- The Forest City News

Motorcross Racing at
Clifford on pg. 8-9
$30.00/yr. Susq., Wayne, Lacka Counties
$40.00/yr. all other mailing zones
636 Main Street, Forest City, PA 18421
75¢
VOL. 129, NO. 39
Forest City - Starting Line for Steamtown Marathon October 9, 2016
Named One of 10 Fastest U.S. Marathon Courses by Runners World
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
The Forest City News
Past Distinguished Citizen at Historical Society
Odds
‘n
S
ENDby
n
amee ky
K
.
P
John ia Striefs
ric
& Pat
A local resident provided us
with the following concerning
a recurring computer problem
known as RansomWare: Just
had another call from someone
whose computer got tied up in
“RansomWare” where they are
being asked to provide $100s of
dollars to get a password to unlock their computer. This virus/
malware comes in a few flavors,
some are relatively easy to get
around, others, not so easy. To
date I do not know of a case
where your computer hardware is actually altered to the
point where it will never work
again, but in most cases, you
will lose all of your pics, docs,
personal data, etc. First, Microsoft does not contact you to
fix problems. You have to contact them first. What this means
is that if you see a pop-up that
says there is something wrong
with your computer and to call
Microsoft immediately, STOP,
power down your system, and
take it to a reputable computer
/ system technician and see if
you can get the first step of this
malware removed. If you have
already allowed the scammer
to get into your system and are
now being prompted for money
for the password, again, STOP,
and take your computer to a
technician. It may be tempting, but you are just feeding the
problem and there are no guarantees. Unfortunately there are
supposedly wall clock timers
that have been installed in the
malware that may eventually
stop the prompt and you will
have no way to get a password
in anyhow and I do not know
what that time frame may be so
don’t just let the computer sit in
a corner and think the problem
will go away. It won’t. Please be
careful of suspicious links and
emails. I keep telling folks that
anti-virus and malware protection software is good, however,
an executable can still sneak by
the best tools and once you run
it, you are done. Backup, Backup, Backup...I don’t know how
many times I’ve told folks this.
A 32 Gigabyte USB stick can be
as cheap as $15 and most now
come with backup software installed. Just plug it in and follow
the instructions. With a backup,
a simple re-install/restore and
you’re back on line in a day or
so.
*****
FC Personal
Care open
house
Wed., Aug. 24
The Forest City Personal
Care will hold an open house
on Wednesday, Aug. 24, from
5 to 7 p.m. at 911 Delaware St.
in Forest City.
Kelsey Pazanski Wargo, a
certified geriatric manager,
will speak from 6 to 6:30 p.m.
There will be food, beverages, giveaways and music.
For more information go to
www.forestcitynursingcenter.
com/personal care or call 570785-2273.
The public is invited.
Program participants at the Forest City Area Distinguished Citizen awards presentation
on Friday, August 5, at the Forest City Area Historical Society museum are from left front
row: Edward Tourje, Deb Giddings, Harry Newak, Peggy Brager, Larry Debevec, Jim and
Helen Marsicano. Back row left to right: Chauncey Zazzera, Paul Ferraro, and Tom Butler.
Vandling Borough discusses garbage
bid, gas service, and junk car ordinance
Vandling Borough Council
dealt with many issues at its
monthly meeting on Monday,
August 15 including garbage
collection, junk car ordinance,
and a letter of resignation, just
to name a few.
LETTER OF RESIGNATION
Tax Collector Maryann Risboskin submitted her letter of
resignation as the Borough’s
collector of the garbage fees
but not as tax collector. After much discussion about
the possibility of adding the
garbage fee to the tax bills for
2017, Council tabled the letter.
Don Franceski will contact
the Lackawanna County Tax
Office to find out about adding the garbage fee to the tax
bill
MAYOR REPORT
Mayor Joe Brady commented that the next time the
community has a town-wide
yard sale they need to coordinate it so it does not fall on the
Saturday after a holiday on
the same day as the garbage
pickup. He said from a safety
standpoint the last town-wide
yard sale had lots of people
walking on the roads and a
large amount of traffic while
the trash collectors were trying to pick up the garbage.
He said the yard sale is a great
thing but not after a holiday
weekend.
SOLICITOR REPORT
Attorney Paul Smith said
letters were sent to 20 properties who are delinquent on
garbage fees. There were actually 24 outstanding bills due
to rental properties. He said
two have paid and one will
have a municipal lien put on it
because it is vacant.
Attorney Smith said he has
been contacted by Vandling
landlord Albert Blodnikar
who is dismayed that he
should be responsible for failure of his tenants to pay the
garbage fees. The ordinance
says the property owner is responsible for paying the fees.
CODE ENFORCEMENT
CEO Joe Lavin stated that
the owners of the Mikloiche
property on Clinton Street
were sent a certified letter
which they received informing them that they have 30
days to clean up their property or legal action will be taken.
Atty. Smith said he also told
them they are violating residential zoning by operating a
scrap metal business from the
VISA, MasterCard, Discover,
American Express and
Access Credit Cards Accepted
property.
Smith also said he contacted the adjacent landowners
by letter explaining that some
of the junk from Mikloiche’s
property is actually on their
property and is a potential
hazard.
Lavin has distributed the
new rental ordinance information to the property owners of
rental units in the borough.
JUNK VEHICLE ORDINANCE
Councilman John Mayers
said Attorney Paul Smith has
been working on a junk vehicle ordinance. Mayers recommended that the ordinance allow as many licensed vehicles
as someone has and only one
unlicensed vehicle per property. The unlicensed vehicle
must be in a garage or an enclosed fence the same height
or higher than the vehicle. In
addition, a fine of $300 will be
imposed on anyone in violation of the ordinance.
Attorney Smith will advertise the ordinance and it will
be voted on at next month’s
meeting.
GAS SERVICE
John Mayers contacted UGI
regarding natural gas service which is scheduled to be
brought into the borough. He
was told that UGI is waiting
on one approval from Lackawanna County before the
project will start.
Mary Pucul asked what
streets were included. She
was told by President Fran
Pantzar that Hillside Street,
Peterlin Drive, Main and Clinton Streets are included in the
project. Pantzar said he thinks
its a good idea to contact UGI
and ask them to come to a
meeting so they can answer
questions residents might
have.
Phil Egnatovich asked if the
property owners were responsible for the cost.
President Pantzar said representatives from UGI had a
meeting to discuss the process
several month’s ago. They
said that a surcharge will be
put on everyone’s bill that is
going to help finance the project.
Mayers said that anyone
who hooks up to the line over
a ten year period will share in
the surcharge. “Once the line
goes in, anyone who signs up
will be paying that surcharge
plus the gas used,” stated
Mayers.
BUDGET EXPENSES
John Mayers said Treasurer
Jennifer Slick, at his request,
looked at the assets, collections and expenses on the
budget through July. He said
that they have spent $3,200 on
code enforcement and zoning so far. He thinks that the
amount by the end of the year
will be three times what was
budgeted by the end of the
year with all of the ordinance
changes.
TRASH COLLECTION
ORDINANCE
Council adopted the revised trash collection ordinance which was discussed at
last month’s meeting.
TRASH BID
Council discussed at length
the upcoming trash collection
bid. A new contract is needed
by the end of the year.
President Pantzar asked
council if they looked over
the previous bids and if any
changes needed to be made in
the bidding such as what kind
of containers and how many
containers.
Councilman Bill Boyle said
he has met with Maryann Risboskin and she said there are
roughly 320 homes in the borough. President Pantzar said
they will need an exact number when the bids go out.
Boyle said they need a clarification on the definition of a
bulk item. Pantzar said any
kind of appliances shouldn’t
be included on a weekly basis.
Also ashes will now be
picked up by the borough
rather than the hauler.
Pantzar said they should let
the collector tell them what is
acceptable as a bulk item. In
the last bid process, the collector bid on different options.
They gave a price on garbage
and a separate price on recycling.
Mayers said some contractors have the ability to pick up
containers with certain equipment so they may have to get
new containers depending on
who gets the contract.
Council discussed having
a bulk pickup at least a few
times a year at the borough
garage.
Phil Egnatovich asked how
the collector bids the contract, whether it is by average tonnage or number of
households. He said that Fell
Township has the garbage fee
included in the taxes and it is
only $50 a year.
Continued on Page 4
Dr. Michael Elia
hired as new HS
Principal at FCR
Dr. Michael Elia was hired by
the Forest City Regional School
Board as the new Forest City
High School Principal at a salary
of $100,000 per year. He replaces
Peter Jordan who resigned to take
a position at Wayne Highlands.
His hiring was done at a special
meeting of the school board on
Wednesday, August 17.
Dr. Elia had been the principal
of the Abington Heights Middle
School since 2010. Dr. Elia said
he was honored to be chosen and
will work hard doing what is best
for the students.
Superintendent Dr. Jessica Aquilina said she and Dr. Elia have
the same vision. They are both
student centered and she said he
is what the school needs at this
time. She welcomed him to FCR.
The following transportation
drivers were approved for the
2016-17 school year: Frank Rogers, April Clark and Arthur Gun-
Affordable Health
Screenings in
C’dale Sept. 1
Residents living in and
around Carbondale, can learn
about their risk for cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis,
diabetes, and other chronic,
serious conditions with affordable screenings by Life Line
Screening. First United Methodist Church of Carbondale
will host this community event
on Thursday, Sept. 1. The site
is located at 20 North Church
Street in Carbondale.
Screenings can check for:
• The level of plaque
buildup in your arteries, related to risk for heart disease,
stroke and overall vascular
health.
•
HDL and LDL Cholesterol levels
•
Diabetes risk
•
Bone density as a risk
for possible osteoporosis
• Kidney and thyroid
function, and more
Screenings are affordable,
convenient and accessible for
wheelchairs and those with
trouble walking. Free parking
is also available.
Packages start at $149, but
consultants will work with you
to create a package that is right
for you based on your age and
risk factors. Call 1-877-2371287 or visit our website at
www.lifelinescreening.com.
Pre-registration is required.
Welcome Back
Carnival at FCR
Thurs., Aug. 25
Come to FCR High School to
celebrate the kick off of the 20162017 school year with a Welcome
Back Carnival on Thursday, August 25 from 5:30 PM to 8 PM.
The event will held on the soccer
field.
Activities and games are for
the Forester Community. Come
hungry, there’s hamburgers,
hot dogs, ice cream, snacks, and
drinks available (free to all FCR
students and families). FCRSD
extracurricular groups will hold
fundraisers—basket raffles, spirit
wear and more! Hope to see you
there!
There will be Sand Art, Kiss a
Pig, Bingo, Bouncy Slides & Obstacles, Face Painting, Games,
Food & Prizes, Bicycle Raffles - no
fee to enter, and much more...
dell.
Support staff substitutes for
2016-17 were approved and include: Kyra Fortuner, Sherrie
Durko and Kimberly Cavalieri.
The handbooks for the Elementary, High School and Technology
Dept. were approved. They can
be viewed on the districts website.
Changes to FCR
Dress Code
The Forest City Regional School
has made changes to the dress
code for the 2016-17 school year.
Parents and students were sent
a letter recently outlining these
changes.
The following items are now
permitted: Logos or insignias on
collared or button shirts and Forest City Regional Spirit Wear (i.e.
items related to teams, activities,
clubs or groups that are sponsored
by the high school).
The following items are NOT
appropriate at FCR: Yoga pants,
spandex, leggings or jeggings (unless worn under a skirt or shorts
that are no shorter than 3” above
the knee); Clothing that is inappropriately tight, baggy or revealing; Wording, phrases or other
representations on clothing, unless it is FCR Spirit Wear; Jeans/
denim pants or tops of any color;
Flip-flops or any open-toed shoes;
Hats, caps, bandannas, hoods,
sunglasses, visors, or sweatbands;
Hooded sweatshirts (unless it is
FCR Spirit Wear); Any piercings
or jewelry that is spiked. Gauge
piercings must be filled in (i.e.
solid disks) and not open circles
that could allow an ear lobe to be
tugged or yanked; and Any hairstyle or color that administration
deems distracting to educational
process.
A full list of what is appropriate
attire and what is not can be found
on the district’s website at www.
fcrsd.org.
Crashing Aperture
at FCA Hist. Soc.
Sat., Aug. 27
The Forest City Area Historical Society is proud to announce an “Acoustic” concert
by the regional band “Crashing Aperture”, Saturday August 27th at 7:00 P.M. at the
Historical Society Museum
and Concert Hall, corner of
Main and Dundaff Street in
Forest City.
Crashing Aperture is well
know for its Rock Band performances and less know for its
fine Acoustic concert program.
You can check them out on
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
or visit them at www.crashingaperture.com .
While at the Forest City
Area Historical Society, vew
the many area historical displays and our new ‘Hometown
Hero’ display.
Labor Day
news deadline
is Thursday
.
TWO DAY MEAT SALE
Thursday & Friday, September 1 & 2
Pre-Order by Tues., Aug. 30
Deals on Beef, Chicken, Pork, Hot Dogs & MORE!
See a complete list of SALE ITEMS in our ad on page 9 of this edition.