JOURNAL OCTOBER 3 TO OCTOBER 9, 2012 50¢ www.theabingtonjournal.com Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Abington Journal, 211S. State St,, Clarks Summit, PA,18411 The Abington Journal An edition of The Times Leader THE ABINGTON Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 779999 ArtsEtc...............................10 Calendar ............................. 2 Classified ...........................16 Crosswords......................... 9 Obituaries ......................... 22 School ................................ ? Sports ................................ ? INSIDE Volunteers collect 28 barrels of pet food and supplies. Find out how you can get involved. See Page 22. Puppy LOVE Send us a drawing of your worst nightmare and we’ll share it with our readers. MY EDITION mascot Abi, shown at right, also tells you how to vote for your favorite Halloween treat. See Pages 5, 6. Kids, win free stuff! Former Ransom Township Secretary-Treasurer Kathy Zielinski, 60, of South Abing- ton Township, who was charged Sept. 25 with one second degree felony count of theft by unlawful taking, waived a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m. in Central Court at the Lackawanna County Cour- thouse, Scranton. The alleged theft occurred while she was employed as the Ransom Township secre- tary-treasurer. Investigative audits discov- ered that Zielinski had spent more than $98,000 of Ransom Township funds for personal expenses, according to a po- lice affidavit. Zielinski was released Sept. 25 on her own recognizance by Magisterial District Judge James Gibbons under the conditions that she stay away from township officials and the township building. According to the Pennsylva- nia State Police, during a reg- ular yearly audit, it was dis- covered that 46 of Zielinski’s residential electric bills, in the amount of $8,909.58, had been intermingled with the township bills and paid with township funds. A Bank of America township credit card had also been issued to Zielin- ski to facilitate township busi- ness. A Ransom Township Foren- sic Accounting Investigation Report prepared by Marx Accounting and Forensic Ser- vices for the period Jan. 1, 2007 through March 17, 2012, lists a “summary of question- Former Ransom employee waives Oct. 1 hearing Residents question township supervisors who signed checks after audits show Kathleen Zielinski allegedly spent more than $98,000 for personal expenses. BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE AND ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Abington Journal Staff ABINGTON JOURNAL/JASON RIEDMILLER Former Ransom Township em- ployee Kathleen Zielinski enters Central Court at the Lackawanna County Courthouse, Scranton, where she waived her right to a preliminary hearing Oct. 1. Where did the money go? The Ransom Township Forensic Accounting Investigation Report prepared by Marx Accounting and Forensic Services lists all credit card charges to the Township in the name of Kathy Zielinski for the period Jan. 1, 2007 through March 17, 2012.A small sampling of these transactions includes: • $799.99 to Boscov’s July 1, 2007 • $114.11 to Gerrity’s Aug. 10, 2007 • $600 to Cash Advance Fidelity and $18 cash finance charge Sept. 10, 2011 • $20 to PA Nails Jan. 26, 2008 • $55.10 to Pet Smart March 24, 2008 • $315.72 to Sam’s Club July19, 2008 • $279.48 to Casual Male July 24, 2008 • $118.77 to Fashion Bug April 14, 2009 • $59.98 to Amazon.com July 30, 2009 • $648.45 to Bass Pro Online Dec. 30, 2009 • $22.99 to Payless Shoes Jan. 9, 2010 • $20 to APL I tunes Feb. 9, 2010 • $38.34 to Sheetz Jan. 6, 2011 • $72.57 to Wine & Spirits Jan. 29, 2011 See Ransom, Page 4 Orange orbs launched the Hillside Harvest Moon Festival Sept. 29, literally, at the Abington Area Com- munity Park. The inaugural festival featured “Punkin Chunkin, ” organized by Mike Hargrove and the Abington Youth Soccer League. Diane Vietz, orga- nizer of the event said, “It gets people together just for a couple of hours during a spectacular time of year.” For additional photos, see Page 3. ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTOS/DANIELLE ANTONELLO-SMOLLEY Jacob Hughes, 6, Throop, gives it his all before he lets his pumpkin fly. IDEA soars Dave Ru- sak, of the Abington Youth Soc- cer League, helps Ethan Frutchey of Clarks Summit prepare to launch his pumpkin. FACTORYVILLE- Lacka- wanna Trail Elementary Cen- ter and High School hosted an anti-bullying program called Rachel’s Challenge Sept 26. The Rachel’s Challenge program is named after the first student killed in the Co- lumbine High School shoot- ing in 1999, and it is has reac- hed 18,193,274 people. The program speaks out against bullying and helps those who are depressed or contemplat- ing suicide by talking about and promoting compassion and acts of kindness. Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in Colum- bine. And her story is what created Rachel’s Challenge and has saved many lives. Speaker Bob Sanders said, “I know in my heart lives were saved today.” Six weeks before Rachel was killed she had written a paper entitled “My Ethics, My Code of Life.” In that paper she challenged the reader to do random acts of kindness and help create a chain reaction of compassion and kindness. That paper and Rachel’s life are what created the program. The event at Lackawanna Trail was aimed to reach out to children, teens and adults about suicide and bullying and being part of a chain reaction. This event comes at a tragic time for the commu- nity as four teens from Lacka- wanna County recently took their own lives. Speaker Bob Sanders relayed to all who were in attendance a message, Trail up to the ‘Challenge’ BY KASEY LYNN Abington Journal Correspondent See Challenge , Page 7 Dr. Daniel Ginsberg talk- ed about the very strong feelings for his agency’s mission. That agency: Unit- ed Cerebral Palsy of North- eastern Pennsylvania. Seven years ago, Dr. Ginsburg, served as president of the board of directors. Now, he’s back for another go round. “I enjoy helping the agency deter- mine policies for people with disabilities and helping them become contributing members of society with a sense of independence and helping them achieve their potential,” Ginsberg said. The mission of the UCP is to provide opportunities Meet the President Helping others reach potential BY KELLY MCDONOUGH Abington Journal Correspondent Ginsberg See President, Page 4 When rais- ing a child with Autism, so much time is spent fo- cusing on the challenges. Doug and Patty Duguay of Waverly can attest to this firsthand. Their son, Dou- glas, 15, was diagnosed as a toddler. Throughout the diag- nostic procedure, months were spent documenting his deficits, they said. Year after year, whenever Douglas has required services, his parents have had to record all the ways in which he is different from other children. Recently the beauty of those differ- ences became crystal clear. Douglas loves garbage trucks. Since he was as young as age 3, he would run to the front window in the predawn hours every Mon- day. With glee, he would “ooh” and “aah” at the big, noisy DeNaples truck. He soon came to realize that they also came every other Wednesday, for recyclables. Around the time he was 6, Patty took him out to see the truck when it arrived at the end of their driveway. Before Special bond BY ADRIANE HEINE Abington Journal Correspondent See Bond, Page 8 Douglas Duguay I f the kid-in-a-candy-store feeling comes over you in a room where tables and shelves are close packed with books in jackets of many colors, prepare to indulge. Area libraries are getting ready to host fall book sales. Whether your taste runs to ro- mance novels or experimental gardening, trea- sures are bound to surface. But unlike other pursuits, tracking down book sales is one pas- sion you don’t need to feel guilty about. Book sales benefit yours, mine and ours. Yours (library and community) Funds generated by book sales are “greatly needed” said Leah Ducato Rudolph, Abington Community Library director. Used in the past to buy furniture or the sign in front of the li- brary, profits are now more likely used for new materials. Books purchased benefit the wider community since they are available to All- you -can- read buffet ABINGTON JOURNAL FILE PHOTO/JIM GAVENUS Ruth Fitzpatrick enjoys her visit to a previous book sale at the Dalton Community Library. BY JANICE HORTON Abington Journal Correspondent See Read, Page 4
Transcript
JOURNALClarks Summit, Pa. OCTOBER 3 TO OCTOBER 9, 2012 50¢www.theabingtonjournal.com
Volunteerscollect 28barrels of petfood andsupplies. Findout how you canget involved.See Page 22.
PuppyLOVE
Send us a drawing ofyour worst nightmareand we’ll share it withour readers. MY EDITIONmascot Abi, shown atright, also tells you howto vote for your favoriteHalloween treat. SeePages 5, 6.
Kids, winfree stuff!
Former Ransom TownshipSecretary-Treasurer KathyZielinski, 60, of South Abing-ton Township, who wascharged Sept. 25 with onesecond degree felony count oftheft by unlawful taking,waived a preliminary hearingscheduled for Oct. 1 at 10:30a.m. in Central Court at theLackawanna County Cour-thouse, Scranton.The alleged theft occurred
while she was employed asthe Ransom Township secre-tary-treasurer.Investigative audits discov-
ered that Zielinski had spentmore than $98,000 of RansomTownship funds for personalexpenses, according to a po-lice affidavit.Zielinski was released Sept.
25 on her own recognizanceby Magisterial District JudgeJames Gibbons under theconditions that she stay awayfrom township officials andthe township building.According to the Pennsylva-
nia State Police, during a reg-ular yearly audit, it was dis-covered that 46 of Zielinski’sresidential electric bills, in theamount of $8,909.58, hadbeen intermingled with thetownship bills and paid withtownship funds. A Bank ofAmerica township credit cardhad also been issued to Zielin-ski to facilitate township busi-ness.A Ransom Township Foren-
sic Accounting InvestigationReport prepared by MarxAccounting and Forensic Ser-vices for the period Jan. 1,2007 through March 17, 2012,lists a “summary of question-
Former Ransomemployee waivesOct. 1 hearingResidents question townshipsupervisors who signedchecks after audits showKathleen Zielinski allegedlyspent more than $98,000 forpersonal expenses.
BY ROBERT TOMKAVAGE ANDELIZABETH BAUMEISTERAbington Journal Staff
ABINGTON JOURNAL/JASON RIEDMILLER
Former Ransom Township em-ployee Kathleen Zielinski entersCentral Court at the LackawannaCounty Courthouse, Scranton,where she waived her right to apreliminary hearing Oct. 1.
Where did themoney go?The Ransom Township ForensicAccounting Investigation Reportprepared by Marx Accounting andForensic Services lists all creditcard charges to the Township inthe name of Kathy Zielinski forthe period Jan. 1, 2007 throughMarch 17, 2012.A small samplingof these transactions includes:• $799.99 to Boscov’s July 1,2007• $114.11 to Gerrity’s Aug. 10,2007• $600 to Cash Advance Fidelityand $18 cash finance chargeSept. 10, 2011• $20 to PA Nails Jan. 26, 2008• $55.10 to Pet Smart March 24,2008• $315.72 to Sam’s Club July 19,2008• $279.48 to Casual Male July24, 2008• $118.77 to Fashion Bug April14, 2009• $59.98 to Amazon.com July30, 2009• $648.45 to Bass Pro OnlineDec. 30, 2009• $22.99 to Payless Shoes Jan.9, 2010• $20 to APL I tunes Feb. 9, 2010• $38.34 to Sheetz Jan. 6, 2011• $72.57 to Wine & Spirits Jan.29, 2011See Ransom, Page 4
Orange orbs launched the Hillside Harvest MoonFestival Sept. 29, literally, at the Abington Area Com-munity Park. The inaugural festival featured “PunkinChunkin, ” organized by Mike Hargrove and theAbington Youth Soccer League. Diane Vietz, orga-nizer of the event said, “It gets people together justfor a couple of hours during a spectacular time ofyear.” For additional photos, see Page 3.
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTOS/DANIELLE ANTONELLO-SMOLLEYJacob Hughes, 6, Throop, gives it his all before he lets his pumpkin fly.
IDEAsoars
Dave Ru-sak, of theAbingtonYouth Soc-cer League,helps EthanFrutchey ofClarksSummitprepare tolaunch hispumpkin.
FACTORYVILLE- Lacka-wanna Trail Elementary Cen-ter and High School hosted ananti-bullying program calledRachel’s Challenge Sept 26.The Rachel’s Challenge
program is named after thefirst student killed in the Co-lumbine High School shoot-ing in 1999, and it is has reac-hed18,193,274 people. Theprogram speaks out againstbullying and helps those whoare depressed or contemplat-ing suicide by talking aboutand promoting compassionand acts of kindness.Rachel Joy Scott was the
first person killed in Colum-bine. And her story is whatcreated Rachel’s Challengeand has saved many lives.Speaker Bob Sanders said, “Iknow in my heart lives weresaved today.”Six weeks before Rachel
was killed she had written apaper entitled “My Ethics,My Code of Life.” In thatpaper she challenged thereader to do random acts ofkindness and help create achain reaction of compassionand kindness. That paper andRachel’s life are what createdthe program.The event at Lackawanna
Trail was aimed to reach outto children, teens and adultsabout suicide and bullyingand being part of a chainreaction. This event comes ata tragic time for the commu-nity as four teens from Lacka-wanna County recently tooktheir own lives. Speaker BobSanders relayed to all whowere in attendance a message,
Trail up tothe‘Challenge’BY KASEY LYNNAbington Journal Correspondent
See Challenge , Page 7
Dr. Daniel Ginsberg talk-ed about the very strongfeelings for his agency’smission. That agency: Unit-ed Cerebral Palsy of North-eastern Pennsylvania. Sevenyears ago, Dr. Ginsburg,served as president of the
with disabilities and helpingthem become contributingmembers of society with asense of independence andhelping them achieve theirpotential,” Ginsberg said.The mission of the UCP
is to provide opportunities
Meet the President
Helping others reach potentialBY KELLY MCDONOUGHAbington Journal Correspondent
Ginsberg
See President, Page 4
When rais-ing a childwith Autism,so much timeis spent fo-cusing on thechallenges.Doug andPatty Duguay
of Waverly can attest to thisfirsthand. Their son, Dou-glas, 15, was diagnosed as atoddler. Throughout the diag-nostic procedure, monthswere spent documenting hisdeficits, they said. Year afteryear, whenever Douglas hasrequired services, his parents
have had to record all theways in which he is differentfrom other children. Recentlythe beauty of those differ-ences became crystal clear.Douglas loves garbage
trucks. Since he was asyoung as age 3, he would runto the front window in thepredawn hours every Mon-day. With glee, he would“ooh” and “aah” at the big,noisy DeNaples truck. Hesoon came to realize thatthey also came every otherWednesday, for recyclables.Around the time he was 6,Patty took him out to see thetruck when it arrived at theend of their driveway. Before
Special bondBY ADRIANE HEINEAbington Journal Correspondent
See Bond, Page 8
Douglas Duguay
If the kid-in-a-candy-store feeling comesover you in a room where tables andshelves are close packed with books in
jackets of many colors, prepare to indulge.Area libraries are getting ready to host fallbook sales. Whether your taste runs to ro-mance novels or experimental gardening, trea-sures are bound to surface. But unlike otherpursuits, tracking down book sales is one pas-sion you don’t need to feel guilty about. Booksales benefit yours, mine and ours.
Yours (library and community)Funds generated by book sales are “greatly
needed” said Leah Ducato Rudolph, AbingtonCommunity Library director. Used in the pastto buy furniture or the sign in front of the li-brary, profits are now more likely used fornew materials. Books purchased benefit thewider community since they are available to
All- you -can- read buffet
ABINGTON JOURNAL FILE PHOTO/JIM GAVENUSRuth Fitzpatrick enjoys her visit to a previous booksale at the Dalton Community Library.
BY JANICE HORTONAbington Journal Correspondent
See Read, Page 4
C M Y K
PAGE 4A www.theabingtonjournal.com The Abington Journal♦Clarks Summit, PA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2012
Left to Right: Jerald B. Gilbert, MD, FACS; James L. Stefanelli, MD, FACS;J. Robert Ramey, MD, FACS; Beverly Tomasetti, CRNP; Ronald T. Barrett, MD, FACS;
Ira J. Kohn, MD, FACS; Donald L. Preate, Jr., MD, FACS
The Division of Urology atDeltaMedix, the largestprovider of comprehensivecare for the diagnosis andtreatment of urologic problemsin Northeastern Pennsylvania,has helped Regional Hospitalof Scranton earn top honorsaccording to U.S. News &World Report Best Hospitals2013. The annual report, whichreleases national, state andregional rankings on hospitalsand specialty areas, identifiedRegional Hospital of Scranton astop performing in urology.
DeltaMedix Urologists comprisethe Urology Team of Physiciansat Regional Hospital of Scranton,providing state of the arturological care in a personalizedand compassionate environment.The DeltaMedix Urologists
are board-certified withspecialty training in a numberof different aspects of urology.Our physicians work in concertwith other expert health careprofessionals to provide amulti-specialty approach towards
diagnosing and treating patientswith such urologic conditions.Special attention is also givento preventative and screeningtherapies to helpmaintain ahealthy and active lifestyle.
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and resources to individualswith disabilities as theybuild and lead their lives inthe community. It’s done byproviding advocacy, homeand community supports andeducation.
A large part of the focusnow is on the Children’sCenter in Clarks Summitwhich has been in existencesince the 1980s. Due to raindamage and flooding, thebuilding needs repair, saidGinsberg..
He spoke about his role ofsupporting the board of di-rectors and overcoming ob-stacles such as funding prob-lems. The biggest challengeis replacing money cut bythe state and federal govern-ment and the United Way, hesaid.
“One of the biggest thingspeople don’t understand isthat we provide much need-ed services across the boardof developmental disabil-
ities. We’re not exclusive toCerebral Palsy. It’s where westarted, but now we’veadapted to all disabilitiesincluding Down syndrome.”
Some of the Children’sCenter programs involve anearly intervention from birthto age three. On staff areoccupational therapists, spe-cial needs staff, physicaltherapists and speech ther-apists. This staff will go into
homes or a typical day envi-ronment so that each childhas a specific plan with hisor her family to achievegoals. Other programs in-clude a play program calledLekotek, specifically out ofthe Clarks Summit office. Itinspires children to learnand grow, work with a teach-er and have parents and sib-lings involved. Adaptive toysare available for loan. A play
group meets once eachmonth and can be a greatresource for parents, he said.
Ginsberg has been work-ing with the disabled in dif-ferent settings such ascamps, community centersand agencies since college.On his wish list is adding atleast six new board membersand initiating a “mammothcapital campaign” for thenew Children’s Center inClarks Summit. The plan isto reach out to businessesand the community as awhole. Anyone wishing toget involved or make a do-nation can contact: SarahDrob, United Cerebral Palsy,425 Wyoming Avenue,Scranton 18503. Interestedparties can also go to theirwebsite at www.ucpnepa-.com.
Ginsberg and his wifeSandra resides in Scranton.They have three children:Jodi, 49; Jeffrey, 47 andNeil, 44 and three grand-children, Dehlia, 14; Clay, 18and Tabatha, 3.
PRESIDENTContinued from Page 1
Meet the PresidentInterests and Hobbies: I am bicycle rider, owning more than tenbicycles. I also collect bicycle greetings and bicycle artifacts. I have sevenalbums of bicycle cards and more than 300 artifacts. I also enjoygardening. I cook and bake. I serve on eight Boards of Directors ofnon-profit entities. I am a word origins enthusiast. I am adept andknowledgeable about Parliamentary Procedure and serve asParliamentarian for the Board of the Friends of the Scranton PublicLibrary.Inspired by: My teachers and mentors at Columbia and YeshivaUniversities.Favorite Place in the World: Scranton and the Bronx, N.Y.Favorite Book: Various books on etymology and entomology.Greatest Achievement: Earning a Doctorate in Social Work at age 67.Idea of a Perfect Saturday Afternoon: Spending time with my threegrandchildren, riding my bicycle and enjoying my garden.One Item I Can’t Leave Home Without: My wife!
all Lackawanna County li-brary patrons. Abington is the2nd largest library in the sys-tem. Book sales do a commu-nity good. Not only a time forwilling hands to come togeth-er in support of the library,sales are often held in con-junction with the annual blue-berry, garlic or lumberjackfestival. Tunkhannock PublicLibrary’s sale coincides withthe Airing of the Quilts.
“We have to have the booksale,” says Tunkhannock di-rector Kristin Smith-Garyciting a 40 percent drop instate aid since 2009. Kudos tovolunteers who sort the Grish-ams and Greenes from the
motorcycle manuals. Shu Qiu,director of Dalton CommunityLibrary calls them “heroes.”It’s no exaggeration. Sortingand setting up 10,000 booksisn’t a job for the fainthearted.
Mine (personal benefit)A two-pound volume on
ponds, lavishly illustrated, asoftcover how-to manual onthe same topic and a pristinefield guide on North Amer-ican birds ring up to over $100in the bookstore. At a booksale, they cost less than theprice of a latte. Cooking andart books, biographies andnovels to supply two read-ersall winter, Caldecott win-ners for the kids can be hadfor pennies on the dollar.
Ours (the planet)Literally, tons of books
trade hands instead of beingtrashed. Books in good condi-
tion can be donated and re-donated. Intangible rewardsare harder to quantify: knowl-edge shared, love of readingnurtured, community fostered.Much as the funds are needed,library heads agree that get-ting literature in the hands ofthose who need it is the mainobjective. Bibles donated tothe Abington book sale aregiven in turn to the countyprison. Tunkhannock library
maintains an ongoing booksale, a boon to a communitynot served by a book store aswell as the many homeschool-ers in the area.
The one time self-controlmay be required is at Daltonlibrary’s twice yearly bookand bake sale where the homebaked goodies are legendary.
Book sales are a win-winway to support your locallibrary. Savvy shoppers checkdates and times (some salesoffer previews) bring a sturdybag or two, and honor rulesabout using cell phones andscanners. Museums and his-torical societies also dependon book sales to stay in busi-ness. www.booksalefinder-.com has information on salesacross the country and caneven send you an email alert.
able credit card charges andchecks,” amounting to$99,228.24, stating in theconclusion that Zielinski“should be held accountable”for the entire amount.
At the Ransom township’sregular Board of Supervisorsmeeting held at Mount De-wey Community Center Oct.1, the supervisors announcedcopies of the 72-page Foren-sic Audit Report are availableto the public at $19 per copy.Secretary-Treasurer SarahGriggs said copies can beobtained by visiting theTownship Building on Hicko-ry Lane and filling out a“Right to Know” form alongwith a $19 check payable toRansom Township.
Many residents had severalquestions during the meetingfor the supervisors and Town-ship Solicitor Edmund Scac-chitti regarding the audit andcharges against Zielinski. BillAuriemma questioned howthe personal checks to Zielin-ski passed through the Super-visors, who signed them.
Auriemma asked, “For fiveyears, you signed bills forcredit cards and never saw atransaction going to Sam’sClub, going to Rite Aid, go-ing to...tires? You never sawtransactions going out tothem? That’s unbelievable,that’s hard to believe. Whywould you sign a check with-out reading what you weresigning?”
Supervisor David Bird said,“Do I feel like I have a faultin this? Absolutely. I’m notgoing to sit here and lie andsay I didn’t. But we did watchwhat we signed...Everybodyin this room, if you want topounce on us, you have everyright. We have fault at this,but we weren’t 100 percentwrong. We had a professionalauditor that missed this forfive years.”
The Ransom TownshipForensic Accounting Investi-gation Report states, “In or-der to find the actual dollaramount of the misappropri-ations, Ms. Zielinski willhave to prove what credit cardcharges were for the benefitof the Township and to pro-vide evidence that the non-payroll checks made payableto her were to reimburse herfor money spent on theTownship’s behalf.”
The report continues,“Some of the credit cardchanges were clearly not forthe Township transactions.” Itthen lists a sample of some ofthose charges, including:$796.17 to Bass Pro Online;$304.18 to Big & Tall Facto-ry; $1,636.75 to Boscov’s;$1,465.14 to Catherine’s(dress shop); $100 to Dioce-san Annual Appeal Scranton,PA; $85.46 to Dress Barn,Hershey, PA; $3,206.06 toGerrity’s; $839.78 to Joe’sKwik Mart; $508 to PA
Nails; $604.48 to Petsmartand $4,974.51 to Sheetz.
“This is just a sample of thequestionable transactions,”the report states. “There weremany others.”
The report also recom-mended the township put“better accounting internalcontrols” in place and stated,“The Board [of Supervisors]should take whatever actionis required to recover theamount of the misappropri-ated funds and reimburse-ment for the cost of this fo-rensic accounting investiga-tion.”
According to the policeaffidavit, Zielinski served astownship secretary for ap-proximately 18 years prior toher resignation in March2012.
Contemporaneous with herresignation, Zielinski issued apersonal check in the amountof $1,065 to the townshiptoward reimbursement ofmisappropriated funds, theaffidavit said.
According to the affidavit,Zielinski confessed to Penn-sylvania State Police Corpo-ral Benjamin Clark July 18that she used her townshipissued credit card for person-al expenses and claimed shewas unaware of the amountsinvolved. Zielinski also con-fessed that she had paid herpersonal electric bills alongwith the township bills. Shewas surprised to learn thatshe had done so 46 times andwas unaware of the amounts,the affidavit said.
Ransom Township Super-visor Bud Brown expressedhis feeling of betrayal follow-ing the arraignment.
“It’s been a hardship for thetownship,” Brown said.“When you put your trust insomebody and they do this toyou…it really hurts. It hurtsus as supervisors and it hurtsthe township.”
Brown added that the Su-pervisors will be much moreobservant of township affairsin the future.
“We will continue to dobusiness, but it won’t be busi-ness as usual,” he said.“We’re going to be very vigi-lant. We just don’t want to seewhat happened now, happenagain. We can’t afford it. Itwould ruin our township.”
Supervisor Bird, who alsoserves as Road Master, ex-plained the investigation put ahalt on the township’splanned road work.
“We had a lot of road pro-jects scheduled for this year,”he said. “We did not do anyof it, only because we didn’tknow where we stood withthe audits.”
Both Zielinski and herattorney, Frank J. Bolock Jr.,declined to comment leavingthe courtroom Sept. 25.
For more on the Oct. 1Ransom Township Super-visor’s meeting, see the Oct.10 print edition of TheAbington Journal.
ABINGTON JOURNAL/JASON RIEDMILLERFormer Ransom Township employee Kathleen Zielinski, right, entersthe South Abington Township Municipal Building with her attorney,Frank J. Bolock Jr. Zielinski was charged with one count of theft byunlawful taking.
RANSOMContinued from Page 1
JOURNALClarks Summit, Pa. OCTOBER 10 TO OCTOBER 16, 2012 50¢www.theabingtonjournal.com
See who got creativewith quilt displaysduring an annualTunkhannock event.See Page 22.
ART orapparel?
Find out whoworelederhosen tothe inauguralAbingtonCommunityLibrary event.See Page 6.
Sampling theseason’s flavor
RANSOM TWP. - Questions regard-ing the alleged theft of Ransom Town-ship funds by former Ransom TownshipSecretary-Treasurer Kathy Zielinskiwere in abundance from residents inattendance at the regular Board of Su-pervisors meeting held Oct. 1 at MountDewey Community Center.According to the Ransom Township
Forensic Audit Report, Zielinski hadallegedly spent more than $98,000 ofRansom Township funds for personalexpenses. Zielinski, 60, of SouthAbington Township, who was chargedSept. 25 with one second -degree felonycount of theft by unlawful taking,waived a preliminary hearing scheduledfor Oct. 1 at 10:30 a.m. in Central Courtat the Lackawanna County Courthouse,Scranton.At the Oct. 1 meeting, resident Bill
Auriemma asked regarding the legalproceedings, “Who’s representing therest of the people here?”Solicitor Edmund Scacchitti said the
District Attorney’s office is representingthe people of the township, and Au-riemma asked whether the townshipwill have any input in the case or in thepossible sentencing.“We will have an opportunity to sub-
mit a victim’s impact statement prior tosentencing,” said Scacchitti, “and in itwe are going to ask for restitution. So,
Residentsangry overtheft case
See theft, Page 6
Former Ransom Twp. Secretary-TreasurerKathy Zielinski was recently chargedwith a second degree felony count oftheft by unlawful taking
TheHeritageBaptistChurchand theAbingtonBusiness andProfessionalAssociation haveteamed to provide the commu-nitywith a day of free familyfun. Spend a day celebratingthe season at the upcomingFallFunDayOct. 20, beginning at11a.m. atHeritageBaptist
Church, 415VenardRoad,Clarks Summit.RobHammaker, Pastor of
AdultMinistries,HeritageBaptistChurch said, “Heritagehas enjoyed sponsoring thisevent for the past nine yearsandwe look forward to anothergreatweekendof fun and food
ABINGTON JOURNAL/ JOAN MEAD-MATSUIKenny and Hannah James decorate their scarecrow’s shirt at Heri-tage Baptist Church in 2011.
Ten days to funBY JOAN MEAD- MATSUIAbington Journal Correspondent
See Fall, Page 6
biggest fundraiser, the SoupSale, will take place for the13thyear in November. Fifty to 60restaurants donate one of theirsignature soups for sale.Cooper’s Seafood lobster
bisque and Patsel’s noodleswith clam chowder have beentwo of the most popular soupsover the years, according to
Meals onWheels of North-eastern PA is in need of volun-teers for several of the tasks inthe organization. They are alsodealing with cutbacks in fund-ing.“We have seen an increase in
the number of people using theservice over the years, but thebiggest issue right now is thecuts in state funding everyyear,”Meals onWheels ofNortheastern PABoard ChairLindsey Loss said. “We have adeficit on everymeal producedof 50 cents to $1.”According to Loss, they aver-
age approximately1,000mealsper day. Close to 800meals aredelivered to home bound resi-dents and 400 to senior centers.According to Loss, their
Loss.“They have both been ex-
tremely generous,” she said.According to Loss, next year
the organization will face an-other hurdle when fundingfrom the Area on Aging is cut,along with rising gas and foodcosts.For more than 40 years,
ABINGTON JOURNAL/JASON RIEDMILLERAdele Bianchi and Lenora Takach of Dalton prepare meals at the Abing-ton Senior Center.
Meals on Wheels seeks help
See Help, Page 13
Chair: ‘We have a deficit onevery meal produced of 50cents to $1.’
CLARKSSUMMIT-TheAbingtonHeights SchoolBoardpicked updiscussionsOct. 3 thatbeganmonths ago regarding themerits of gradeweighting.AbingtonHeightsAssistantSuperintendent of SchoolsDr.ThomasQuinn presented theboardwith his thoughts on howhe thinks the district shouldmove forward.“Last spring,wehad anun-
derlying feeling that a change ingradeweighting is somethingthatwewant to do to encouragean increase in rigor in our highschool curriculum,”Quinn said.“With that inmind, I had a two-part proposition. The first partof the propositionwas to look atthe extraweight given toAPandhonors courses andhow to dif-ferentiate between the two. Ithink part of themotivationwasifwehave someonewho is ableto go either honors orAPandwedifferentiate between the two,andmake theAPmore valuable,maybewe could encourage
A stroll through two of Wa-verly’s historic cemeteriesreveals headstones of Revolu-
tionary War veterans, former slavesand early settlers, among others.Whether preserved by vigilant care-takers or salvaged by a congrega-tion, the markers share stories withthose who seek them.
Hickory Grove CemeteryOn Miller Road, this cemetery has
been a final resting place for thedead since 1807. Its 12 acres arelovingly tended by brothers Pauland Bob Webb. The pair has beenworking the grounds for more than40 years and they have witnessedmuch during that time.“Henry used to call us the ency-
clopedia,” Bob Webb said about hisformer boss, Henry Belin, the presi-dent of the cemetery. The brotherspointed out Belin’s gravestone.“He was a really good man, a
good friend,” he added.The Belin family built the Wa-
verly Community House as a gift tothe community. Many Belins arelaid to rest in the cemetery.
Hickory Grove Cemetery has
three entrances from MillerRoad. The main entrance is theclosest to Carbondale Road. Atthat entrance are the historic mark-er signs. Turning in there, one is onthe northernmost driveway. Drivingall the way back to the woods, onecomes to the most northwesternpoint, an apt start for a walking tour.
LackawannaTrail Jr./Sr.HighSchool hosted itsannual homecomingbonfireOct. 3. The eventfeaturedmusical performances and stunts from
the cheerleaders. For results of the football game, seePage15 andphotos of other activities, Page 7.
PHOTOS COURTESY ALICE STUFFLE
Richard Pollock delivers a spirited performance on saxophone.
Lindsey Bergey and other Lackawanna Trail cheerleadersignite a spark of enthusiasm.
FIERYtune
C M Y K
PAGE 6A www.theabingtonjournal.com The Abington Journal♦Clarks Summit, PA WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2012
Vote for your favorite business scarecrow and be entered to win.The ABPA business scarecrow photos and addresses will appearOct. 17 and 24 in The Abington Journal and online. View them inthe paper, online at www.theabingtonjournal.com and at all partici-
pating business locations.Vote for your favorites by Wed., Oct. 31 in one of three ways (email, in
person, regular mail) and you’ll be entered to win great prizes.WHAT YOU CAN WIN: $100 gift certificate good at all of the participa-
ting scarecrow businesses.HOW TO VOTE:1. Email to [email protected] a subject line “Scarecrow Contest” email the following: your favor-
ite scarecrow and its location, your name, town and phone number. Wewon’t publish, it’s just to verify your vote.2. Drop off/send via regular mail same info as above to The Abington
Journal 211 S. State Street, Clarks Summit PA 18411 Attn: Scarecrow Contest.If the office is closed, leave your vote in our bright blue drop off box in
front of The Abington Journal.Business Scarecrow Locations
Citizens Savings Bank- 500 S.State St.Everything Natural- 426 S. State
St.Soul to Sole- 535 S. State St.Caregivers America- 718 S. State
St.Steve Pronko Jewelry, 120
S.State St.Kidazzle- 320 S. State St.Cloe & Company- 410 S. State St.Lawlers Affordable Elegance-
210 Depot St.Duffys Coffee House- 312 S.
State St.AAJRB Community Classroom-
304 S. State St.Jaya Yoga- 320 S. State St.My Gym- location TBD
The scarecrows are backDuffy’s Coffee House scare-crow.
Sole to Soul scarecrow. Kidazzle scarecrow.
ABINGTON JOURNAL PHOTOS/KASEY LYNN AND GERARD NOLAN
At The Abington Community Library Oktoberfest Oct. 7, from left: Catherine Hartman, Uta Dreh-er, Pa. State Rep. Sid Michaels Kavulich, Library Director Leah Rudolph and Iona Pohl.
Mark Izak serves a special Mun-ich Brew.
AT RIGHT: Eventhe rain didn’tstop him. Li-brary boardmember FrankSantoriello grillsfood for Ok-toberfest underan umbrella outback at theAbington Com-munity Library.
Norbert Mayor samples flavors of Germany duringOktoberfest at the Abington Community Library
in the community. This year theevent has grown.The first halfof the daywill be held atHeri-tagewith different things hap-pening at different times…addi-tional activitieswill be held indowntown (ClarksSummit).From11a.m. to 4 p.m., thecommunitywill find free food,rides, games, scarecrowbuild-ing, pony rides, amagician andjuggler atHeritageBaptistChurch. In downtownClarksSummit, 2 to 8 p.m., the funwillcontinuewith giant pumpkincarving, children andpet pa-rades, trick- or- treating, amys-terymaze and fallmarket.Eventgoerswill have the oppor-tunity to enjoy a full day of freefamily fun.“I think the one thing thatalways surprised people is thatit’s free…wedon’t charge any-thing…it began as a gift fromthe church to the community.Aswe’ve partneredwith theABPA,they’ve addedmore value to itand it’s still free. It’s great for usto offer this event to the commu-nity as away to saywe’re glad tobe a part of the community andhere’s a gift fromus,” saidHam-maker.Adetailed schedule of eventswill be available in theOct.17edition ofTheAbington Jour-nal. Sponsors for Fall FunDayareTheAbington Journal,MyGym,EverythingNatural andSummit Frameworks.More
information is available atHeri-tageBaptistChurch at 587.2543or theABPAat 587.9045.
ABINGTON JOURNAL/JOAN MEAD-MATSUI
Preparing for Fall Fun are in front, sponsor Summit Frameworks, CharlesSandercock. Second row: committee member Tara Kennedy Crum; spon-sor Everything Natural and ABPA President Barry Kaplan; committee mem-ber Dorothy O’Connor, sponsor Rob Hammaker, Pastor of Adult Ministries,Heritage Baptist Church and sponsor Abington Journal, Kristie Grier Ceruti.
Giant Live Pumpkin CarvingsSummit Frameworks- * Not at businesslocation (will be along S. State St.)-4p.m.Heritage Baptist Church- 415 VenardRd- noonMyGym- * Not at business location(will be along S. State St.)- 5 p.m.The Abington Journal- 211 S. State St.- 2p.m.Sole to Soul- 535 S. State St.- 2:30 p.m.Sprint Physical Therapy- 539 S. StateSt.- 3 p.m.Everything Natural- 426 S. State St.-3:30 p.m.Lawrence Young- 418 S. State St.- 4:30p.m.Sprint Print- * Not at business location(will be along S. State St.)- 5:30 p.m.Pre-Carved Pumpkin LocationsSanderson- 509 S. State St.Kidazzle- 320 S. State St.Pro-Active Chiropractic- 1146 NorthernBlvd.Steve Pronko Jewelry, 120 State St.Nickies Fabulous Hoagies- 611 S. StateSt.Lawlers Affordable Elegance- 210 DepotSt.Angels Galeria- 208 Depot St.Duffys Coffee House- 312 S. State St.AAJRB Community Classroom- 304 S.State St.Mamma Mia- 507 S. State St.Business Scarecrow LocationsCitizens Savings Bank- 500 S. State St.Everything Natural- 426 S. State St.Soul to Sole- 535 S. State St.Caregivers America- 718 S. State St.Steve Pronko Jewelry on State St.Kidazzle- 320 S. State St.Cloe & Company- 410 S. State St.Lawlers Affordable Elegance- 210 DepotSt.Duffys Coffee House- 312 S. State St.AAJRB Community Classroom- 304 S.State St.Jaya Yoga- 320 S. State St.My Gym- location TBD
FALLContinued from Page 1
borhood dispute— It was noted a hear-ing was set for Oct. 30, at 3 p.m. forJulian Deuerlein, a tenant of SunsetMobile Home Park. According to Zon-ing Officer Bob Lukasiewicz, a total of15 non-traffic citations were issued toDeuerlein, who failed to pay the fines.The matter involves a neighborhooddispute residents said has been ongoingsince March. The situation was firstbrought to the attention of the super-visors by Officer Thomas Kreidler dur-ing his report at the Aug. 15 meeting,when he said police received reportsabout the man who had allegedly been“harassing” and “terrorizing” the neigh-bors.Residents also said at the Augustmeeting they saw him dismantling re-frigerators and other Freon-containingequipment and dumping the chemicalonto his rented property. Because it isan environmental issue, they said theycontacted the DEP for help, but withoutsuccess.Supervisors said at the August meet-ing they also were in contact with MaryBeth Nester at the DEP, but were toldthe problem is too small for the depart-ment to handle. At the October meeting,resident Nancy Weinhardt asked if theSupervisors had followed up, and Birdsaid he had tried contacting Nesteragain, but with no response.Nester could not be reached for com-ment.• Correspondence from UGI Util-
ities— Supervisor Dennis Macheskaread from a notice received regarding agas installation stream crossing on DarkRegion Road. Bird explained this is theproperty owned by Bud Stann, where alarge section of pipeline is protrudingfrom the creek.• Road Report— During the roadreport, Bird said the work to secure thesliding bank on Ledge Drive is nowcomplete, thanks to a generous donationof rocks from Alliance Landfill.“We’re hoping that it holds up for us,”he said.• Weight Limit and Roadway Mainte-
nance Ordinance— The supervisorspassed a weight limit ordinance, “regu-lating and restricting the operation ofmotor vehicles on public roadways” inthe township “fixing and regulating thepermissible weight and loads” to pro-vide for the maintenance of the roadsshould the roadways be damaged due toheavy loads traveling over them. Brownexplained local traffic will be exempt.•Bills to Ransom Recreational Shoot-
ing Sports, LLC—Residents questionedwhether Ransom Recreational ShootingSports had yet paid its bills owed to theTownship for the engineer’s services.Secretary-Treasurer Sara Griggs saidpayment had not yet been received toher knowledge, but the bills had justrecently been sent.Andrew Massimilian, of Ransom Rec-reational Shooting Sports, LLC, whowas not present at the meeting, said viatelephone interview he did recentlyreceive the bills for the first time andhas questions on them. He said he isanalyzing the bills and will be in contactwith the township soon.
if your question is, who’s protecting theinterests of the taxpayers in terms ofgetting our money back, the answer is,we’ll file a victim’s impact statementand request restitution in the totalamount that we’ve determined is mis-sing.”He later added the cost of the forensicaudit will be included in that sum.Supervisor David Bird added that heand Supervisor Bud Brown attended thehearing that morning, during which timethey spoke with Deborah Bott, Victim/Witness Coordinator at the District At-torney’s Office, who informed them any
residents who wish may send a letter tothe judge, who will read each one. Birdsaid he did not yet know where or towhom the letters should be sent.Bott could not be reached for com-ment.Bird said the next hearing in the caseis scheduled for Nov. 16 at 9 a.m.Auriemma asked if the forensic auditconducted covered every township cred-it card, not just Zielinski’s, over the pastfive years.Scacchitti replied, “Every single de-posit and withdraw going back fiveyears.”Auriemma also questioned how thecredit card bills and personal checks toZielinski passed through the Super-visors, who signed them. “For fiveyears,” he said, “you signed bills forcredit cards and never saw a transactiongoing to Sam’s Club, going to RiteAid…That’s unbelievable, that’s hard tobelieve. Why would you sign a checkwithout reading what you were sign-ing?”Supervisor David Bird said, “Do I feellike I have a fault in this? Absolute-ly...I’m not going to sit here and lie andsay I didn’t. But we did watch what wesigned...Everybody in this room…if youwant to pounce on us, you have everyright. We have fault at this, but we we-ren’t 100 percent wrong. We had a pro-fessional auditor that missed this forfive years.”Supervisor William “Bud” Brownsaid, “When this is all over…you cometo the office and I’ll show you how slickit was. I missed it the firsttime…You’ve gotta see this to believeit.”Other residents questioned why thesecretary had a credit card in the firstplace. Scacchitti said it was needed forexpenses such as office supplies, and aresident asked why petty cash could notbe used instead.“Petty cash creates a whole otherproblem,” Scacchitti said. “At least acredit card has an audit trail.”Resident Lisa Levan asked why theforensic audit only covered the last fiveyears. Scacchitti said that was the timeperiod requested by the State Police, buthe could not give a reason.Trooper Connie Devins, spokespersonfor the State Police, said via a telephoneinterview that the statute of limitationson theft is five years and if the auditwere to go back farther than that, itwould have to be of the township’s ini-tiation.Resident Hank Rowinski asked, “Inthe midst of all this, what have we doneso that this won’t happen again?”Brown said now when the townshipreceives a credit card bill and the super-visors sign the payments, the statementis attached. “The bills are checked nowvery carefully,” he said.It was noted, unrelated to the currentprosecution, that the auditors are cur-rently in the process of looking into thewage tax records, as Zielinski was re-sponsible for those as well.
Other items discussed at the meet-ing included:• Sunset Mobile Home Park neigh-
