On Thursday, May 5, 2016 people who attended the New Milford Borough Council meeting were able to obtain a copy of the proposed Comprehensive Plan for the Borough.  Councilperson Teri Gulick stated Council and the Planning Commission would be holding a public meeting on Wednesday, May 11th at 6:30 pm.  She said the plan contains many action items, and is going to be a big project for the Borough.

In his Mayor’s report, Scott Smith said he would like to have Council, including the Mayor, send a thank you to DTE for the work they did on Monday, May 2nd by sweeping all the state owned streets in the Borough.  Council agreed with the Mayor stating they did a very nice job.  Mayor Smith said he would also like to thank Chuck Walsh for spending time with DTE, and helping out with the sweeper repair.

Council signed a Mutual Aid Agreement with Hallstead, and Great Bend for the Street Department to help each other out when needed. 

JJ Carpenter Tree Services has been contracted to cut down and trim trees around the Borough building at a cost of seven hundred and fifty dollars.

Councilman Ken Carey reported on the Recreation Boards progress with the summer concerts in the park.  He said they should be finalizing the details of the program very soon, and will provide a report at a future Council meeting.

Council President Rick Ainey reported to Council, he recently found out the lifeguards pay between two hundred and three hundred dollars to receive their certification for a two-year period.  He offered up a suggestion for Council to reimburse the lifeguards half the cost of their certification.  Teri Gulick motioned to adopt a policy to reimburse the lifeguards half the cost of the certification over a two-year period, which was unanimously agreed upon.

East Rush Electric will be conducting the electrical work upgrading the gazebo at a cost of eighteen hundred and ten dollars.  The work is expected to start in the near future.

Councilperson Terri Gulick stated the Midtown Festival is going to be awesome this year.  There are thirty-three vendors signed up so far, with eight more sponsors, and the 5k Race is progressing nicely.  Councilperson Gulick said the EMA from Susquehanna County would also be attending.  Besides the vendors, a chicken BBQ, the Jane Zick Memorial pie contest, and games for children are some of the other events scheduled for June 4th from 10am to 3pm.  The public is urged to attend for a fun filled day. 

The meeting of the Thompson Township Supervisors started promptly at 7:00 pm with Supervisor, Rick Wadman; Supervisor, Alex Komar; and Secretary, Kim Wallace in attendance.   Supervisor, Susan Jenkins joined the meeting at 7:09 pm.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) was placed in the paper for sealed bids in April for two separate needs.  Road material for the normal maintenance of the roads, and equipment with operators at an hourly rate to be forwarded to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to be used in case of an emergency in conjunction with FEMA’s local Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Five companies sent in sealed bids for the road material; New Enterprise Stone & Lime Company, Inc.; Bradco Supply Company; Brown Farms; E.R. Linde Construction; and Bill Pykus Excavating Inc.  The contract was awarded to Bill Pykus Excavating Inc., with pricing per ton for the 2B stone at thirteen dollars, 2A modified at ten dollars and ninety cents, 2RC modified at ten dollars and seventy-four cents, ¾ minus at thirteen dollars, and #3 stone at twelve dollars and forty cents.  A second contract was awarded to E.R. Linde Construction with pricing of 2B stone at twelve dollars and forty nine cents, 2A modified at eleven dollars, 2RC modified at eleven dollars, ¾ minus at thirteen dollars and seventy five cents, #3 stone at twelve dollars and forty nine cents, 1B stone at thirteen dollars and twenty five cents, and 1A stone at thirteen dollars and seventy five cents.

Three companies provided sealed bids for black cinders; Romanski Trucking, Brown Farms, and Cottrell Excavating Company.  Cottrell Excavating Company was awarded the bid with a price of sixteen dollars and fifty cents a yard.

Four companies sent in sealed bids for the equipment with operator; Barhite Excavating, LLC; Cottrell Excavating Company; CB Excavator & Logging LLC; and Bill Pykus Excavating.  The contract was awarded to Barhite Excavating LLC to be used in an emergency status situation. 

Supervisor Alex Komar said the grading of the roads had to be postponed due to the amount of rain that was falling, but the road crew started installing the new road signs that inform people permits are required in Thompson Township.

Supervisors renewed the contract with DGK Insurance & Financial Services for the Township insurance coverage needed on equipment, and property at a price of sixteen thousand, seventy-nine dollars per year.  The contract for the required drug and alcohol testing for CDL licensed drivers was renewed at a price of fifty-five dollars per drug test, and thirty-five dollars for alcohol testing.

The Rails to Trails delegates asked to meet with the Supervisors to discuss a new plan they had for the Bucks Falls location.  Rails to Trails would like to make a walking trail loop with a five percent grade near the Bucks Falls location.  This trail would reroute the snowmobiles so they would have to travel approximately two hundred and fifty feet on Irk Road before rejoining the snowmobile trail.  Currently the snowmobiles cross over Irk Road, but they do not travel on the road.  The Supervisors informed the Rails to Trails delegates they wouldn’t approve the snowmobiles traveling that long of a stretch on Irk Road.  They claimed it would be a safety issue, and they didn’t want the liability.  The Rails to Trails delegates said they would try and come up with another plan for this new proposed track that would enable the snowmobiles to cross over Irk Road, like they are currently doing.  The delegates said they would get back in touch with the Supervisors once they develop another plan.

Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) had their annual seminar in April, unfortunately a few of the classes were booked and people couldn’t attend.  A notification was received stating PSATS was offering more classes in various locations throughout the area for those who were unable to attend.  The classes that are being offered are: Intermediate Accounting, Basic Training for Elected Auditors, Collaborative Approaches to Funding Fire and EMS Services, and Leadership Training for Utilities.  Unfortunately most of these classes are far from Susquehanna, and would be too far to drive for a one-day class for the Supervisors.

The next meeting is scheduled for June 1st at 7:00 pm.

What with negotiations in progress with teachers, coaching salaries under review, some tech requests in question, and uncertainty on a state budget coming out of Harrisburg, the Blue Ridge School Board wasn’t quite ready to propose a final budget of its own to the public for the 2016-2017 fiscal year at the business meeting on May 2.  So the very last of 40 items on the agenda was tabled pending further discussions the following Monday.  Superintendent Matthew Button reminded the Board that the district’s budget has to be formally adopted before June 30, following a 30-day period for public review.  The state can refuse to pass a budget, but school districts don’t have that luxury.

The evening opened with a gathering of the Athletics and Activities Committee to discuss some options developed by Mr. Button to bring some order and consistency to the salary structure for coaches of the various sports at the District.  Mr. Button presented some sheets listing all of the salaries for coaches, even comparing them with salaries for coaches in other school districts in the area.  The options offered were: Based on county averages for each position. Based on county averages but excluding the highest and lowest (which would tend to skew the averages). Make salaries consistent by matching the highest current salary at Blue Ridge and multiplying by the number of days in the season for a sport. Set new rates at each level (varsity, junior varsity, junior high, and assistants). Set a floor for salaries in the largest categories.

Mr. Button also proposed awarding bonuses based on performance; for example, a bonus might be paid for a winning record, or for winning at one of the championship levels.  Board President Chris Lewis liked the idea, but Christina Whitney said she was “adamantly opposed” to it, and said that she thought the majority of Board members would not support performance-based salaries or bonuses.

With more debate yet to come, the committee seemed to coalesce around a modified version of option 3, setting a starting base salary for each position that would rise over a 4-year period to a maximum for each slot.

Mr. Button then presented a request from Faith Mountain Christian Academy, a faith-based private school, to allow some of their students to participate in Blue Ridge sports programs – a co-sponsorship of sorts.  Faith Mountain enrolls a small number of students and would like to help support at least one sport at Blue Ridge.  There didn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for the idea in the committee.  Ms. Whitney said, “public school education is not a la carte.”

Once the full Board gathered, High School Principal Peter Supko introduced his outstanding seniors for April, Taylor Hall and Jordan Goff, who each gave a brief summary of their Blue Ridge careers.  Mr. Goff will study computer science at the University of Scranton next year.

Outstanding senior Taylor Hall

Outstanding senior Jordan Goff

Elementary School Principal Danelle Decker introduced 5th grader Jordyn Mudge, who, with Dezden Gunn were her choices for outstanding achievement.

Jordyn Mudge (left), with Elementary School Principal Danelle Decker

Mr. Lewis read a resolution recognizing the achievement of Desiree Alvarez who received an award in the national Scholastic Art and Writing competition for 2016.

Mr. Lewis then took the opportunity to offer a “simple thank you” to Blue Ridge teachers during this Teacher Appreciation Week.  He said that the difficult contract negotiation process “doesn’t mean that what they do isn’t valued.”

Once the Board got to its agenda, members approved most of the 40 items in a single vote.  Held out for individual attention, as usual, were measures involving bus contractors, allowing Fred Lewis, Christina Cosmello and Brooke Slocum to abstain, since they have interests involving bus contracts.  And one of those measures was a new  contract for the 2016-2017 school year.  One of the goals the Board established with Mr. Button was the development of a new contracting structure for transportation, preferably on a 5-year basis.  It wasn’t clear whether this measure achieved that goal.

Ms. Cosmello was also re-elected Board Treasurer with a $15,000 bond for the upcoming fiscal year.

Among routine personnel matters, Barbara McCain will relinquish her position as Special Education Director in August to Gail Wnorowski.  Ms. McCain definitely looked more relaxed as she explained the need to reallocate more of her time to her family.  She will take on the position of High School Learning Support teacher in the Fall, replacing Casey Webster.

Other items on the agenda approved by the Board:

• Agreement with Mark’s Private Driver Training School LLC for both 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel driver instruction.  The arrangement is sanctioned by the District, but fees are the responsibility of the students who take advantage of the training.
  
  
• Faith Mountain Christian Academy absolves Blue Ridge of all responsibility for nursing services at the private school in New Milford.
  
  
• Sierra Watts will receive some financial assistance to attend a journalism and media conference sponsored by George Mason University this summer.  The Board allocates a sum each year for such purposes to be divided among the requests before the end of the school year.
  
  
• The annual request by Child Evangelism Fellowship for “released time” for religious instruction for next year.
  
  
• The very popular summer food service program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Education will offer free lunches to any student participating at the school.
  
  
• There was no discussion or debate when the new school handbooks were approved.  This is a first.
  
  
• RGM Hardwoods will continue to supply wood chips for heating at a cost of $34 per ton, delivered.
  
  
• Peoples Security Bank & Trust, PNC Institutional Investments, Voya Financial and First National Bank were names official District depositories.
  
  
• Bayada Home Health Care, Inc. will provide a registered or licensed practical nurse at just over $47 per hour to staff the school’s nursing office.  The District has recently been contracting with outside agencies for some staffing needs, in particular for substitute teachers, and now nursing staff.
  
  
• Craig’s Photique is designated the official photographer for next year.
  
  
• The annual retirement incentive for teachers was amended.  Faculty must apply by May 20, 2016 and must have 21 years of credited service at Blue Ridge.  Retirees under the program will receive payments of $10,000 in each of the next 5 years and will be eligible for health coverage under the Blue Ridge plan until Medicare coverage is available.
  
  
• The self-funded Blue Ridge health insurance program has a contract with HM Insurance Group for “stop-loss” coverage to handle losses under the plan up to $1 million if losses exceed about $2.5 million.  The District will pay just under $100,000 for this coverage.
  
  
• The District will renew its contract with the Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency for Head Start program support at Blue Ridge at a rate of $20 per student per day.
  
  
• The Blue Ridge Medical Center will act as the District’s medical director for the next school year.  As a member of the staff of the medical center, Dr. Patrick MacConnell abstained from the vote.  The medical center will charge $125 per hour for services, including sports physicals.
  
  
• The Board approved a schedule of installment payments for 2016 real estate tax bills.  The discount period will be July 1-August 31; the “face” period will cover September 1 through October 31; there will be a penalty from November 1 onward.
  
  
• The Board accepted a contract with Government Software Services (GSS) for tax collection systems support.  The District will pay GSS 65 cents for printing each real estate tax bill, and 16 cents for each tax statement.  These costs are in addition to the fees received by the District’s tax collectors.

Business Manager Brian Dolan, on top of the lengthy deliberations on a new budget, is preparing to have the cafeteria floor blasted out to repair a malfunctioning sewer line, a job that he describes as “a little scary.”  The work will commence following the close of the school year, and, while the scope of the work will only be determined once the miscreant pipe is uncovered, an engineering firm will oversee the project to ensure proper management.

Matthew Nebzydoski, Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, remarked on the perfectly civil behavior of seniors at Prom this year, declaring that the event came off with “absolute class.”  And Ms. McCain, whose husband was a chaperone on the 6th-grade trip to Washington, said that the Blue Ridge students received many compliments on their appearance and comportment.

Blue Ridge bands will once again try for an outside performance on May 25, beginning at 6:30pm, for a Concert in the Park, in New Milford.  The first try at this the evening was frigid, so bring a chair and a warm coat.

Aside from the special budget meeting on May 9, and perhaps yet another on May 16, the next scheduled meeting of the Blue Ridge School Board will take place on Tuesday (because of Memorial Day), May 31, 2016.  Check the District’s website for up-to-the-minute information.  By the way, the brownies were outstanding.

Imagine a gambler pushing all of his chips into the jackpot at table’s center. Contained within those chips are his auto title, his house deed, his lifetime savings, his retirement account, and even junior’s college fund. The gambler either has the absolute worst case of gambling fever in his life, or he has one hundred percent certitude that he’s holding the winning hand. The moment of truth is at hand.

Such is the case for Starrucca’s Borough Council. With a federal civil rights lawsuit pending and the borough fully exposed to financial ruin should the plaintiff prevail, a newly formed coalition of Starrucca’s borough councilmen repudiated any attempt at reconciliation and signaled compromise would not be brooked.

Starrucca borough council met for its Monday, May 2, 2016, monthly meeting at Starrucca Community Hall from 7:02 p.m. to 8:34 p.m. with President Peter Frank presiding. Present for the meeting were Councilmen Kirk Rhone, Lou Gurske, Art Kopp, Jason Heeman, Darl Haynes, and Donald Haynes, Jr. Also present were Mayor Mary Ann DeBalko and Secretary/Treasurer Keith Payne.

A bit of history is in order to set the stage for May’s meeting. The central accomplishment of April’s borough council meeting had been the passage of a motion authored by Councilman Kirk Rhone to approve the specifications for bid submissions regarding the 2500 feet of roadway from above the Haynes driveway to the Scott Township line, as accepted by Scott Township and never disproven by Starrucca Borough. Councilman Kopp had provided a second for the motion and President Frank cast the deciding vote for approval. Opposing the Rhone motion were Councilmen Gurske and Heeman, who made known their belief that the 2500 feet of roadway was not physically located within the boundaries of Starrucca Borough. Both Haynes Councilmen had absented themselves from the meeting to preclude any conflict of interest issue.

As a result of this motion’s approval and in response to a previous letter query from the Haynes family, Council sent a letter to Mr. & Mrs. Darl Haynes notifying them of the borough’s intention to bid out the aforesaid project. At the close of April’s meeting it appeared that the issue of road maintenance on the entire length of Kellogg Road was finally coming to fruition and a concomitant agreement might be amicably reached in connection with pending lawsuits.

But any hope for such optimism, it is now clear, has no basis in reality. In the interim four weeks between April’s and May’s meetings no project for road maintenance was advertised. Why the borough did not advertise for bids on the Kellogg Road project was not satisfactorily explained at any point during May’s meeting, but it can be inferred (from unfolding events) that the borough did send Mr. & Mrs. Darl Haynes a letter stating that the borough would advertise for road maintenance bids on the afore-described 2500 feet of Kellogg Road.

For reasons known only to Starrucca Borough Councilmen (and perhaps their legal team), everything accomplished at April’s meeting was upended in a matter of less than 20 minutes in May’s meeting. In a stunning move of high-stakes bravado (or hubris) Council moved four motions (hereinafter referred to as “The Gurske Motions”) which lock the borough into a very precarious legal position. Should the legal stand embodied in the Gurske Motions not be vindicated in federal court the consequences to the borough could--quite potentially--be financially ruinous.

Each of the four Gurske Motions passed by identical votes: 3-2-2. The three “ayes” on each motion were those of Councilmen Gurske, Heeman, and Frank; the two “nays” were Councilmen Rhone and Kopp. Councilmen Darl Haynes and Donald Haynes, Jr., quite obviously having a personal interest in the outcome were ethically and legally bound to abstain from voting on the motions. The Gurske Motions, as passed, are as follows:

• GURSKE MOTION #1: “I make a motion to stop any bids of the upper end of Kellogg Road, a length of 2500 feet more or less. This new road in question does not presently exist other than as a tractor path and would serve no purpose to any other Starrucca borough resident, except the Darl Haynes family.”
  
  
• GURSKE MOTION #2:  “I make a motion to stop any bids/bid packages that were sent out to any contractors. I make a motion not to send out the bid for Kellogg Road. The reason: this road would serve no purpose for any other Starrucca resident except the Darl Haynes family. Starrucca borough cannot afford the engineer’s design nor (sic) can Starrucca borough afford to borrow the money which could run into the tens of thousands for a road that does not presently exist except as a tractor road, and again, benefits only the Darl Haynes family.”
  
  
• GURSKE MOTION #3: “I make a motion in reference to Peter Frank’s motion dated April 4, 2016, stating bids would be sent out on Kellogg Road, a letter be sent to Mr. & Mrs. Darl Haynes stating the fact that no bids will be sent out and Starrucca borough will continue maintenance on Kellogg Road from Maple Grove Road to the original Starrucca borough boundary as Starrucca borough has done very efficiently in the past. Starrucca borough, out of professional courtesy, will continue both winter plowing and summer maintenance from the original Starrucca borough line to the edge of Darl Haynes’s driveway.”
  
  
• GURSKE MOTION #4 is summarized as a motion to impose a “temporary” moratorium on any maintenance, repair, or bids for work on upper Kellogg Road. [In discussion concerning the motion Councilman Gurske was asked to define the word “temporary” in the context of his motion. He replied, “until courts make a final decision on borough boundaries.”] [Interestingly, Judge Hamill noted in his Opinion and Order of April 14, 2015, “. . . the northerly boundary line as depicted in the Amended Kellogg Map IS AN EXISTING BOUNDARY LINE that is currently being used for taxing and voting purposes in both Starrucca Borough and Scott Township.]

Immediately following passage of The Gurske Motions, Councilman Darl Haynes requested Secretary Payne to read two previous decisions, as well as an order from a third case, relating to the boundaries of Starrucca borough. The three cases, all decided by Wayne County President Judge Raymond Hamill, were dated 12/15/2014, 4/14/2015, and 10/21/2015. Each case had had a negative ruling insofar as Starrucca Borough Council’s assertions to its perceptions of boundaries and its responsibilities to maintain roads within its boundaries. While Judge Hamill left open the borough’s options to litigate the matter further, litigation could only be recommenced AFTER the borough exhausts all statutory options for relief (requiring the borough to post a $25,000 bond--a requirement the borough claims it cannot meet due to indigence). Hence the borough has not afforded itself pursuance of statutory relief, cannot exhaust those efforts, and cannot consequently seek judicial relief. In the face of such daunting obstacles, Council appears intent to continue to define borough boundaries according to a reality only IT defines, even while disregarding the plain meaning and impact of Judge Hamill’s opinions and orders.

The borough’s cry of poverty is certainly true in one sense. Starrucca borough, according to the current Treasurer’s Report, has in its General Fund coffers less than $5,000 to keep the lights on, pay routine bills, and keep up with attorney fees. At May’s meeting, council voted to pay half the amount it owes its law firm, Lavorie Law of Harrisburg. Full payment to Lavorie Law would have been $4,520; Council directed Secretary Payne to send a letter of explanation with half the amount of the bill, $2,260.

Related, at least in part, to the borough’s shaky financial position was a request by NBT Bank for the Annual Audit of Accounts for 2015, as well as the borough’s 2016 budget. Secretary Payne forwarded the requested documents to the bank. Knowledgeable sources have intimated that loans to the borough will not be extended until all current litigation is resolved.  Beside the Haynes Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit and the borough’s continued interest in pursuing boundary litigation relative to Kellogg Road, Starrucca Borough is being sued by Ghost Properties, LLC.

Mediation of the Haynes Federal Civil Rights Case is scheduled for Wednesday, May 25, in Wilkes-Barre. Given Council’s abrupt about-face, as embodied in The Gurske Motions, some question might be posed as to the borough’s intention to bargain in good faith or as to whether mediation is even an option at this point. This point was brought into focus when Councilman Darl Haynes requested that the Secretary forward a copy of “The Gurske Motions” to his (Mr. Haynes’s) attorney by the 20th of May. That request, while innocent enough, was rejected on the grounds that the Minutes of the Meeting would not be approved until June’s meeting. Councilman Gurske advised that they were his motions, and Mr. (Darl) Haynes could not have them--except for #3, as that was being sent to him in a letter. Back-and-forth discussion of the matter was uncomfortably heated between the two, but Councilman Gurske got to the root of the underlying matter with his statement, “There is no road there [upper Kellogg Road] and we’re not putting it up for a vote.”

The Gurske Motions, having taken center-stage, almost completely overshadowed the resignation of Councilman Frank as Borough Council President.  Mr. Frank stated that he was stepping down as President and resigning from all committee assignments (due to health reasons), but that he would continue serving on borough council. Just prior to meeting’s close, Council moved to elect a new President. Councilman Gurske nominated Councilman Heeman, who said he was willing to serve. However, Mr. Heeman could garner only Councilman Gurske’s vote. Council then proceeded to elect Councilman Rhone President with five votes: those of Frank, Kopp, Rhone, Darl Haynes, and Donald Haynes, Jr.

Starrucca Borough’s next meeting is fittingly scheduled for D-Day’s anniversary, June 6, 2016.

Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) will have staff available to help Susquehanna County residents access state-government related services and programs during special satellite office hours in May.

“Anyone in need of assistance with state government services and programs who lives in Susquehanna County is encouraged to call or stop by during these office hours,” Pickett said. “My staff is available to help pinpoint services and programs for which he or she may be eligible, or point the constituent in the right direction to have their issue addressed.”

Specifically, her staff will be available in Susquehanna County (Heft’s Buy and Sell in Lawton) second and fourth Wednesdays of the month (May 11 and May 25), from 10 a.m. to noon.

To help veterans navigate the complexities of government programs and services designed specifically for them, Dan Falls from the American Legion will be meeting with veterans and/or their family members from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 19.

Falls can help veterans and their family members with compensation, pension, death benefits, education and health care, as well as any issues pertaining to benefits. Veterans do not need to be a member of the American Legion to receive these services, and appointments can be made by calling Pickett’s Sayre office at (570) 888-9011.

Pickett’s full-time offices are located at 321 Main St., Towanda, phone (570) 265-3124, and 106 West Packer Ave., Sayre, phone (570) 888-9011. More information is available 24 hours a day on Pickett’s website at www.RepPickett.com  or on her Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/RepPickett. Residents can also sign up via her website to receive a weekly email about local and state activities.

Following are sentences handed down by the Susquehanna County Court for April 2016.

Danny Deneault, 19, of Clifford, PA to pay a $25 fine, pay cost of prosecution for Obscured Plates in Great Bend Township on August 7, 2015.

Anthena Eftyhia Itsines, 23, of New Milford, PA to 9 months probation, pay $100 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $100 Act 198 fee, be subject to random drug and alcohol screening, enter into a drug and alcohol treatment program for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia in New Milford Township on July 10, 2015.  Ms. Itsines also was sentenced to 6 months probation to run concurrent to the above sentence pay $300 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $100 Act 198 fee, enter into drug and alcohol treatment, pay $10 Ems, pay $75 Pennsylvania Transportation Trust Fund cost, complete Alcohol highway safe driving school program for Driving Under the Influence in New Milford Township on July 10, 2015.

Steven Allen Cook, 45, of Susquehanna, PA to Intermediate Punishment Sentence of not less than 30 days, 9 days shall be incarceration, followed by 21 days home confinement. Followed by 22 ½ months probation, pay $200 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $50 Criminal Justice Enhancement Act fee, refrain from the use of Controlled Substances, subject to random drug and alcohol screenings for Recklessly Endangering Another Person in Lanesboro Borough on February 23, 2015.

J. T. Teague, 77, of Elk City, OK to 6 months to 3 years in a state correctional facility, to run concurrent with a sentence currently being served out of Luzern County, pay $150 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $50 Criminal Justice Enhancement Act fee, pay restitution to the victim in this case for Theft by Deception in Bridgewater Township from March 3, 2015 to April 10, 2015.

Megan Fae Clough, 29, of Susquehanna, PA to 24 months probation, pay $500 fine, pay cost of prosecution, not to have contact with the victim in this case, 15 years SORNA registration, receive sexual offender treatment as recommended for Indecent Assault in Great Bend Township on March 12, 2015.

James Joines, 21, of Montrose, PA to 45 days to 18 months incarceration in Susquehanna County Correctional Facility served 45 days home confinement, pay $1,500 fine, pay cost of prosecution, perform 25 hours community service, abide by Pennsylvania Ignition Interlock Law for Driving Under the Influence in Bridgewater Township on May 24, 2015.

Gary Edward Snow, 49, of Montrose, PA to 11 ½ months to 24 months minus 1 day in Susquehanna County Correctional Facility, followed by 3 years probation, pay$2,500 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $300 Pennsylvania Transportation Trust Fund cost, pay $10 Ems, be subject to Pennsylvania Interlock Law requirements, complete an Alcohol Highway Safe Driving School Program, pay $100 Act 198 fee, upon release from incarceration  undergo SCRAM electronic monitoring for 12 months for Driving Under the Influence in Montrose Borough on October 31, 2015.  Mr. Snow also received 3 years probation to run consecutive to the above sentence, pay $500 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $50 Criminal Justice Enhancement Act fee, abide by Pennsylvania Ignition Interlock Law for Terroristic Threats in Montrose Borough on October 31, 2015.  Lastly, Mr. Snow received 90 days to 180 days in Susquehanna County Correctional Facility to run concurrent with the above sentence, pay $1,000 fine, pay cost of prosecution, abide by the requirements of the Pennsylvania Ignition Interlock Law for Driving while Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked in Montrose Borough on October 31, 2015.

Kevin Henry Welch, 32, of Montrose, PA to 4 ½ months to 5 months in Susquehanna County Correctional Facility to run concurrent with another sentence, pay $200 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $50 Criminal Justice Enhancement Act fee, subject to random drug and alcohol screenings, not to have contact with anyone on supervision, not to possess weapons while on supervision, perform 50 hours community service, complete drug and alcohol treatment for Weapons or Implements for Escape in Bridgewater Township on February 13, 2016.

Christopher James Hardy, 57, of Hallstead, PA to 30 days home confinement followed by 5 months probation, pay $750 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $150 Pennsylvania Transportation Trust Fund cost, pay $10 EMS, pay $100 Act 198, complete Alcohol Highway Safe Driving School Program, be subject to Pennsylvania Interlock Law Requirements, continue with mental health counseling, take all prescribed medications for Driving Under the Influence in Great Bend Township on February 11, 2015.  Mr. Hardy also received 2 years probation to run concurrent to the above sentence, pay $200 fine, pay cost of prosecution, pay $50 Criminal Justice Enhancement Act fee for Recklessly Endangering Another Person in Great Bend Township on February 11, 2015.

The following were accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program: Ralph Raymond Rosati, Dorothy Lorraine McGraw, Debra Dunlap.