democratic and female attorney general. She is charged with perjury, false swearing, obstructing the administration of law, official oppression and conspiracy.

Aside from points her defense made during cross examination of witnesses, the surprise decision means jurors must evaluate the state’s evidence and determine if they believe it meets the legal standard to convict her of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

Kane appeared upbeat throughout Friday’s proceeding, smiling broadly as she casually chatted with family members and other supporters who joined her throughout the week-long trial.

She declined comment as she left the courthouse other than to say “have a nice weekend” to members of the media who shouted questions. Her lead attorney, Gerald Shargel, also declined comment.

The prosecution, led by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele, portrayed Kane as a vengeful politician who leaked secret grand jury documents to a Philadelphia newspaper to embarrass a political foe, then lied to the grand jury that investigated the leak.

Prosecutors called 14 witnesses. The case centered on the three people prosecutors said took part in the leak: Ms. Kane; her former first deputy, Adrian King; and political consultant Joshua Morrow, who worked on Kane’s campaign for attorney general.

In explosive testimony Thursday, Morrow told jurors Kane knew the packet he delivered to Philadelphia Daily News reporter Chris Brennan contained grand jury information regarding a 2009 investigation of the late J. Whyatt Mondesire. Once they learned a grand jury was investigating the leak, they met to concoct a story to blame Mr. King.

Prosecutors say Kane leaked the documents to retaliate against Frank Fina, a former prosecutor in her office she blamed for leaking information that led to a negative story detailing her decision not to file charges against several Philadelphia-area legislators accused of accepting bribes.

On Friday, jurors heard from Mondesire’s fiancee, Catherine Hicks, who described the harm caused by Brennan’s June 6, 2014, story that revealed details of the investigation. The 2009 investigation centered on allegations Mondesire, who died in October, misused state funds earmarked for a charity he headed. He was never charged with any crime.

Hicks said Mondesire was an outgoing person involved with helping his community. He attended multiple events, but once the article ran “everything changed.”

“He was a different person,” she testified. “He was always outgoing and outspoken, fighting for everyone. He wasn’t doing that any more.”

The impact the report had on Mondesire is the basis of one of the charges against Kane — official oppression.

Kane’s defense maintains Mondesire’s reputation was damaged before Brennan’s story ran because he was the subject of several prior news articles that questioned his handling of funds for the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, which he headed.

Other witnesses Friday included Gabriel Stahl, an attorney general’s office employee who confirmed she emailed a copy of Brennan’s story and a copy of a 2009 memo on the Mondesire case to Kane on July 25, 2014.

One of the perjury charges against Kane is based on her claim that she did not see that memo until it was presented to her when she testified before the grand jury in November 2014.

The prosecution used its final witness, attorney William Costopoulos, to read a transcript from the case of former Lackawanna County Judge Frank Eagen, who was convicted in 1999 of obstruction of justice in Dauphin County Court. Kane, then a Lackawanna County assistant district attorney, was called as a witness in that case. Costopoulos represented the judge.

In the transcript, Kane talks of how Eagen asked her to provide him information about a grand jury probe. Kane said she denied the judge’s request because she knew grand jury information was secret and releasing it would be a crime.

Prosecutors apparently introduced the information to bolster the contention Kane knew that releasing documents from the Mondesire case was illegal.

After Steele rested his case, one of Kane’s attorneys, Douglas Rosenblum, made a motion for judgment of acquittal on all charges — a legal procedure in which a judge can rule on the merits of a case without allowing it to go to the jury.

Rosenblum said the state’s case was flawed and marked by witnesses who contradicted each other, therefore no reasonable jury could convict her.

“How can they possibly achieve a conviction when one commonwealth witness accuses another commonwealth witness of framing him?” Rosenblum asked.

The statement was referring to King, who testified Kane and Morrow tried frame him for the leaking of the documents.

Separately, Rosenblum argued the state had no evidence to back the one perjury charge that relates to Kane’s statement that she did not sign a secrecy oath promising not to release grand jury information from cases handled by any attorney general in the history of the office.

During the trial, Shargel admitted Kane testified falsely before the grand jury on that matter. He maintained it was an honest mistake and not intentional, therefore it is not a crime.

“They put on no evidence this was an intentional act,” Rosenblum said.

Steele made only a brief argument in rebuttal, saying the state had met its burden. Judge Demchick-Alloy quickly denied the defense motion.

Proceedings will reconvene Monday, when prosecutors and the defense will present closing arguments. The case will then go to the jury.

Police announce

checkpoint results

The North Central PA Regional DUI Enforcement Program has released details of six enforcement details conducted between July 15 and Saturday.

• A DUI Checkpoint in Branch Township on July 15 conducted by 11 officers from eight departments resulted in 149 vehicles contacted, 11 detained and one driver tested for DUI.

There was one DUI arrest made along with nine traffic arrests and two warning notices issued.

• That same day, a DUI Checkpoint was conducted in Cass Township by 11 officers from eight departments resulting in 375 vehicles contacted, 13 detained and three drivers tested for DUI.

There were two DUI arrests made along with seven traffic arrests and two warning notices issued.

• On July 22 two officers from two departments conducted a Roving DUI Patrol that resulted in 18 vehicles contacted and detained and one driver tested for DUI.

There were no DUI arrests, but the officers made 11 traffic arrests, one criminal arrest and issued nine warning notices.

• A Roving DUI Patrol was conducted on July 23 by three officers from three departments resulting in 30 vehicles contacted and detained and three drivers tested for DUI.

There was one DUI arrests but the officers made 13 traffic arrests and issued 20 warning notices.

• Eight officers from six departments conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint in Mahanoy Township on July 23 resulting in 192 vehicles contacted, 20 detained and three drivers tested for DUI.

The officers made two DUI arrests along with 17 traffic arrests, one criminal arrest and issued three seat belt citations and one warning notice.

• On Saturday, two officers from two departments conducted a Roving DUI Patrol that resulted in 18 vehicles contacted and detained and one driver tested for DUI. There was one DUI arrest and the officers also made 15 traffic arrests and three criminal arrests.

Man charged with

resisting arrest

MAHANOY CITY — Mahanoy City police charged a borough man stemming from an incident about 9:40 p.m. July 1 at his 413 E. Mahanoy Ave. home.

Police said Tylor Nalesnik, 18, was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law, hindering apprehension or prosecution, false identification to law enforcement and persistent disorderly conduct.

Police said officers on patrol saw Nalesnik and knew that there was a warrant out for his arrest. Nalesnik fled on foot and ran onto the porch of a home, where he then opened a screen door and while closing it, caught an officer’s hand, causing minor injuries.

Officers from surrounding communities responded to assist and Nalesnik was eventually taken into custody out of an abandoned home at 415 E. Mahanoy Ave., police said.

Once outside of the home and being taken to a cruiser, police said, the teen was yelling and screaming, banging his head and kicking the doors of a police vehicle.

In connection with the same incident, police said, the man’s mother and father — Susan Hermia Nalesnik, 38, and James T. Nalesnik, also 38 — were charged.

Susan Nalesnik was charged with persistent disorderly conduct, hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing the administration of law. James Nalesnik was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, resisting arrest, obstructing the administration of law and flight to avoid apprehension, trial or punishment.

Charges against all three were filed with Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah.

Police: Man had

paraphernalia

PORT CARBON — Port Carbon police charged a borough man with possession of drug paraphernalia after an incident about 10:15 p.m. July 31.

Police said officers went to the home at 18 Park St., Mechanicsville, to assist EMS with a medical emergency. While at the home, police said, they found Cody Kruies , 26, of 52 Woodside Road, Pottsville, who was wanted by the Clearfield County Sheriff’s Department.

In addition to the warrant, police said, the man was found with hypodermic needles resulting in the drug paraphernalia charge.

Police investigate

damage to vehicle

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — State police at Schuylkill Haven are investigating a criminal mischief incident that occurred sometime over last weekend.

Police said Christine Rodriguez reported someone smashed the rear window of her 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser with a blunt object while it was parked unattended and fled the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 570-739-1330.

Port Carbon man

faces drug charges

PORT CARBON — Port Carbon police said a Hazleton man was charged with drug offenses after an incident about 5:45 p.m. Aug. 1 at Coal and Cherry streets.

Police said officers stopped a vehicle driven by Jeffrey Houtz-Arroyo, 645 W. 17th St., for a stop sign violation.

Inside the vehicle, police said, officers detected a strong odor of marijuana and placed the man in custody and into a police cruiser. Inside the Houtz-Arroyo vehicle, police said, officers found a baggie with a small amount of suspected marijuana as well as various items of drug paraphernalia.

Charges against Houtz-Arroyo will be filed with Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko, Port Carbon, police said.

SHENANDOAH — St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church will host the Shroud of Turin replica and released the devotional schedule from Sunday to Aug. 28.

The timing of the visit deliberately coincides with the celebration of Shenandoah’s 150th anniversary week from Aug. 20 to Aug. 27.

“It is also the Shenandoah’s Sesquicentennial this year, and they have planned a week’s worth of events ending with Heritage Day on Aug. 27,” Monsignor Myron Grabowsky said. “This is one of the reasons that we brought the Shroud exhibition to Shenandoah at this time. We wanted to participate in bringing people to Shenandoah and show the strength of the community here in Shenandoah.”

The shroud replica measures 14.3 feet by 3.7 feet and is in a wooden display and will be located near the icon wall (iconostasis). The original Shroud shows an image of a crucified bearded man from Galilee who was scourged, had worn a crown of thorns and had his wrists and feet pierced by nails.

The Shroud exhibit hours are:

· Monday to Friday — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

· Saturday — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.

· Sunday — 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Shroud replica schedule is as follows:

· Sunday — Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m. with the welcoming of the Shroud of Turin exhibit; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Divine Liturgy at 5 p.m. in celebration of the Feast of Assumption with the Blessing of Flowers and Herbs.

· Monday — Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Tuesday — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Wednesday — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.; Healing service at 7 p.m.

· Thursday — Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Friday — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 20 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Divine Liturgy at 3:30 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 21 — Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 22 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 23 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 24 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 6 p.m.; Healing service at 7 p.m.

· Aug. 25 — Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 26 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 27 — Divine Liturgy at 9 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Divine Liturgy at 3:30 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

· Aug. 28 — Divine Liturgy at 10:30 a.m.; Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m.; Rosary at 5 p.m.

In the nearly 20 years that I’ve enjoyed sharing my love of astronomy with you, I’ve rattled off many, many distances to many stars and galaxies. If we tried to express the distances in miles the number would quickly become extremely cumbersome.

Light years do a better job because the numbers are smaller and we’re reminded of just how long it takes for the light from the stars to reach your eyes. All light travels at the speed of 186,300 miles a second and a light year is defined as the distance that light travels at that speed in one year.

Given that there’s about 31.5 million seconds in a year, you’ll come up with almost 5.9 trillion miles for just one light year! If you see a star tonight that’s 70 light years away, which is fairly close for a star, it’s taken that light 70 years to get here.

If you’re a frequent star flyer of this column, you know that I’ve reminded you time and time again about the distances you’re witnessing every time you gaze into the night sky. But, how do astronomers know the distances to all of the inhabitants of the cosmos? Do they just point their telescopes at stars, examine them, then scratch their heads and say, “Because I have a Ph.D., I estimate that this star is 100 light years away and that one over there is 5,000 light years away?” No, there’s a little more to it than that.

About a hundred years ago, astronomers got a fairly good estimate of stellar distances using the famous Hertzsprung-Russel diagram, developed in the early 1900s by Ejnar Hertzsprung of Holland and Henry Norris Russel from the United States.

They studied the spectrums of thousands of stars, which are like fingerprints. If you take starlight and send it through a spectrograph, you can spread out the various wavelengths that make up that light and learn a lot about a star.

From these rainbow-like displays you can see signatures of different chemical elements, temperature and much more. Hertzsprung and Russel found a definite relationship between the spectral type of a star and it’s luminosity, which is the amount of light a star produces.

In fact, they found that most stars could be put on a graph and that they fit right along a nice curve. The beauty of this is that by just getting the spectrum of a star you could determine its luminosity. Once you know the luminosity, figuring out the distance is an easy math equation using the very simple inverse-square law of light.

A more direct way of estimating stellar distance is the stellar parallax method that uses basic high school trigonometry. Here’s how it works. A photo of the star in question is taken when the Earth is on one side of the sun in its orbit, and another picture is taken six months later when the Earth is on the other side of the sun. If the star isn’t too distant, you’ll see it shift a tiny bit against the collected background of far more distant stars.

The shifting of the star against the background stars creates what’s called a parallax angle. Using the rules of geometry that say opposite angles are equal, you can then make a triangle between the Earth, the sun and the star. You then take the parallax angle and cut it in half. Since you know what that angle is and you know the length of one side of the triangle, it’s simple “trig.” The distance x (to the star) = 93,000,000 miles divided by the tangent of the parallax angle.

As simple as the math is, the practice of measuring that parallax angle is very difficult and you’re also making assumptions. First of all, these parallax angles are extremely tiny. Not only that, you’re assuming that the background stars you’re using to measure the stellar parallax angle are stationary. In reality they’re also shifting as well, but only a tiny, tiny bit.

Measuring the distance to stars using stellar parallax is also extremely difficult from the Earth’s surface because you have to put up with our blurring atmosphere. That’s why the Hipparchos satellite was launched in 1989 to measure the stellar parallax and distances to hundreds of stars, followed by the Gaia satellite in 2013. Despite its success, the satellite’s accuracy falls off with smaller parallax angles and larger stellar distances past about 30,000 light years.

For really distant stars, like those in other galaxies, Cepheid variable stars are used. These are stars that vary in brightness over time. In the early 1900s, Henrietta Leavitt, an assistant in the astronomy department at Harvard University, made a huge discovery.

She studied thousands of variable stars that varied in brightness over a period of a few hours to hundreds of days. She discovered a class of variable stars that were extremely regular in brightening and dimming, and extremely bright, shining 500 to 10,000 times the sun’s luminosity.

They varied in brightness due to cycle changes within the star. There’s a near perfect relationship between a stars period of variation and its average luminosity, or light output. Cepheid variables could then be used as mile markers in deep space because of their brightness. If you saw a Cepheid variable star in a distant corner of our sky you could determine how far away it is just by observing its period of variation. Once you have the period you can get its luminosity, and from there it’s simple math to determine the distance of some really far off places!

The famous astronomer Edwin Hubble used observations from Leavitt’s Cepheid variable stars in what was then known as the Andromeda Nebulae to determine that Andromeda was a whole other galaxy, more than 2 million light-years away. Until then, our Milky Way was thought to be the only galaxy in the universe. This is Hubble’s discovery and he got all the credit, but he couldn’t have done it without Henrietta Leavitt and her Cepheid variables. What an unsung hero she was!

Conjunction junction

this week

The bright planets of Saturn and Mars, along with the bright planet Antares, are still hanging close together in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion in the early evening low southern sky.

(Lynch, an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist, can be reached at mikewlynch@comcast.net)

TOWER CITY — A district teacher made a plea to the Williams Valley school board Thursday to allow her to interview for the position of head varsity softball coach.

Kristen Palmerio told the board she found out a new coach was being hired and wanted to see if the position had been posted. Palmerio said there are so few coaches who are teachers in the district. She briefly shared information on her past contributions to coaching athletics and her volunteer efforts.

Board President Daniel Stroup said the board usually takes the recommendation of the outgoing coach into consideration when hiring a replacement. The board agreed to table from Thursday’s agenda hiring Ryan Underkoffler, Williamstown, as the new head varsity softball coach and making Lee Reiser, Tower City, the assistant. Reiser has been the head coach for years, taking the Lady Vikes to two state championships.

“I just want the opportunity (for an interview),” Palmerio said.

Board members agreeing to table making a decision on the girls’ softball position were Daniel Stroup, Joanna Stroup, John Mika, Jennifer Kramer, David Ferraro, Michael Minnich and Tracey Minnich. Directors Tedd Johns and Christopher Stroup were absent.

With the start of the school year just weeks away, the board Thursday approved several personnel matters, including the following:

• Hiring Jason Chamberlain, Tower City, as head wrestling coach, and Michael Gunkle, Newport, as assistant football coach.

• Christian Esterline, Muir, as volunteer assistant wrestling coach; Michael Lauver, Williamstown, and Alyssa Schadle, Tower City, as volunteer assistant girls’ soccer coaches. Alyssa Schadle was also selected as assistant coach for seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ basketball.

• Hiring Traci Raho, Williamstown, as a full-time elementary secretary, with an effective starting date of Aug. 8, at a salary as per the established 12-month secretary rate.

• The resignation of Stephen Sedesse as custodian/seventh- and eighth-grade volunteer head boys’ basketball coach, and volunteer assistant football coach, effective Aug. 22, due to Sedesse leaving for college.

• The resignation of elementary paraprofessional Terri Koons, effective Aug. 10, due to accepting another position within the district.

• Hiring Koons as the part-time, nine-month elementary secretary at a salary of $9.90 per hour, effective Aug. 22.

• A salary increase of $200 (as per the collective bargaining agreement) for elementary teacher Jennifer Matz for earning 12 approved graduate credits after obtaining a master’s degree.

• Hiring Lindsay Hand, Saint Clair, as a temporary professional employee assigned to the elementary building, effective Aug. 17 at a salary of $32,000.

• Hiring Sue Paul, Lykens, as the mentor teacher for Hand (salary as per the collective bargaining agreement).

• Hiring Emily Faith, Harrisburg, as a speech language pathologist, effective pending release from her current employment, at $49,000.

• Hiring Megan Main, Harrisburg, as the mentor teacher for Emily Faith.

• Hiring Matthew Dietrich, Pine Grove, as the industrial arts teacher, effective Aug. 17 at $32,000.

• Hiring Todd Peters as the mentor teacher for Dietrich.

• Hiring Sherry Archer, Williamstown, as an elementary paraprofessional, effective Aug. 23, pending clearances, at $9 per hour.

• An agreement for services provided by Access Approval Coordinator Debra Haag for the 2016-17 school year at $10 per review.

• The resignation of part-time custodian Mandecia Klinger, effective Aug. 22, due to her accepting full-time employment elsewhere.

• Rescinding the motion from the July 21 meeting to appoint Kim Williard, Lykens, as a consultant to the administration on an at-will basis at a rate of $18 an hour.

• Hiring Kyle Bingaman, Millersburg, as volunteer assistant football coach for the 2016-17 school year.

• Hiring Kristy Deeter, Tower City, as a part-time occupational therapist for the 2016-17 school year, starting July 16; salary per the negotiated contract.

• Hiring Samantha Rhody and Jennifer Blain, both of Tower City, and Lyric Paskel, Tremont, as paraprofessionals.

• Hiring Ryan Shoop, Millersburg, as event staff for the upcoming school year.

• The resignation of Brooke Yeager as a high school physical education and health teacher, pending hiring her replacement.

• The 2016-17 substitute and guest teacher list.

• The 2016-17 bus drivers/aides as employed by Ravine Transportation Inc.

• The 2016-17 cafeteria employees as employed by Chartwell’s Food Service.

• A request for family and medical leave for Gloria Noecker, start date to be determined.

• Department chairs and extra curricular adviser list for the 2016-17 school year; salaries per the collective bargaining agreement.

• Band booster drivers for school vehicles to band competitions and football games: Joseph Bopp, Williamstown; Ryan Sims, Tower City; and Scott Girard, Lykens.

• Participation in the Pre-K Counts Program for the 2016-17 school year.

• Ronald Reedy as an intern through Penn State Hazleton for the guidance department beginning Jan. 9, 2017.

In finance matters, the board approved the application for 2014, 2015 and 2016 for the Qualified Zone Academy Bond Program for renovation work at the high school and elementary school, and approved authorization to apply for a funding resolution for the Qualified Zone Academy bonds. Scott Kramer, with RBC Capital Markets, reviewed funding options and opportunities with the board.

The board gave the nod to several agreements. Among them: an agreement for IDEA funds with Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 for the 2016-17 school year with Williams Valley’s estimated IDEA allocation of $173,014; an agreement IDEA Section 619 with IU 29 for the 2016-17 school year with the district’s allocation at $4,676; participation in the Child Nutrition Program with the district and IU 29 and Schuylkill County AVTS Operating Agency for the term July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017; and agreed to allow the current IU 29 committee that oversees land organization to continue.

The board also approved the Reschini Group, Indiana, Pennsylvania, to provide the district’s services for filing and complying to the Patient & Affordable Care Act at a cost of $6 per 1095 form at an estimated cost of $800. Directors approved a letter of agreement to provide physician coverage with Pinnacle Health System. Under this agreement, Pinnacle will provide either a sports medicine physician, fellow or resident physician for coverage purposes during home varsity football games at no charge to the school. The term is a one-year period.

Under building and grounds, the board approved Drum Excavating to install the 25-second time clocks at Viking Stadium at a cost of $3,700.

The board also approved purchasing new, bronze mixing valves in the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms for $3,650.

Several rental requests were approved, with custodial and renter fees waived as follows: The football boosters to use the high school cafeteria Aug. 25, Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. for team meals; and the WV Stand Tall club to use Viking Stadium from 9:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., or immediately after home football games for 5th Quarter events for seventh- through 12th-grade students on Sept. 2, 16 and 30; Oct. 7 and 28.

The board recognized the Williams Valley Football Boosters as a booster organization for the 2016-17 school year.

Under old business, the board approved the second reading of revised policies relating to searches, controlled substances/paraphernalia, students rights and responsibilities, student surveys and rights, and relations with law enforcement agencies.

The board approved the first reading of the following revised policies: terroristic threats/acts, federal fiscal compliance, travel reimbursement federal programs, naloxone, conflict of interest, pregnant/parenting/married students, and student drug testing. Director Tracey Minnich cast the lone vote for the revisions to the student drug testing policy.

Athletic Director Randy Russelavage commended the efforts of maintenance supervisor Jim Heberling and business manager Anthony Aukstakalnis for coordinating the maintenance and scheduling for the district’s gym floors.

When days of heavy rain in late May caused deadly river flooding in France and Germany, Geert Jan van Oldenborgh got to work.

Dr. van Oldenborgh is not an emergency responder or a disaster manager, but a climate researcher with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. With several colleagues around the world, he took on the task of answering a question about the floods, one that arises these days whenever extreme weather occurs: Is climate change to blame?

Attribution studies

For years, most meteorologists and climate scientists would answer that question with a disclaimer, one that was repeated so often it became like a mantra: It is not possible to attribute individual weather events like storms, heat waves or droughts to climate change.

But increasingly over the past decade, researchers have been trying to do just that, aided by better computer models, more weather data and, above all, improved understanding of the science of a changing climate.

Attribution studies, as they are called, can take many months, in large part because of the time needed to run computer models. Now scientists like Dr. van Oldenborgh, who is part of a group called World Weather Attribution, are trying to do such studies much more quickly, as close to the event as possible.

“Scientific teams are taking on the challenge of doing this kind of analysis rather rapidly,” said Peter A. Stott, who leads the climate attribution group at the Met Office, Britain’s weather agency.

The goal is to get sound scientific analysis to the public to help counter misinformation, deliberate or otherwise, about an event.

“It’s worthwhile to give the best scientific evidence at the time, rather than not saying anything and letting others say things that are not related to what really happened,” said Friederike Otto, a researcher at the University of Oxford who works with Dr. van Oldenborgh.

In the case of the European floods, World Weather Attribution, which is coordinated by Climate Central, a climate-change research organization based in Princeton, New Jersey, released a report less than two weeks after the Seine and other rivers overtopped their banks. The group concluded that climate change had made the French flooding more likely, but could not draw a conclusion about the flooding in Germany.

“In the French case, we had five almost independent measures, and they all agreed,” Dr. van Oldenborgh said. “With Germany, we only had two, and they disagreed.”

Global warming

Climate scientists have said for decades that global warming should lead to an increase in extreme weather like heat waves and droughts. Because more water evaporates from the oceans and warmer air holds more moisture, climate change should also lead to more intense and frequent storms.

Studies have shown that these effects are occurring on a broad scale. The National Climate Assessment, for instance, notes that heavy downpours have increased across most of the United States in the last 25 years.

But analyzing individual events is problematic, largely for two reasons: Weather is naturally variable, even without climate change, and global warming may be only one of several factors influencing a particular event. Since reliable data is required, studies are also less likely to be undertaken for events in countries that lack much data-collecting infrastructure, or where governments do not share data widely.

David W. Titley, a professor of meteorology at Pennsylvania State University who was chairman of a National Academies committee that looked at developments in the field of climate-change attribution, said that at this point studies of heat waves and other extreme-temperature events appeared to produce the most reliable assessments.

Finding links

Studies of extreme rainfall are considered less reliable in finding links to climate change, and studies of events like wildfires and severe thunderstorms even less reliable. Still, Dr. Titley said, such studies are worth doing, as long as certain conditions are met.

“There are very legitimate reasons why people want to do this rapidly,” he said. “But they need to state very clearly what the assumptions are, what the methods are, what the confidence level is.”

“This is still not like predicting what time is sunrise for New York City tomorrow,” he added.

Attribution studies usually involve running climate models many times over. Because no model is a perfect representation of reality, varying them slightly for each run and averaging the results give scientists more confidence in their accuracy.

Rather than running models after an event, researchers like Dr. van Oldenborgh and Dr. Otto shorten the process by using models that have already been run. “The only way we can do this rapid attribution is by precooking everything that we can,” Dr. van Oldenborgh said.

The children of McAdoo now have new ways to play — and it’s all thanks to donations from those who help run the community.

The two playgrounds in the borough — Veterans Memorial Field and St. Michael’s — were in “desperate need of upgrading,” according to Councilwoman Mary Labert, and now they are finally receiving the much-needed face-lift.

“The whole thing began over our sliding board at Veterans,” she said, referencing the classic metal structure that stands reminiscent of most childhoods gone by.

Old model sliding boards, like the one in McAdoo, are no longer up to most safety and compliance codes due to their structure and propensity for injury — and McAdoo’s insurance company was the first to let the borough know.

“We got word from our insurance company that unless we did something about the sliding board, we would lose our liability coverage for it,” Labert said. “They told us initially it had to do with the risk of children falling between the steps of the ladder, so to the tune of a few hundred dollars, we reinforced the steps, however they still told us that it was a liability risk.”

Labert and others on the McAdoo Recreation Committee decided that enough was enough and that it was time to modernize the park.

“We explored the idea of just removing (the sliding board), but often we had residents complaining that we were just removing recreation equipment without replacing it,” she said. “So we decided, within budgetary reason, to get new equipment.”

The current equipment has been at the park roughly “10 or 15 years, or more,” according to Labert.

The first item of the agenda was a sliding board, which was promptly ordered and will be installed once it arrives.

In the process, however, Labert discovered that new swings were within the realm of possibility — and she was determined to make it happen.

“The need was certainly there, and we wanted to meet that need,” she said. “The McAdoo Lions installed a few new swings for older children years prior, but it wasn’t a complete do-over.”

They received a $500 donation from the McAdoo VFW to help cover some of the cost.

For the rest? Members of the borough council dipped into their own pockets in the name of recreation.

“John and Marion DeBalko, myself, and Peter Minneci all got together and agreed that we were going to make this happen,” Labert said. Among the four, a “couple hundred dollars” was raised to complete the purchase.

The board ordered new swings for both age groups, infant/toddler, and children aged 5 to 12.

“We’re hoping that next summer, if the budget allows, we can add even more new playground equipment,” Labert said. “We’re beginning to look into it and see what we can incorporate into our budget.”

Those interested in donating toward the McAdoo playground upgrades can contact the McAdoo Recreation Committee at 570-929-1182.

Although separated by seven years, Alicia Bird shared an especially tight bond with her big sister, Gina Carlo.

Among the ties that bound them closest was their mutual love of Bruce Springsteen.

The New Jersey rock icon’s songs served as an inspirational soundtrack for Carlo, a local podiatrist, as she waged a long and valiant battle against breast cancer.

After a nine-year fight, Carlo died in November 2014 at age 56, but her spirit carries on in the poignant, honest essay Bird wrote about her for a recent contest sponsored by the Springsteen-themed E Street Radio station on SiriusXM satellite radio.

Bird’s essay ended up the winner, earning the Richmondale, Lackawanna County, resident and a group of family and friends a free trip to Italy to see Springsteen and his E Street Band perform at Rome’s Circus Maximus.

Joining Bird for the trip were Carlo’s daughter, Jen Horne, Carlo’s fiance, Ed Krowiak, and his sons, Alex and Drew, and Bird’s longtime friend, Debbie McGovern.

The trip didn’t end there for Bird, Horne and McGovern. After Rome, they toured a number of other picturesque spots, including Tuscany, the Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

“Everything was just so perfect. ... It was just so surreal,” said Bird, a second-grade teacher at Carbondale Area Elementary School, as she reflected upon the experience.

“Sirius was just great. They worked with me closely on everything. I didn’t have a worry the whole time.”

Listening in

Bird was in her car listening to E Street Radio one day back in April, a couple of weeks before going to Springsteen’s “The River” Tour stop at State College’s Bryce Jordan Center.

“I wanted to hear some of the songs he’d be playing at the concert,” she said.

That’s when she heard the announcement for the essay contest. The idea intrigued her, but after arriving home, she quickly forgot about it.

A couple of days later, though, Bird heard the announcement again, this time making it a point to hurry to her computer and compose her thoughts.

She laid it all out — the heartache and pain the family had been going through since her sister’s death, and how some of her fondest memories were of the two of them attending Springsteen concerts.

“My sister loved Springsteen and her happiest times were at his concerts and listening to his music,” Bird wrote in the letter.

The last time the sisters saw Springsteen perform was in May 2014, when he and the E Street Band came to Hershey.

“We had a limo and we really did it up. Gina didn’t stop dancing and smiling the whole time. And she was going through radiation at the time,” Bird said. “And I didn’t tell anyone that I was (writing the essay). For some reason, though, I just had a good feeling about it. And I had a dream that night about Bruce. I was crying to him and telling him about my sister.”

Sure enough, on June 10, her phone rang, and she saw SiriusXM come up on the caller ID. At first, she thought it might be some sort of promotional offer. The news shocked her — but in a great way.

Next thing she knew, she was coordinating the details of the trip with SiriusXM representatives and talking on the phone with E Street Radio DJs Dave Marsh and Jim Rotolo.

“The interview was over at 11:07 (a.m.),” Bird said. “That’s my sister’s birthday.”

When in Rome

In Rome, Bird and her group were put up at the swanky 47 Hotel, located just a few blocks from Circus Maximus.

Upon arriving at the venue the day of the concert, one of Springsteen’s staffers led them through the backstage area and showed them all the different components of the production.

In the catering area, they saw E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt holding court at a table.

“I did a little flirty wave to him, and he waved back,” said Bird with a laugh, noting that Horne managed to take a couple of photos of Van Zandt without him noticing.

They also met Springsteen’s co-manager, Barbara Carr.

“I told her the story about my sister, and she starts tearing up,” Bird said. “We’re all tearing up, because it was so emotional.”

Finally, they made their way to Springsteen’s trailer, which had a sign on the door that read, “Bruce Only.”

When the main attraction materialized, he walked by the group, gave them a quick hello and told them he was going into the trailer for just a few minutes. Bird blurted out, “Do you have ID?”

Minutes later, he re-emerged.

“People said, ‘What are you going to say to Bruce Springsteen?’ Well, I said everything,” Bird cracked. “I blabbed on and on. I did not shut up. And I didn’t care. I told him the whole story about my sister. And I said, ‘I’ve been dreaming of meeting you for the last 30 years.’ ”

Perhaps because Bird was doing most of the talking, Springsteen didn’t say a ton. But he was very gracious, she said, and responded sympathetically to her sister’s story.

He posed for pictures with the group, and signed a few things, including a poster for the Thunder Road 5K run that Carlo’s friends have established in her memory.

“He definitely made us feel very comfortable. He kept saying, ‘That’s nice’ and ‘That’s great’ when I mentioned stuff about my sister. He was very mellow,” Bird said.

“She said, ‘I can give you a little hug,’ and she already had her arms around him,” said Horne, good-naturedly teasing her aunt for not letting anyone else in the group get a word in with The Boss.

Ten minutes in, Springsteen had to excuse himself so he could get ready for the concert. Bird and the others made their way to their seats, which were up near the stage.

True to form, Springsteen and the band were phenomenal, Bird said. The nearly four-hour show included “Land of Hope and Dreams,” which became a sort of anthem for Carlo during her cancer battle.

“We were crying,” Bird said. “Gina was with us the whole time.”