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THINGS

YOU NEED

TO KNOW

THISWEEK5>> WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, JAMESK. POLK: Ifyouhavea fancycalendar that lists todayas PresidentsDay, then march right back to whereyou got it anddemandyour money back. Its broken. You see, while today IS setasideto honor allour commanders in chief, its technically stillknown as Washingtons Birthday. Its allpart of a governmentconspiracyfromthe late 1960sto combine Lincolns andWashingtons birthdays so we can celebratenational holidays

>> MOVABLE FEAST: Ever since a bunch oflearnedfellas in theyear325 decided that thedate Christians cele-brate Easterwouldbe tiedto thefirstfull moon of spring, theholiday just hasntbeen ableto sit still. For those scoringathome, this yearEaster will beon April 8. Ifyousubtract40days from that youcan figureout thedate forAsh Wednes-day, which is thestart ofthe Lentenseason. Einstein wrotethat formula like this:E = apr8 40/ pi = This Wednesday.

>> INCONVENIENCE YOURSELF: At firstglance, you might think Inconvenience YourselfDay means youll have to leaveyour home bysecond-floor window. Or driveto Wilkes-Barrefrom Pittston viaIdaho. Butno. That would beDo Something Pointless Day. InconvenienceYourselfDay, which is Wednesday,is a dayforfolks to think about howtheiractions affectothers,and togo out oftheir way todo something nice forsomeone. See, notso bad, huh?

theearliestdays ofautomobiles when RansomOlds andAlexanderWinton reached blistering speeds of57 mphon the

beach, to the inaugural 500-MileInternationalSweepstakes at Daytona International Speedway in1959. This Sunday, theNASCAR boys (and girl) willbe turning left anddriving considerably faster than57 mphin the2012 Daytona 500. TheFOXnet-

works coverageof theracebeginsat noon.

>> OSCAR, BUT NO FELIX: Fans ofmoviesand self congratulation willbe in

their glory next Sunday, when theenve-lopes are openedat the84th AcademyAwards. The black-and-white, silent filmThe Artist is theodds-on favoritefor

Best Picture. CanThe DescendantsorHugo pose a challenge? Will MerylStreeptakehome her534thBest Actress

award? Whowill winBest FilmEditing?

C M Y K

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The Associated Press

HARRISBURG Someschoolemployees whohave crim-inal pasts are fighting to keeptheir jobsin lightof a recently re-vised Pennsylvania law aimed atprotecting children.

The Harrisburg Patriot-Newssays at least four lawsuits have

been filedaroun d t hecommonwealthchallenging thestate Depart-ment of Educa-tions applica-tion of newrules aboutcriminal histo-ries to currentemployees.

Under thelawthattookef-

fect last fall, current school em-ployees must now report any ar-rests or convictions of seriouscrimesin theirpast andmustalso

reportany futurearrestor convic-tion within three days. The re-quirement appliesto crimessuchas homicide, kidnapping, sexualassault or aggravated assault,and applies to teachers, adminis-trators, supportstaff and contrac-tors.

The department has directedadministrators to fire anyonecoming in contact with school-children whohad been convictedof one of the 28 listed offenses inthe past. Officials told the paperthat at least 14 public or privateschools or school districts havereported havingone or more em-ployees with such arrests or con-victions in their background. De-partment spokesman Tim Eller

Pa. schoolemployees

challengenew lawThose with criminal pasts are

fighting to keep their jobs

despite background check law.

The school

employees

argue that

the wording

of the law

suggests that

it applies only

to future

employees.

SeeSCHOOL, Page 6A

JERUSALEM The U.S. andBritain on Sunday urged Israelnot to attack Irans nuclear pro-

gram as the White Houses na-tional securityadviser arrivedin the region,reflecting grow-ing internation-al jitters thatthe Israelis arepoisedto strike.

Intheirwarn-ings, the U.S. joint chiefs ofstaff, Gen. Mar-tin Dempsey,and British For-eign Minister William Haguesaid an Israeliattack on Iran would h avegrave conse-

quences for theentire regionand urged Israelto give international sanctionsagainst Iran more time to work.Dempsey said an Israeli attack isnot prudent, and Hague said itwould not be a wise thing.

Israel and the West believe Iranis trying to develop a nuclearbomb a charge Tehran denies.But differences have emerged inhow to respond to the perceivedthreat.

Israel isasked notto attackIraniansThere are growing

international jitters that the

Israelis are poised to strike.

By JOSEFFEDERMAN

Associated Press

SeeISRAEL, Page 6A

Hague

Dempsey

INSIDE: Iran

ends oil sales to

Britain, France,Page 6A.

Asksomeone fromNortheast-ern Pennsylvania where to getthebestkielbasa or soppressa-ta, or scamorza, for that matter andodds arethe answerwontbe a supermarket chain.

Butwhataboutthe best burri-to, samosa or jerk chicken?

This area prides itself on itsethnicfood, andspecialty butch-er shops, bakeries and marketsare the high keepers of that tra-dition. But Luzerne County ischanging in both demographic

makeup and perhaps in its tastefor new things, and a new classof international grocers hassprung up alongside the areasold favorites.

Manyof the areas establishedpurveyors of ethnic foods areholdovers from bygone days when people shopped for the

food theydidnt grow or raiseathome.

Marianne Samselski of Nanti-coke remembered that in the1930s and 40s the city had lit-tle grocery stores on every cor-ner almost.

Samselski and others gath-ered at the Rose Tucker Senior

Center in Nanticoke last weekrememberedbutcherswho tookorders on credit and gave cus-tomers treats on pay day, milkdelivered to their doorsteps andalways the most fresh productsavailable.

We didnt get anything pre-served, aid BernieMacijczak ofNewport Township. That (pre-servatives) didnt exist.

Today, customers still seekout personal service at family-run markets.

A R E A S E T H N I C M A R K E T S

A world of tastes

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Rocky andJason Sabatelle slice Italianmeats in the deliat Sabatelles Market in Pittston.

Smaller shops offer old, new area traditionsByMATTHUGHES

mhughes@timesleader.com

See TASTES, Page12A

The way we think we survive is, you give a goodproduct with small-town service.

Joanne Gerrity

of Jerry & Sons Market, Nanticoke

WASHINGTON Xavier Al- varez was in good company when he stood up at a publicmeeting and called himself awounded war veteran who hadreceived the top military award,the Medal of Honor.

Alvarez was lying about hismedal, his wounds and his mili-tary service, but he wasnt thefirst man to invent war exploits.

He was, however, one of thefirst people prosecuted under a2006 federal law aimed at curb-ingfalse claims of militaryvalor.

Concerns that the law impro-perly limits speech and turnspeople into criminals for thingsthey say, rather than do, are attheheartof theSupreme Courtsreview of hiscase andthe StolenValor Act.

Veterans groups have come totheaid of theObamaadministra-tion, which calls the law a nar-rowly crafted effort to protectthe system of military awardsthat was established during the

Law against lying about military deeds focus for high court

AP PHOTO

Doug andPam Ster-ner live in Alex-

andria, Va. Pamisthe author of a

college paper thatled to the drafting

ofa federal law in2006, the Stolen

Valor Act, aimed at

curbing false claimsof military valor,

andDoug exposesphony medal win-

ners. The law is atthe heart ofa Su-

preme Court review.

See AWARDS,Page 8A

Some call Stolen Valor Act

unconstitutional. Others say

it is defense against fraud.

ByMARKSHERMAN

Associated Press

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 PAGE 3A

LOCAL

timesleader.com

HAZLETON

Cancer Center to buildThe Cancer Treatment Center at

Hazleton has broken ground on a newfacility, where it will relocate this sum-mer.

The 5,000-square-foot center at 1701E. Broad St. will feature upgradedtechnology and innovative radiationtherapy services, such as:

Intensity Modulated RadiationTherapy (IMRT) an advanced treat-ment that enables radiation to be deliv-ered in a customized shape and in-tensity to more specifically address atumors size and thickness, helping tominimize radiation exposure to sur-

rounding healthy tissue; and Image Guided Radiation Therapy

(IGRT) a brand-new service that hasthe advantage of tracking tumor move-ment during treatment, adjusting ac-cordingly to provide more preciseradiation delivery.

The cancer, currently located at 780N. Church St., is operated by AllianceOncology, a division of Alliance Health-Care Services. For more information,visit www.CancerTreatmentCenterHa-zleton.com or call (570) 459-3460.

WEST PITTSTON

W. Pittston Library reopensThe West Pittston Library is set to

reopen at its original location, 200Exeter Ave., todayThe library, which

lost half of its books and most of itscomputers in the September flood,operated from a temporary space as itrenovated and restored its formerbuilding, though that space closed inJanuary in preparation for the return.

The library will resume its normalhours: Mon.-Thurs., noon-8 p.m.; Fri-day, noon-6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The library is also planning a grandreopening party for , March 9, from 5p.m.-8 p.m. For details, contact AnneBramblett Barr at 301-4617.

LUZERNE COUNTY

FNCB rewarding studentsFirst National Community Bank has

announced the continuation of a pro-

gram aimed at rewarding local stu-dents for their hard work and success.The Simply Smart program rewards

students with $1 for every A or numbergrade above 90 percent on their reportcard every marking period, the bankannounced in a news release.

To participate, students simply bringtheir report card to any of the 21 FNCBbranches in Lackawanna, Luzerne,Monroe and Wayne counties. Thereward amount will then be depositedinto a new or existing interest-bearingyouth savings account.

As the largest community bank inNortheastern Pennsylvania, we arecontinually trying to develop programsthat give back to our local community,said First Senior Vice President JoeEaryes.

FNCB volunteers also visit local

classrooms to teach financial literacyand money management skills throughthe Teach Children to Save and GetSmart About Credit programs. Thisschool year alone, more than 1,300students in 70 classrooms have beenimpacted, the bank stated.

EATON TWP.

Stolen hardware recoveredState police said an inspection stick-

er violation they noticed on an over-loaded Jeep Saturday morning led tothe discovery of $17,000 worth of hard-ware stolen from a contractor workingin the natural gas industry in BradfordCounty.

Jonathan Dale Keithline, 28, of Ni-cholson, was driving the Jeep and tried

to hide it behind the Subway sandwichshop along state Route 29, state policesaid.

When state police found the Jeepthey said they found it was loadeddown with seven steel flanges and ninesteel plugs.

Upon further investigation the hard-ware was determined to have beenstolen Friday from the Linde Corp.construction yard in Tuscarora Town-ship, state police said.

Keithline and his passenger, JohnJerome Morgan, 27, of Meshoppen,were taken into custody and chargedwith receiving stolen property.

Keithline also was charged with theinspection violation and driving with asuspended license.

The men were arraigned by District

I N B R I E F

MOUNTAIN TOP -- As a way ofsaying thank you to local veterans,Kings College freshman Jenna Neu-bauer is organizing an all-expense-paidbus trip to Washington, D.C. for thesecond time in as many years.

On April 4, the second annual Vetsto DC bus trip will take veterans ofWorld War II, the Korean War and theVietnam War to monuments, memo-rials and other landmarks in the Wash-ington area.

Neubauer first got the idea for a tripwhile working on her Senior Research

Project at Crestwood High School.Needing an idea for a controversial

topic, she chose the Vietnam War andhow, upon returning home, many ofits veterans were shunned.

While researching the topic, Neu-bauer met one veteran who told herhe had never been thanked for servingin Vietnam.

It really opened my eyes to howthey were treated, she said.

Planning a journey of gratitude

DON CAREY/THE TIMES LEADER

Al Finn, left, seniorvice commander of

American Legion

Post 781 in Moun-tain Top, and John

Columbo, right,commander of Post

781, pose with col-lege freshman Jen-

na Neubauer, whowill assist them in

raising funds to

send 100 veteransto Washington D.C.

for a second consec-utive year. Neubauer

first got the idea fora trip while working

on her senior re-search project at

Crestwood High.

Kings College freshman preparing

second Washington trip for area

veterans as a gesture of thanks.

By JOEDOLINSKY

Times Leader Intern

Send cash and checks to Vets to DC at13 Independence Road, Mountain Top, PA18707. Make checks payable to AmericanLegion Post 781. For more information: www.vetstodc-.webs.com

TO D O N AT E

See VETS, Page12A

The Delaware Water Gap NationalRecreation Area will receive a federalgrant that would reduce the amount oftraffic within the park by implement-ing an alternative transportation ser-vice.

The $530,000 grant is aimed to pro- vide easier access topoints throughout thepark while reducingtraffic volume.

The Recreation Ar-ea is the ninth mostvisited park in the Na-tional Park Servicesystem, and the clos-est to NortheasternPennsylvania.

According to theNational Park Service,DEWA roads average5 million visitors and175 accidents per year. Those figuresare expected to rise as larger residen-tial developments are planned in sur-

rounding areas.The project would provide transpor-

tation to motorists in nearby commu-nities, hotels and campsites. It wouldalso reduce pollution, parking demandand traffic congestion by consolidatingtrips into the park.

A small pilot phase of the projectoperated during the fall of 2010. Dur-ing the six-week research period, trafficdata was collected and minor adjust-ments were made.

The next phase of the project would

Grant willreduce the

traffic atWater GapThe $530,000 grant is aimed to

provide easier access to points

throughout the park.

By JOEDOLINSKY

Times Leader Intern

See GAP, Page 8A

According to

the National

Park Service,

DEWA roads

average 5

million vis-

itors and 175

accidents per

year.

PLAINS TWP. When Dave Wasi-lewskisaidhe woulddo anythingtogetout the message of what could gowrong when drilling for natural gas inNortheastern Pennsylvania, he meantit.

TheHunlock Creekman sangtwoofhis songs Sunday night at the secondannual fundraiser concert for the GasDrilling Awareness Coalition.

Between acts, Wasilewski steppedup to a microphone on the stage at theRiver Street Jazz Caf, picked up an

acoustic guitar and performed Frack- water Waste, and Deranged Re-source.

Thecrowd hadthinned outfrom thenearly 250 people who filled the night-club earlier in the evening and thosewho stayed applauded him.

After his short set he talked abouthow he got involved with the coalitionwhose mission is to educatethe publicon theeffectsof drilling, especiallythehydraulic fracturing process, or frack-ing, used to extract natural gas fromthe resource-rich Marcellus Shale for-mation.

A well was sunk on land near hisproperty, he said.

It scared the crap out of me, saidWasilewski, who bought 4 acres andmovedfrom Wilkes-Barrewith his wifein 2001.

Thatsbeenmy dream,to liveoutinthe country.

He was concerned about possiblecontaminationof hisprivate waterwelland the devaluation of his land. Fornow, the threat has disappeared, hesaid. Encana Natural Gas determined

Event aims to get out word

BILL TARUTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

Scott Cannon of the Gas Drilling Awareness Coalition, right, auctions off a print by artist and printmaker Mark Cioc-ca of Taylor, left, during the groups benefit concert at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains Township on Sunday.

A concert highlights drilling concerns

See COALITION, Page 8A

By JERRY LYNOTTjlynott@timesleader.com

LACEYVILLE -- A local organizationis lendinga healinghand to injured war veterans returning home for the firsttime.

Foundedin 2009, Huntsfor Healingisa fund that sponsors and brings inwoundedsoldiers,enablingthemto par-ticipatein outdooractivitieswhiletran-

nations allow event planners to pay forlodging, camping gear, food, safetyequipment and travel expenses.

Locatedin theRingneck RidgeHunt-ing Preserve just outside of Laceyville,the 2,000-acre preserve features plentyof room for camping, hunting, hiking,

John andMindy Pic-

cotti areinvolved

with theHunts for

Healingprogram at

their Ring-

neck RidgeHunting

Preserve inLaceyville.

In 2007,they were

presentedwith an

opportunity

to purchasea cabin

tailored forthose with

specialneeds.

Local group wants to assistvets returning from warHunts for Healing helps wounded

transition into daily life with

outdoor activities, socialization.

By JOEDOLINSKY

Times Leader Intern

Hunts for Healing of the Luzerne Founda-tion, 140 Main St., 2nd Floor, Luzerne, PA18709Call (570) 714-1570, or toll free: (877)589-3386. You can also go to www.hunts-forhealing.org.

H OW TO D O N AT E

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PAGE 4A MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com

WANTED25 PEOPLE WHO25 PEOPLE WHO

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If you are interested,YOU MUST CALL TODAY!

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 PAGE 5A

PYONGYANG

N. Korea threatens South

North Korea will launch mercilessstrikes if South Korea goes through

with planned live-fire drills today in adisputed front-line area near their dis-puted sea border, a North Korean offi-cer warned in an interview with TheAssociated Press.

North Korea doesnt want a war butits people are always ready to dedicatetheir blood to defend their inviolable

territory, officer Sin Chol Ung fromthe Norths Korean Peoples SecurityForces told AP on Sunday as SouthKorean troops prepared to hold thedrills in an area that was the target of adeadly artillery attack in 2010.

South Korea is scheduled to stageregular one-day artillery drills fromfront-line islands in waters off the west-ern coast that North Korea claims as itsterritory. South Korea informed Pyon-gyang of the training plan on Sunday,South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

CLEVELAND

Mom, baby, man killedA wanted man kidnapped his es-

tranged girlfriend at gunpoint alongwith her 1-year-old she was pushing ina stroller, Cleveland police said Sunday,and all three were found shot to deathhours later.

Police said the couple had dated forabout two months and that the woman,Latasha Jackson, 19, was trying to endthe relationship.

Jackson and daughter Chaniya Wynnwere walking with Jacksons 14-year-oldbrother around noon Saturday whenthey encountered the man, ThomasLorde. The girls father told policeLorde said he was going to kill Jacksonand take the child.

BOSTON

Inhalable caffeine probedU.S. Food and Drug Administration

officials plan to investigate whetherinhalable caffeine sold in lipstick-sized

canisters is safe for consumers and ifits manufacturer was right to brand itas a dietary supplement.

AeroShot went on the market latelast month in Massachusetts and NewYork, and its also available in France.Consumers put one end of the canisterin their mouths and breathe in, releas-ing a fine powder that dissolves almostinstantly.

Each grey-and-yellow plastic canistercontains B vitamins, plus100 milli-grams of caffeine powder, about theequivalent of the caffeine in a large cupof coffee.

AeroShot didnt require FDA reviewbefore hitting the U.S. market becauseits sold as a dietary supplement.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

Trial for $2 pumpkin theftA 23-year-old college student from

New Mexico is scheduled to go to trialfor allegedly stealing a small pumpkinworth $2.

KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, N.M.,reported Lauren Medina will go beforea jury and Moriarity Magistrate JudgeSteve Jones on Tuesday. She is accusedof taking the pumpkin in October 2011from McCalls Pumpkin Patch in Mo-riarty.

Her sister, Annette Atencio, saidMedina spent $75 on food that day butforgot to pay for the pumpkin shepicked up as she was leaving. Atenciosaid her sister offered to pay but wasrefused and then handcuffed.

Atencio said shes in disbelief thatthe theft charge against her sister was

I N B R I E F

AP PHOTO

Grief over prison fire victim

A woman weeps Sunday as she waitsfor the remains of her loved one, avictim of the Comayagua deadly pris-

on fire, to be identified in Tegucigalpa,Honduras. As many as 350 inmatesperished in the fire that sweptthrough the prison north of Tegucigal-pa late last Tuesday.

BEIRUT Gunmen inSyriastaged aguerrilla-style ambush that killed a se-niorstateprosecutorand a judge Sundayin an attack that suggested armed fac-tions aregrowing bolderand more coor-dinated in their uprising against Presi-dentBashar Assads regime.

The roadway slayings reported inan opposition-dominated northern re-gion by the Syrian state news agency came a day after a deadly hit-and-run at-tack on a political figure in the heart of

the pro-Assad city ofAleppo.The targeted killings

have not reached As-sads inner circle, butthey indicate a grow-ingshifttoward violenttactics by the opposi-tion asit brings aboardmore military defectors and seeks totighten control over the small pieces ofterritory in its hands.

The fears of a looming civil war haveneighboring Jordan racing to finish a ref-ugee campnear theSyrianborderto han-dlea possibleexodusof peoplefleeingforsafety.

Meanwhile, Egypt became the latestArabnationto publicly snubAssadby or-dering the withdrawal of its ambassadorin Damascus.

The Syrian government has offeredsomeconcessions, includingproposing areferendum next week that could allowmorepolitical voicesto challengeAssadsBaathParty.Buttheoppositiondemandsnothingshort of Assads resignation. Andtheregimehas noteasedoff itsattacksonthe oppositionforces,which it describesas terrorists carrying outa foreigncon-spiracy to destabilize the country.

In Homs in central Syria, governmentforces sent in reinforcements as theyshelled the rebel-held Baba Amr districtthat has been under near constant bar-rage for nearly two weeks, said the Bri-tain-based Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights. The group said at least 14people were killed Sunday across Syria,half of themby government troops.

Im worriedthatSyria isgoingto slideintoa civilwar, British ForeignSecreta-

ry William Hague told the BBC on Sun-day.The U.N. last gave a death toll for the

conflict in January, saying 5,400 peoplehad been killed in 2011 alone. But hun-dreds more have been killed since, ac-cordingto activist groups.An oppositiongroup, Local Coordination Committees,says more than 7,300 have been killedsince the uprising began more than 11months ago.

Thereis no way to independently ver-ifythe numbers,sinceSyriabansalmostall foreign journalists and human rightsorganizations.

The latest assassinations came on aroad in the northwest province of Idlib,which has become a patchwork of areasheld either by the government or muti-noussoldiers whohave safe-havenbasesin nearby Turkey.

2 judicial officials slain in SyriaThe roadway slayings came a dayafter a deadly hit-and-run attack on

a political figure in Aleppo.

By BRIANMURPHY

andBASSEMMROUE

Associated Press

The targetedkillings have

not reached

Assads inner

circle.

DES MOINES, Iowa IfMitt Romney wins the Repub-lican nomination for president,hell face the urgent task of in-spiring the partys conservativecore and rallying them to beatPresident Barack Obama.

Judging by his performancesin the primaries and caucusesso far, and the challenge hefaces next week, hes got hiswork cut out for him.

Even Republicans who thinkhell be the nominee worryabout whether he can generatethe intensity required to beatthe Democratic incumbent.

These party leaders andactiv-ists, from thestates votingFeb. 28 andthe most con-tested onesahead in thefall, say Rom-ney has madestrides towardaddressingthis problem. But, they say, heneeds to do more to convincethe Republican base that hesrunning to fundamentally re- verse the nations course.

I think Romney will be thenominee, but there is still tre-mendousworkto be done, said

Sally Bradshaw, a Florida Re-publican and adviser to formerGov. Jeb Bush.

Romney leads in the delegatecount for the nomination, andbya widemarginin privatepoll-ing ahead of the Arizona pri-mary Feb. 28. But the risingchallenge from former Pennsyl-vania Sen.Rick Santorumin thecontest also that day in Michi-gan, where Romney was bornand raised, underscores doubtsabout Romneys ability to ignitefervor in the GOP base.

He nearly tied Santorum inIowa, although entrance pollsshowed that more of Santo-rums backers than Romneyssaid they were strongly behindtheir chosen candidate.

Romney lost the primary inSouth Carolina last month toformer House Speaker NewtGingrich.

Santorum swept caucusesFeb. 7 in Colorado and Minne-sota, and the nonbinding Mis-souri primary.

Meanwhile, Santorum onSunday condemned what hecalled President Barack Oba-mas world view that elevatesthe Earth above man and re-quires insurers to pay for prena-tal tests that will encouragemore abortions.

A day aftertellingan Ohioau-dience that Obamas agenda isbased on some phony theolo-gy, not a theology based on the

Romneysintensityin fightquestionedRick Santorum defends

remarks about President

Obamas Christianity.

WESTFIELD, N.J. Whitney Hous-ton was laid to rest Sunday at a brief pri-vate ceremonyin NewJersey, theendof aweekend that saw the pop stars familyandfriends gatherat a star-studdedfuner-alto mourn herlosswhilecelebratinghercareer.

Fansand onlookers gathered in severalplaces along the route the motorcadetook from the Newark funeral home tothe cemetery about 20 miles away in Westfield, where Houston was buried

next to her father, who died in 2003.The 48-year-old singer died Feb. 11 in

California, hoursbeforeshe wasto attenda pre-GrammyAwards party.No cause ofdeath has been determined.

On Saturday,she wasmourned at an invita-tion-only funeral at thechurch in Newark where she sang in thechoiras a child.She wasremembered by thebig-gest names in the mu-sic: Stevie Wonder and

Alicia Keys sang, and industry mogulClive Davis wasamongthosewho spoke,as was Kevin Costner, Houstons co-starin The Bodyguard.

The funeral was closed to fans, who were not allowed within blocks of thechurch. Still, many came to Newark totake part in what ways they could, somefrom as far as Miami and Washington,D.C.

Fans gathered again near the funeralhome Sunday morning, and some evenslowly ran alongside the hearse as it be-gan the journey to Houstons gravesite.Several yelled out We love you, Whit-

neyasthe hearse,whichhad a black-and-white headshot of the star in a window,slowly drove away.

Barbara Davis, 53, of Newark, said shehad been waiting outside the funeralhome since 8:30 a.m., hoping to get aglimpse of Houstons final trip.

To be here at her home-going is anhonor and a blessing, Davis told TheStar-Ledger of Newark.

Also amongthe crowdwasNewark res-ident Eva Aquino and her two grand-daughters,ages10and13. Allthreestoodona streetcorner asthe hearsepassed by,and they used cellphones to snap photosof the procession.

The girls were wearing T-shirts andbuttons of Houstonthat theirgrandmoth-

er had bought from vendors outside thefuneral home Saturday.

We came here and bought all thesethings of her to cherish the memories,said 13-year-old Nalani Velez of Kearny.

AP PHOTO

The hearse carrying the body of Whitney Houston arrives Sunday at Fairview Cemetery for her burial in Westfield, N.J.

Private burial is held for singerWhitney Houston laid to rest next to

her father in Westfield, N.J., after

brief ceremony.

The Associated Press

Houston

DUBLIN Pope Benedict XVI hasbeen relentless and consistent in seek-ing to oust child abusers from the priest-hood worldwide, thepontiffs newAmer-ican envoy to Ireland said Sunday in hisfirst homily here.

Archbishop Charles Brown, a 52-year-old Manhattan native and veteran Vat-ican insider, was making his first publicaddresssinceofficiallytakingup hispostas Irish papal nuncio three days ago.

From the beginning, Pope Benedictwas resolute and determined to put intoplace changes which would give thechurch the ability to deal more effective-ly with those who abuse trust. ... PopeBenedict has been relentless and consis-tent on this front, Brown told worship-pers anddiplomaticguestsat a serviceatDublins Pro-Cathedral.

The first-time diplomat faces a deli-cate repair job in Ireland, a traditionally

Last year Prime Minister Enda Kennyaccused the Vatican of overseeing a cov-er-up culturethat encouraged therape ofchildren. The Vatican took two monthsto issue a legalistic rebuttal that side-

ting measure, a claim widely disbelievedin Ireland since the countrys ongoingstruggle to stave offnational bankruptcy.

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin,widely considered to be Irelands mostreform-minded Catholic leader, told re-porters he expected that Ireland and theVatican would compromise on arrange-ments to open a new, cheaper Irish em-bassy in Rome. Ireland still operates oneembassy in the Italian capital, but theVatican insists that countries fund com-pletely separate diplomatic facilities.

Speaking to reporters outside the ca-thedral, Martin said he was confidentthat the Vatican would permit Ireland toopen a leaner embassy that is separatebut on the same site as Irelands Italianembassy.

In his homily, Brown reiterated theVaticans longheld line that its leadershave never obstructed Irish efforts toidentify and punish several hundredchild abusers in parishes and religiousorders.

Brown noted his own 17-year work asan official of the Congregation for theDoctrine of the Faith, the powerful Vat-ican body that enforces church policies including the removal of pedophiles

Envoy says pope consistent on stopping abuseArchbishop Charles Brown praises the

pontiff in his first public address

since taking up his post 3 days ago.

By SHAWNPOGATCHNIK

Associated Press

AP PHOTO

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a Mass

Sunday in St. Peters Basilica at theVatican.

N A T I O N & W O R L D

The Associated Press

Romney

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PAGE 6A MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com N E W S

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TEHRAN, Iran Iran hashalted oil shipments to Britainand France, theOil Ministry saidSunday, in an apparent pre-emp-tive blow against the EuropeanUnion after the bloc imposedsanctions on Irans crucial fuelex-ports.

The EU imposed tough sanc-tions against Iran last month, which included a freeze of thecountrys central bank assetsand

anoil embargosetto begin inJu-

ly. Irans Oil Minister RostamQassemi had warned earlier thismonth that Tehran could cut offoilexports to hostile Europeannations. The 27-nation EU ac-counts for about 18 percent ofIrans oil exports.

However, the Iranian actionwas not likely to have any signif-icant direct impact on Europeansupplies because both Britainand France had already movedlastyeartosharply curtailoilpur-chasesfromTehran to less than3percent of their daily needs.

The EU sanctions, along withother punitive measures im-posed by the U.S., are part of Western efforts to derail Irans

disputed nuclearprogram, which

the West fears is aimed at devel-oping atomic weapons. Iran de-nies thecharges,and says itspro-gram is for peaceful purposes.

The spokesman for Irans OilMinistry, Ali Reza Nikzad-Rah-bar, said on the ministrys web-site Sunday that crude oil ex-ports to British and French com-panies have been halted.

We have our own customersand have no problem to sell andexport our crude oil to new cus-

tomers, he said.

Britains Foreign Office de-clined comment, and there wasno immediate response fromFrench officials.

The semiofficial Mehr newsagency said exports were sus-pendedto thetwo countries Sun-day. It also said the National Ira-nian Oil Co. has sent letters tosome European refineries withan ultimatum to either signlong-term contracts of two to fiveyears or be cut off.

Mehr did not specify which

countries were sent the ultima-tum, but Spain, Italy and Greeceare among Europes biggestbuyers of Iranian oil.

Irans targeting of Britain andFrance appeared to be a politicaldecision to punish the two coun-tries for supporting toughersanctions against Iranover its nu-clear program.

Last week, state media saidIran wasplanningtocut offoilex-ports tosix EUnations,including

France, but later reports said the

nations were only told that Iranhas no problem finding replace-ment customers for the Europe-an shipments.

Also on Sunday , the secretarygeneral of Irans central banksaida decision by SWIFT, an interna-tional banking clearinghouseused by nearly every countryandmajor corporation in the world,to shut Iran out from its respect-ed network will not harm thecountry.

Iran announces end of oil sales to Britain, FranceEuropean Union had imposed

sanctions on Islamic nationover nuclear program.

ByALIAKBARDAREINI

Associated Press

The U.S. and the EuropeanUnion have both imposed harshnew sanctions targeting Irans oilsector, the lifeline of the Iranianeconomy. With the sanctions justbeginning to bite, they have ex-pressedoptimism thatIran canbepersuadedto curb itsnuclear am-bitions.

On Sunday, Irans Oil Ministrysaid it hashalted oilshipmentstoBritain andFrance in an apparentpre-emptive blowagainst the Eu-ropean Union. The

semiofficial Mehrnews agency saidthe National Ira-nian Oil Co. hassent letters tosome European re-fineries with an ul-timatum to eithersign long-termcontracts of two tofive years or be cutoff. The 27-nationEU accounts forabout18 percentofIrans oil exports.

Israel has wel-comed the sanc-tions. But it haspointedly refusedto rule out military action and inrecent weeks sent signals that itspatience is running thin.

Israel believes a nuclear-armedIran would be a threat to its veryexistence, citing Iranssupport forArabmilitant groups, its sophisti-cated arsenal of missiles capableof reaching Israel and its leaderscalls for the destruction of theJewish state.

Last week, Israel accused Iranof being behind a string of at-tempted attacks on Israeli diplo-mats in India, Georgia and Thai-land.

There is precedent for Israeliaction. In1981, theIsraeliair forcedestroyed an unfinished Iraqi nu-clear reactor. And in 2007, Israeliwarplanesarebelieved tohave de-stroyed a target that foreign ex-

perts think was an unfinished nu-clear reactor in Syria.

Experts, however, have ques-tioned how much an Israeli oper-ation would accomplish. WithIrans nuclear installations scat-tered and buried deep under-ground, it is believed that an Ira-nian strike would set back, butnot destroy, Irans nuclear pro-

gram. There are also concerns Iran

couldfiremissilesat Israel,get itslocal proxies Hezbollah and Ha-mas to launch rockets into theJewish state, and cause global oilprices to spike by striking targetsin the Gulf.

In an interview broadcast onCNN Sunday, Dempsey said Is-rael has the capability to strikeIran anddelaythe Iranians prob-ably for a couple of years. Butsome of the targets are probablybeyond their reach.

He expressed concern that anIsraeliattackcouldsparkreprisals

against U.S. tar-gets in the Gulf orAfghanistan,

where Americanforces are based.

Thats thequestion withwhichwe allwres-tle. And the rea-son that we thinkthat its not pru-dent at this pointtodecide toattackIran, Dempseysaid.

Describing Iranas a rational ac-tor, Dempseysaid he believedthe internationalsanctions on Iranare beginning to

have an effect. For that reason, Ithink, that we think the currentpath were on isthe most prudentpath at this point.

The arrivalof WhiteHouseNa-tional Security Adviser Tom Do-nilon was the latest in a series ofhigh-level meetings between Is-rael and the U.S. Last month,Dempsey visited Israel, and nextmonth, Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahuis expectedto visittheWhite House.

Donilon was set to meet withNetanyahu late Sunday, and withIsraeliDefenseMinister EhudBa-rak on Monday before leaving.

Asked whether he believed Is-rael could be deterred from strik-ing,Dempsey said:Imconfidentthat they understand our con-cerns, that a strike at this time

would be destabilizing andwouldnt achieve their long-termobjectives. But, I mean, I also un-derstand that Israel has nationalintereststhatare unique tothem.

Hague delivered a similarmessage in Britain. Speaking tothe BBC, he said Britain was fo-cused on pressuring Iranthroughdiplomatic means.

ISRAELContinued from Page 1A

With Irans nuclear in-

stallations scattered and

buried deep underground,

it is believed a strike

would set back, but not

destroy, Irans program.

There are also concerns

Iran could fire missiles at

Israel, get its local prox-

ies Hezbollah and Hamas

to launch rockets into the

Jewish state, and cause

global oil prices to spike

by striking targets in the

Gulf.

said that number could rise, be-cause staff members are still re- viewing reports submitted lastmonth.

But lawsuits filedin Allegheny,Dauphin, Delaware and Yorkcounties take issue with the de-partments interpretation thatanyoneconvictedof thelistedof-fensesshould bebarredfromem-ployment in a public or privateschool.

The school employees arguethat the wording of the law sug-geststhat itapplies onlyto futureemployees.

It even uses the word appli-cant in the very section the De-partment of Education is relyingupon, said attorney ThomasScott, who represents one of theplaintiffs.

The employees also argue thateven if the courts decide that the

cation and penalizing them forcrimes for which they were al-ready punished.

Joseph Miller, chief counsel ofthe education department, saidthe employees arguments dontprotect children frompeoplecon-victed of serious offenses, which was what lawmakers intended.He also cited a prior state Su-preme Court ruling holding thatin protecting thesafetyof others,the same employment rules ap-ply to prospective and currentemployees.

SCHOOLContinued from Page 1A

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PAGE 8A MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com O B I T U A R I E S

The Times Leader publish-es free obituaries,whichhave a 27-line limit, andpaidobituaries, which can runwitha photograph. A funeralhome representative can callthe obituarydesk at (570)829-7224, senda faxto (570)829-5537 or e-mail to tlo-bits@timesleader.com. If youfax ore-mail,please call toconfirm. Obituaries must besubmitted by 9 p.m.Sundaythrough Thursday and7:30p.m. Friday and Saturday.Obituaries must besentby afuneralhome or crematory,ormustnamewhois hand-ling arrangements, withaddressand phone number

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

G enettisA fterFu nera lLu ncheons

Starting a t$7.95 p erp erson

H otelBereavem entRates

BESTEDER Helen, funeral 11a.m.today in the Richard H. DisqueFuneral Home Inc., 2940 Memo-rial Highway, Dallas. Friends maycall 9 a.m. until time of service.

CASTERLINE Bruce, memorial

services 10 a.m. Tuesday in theSheldon-Kukuchka Funeral HomeInc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhan-nock.

CELLA Vincent, funeral 9 a.m.today in the Anthony RecuperoFuneral Home, 406 SusquehannaAve., West Pittston. Mass ofChristian Burial at 9:30 a.m. inImmaculate Conception Church,West Pittston.

GRENDZINSKI Paul, funeral 9:30a.m. today in the WroblewskiFuneral Home Inc., 1442 Wyom-ing Ave., Forty Fort. Mass ofChristian Burial at 10 a.m. in HolyName/St. Marys Roman CatholicChurch, Swoyersville.

HARDISKY Helen, Mass of Chris-tian Burial10 a.m. today in St.John the Baptist Church, NesbittStreet, Larksville. Friends areasked to go directly to thechurch.

JOBSON Paul Sr., funeral 11a.m.

today in the Harold C. SnowdonFuneral Home Inc.,140 N. MainSt., Shavertown.

JOBST Sandra, funeral10 a.m.Tuesday in the McCune FuneralHome, 80 S. Mountain Blvd.,Mountain Top. Friends may call 6to 8 p.m. today at the funeralhome.

KEARNEY Alma, funeral 9 a.m.Tuesday in the Peter J. AdonizioFuneral Home, 251 William St.,Pittston. Mass of Christian Burialat 9:30 a.m. in St. John theEvangelist Church, Pittston.Friends may call 5 to 8 p.m.today.

MAINZER Ellen, celebration lifewith funeral Mass10:30 a.m.today in the Church of St. Nicho-las, 226 S. Washington St.,Wilkes-Barre.

MCLAUGHLIN Irene, funeral 9a.m. today in the Nat & GawlasFuneral Home, 89 Park Ave.,

Wilkes-Barre. Mass of ChristianBurial at 9:30 a.m. in St. An-drews Parish, Wil kes-Barre.

MILLER Gladys, homegoingservices noon today in MountZion Baptist Church,105 Hill St.,Wilkes-Barre. Friends may call 10a.m. to noon at the church.

MONTAGNA Beatrice, funeral 9a.m. Tuesday in the GrazianoFuneral Home Inc., PittstonTownship. Mass of ChristianBurial at 9:30 a.m. in St. JosephMarello Parish (St. Roccos R.C.Church), Pittston. Friends maycall 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today.

RIBAUDO Nancy, Mass of Chris-tian Burial 9:30 a.m. today in St.Joseph Marello Parish (St. Roc-cos R.C. Church), Pittston.

ROTHSTEIN Beulah, memorialgathering 1 p.m. Sunday in Tem-ple Bnai Brith, Kingston.

STELLA Patricia, funeral 9 a.m.today in the Mark V. YanaitisFuneral Home, 55 Stark St.,Plains Township. Mass of Chris-tian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in Ss.Peter and Paul Church, Plains.Friends may call 8:30 a.m. totime of services.

SOBECK George III, Mass ofChristian Burial 10 a.m. today inthe Nativity BMV Church, EastTioga Street, Tunkhannock.

YEOSOCK - Lt. Gen. (ret.) John,friends may call 4 to 6 p.m.Wednesday at the YeosockFuneral Home, Plains Township.

ZIMAK Joseph, funeral withmilitary honors beginning withPanachida 9:15 a.m. Tuesday inthe Victor M. Ferri Funeral Home,522 Fallon St., Old Forge. Officeof Christian Burial at 10 a.m. inSt. Nicholas of Myra ByzantineCatholic Church, Old Forge.Friends may call 5 to 8 p.m.today at the funeral home. Paras-tas at 4:30 p.m.

FUNERALS

John C. Holdredge, 83, of Dallas,passed away Sunday, February

19, 2012 at Wilkes-Barre GeneralHospital.

Hewasbornin Trucksville,son ofthelateHenryJudsonandAlvarettaDeeble Holdredge.

John was a graduate of KingstonTownship High School. He was aninspectorwith theTobyhannaArmyDepot for 28 years.

John wasa memberof GeorgeM.Dallas Masonic Lodge and Keys-tone Consistory, Scranton and alsoIrem Temple Shriners and theShrine Board of Governors. John was a veteran of the Korean War,and a member of Daddow IsaacsAmerican Legion, Post 672, Dallas.John was a member of St. PaulsLutheran Church, Dallas.

Heis survivedbyhis wife, thefor-merBinaDendlerand sonScottandhiswife, Maureen,Folsom, Pa., anda daughter, Jacqueline Holdredge,and her husband, Douglas Palmer,East Kingston, New Hampshire;

grandchildren, Hailea and MorganPalmer, bothof NewHampshire;Ju-

lieand Kimberly Holdredge,bothofFolsom, Pa.

Funeral will be held Wednes-day, February 22, 2012 at

11a.m. from St. Pauls LutheranChurch, Dallas, with the Rev. Char-les H. Grube officiating. Friendsmay call Tuesday 6 to 9 p.m. at theRichard H. Disque Funeral HomeInc., 2940 Memorial Highway, Dal-las. George M. Dallas Lodge will

conduct Masonic Services at 7 p.m.Tuesday.

John C. HoldredgeFebruary 19, 2012

Jeanne B. Nana Jones, a resi-dent of Lehman, passed away

Sunday, February 19, 2012, at LittleFlower Manor, Wilkes-Barre, at theage of 88.

Bornin Wilkes-Barre,shewasthedaughter of William E. Burkert andKatherine Evans Burkert. Jeanne was a graduate of Coughlin HighSchool.Upon graduation, Jeanneat-tended Wilkes-Barre BusinessSchool. Jeanne was employed bySpring Brook Water Co. for a num-ber of years before going to work atthe Hazard Insulated Wire Workswhere she met her husband-to-be,Thomas A. Jones.

Jeanne and Tom were married in

1947 in Christ Lutheran Church., Wilkes-Barre. They celebrated 44yearsof marriage beforeToms pass-ing in 1993.

Jeanne was an active member ofFirst Welsh Presbyterian Church inWilkes-Barre, where she served asan Elder,Deacon, Member of Wom-ens Fellowship,Choir Mother, Quil-ter, Welsh Cookie Baker, and Mem-ber of the Ethnic Committee.Jeannewasa memberof theNation-al Welsh Gymanfa Ganu Commit-tees in 1983 and 1993, where shewas chairman of the Market Place.

Both Jeanne and Toms love ofchildrenwasevidentduringtheir35years of opening their home andhearts to more than 40 foster chil-dren. Jeanne was forever giving ofherself to family and friends.

She was preceded in death by

sons Kert Thomas Jones and Tho-mas Jones, and by sisters, TwylaHunt and Marion Flinchum.

Jeanne will be extremely missedby her daughter, Kyle Yankoski,andher husband, Joseph, Lehman; sonHeath Simms and his wife, Nicole,Oneida., Pa.; grandchildren, AmyYankoskiand her companion, KevinAdams; Kristie Yankoski (Jeannes

special dinner partner); Ceri Mulli-gan and her husband, Andrew; Jo-

seph Yankoski; Justin Simms; LiamSimms, and Morganna Simms;great-grandchildren, KaelynAdams, Ella Mulligan and BrennaMulligan.

The family would like to thankthe loving caregivers from the Vil-lage at Green Briar, Dallas, whereJeanne resided for the past fiveyears; the second floor nurses andaides from Little Flower Manor andthewonderfulstaffofHospiceoftheSacred Heart.

Funeral will be held Wednesdayat 11a.m. from the H. MerrittHughes Funeral Home Inc., a Gold-en RuleFuneralHome,451N. MainStreet,Wilkes-Barre. The Rev. AnneEmery, pastor, First Welsh Presby-terian Church, will officiate and in-terment will be in Mt. GreenwoodCemetery, Trucksville.Friends may

call Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m.The family requests that flowersbe omitted and that donations inJeannes memory be made to theFirst Welsh Presbyterian Church,South Meade and East Northamp-ton streets, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702or to Creating Unlimited Possibi-lites, 159 Simpson Street WilkesBarre, PA 18702-1445.

Jeanne B. JonesFebruary 19, 2012

Heddy E. Clayworth, 68, of King-ston, died Sunday, February19,

2012 in New Seasons at TiffanyCourt, Kingston.

She was born in Edwardsville,

daughter of the late Vincent Cusickand Isabell Andrezejewski CusickStanislowski. She attended Ed-wardsville schools, and was a mem-ber of the former St. HedwigsChurch, Kingston.

Besides herparents, shewas pre-cededin death byher husband,FredClayworth Sr.; brother Martin Cus-ick; and stepfather, Adam Stanis-lowski.

She is survived by her son, FredClayworth Jr., and wife Stacey, Ed-wardsville; daughter, Mary Lee Sa-vignano, and husband Lenny, King-ston; two granddaughters, GraceClayworth and Diana Krieger;brothers Michael Cusick, Edwards-ville;Thomas Cusick,Edwardsville;Mark Stanislowski, Wilkes-Barre;Adam Stanislowski, Wilkes-Barre;Bruce Stanislowski, Wilkes-Barre;sister,Lillian, Plymouth;brother-in-law,TheronClayworth,and his fam-

ily; and sister-in-law and caretaker,Elsie Atkins.

Funeral services will be heldTuesday at 9:30 a.m. from the Kop-ickiFuneralHome, 263Zerbey Ave-nue, Kingston, with Pastor PegKnapich officiating. Interment willbe in the Chapel Lawn MemorialPark, Dallas.

Friendsmaycalltodayfrom5to 7p.m. at the funeral home.

Heddy E. ClayworthFebruary 19, 2012

BENJAMINF. (KELLOGG)KU-LIGOWSKI, formerly of GarfieldStreet,Nanticoke,passed awaySat-urday evening, February 18, 2012,at the Wilkes-Barre General Hospi-tal.

Funeral arrangements arepending from the Earl W. LohmanFuneral HomeInc., 14W.Green St.,Nanticoke.

Helen Ha-s ay, 92, o f

Cambra, Pa.,passed awaypeacefully on

Saturday, Feb-ruary 18, 2012.Born May

12,1919in Ashley,she wasa daugh-ter of the late Walter and Stepha-nia (Tulanowski) Gajewski.

Helen graduated from AshleyHigh School in 1937. She worked

at Harveyville Country Store andFernbaughs Silk Mill. She and herhusband, Andrew, owned and op-

eratedHasays Caf in Cambra. Af-ter retirement from the caf, sheworked for Retreat State Hospital,

Newport Township, and DanvilleState Hospital until she retired.

Shewas a memberof Ascension

Church in Mocanaqua andthe Ho-ly Rosary Society of the church.

Whenever a helping hand was

needed, thats where you wouldfindher. Shespentcountlesshours

doing for others. She was a dedi-cated wife, mother, grandmotherand great-grandmother. She was

devoted to her faith and to prayingtherosary.Shewill bedeeplymissed,

but her legacy lives on through herfamily.

She was preceded in death by her

husband, Andrew, to whom she hadbeen married 66 years; brothers Wal-ter and Stanley; and sisters, Leona

and Sophie.Survivingis a daughter, Irene,and

herhusband,Joe Nardone, ofShaver-town; grandson,Joe NardoneJr., andhis wife, Wynn, of Dallas; and great-

grandsons, Andrew and Joey. She isalso survived by a brother, EdwardGajewski, of Ashley andseveral niec-

es and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial willbeheld Tuesday, February 21 at 10 a.m.

in Holy Spirit Parish/St. MarysChurch, Mocanaqua. Entombmentwill be in St. Marys Cemetery, Ha-

noverTownship.Visitationwill todayfrom 4 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday from

9:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the church.Arrangements areunderthe direc-

tion of the Mayo Funeral Home Inc.,

Shickshinny. For additional informa-tion, or to send condolences, please visit www.mayofh.com.

Helen HasayFebruary 18, 2012

Sandra L. Stone, 65, died Satur-day evening at her residence.

She is survived by her husband,Clifford Sunny L. Stone.

Sandra was born in Tunkhan-nock,on December22,1946,daugh-

ter of the late Albert and Mary Har- vey Robinson.

Shewas preceded indeath byherfirst husband, Richard Vogrin, and

brother John Robinson.She is survived by her sons, Ri-

Vogrin, of Denville, N.J.; brothersAlbert Robinson, of Laceyville; Ke-

vin R Robinson, of Tunkhannock;RichardRobinson, of Troy, Mo.;sis-

ter Theadora Davitt Cornyn, of Ox-nard, Calif.; and several nieces and

nephews.

A memorial service will be held

at the Eatonville United MethodistChurch with Pastor Lori Robinson

on Thursday at noon. Intermentwill be in Sunnyside Cemetery at

Sandra L. StoneFebruary 18, 2012

fund planning and implementa-tion of the transport servicethat is set to involve both Mon-roe and Pike counties.

Currently in place is an agree-ment with the Monroe CountyTransit Authority that providestransportation to southern re-

buses are added during theparks peak summer season.

Pike County is slated to begina similar service in 2013 ascounty officials and the NPS work on establishing a PikeCounty Transportation Author-ity, which would service thenorth end of the park.

The Delaware Water GapNational Recreation Area is abeautiful part of the country,U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazle-

GAPContinuedfrom Page3A

None of those activities isnearlyas important as socializa-tion, said Director of Events

MindyPiccotti.What we do with socializa-

tion makes a difference, shesaid. And thats what makes usdifferent.

Inadditiontobeingheavilyin- volved in Hunts for Healing,Mindy and her husband, John,ownRingneck Ridge.

In 2007, they were presentedwithan opportunity to purchasea cabin tailored for those withspecial needs. Located acrossfrom their property, the home,Piccotti said, hadimmediateap-peal.

As soon as I stepped inside IknewIhadtodosomethingwiththis,she said.

That homewouldbecomethe

main cabin used during the ma- jority of Hunts for Healingevents.

The events usually gothroughout the weekend andcanbe anykindof outdooractiv-

ity the soldiers are willing andabletodo.

We work to ease them intoevents thatthey arecomfortabledoing, she said. We keep inmind that injuries play a role inwhat peoplecan andcantdo.

Sometimes soldiers suffer in-

juries that go beyond the physi-cal.Wehavealotofparticipantsthat are facing the challenge ofemotional conflict,she said.

Thats where Hunts for Heal-ingsseasonedmentorscome in.

Thevolunteer mentors areal-soformer HuntsforHealingpar-ticipantsthemselves.Theyteamupwith newmembersandfocuson guiding them physically andspiritually.

After arrivingat thepreserve,mentors work immediately onmaking participants feel athome.

Once they walk throughthese doors theyre family, shesaid.

Speakingaboutthe goal ofthe

programs mentors,Piccotti saidthey hope to hear one thing bythetimethe weekendis over.

Ifeelat home,shesaid.If we hear them say that, we

know wevedoneourjob.

HEALINGContinuedfrom Page3A

Revolutionary war by Gen. Ge-

orgeWashington.The high court will hear the case Wednesday, which is Washingtons 280thbirthday.

Theyre committing fraud. Theyre impersonating some-body else. They take on attri-butes of somebody else, attri-butes ofa hero whoservedhonor-ably, said Pam Sterner, whosecollegetermpaper callingfor thelaw wound up in the hands ofmembers of Congress. When you do that, impersonatingsomeone else, thats fraud, notfreedom of speech.

Civil liberties groups, writers,publishers and news media out-lets, including The AssociatedPress, have told the justices theyworry the law, and especially theadministrations defense of it,could lead to more attempts bygovernment to regulate speech.

Itlong hasbeena federalcrimeto wear unearned medals, butmere claims of being decoratedwere beyond the reach of law.

TheHouse hasmorethanoncevoted to name a post office aftermen who claimed awards theynever received. The Air Forcenamedan award aftera man whofalsely claimed to have survivedthe Bataan Death March andbeen awarded the Silver Star inWorld War II.

The Stolen Valor Act aimed tosolvethat problem, and garneredsignificant support in Congressduring a time of war.

The admiration and respectforthe militaryincreased dramat-ically after 9/11 and the falseclaims, as well, said Thomas A.Cottone Jr., a retired FBI agent who investigated phony awardcases.

Alvarez made his claims byway of introducing himself as anelectedmember of theThreeVal-leys Municipal Water District inPomona, Calif. There is nothingto suggest that he received any-thing in exchange or that listen-ers especially believed him.

Even Alvarez lawyers ac-knowledged their client some-times has trouble telling thetruth. Xavier Alvarez lied, theydeclare in the first sentence oftheir SupremeCourtbriefand goon to recount six separate lies inthe next few lines.

He lied when he claimed heplayedhockeyfor theDetroit RedWings, marrieda Mexican starletwho made paparazzi swoon, wasan engineer, rescued the Ameri-can ambassador during the Ira-nian hostage crisis and was shotwhen he went back for the U.S.flag. Alvarez also lied, they said,when hetalked abouthis militaryservice.

But the lies Alvarez toldharmed no one, they said, sowhat he did couldnt be consid-ered fraud.

A three-judge panel of the 9thU.S. Circuit Court of Appeals inSan Francisco struck down the

law as an unconstitutional re-straint on free speech and saidthegovernmentmight insteadin-vest in an awards database thatwould make it harder for peopletolay claimto medalstheyneverwon. Last month, the 10th U.S.Circuit Court of Appeals in Den-ver upheld the law in a separatecase, saying the First Amend-ment does not always protectfalse statements.

Theissuemight never have re-ached this stage if not for the ef-forts ofSterner,andher husband,Doug.

He is a decorated Vietnam vet-eranwho has made ithis workinrecent years to ensure that ser-vicemembersget therecognitionthey deserve and expose thosewhofalsely claim actsof heroismunder fire. Rather than wait forthe government to act, DougSterner has entered nearly100,000 award citations sinceCivil War in his online database.

Pam Sterner in her early 40swrotea paper thatgrewout ofherhusbands frustrations over pho-ny award claimants whose worstpunishment was public embar-rassment. That paper eventuallyled to the Stolen Valor Act.

AWARDSContinued fromPage 1A

the exploratory wells it sunk inLuzerne County wouldnt pro-duce marketable quantities ofthe natural resource.

But elsewhere in northerntier counties drilling continuesandthe coalition hasbeen mon-itoring the activity.

Its not opposed to the explo-ration of natural gas, but thecoalition wantsthe governmentto make sure the industry is do-ingit right,said Scott Cannon,acoalition board member.

We dont believe that thestateis preparedto handlethis,he said. So the coalition edu-cates people about the industry

and the effectsof drillingon theenvironment and local commu-nities so they can in turn edu-cate elected officials, he added.

The funds from the concert will pay for speakers and pre-sentations put on by the coali-tion.

Dr. Alfonso Rodriguez, a kid-neyspecialistwho became pres-ident of the coalition in August,said the coalition has speakersfromColorado and Texassched-uled in the coming months.

Rodriguezwho lives in Dallaswith hiswife,Mary, secretary ofthe coalition, said the region al-ready suffered from the ravagesof the coal-mining industry.

I couldnt understand whythe community would allow an-other exploitative industry inand dothe same thing,he said.

COALITIONContinuedfrom Page3A

ALBERT R. PAIGE, 86, of Nan-ticoke, passed away Sunday after-noon, February 19, 2012, at hishome.

Funeral arrangement, detailsanda completeobituarywillbe an-nounced by Davis-Dinelli FuneralHome, 170 E. Broad St., Nanti-

coke.

HAZLETON Police areinvestigating a reported pursesnatching in the area of Lau-rel and Oak streets at 8:55a.m. Sunday.

A 60-year-old woman waspushed to the ground andsuffered an injury to her righthand, police said.

The suspect stole the wom-ans green canvas handbagcontaining money and books,police said.

The suspect was between57 and 59 and wearing ablue hooded jacket.

Anyone with information isasked to contact Hazletonpolice at 570 459-4940.

HANOVER TWP. - Town-ship police reported the fol-lowing:

Jamie Lee Trocki, 25, ofCarverton Road, KingstonTownship, faces a number ofcharges after a traffic stop onLyndwood Avenue on Friday.Trocki was charged with pos-session of marijuana, givingfalse identification to lawenforcement, driving with asuspended license and a stopsign violation.

A man was bitten by apit bull Sunday in the 1200

block of Mark Drive. He wastaken to Wilkes-Barre GeneralHospital for a deep lacerationto his hand. The investigationinto the dog bite is contin-uing.

POLICE BLOTTER

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 PAGE 9A

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THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012 PAGE 11A S E R V I N G T H E P U B L I C T R U S T S I N C E 1 8 8 1

Editorial

Not going to do this again, but ifit gets us through the year, getsthis issue off the table, its worthdoing this way.U.S.Sen.LindseyGraham

The veteran South Carolina Republican explained why GOP lawmakersacquiesced last week to a contentious payroll tax cut extension for 160million Americans, even though it results in a $101.1 billion increase inthe deficit for the current fiscal year.

THE REVIVED accordbetween the Palesti-nian Authority andHamas puts Palesti-

nian unity back on track andtherefore is most welcome.Without it, there is no hope ofprogress or peace. But no oneshould imagine that from hereon in, the task will be easy.

The new deal follows onfrom last Mays agreement inCairo,wherebothsidesseemedon the brink of coming togeth-er. That process floundered be-cause Hamas rejected Palesti-nian President Mahmoud Ab-bas choice of Salam Fayyad asprimeministerin thenew coali-tion administration. Fayyad, who has very effectively res-tructuredthe securityforcesonthe West Bank, has now beendropped from the ticket.

For his part, Hamas chiefKhaled Meshaal has acceptedAbbas as head of the coalitiongovernmentwhose full makeupwas to be announced in Cairo

over the weekend. In this posi-tion Abbas will oversee elec-tions acrossPalestine, electionsin which he has pledged not tostand again for the presidency.

If the new Palestinian coali-tion can hold together untilpresidential and parliamentaryelections, then whoever winswillhave receiveda democraticmandate thatthe outsideworldcannot ignore a second time. Itwas Washingtons purblind re-fusalto accepttheHamas victo-ry in 2006 that compoundedPalestines tragedy and also ex-posed President George W.Bushs enthusiasm for democ-racy as the hypocritical shamthat it was.

The internationallyacceptedtwo-state solution, to whicheven the Israelis are nominallycommitted, can only comeabout when there is unityamong the Palestinians.

ArabNews

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

WORLD OPINION

Achieving statehoodrequires united Palestine

THE ONE COMFORTfor the British govern-ment after themostre-cent dismal unemploy-

ment figures at 2.67 million,the highest since 1994 is thatthe outlook is no less vile else-where. France, whose economygrew last year,has a rate just un-der 10 percent, higher than our8.4 percent.

But that still leaves the gov-ernment with hard questions toanswer aboutits economic strat-egy. The combination of deficitreduction with a massive pro-gram of quantitative easing pumping new money into thebanks mightkeepinterest rateslow, but as a means of stimulat-ing growth it is a good deal lesssuccessfulthan ministershoped.The governorof the Bank ofEn-

glandsaid thatgrowthprospectshere were partly dependent oneurozone debt reduction. Thatsnotmuch comfort, given thelat-

estcrisisin Greece.Itwould be ineveryonesinter-

ests if Greece were given fund-ingto meet therepaymenton itsnextbond redemptionin March,but thatwouldnot betheend ofthe matter. More bailouts willfollow. Granted, the countryscreditors, notably France andGermany, are not only bailingout Greece, but also their ownbanks, which have largeamounts of Greek debt, but pa-tience is wearing thin. BNP Pa-risbas has written down the val-ue of its Greek debt by 75 per-cent; others will follow.

London EveningStandard

Eurozone bailout vital

AS GREEK FINANCEMinister EvangelosVenizelos noted,Greeces parliament

opted for the bad to avoid the worst, voting for austeritymeasuresto helpstaveoff bank-ruptcy for now.

In a nation of 10.7 millionpeople, the package will drasti-cally cut pensions, reduce theminimum wage by 22 percentand eliminate 150,000 public-sector jobs by 2015. There wasno realistic alternative.

Greece has endured four

yearsof recession that hasseenunemployment soar to 20 per-

cent and youth unemploymentto 48 percent. But a messy de-fault would open the way togreaterinstability andmisery, amass exodus of investment, widespread business failuresand the loss of savings.

Those calling for a fresh em-phasis on growth and who ar-gue that austerity alone willnotsolvethe crisishavea point.Such growth, however, mustflowfrom productiveenterpris-es, innovation, hard work andexports, not government stim-ulus from further borrowings.

TheAustralian, Sydney

Dont bank on bailouts

QUOTE OF THE DAY

PRASHANT SHITUTPresident and InterimCEO/ImpressionsMedia

JOSEPHBUTKIEWICZVice President/Executive Editor

MARKE. JONESEditorial Page Editor

Editorial Board

MALLARD FILLMORE DOONESBURY

Obamacare death knellfor individual freedom

In the 1950s I was fortunate to take apopular course at Kings College calledThe Philosophy of Communism.The first semester taught us the basis of

Marxism, his adaptation of Hegels philoso-phy of contradiction and the communistapplication of said philosophy, entrenchedby Lenin and Stalin. (For example, thedoctrine that makes absolutely no dis-tinction between lying and the truth).

The second semester explained howdisastrous the system is, using Aristotleand St. Thomas critiques of Marxism andcommunism, as formulated in a Jesuit textand taught by our brilliant Kings profes-sor. Throughout my life, I have used thisknowledge to easily predict and refuteMarxist/communist behavior.

I was hardly surprised by the liberalAssociated Press story in The Times Lead-

er on Feb. 12, falsifying President Obamaas our magnanimous leader owing to hisretreat following his month-long Catholiconslaught. I predicted this exact scenarioprior to Obamas so-called Catholic com-promise in several letters I wrote prior tohis mea culpa cave.

This does not make me a genius, but itsure makes me grateful that Kings provid-ed me the ammunition to defend the Ca-tholic Church from barbarians.

Many Catholics have breathed a sigh ofrelief, thinking that Obamacare nowprovides Catholic safeguards, though al-most all of them havent even read the2,200 page law. If they would, theyd findthat this unconstitutional law, if it stands,will be the death of individual freedom andlogically lead not only to an exponentialincrease in abortions, but also will certain-ly remove all restrictions against euthana-sia, now forbidden by the church.

JohnWatersHughestown

Writer backs Kauferscampaign for legislator

Iattended Aaron Kaufers campaign kick-

off. At least 100 people packed the Amer-ican Legion in Kingston to see Aaron

announce his candidacy for state repre-sentative of the 120th District.

Over the past several years Ive gotten toknow Aaron very well. We have spent timeworking on campaigns and having manypolitical conversations. On the night of hiscampaign announcement, everyone wasable to see what Ive seen all along: that

you would be hard-pressed to find a man asintelligent and mature as young Mr. Kauf-er.

Aarons idea to repeal legislators auto-matic cost-of-living adjustments hits closeto home. As a senior, I have to sit by andwait to hear whether I am getting SocialSecurity cost-of-living increases, while our

state legislators get them automatically.This is not right, and I will fight alongsidethis young man to repeal this law.

Aarons enthusiasm to serve the public isexactly what we need in a legislator. Hispassion, dedication and knowledge are notonly impressive, but also energizing.

We need someone young and passionateto rally the residents of this district. Weneed someone who will challenge thebusiness-as-usual approach that we see ingovernment on all levels. We need newleadership. We need Aaron Kaufer.

Jean MarieAshKingston

Home health serviceskey to care of elderly

Even as Pennsylvanias budget faces deepcuts, we must find resources to care fora growing elderly population.

Between 2000 and 2030, the number ofPennsylvanians age 65 and older will in-crease by more than 50 percent. At the endof that period, almost one in four stateresidents will occupy that age group.These senior citizens will need morehealth care; but how will we provide itefficiently and effectively?

I believe home health is the solution,because it keeps the elderly out of hospi-tals, saves money for Medicare and is over-whelmingly preferred by patients.

Despite the expected growth in olderresidents, Medicare home health servicesare facing budget cuts in Washington thatcould limit access to care for elderly Penn-sylvanians. One problem is that a criminalelement has entered the business, costingMedicare millions of dollars. Home healthproviders here and across the country arefighting this fraud and abuse through pro-posed federal legislation to strengthen theintegrity of the Medicare home healthprogram, drive out unscrupulous practitio-ners and enhance quality of care. If thelegislation passes, Medicare could in thefuture save billions of dollars, and Penn-sylvanians could continue to receive goodcare.

As a home health professional, I hopethat U.S. Sen. Bob Casey will throw hisstrong support behind this importanthome health initiative. I know that ourgrowing senior citizen population will begrateful.

JoleyHineWilkes-Barre

Wisconsin labor reforma good model to follow

When the power and influence of laborunions are diminished, the good faroutweighs the bad. An excellent

example of this is in Wisconsin.Last year, led by Gov. Scott Walker, Wis-

consin enacted a law that practically elim-inates the collective bargaining power ofmost public employee unions. When thislaw was passed many critics predictednothing but doom and gloom. These crit-ics have been proven wrong. The new law,known as Act 10, has allowed Wisconsin toeliminate a large budget deficit withoutincreasing taxes. In additional, Act 10 hashelped to ease the fiscal burden on mostlocal governments throughout the state.

Critics of the Wisconsin plan predictedthat it would lead to many teachers andother municipal workers being laid off.Actually, more teachers have been hired

since Act 10 became law. In addition, thelocal governing bodies such as the countiesand municipalities have been able to staysolvent without having to resort to mas-sive layoffs.

The Wisconsin plan is a good model forlabor reform. Pennsylvania would benefitby adopting a similar plan.

We can start this reform immediately,since every Pennsylvania House seat is upfor election this year.

Willie SpeareScranton

W-B Little League teamsmerge for new season

I

t is with great pride that I announce themerger of the Mayflower/Heights LittleLeague and the South Wilkes-Barre

Little League for the upcoming season.The Mayflower Little League and the

Heights Little League have been geograph-ically bound for a few years and beginningthis year will be included with the SouthWilkes-Barre Little League area. Combin-ing resources and volunteer efforts shouldmake the new league more vibrant andprovide a much better playing environ-ment for the players in every division.

The newly chartered league will becalled South Wilkes-Barre Little League.I expect the merger will bring excitingbaseball for years to come.

The new league will continue to use aninterleague format relative to game sched-ules and neighboring league involvement.The new and returning players living inthe Mayflower/Heights area will now

register with the South Wilkes-Barre LittleLeague.Please watch for announcements in the

newspaper and fliers in the appropriateschools.

JoeDiMaggioWilkes-Barre

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phone number for verification. Lettersshould be no more than 250 words. Wereserve the right to edit and limit writersto one published letter every 30 days. Email: mailbag@timesleader.com Fax: 570-829-5537 Mail:Mail Bag,The TimesLeader, 15N. MainSt., Wilkes-Barre, PA18711

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an fare isnt the only authenticethnicfoodsoldin thearea.In thelastdecade manyshops specializ-ing in Spanish provisions and afewdealing in cuisines as diverseas Indian and Caribbean haveopenedalongside their predeces-sors.

Partof the change hasbeen de-mographic. Luzerne CountysHispanic population grew bymore than 5 percent, or close to20,000 residents, between 2000and 2010, according to U.S. Cen-sus data. Bodegas and mercadoshave arisen to serve theburgeon-ing community in places such asdowntown Hazleton.

Karina Chavez and her familyopened the Wilkes-Barre Deliand Grocery on Park Avenue inWilkes-Barre two years ago, sell-ingGoyacanned produceandtra-ditional Mexican sweets along-side more standard deli sand-wiches.

We have a lot of things thatpeople find back in their homethattheydont findhere,Chavezsaid.

Census data on the growth ofthe countys Indian populationwasnt available, but Lakesh Pa-tel, co-owner of the newlyopened India Bazar market inWilkes-Barre Township, said itson the rise, and there are nowmore than 600 Indian families inthe area.

Patel,who hasformerlyownedgasstationsand an Indianmarketin Scranton, said he opened hisstore to serve that community.

I have confidence Im doingreallygoodhere, Patel said. Wego to a temple and everybodyknows about the store.

Geography has been a contrib-uting factor, as the area is closeenough to importers and whole-salers in New York City and NewJersey to allow shop owners toset up reliable chains of supply.

Raziya Shroff, owner of A-1Subzi Mandi Indian GroceryStore in Wilkes-Barre Township,gets weekly shipments of longbeans,Chinese eggplant andoth-er hard-to-find vegetables, andPhillip Trout, owner of Carib-

bean Paradise Restaurant andGrocery in Wilkes-Barre, makes weekly trips to the city for saltsnapper, parggie and doctor fish.

Other ethnic markets havecome and gone over the years.Dannys Fresh Market, a Spanishgrocery store, recently openedand closed within a year on Wilkes-Barres South MainStreet, and several Asian grocershave failed to keep a long-termpresence in the city.

To succeed as a purveyor ofethnic foods requires more thanofferingsomethingdifferent, andattracting the attention of othercustomers certainly cant hurt.

Not just for ethnics

Shroffsaidshe openedA-1Sub-zi Mandi four years ago withmuch the same idea as Patel,servinga growing Indian popula-tion.

I used to go to New York tobring back so many vegetables,and I couldnt go so often so I would bring back more andmore, and then it would go to

waste, she said. Eventually, Isaid, let me try (opening a mar-ket).

While about 60 percent of hercustomersare Indian,therestarenot something she never ex-pected when she first opened.Shroff saidarearesidents areget-ting more adventurous, not onlywith the prepared food they eatbut with what theyll try cookingat home, something she partiallyattributes to the growing pop-ularity of cooking and food-tou-rism cable TV shows.

I think nowadays people arewillingto trydifferentfood,andalittle spice in their food, Shroffsaid. It is starting to change.People before never tried any-

thing I did not think I wouldhave so many American custom-ers.

Trout specializes in Jamaicanproducts andprepared foods,butsaid he couldnt survive on a Ja-maican customer base alone.

We have a few(Jamaican resi-dents)but notmany,Trout said.But as I say theyre not the onlypersons whobuy thingshere.Youhave people go to Jamaica, theytry the jerk chicken and theycome back; they try to make itthemselves.

Whether the region embracesthese purveyors of the new anddifferent is a question historywillanswer,but theirowners areopti-mistic, and in this case a love of

theoldmightinspire a hungerforthe new.

Ive started to check (othermarkets) out, Jim Bozzuto ofPittston said while shopping atSabatelles last week.

Because of this one I found areally nice Mexican market inWilkes-Barre.

Joanne Gerrity and her hus-band, Gerald, a fifth-generationgrocer, have been running Jerry& Sons Market, a Nanticokemeat shop specializing in kielba-sa and other Polish-style meats,for 22 years.

The way we think we surviveis, you give a good product withsmall-town service, she said.We know our customers, mostof the time we know them byname. We know their order be-fore they come in the store; weknow how they want their meat

sliced.Dr. Joseph Costello of Pittston

said he has been buying meatsfrom Sabatelles Market, a meatand Italian import shop on Pitt-stons Main Street, for about 25years.

You get to know the people,he said. Itslikefinding a restau-rant you really like; you just keepcoming back.

Jane Sabatelle, who owns themarket with her husband, Rocky,and son Jason, said personal tou-ches like cutting meat to orderand makinghome deliverieshavehelped the store through eco-nomic conditions not ideal forthe steak and imported cheesebusiness.

We have our own niche and alot of them are just very loyal lo-cal customers, Sabatelle said. I can tell you whos going tohave a baby, whos going to highschool,all that. Werehanging oninlightof thiseconomyand werethankful to have the followingthat we have.

The holidays also help.

Be it kielbasa at Christmas ormeat pie at Easter, even peoplewhodontusually shop at importstores or specialty meat shopsgravitate toward their ethnicroots on at the holidays.

My customer base during theholidays is grandma and grand-pa, because theyre cooking themeal; theyre bringing the familytogether, Gerrity said.

This areas stillvery traditionalwhen it comes to the holidays,said Antoinette ODonnell, own-erof Cheese Store & More, a Ha-zleton Italian market. Peoplestill look for the ricotta cheeseandthetomacheese and the bas-ket cheese.

The biggest change that Iveseen is, you see a lot of youngerpeoplegraspingonto someof thetraditions they grew up with.People that come in and say, I want to try to make my momsEaster pie and Ive never done itbefore. Can you help me out?

Population drives change

But Italianand easternEurope-

AIMEEDILGER/THE TIMESLEADER

Owners Lakesh and Rakesh Patel recently opened India Bazar, an Indian and Asian import market in

Wilkes-Barre Township. CLARK VANORDEN/THETIMESLEADER

The Gerrity fam-

ily, owners ofJerry & Sons

Market in Nanti-coke and purvey-

ors of kielbasa,are fifth and

sixth generationgrocers. From

left to right: Jan

Louise Gerrity,Joanne Gerrity,

Gerald JohnGerrity Jr., and

Gerald JohnnyGerrity III. This

area prides itselfon its ethnic

food, and special-

ty butcher shops,bakeries and

markets are thehigh keepers of

that tradition.

TASTESContinued from Page 1A

AIMEEDILGER/THE TIMESLEADER

Rocky and Jason Sabatelle work in the deli at the family-ownedmarket in Pittston.

AIMEE DILGER/THETIMES LEADER

Jane Sabatelle shows Helen Brigidio the freshly made cannollis atthe Sabatelles Market in Pittston.

Inspired by a story she saw onABC, Neubauer decided to orga-nize a bus trip to the nationscapital.

The TV show flew peoplefrom the Midwest to D.C., so Ifigured we could at least do abus trip since were so close,she said.

Buses arrived in Washingtonon April 4, 2011 and the group was greeted by U.S. reps TomMarino and Lou Barletta.

Veterans spent the warm af-ternoonvisiting the Washington

Monument, Jefferson Memorial,FDR Memorial and other land-marks during the peak of cherryblossom season.

Since last years event, thenow 19-year-old Neubauer hasremained close withmanyof theveterans.

Theyre like my family now,

she said.Response from donors was so

positive that nearly $2,000 wasleft over after last years project.

It made for a great head startthis time, she said. And itmade it really easy to do itagain.

Neubauer said the cost perbus with food is roughly $2,300.Each bus carries 50 people, and

Neubauer saidshe hopes toorganize up tothree buses.

Planningand fundrais-ing is a full-time job itself,she said.

After gettinghome from amorning of

classes and an afternoon at herpart-time job, Neubauer getsright to work on event fliers,posters and banners.

Afterward, she travels aroundthe Mountain Top and Wilkes-Barre areas distributing and col-lecting from Vets to DC dona-

tion jars.This weekIll goto local busi-

nesses, next week bigger corpo-rations and the following weekIll do restaurants, she said.

Money raised will go towardtransportation, food, beverages, wheelchairs and other items.

Inaddition toaidesand volun-

teers, a registered nurse will beon hand to accompany the trip.

Neubauer said the feedbackshe gets from the veterans is themost rewarding part of it all.

They were so surprised thatan 18-year-old would do some-thing like this,shesaid.But itsmy way of saying thank you.

I just dont think they hear itenough, she said.

VETSContinued from Page 3A

Response

from donors

was so posi-

tive that

nearly $2,000

was left over

after last

years project.

Snicker lovers will need to besatisfied with less.

Mars, the maker of Snickers,Twix, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way,Galaxy and Dove candy bars, an-

nounced it will stop selling choc-olates that have more than 250calories by the end of next year.

Thisis badnews for fans ofthecompanys king-size products. By2014, its now 510-calorie king-size bars will become a thing ofthe past.

The company, which in 2007pledged to no longer marketchocolate products directly to

children under age 12, said thechangeis partof a health-and-nu-trition effort.

We are aware of the high lev-els of obesity, heart disease anddiabetes in some regions where

we operate, and we are takingsteps to enhance the nutritionalcontent of our snacks, the com-panysaid in a statement.Wearerenovating our chocolate prod-ucts to reduce saturated fats anddecrease calories per serving.

To achieve the desired caloriemark, the chocolate maker willproduce smaller and thinnercandy bars.

Candymaker taking bite out of treatsThe Associated Press

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SPORTS S E C T I O N BTHE TIMES LEADER MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2012timesleader.com

LASVEGAS They gath-ered inthe bow-

elsof thearenawheremostofthegreatfightsofthelasttwodecadeshave

takenplace,old mennowall shar-ingone shiningmomentfromyearsgoneby.Theyhad cometohonorThe Greatest, thoughwhetherMuhammad Ali remem-beredwho they were or knewwhatit wasallaboutwas a matterof speculation thaton thisnightwouldgo unanswered.

Some,like ChuckWepner,couldnt stoptalkingaboutthenight they wontheirownpersonallottery a spotacrossthe ringfrom Ali.Nothingnewthere,sincetheBayonneBleeder hasbeentalkingaboutit toanyoneelsewhowilllistenalmost every daysince.

Others, likeLeon Spinks, we-rentable totalk muchat all.

Leon Spinksis here andheneedshelp, Wepnersaid. Therearea lotof fighters whoneedhelp.

Thiswasa nightsupposed tobring thathelp,bothto fighterslikeSpinks and thosefightingtoday.Millionswouldbe raisedinAlis nameforthe ClevelandClin-ics newLou RuvoCenterforBrainHealthin downtownLasVegas,where researchers arealreadybusytryingto unlockthepuzzlesof damageto thehumanbrain.

A seat fordinner andthe show

at theMGMGrandhotelstartedat $1,500.UFC ownerLorenzoFertitta spent$1.1millionin anauctionfor thegloves AliusedagainstFloyd Pattersonin 1965 inthefirstheavyweight title fight ina citythatwouldbecome syn-onymouswith boxing. PresidentBar