A 2-month-old child with head trauma remained in critical condition Tuesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital, Hazleton police said.

The infant girl's family took her to Hazleton General Hospital on Monday. Police said they were called there at 11:42 a.m. to investigate the injuries, which included brain bleeding and swelling.

The girl was initially treated at Hazleton General Hospital and then flown to Lehigh Valley Hospital, where she was breathing with the help of a respirator, police said.

Detectives from the Hazleton Police Department and the Luzerne County District Attorney's Office are investigating the case in conjunction with caseworkers from the Luzerne County Office of Children and Youth Services.

Police said the investigation is still in the preliminary stages and refused to release further information Tuesday. Police have not named the victim or family members.

Luzerne County courts handled more cases last year but saw less court-related revenue returned to the county than in 2011, according to statistics released Tuesday by the state Supreme Court.

The county's Court of Common Pleas and magisterial district courts handled 71,236 total cases in 2012, up 1,454 from 69,782 in 2011.

The total amount of fees, fines, costs and restitution disbursed to the county government, however, dipped to $9,732,879 from $9,862,776 in 2011 - a reduction of $129,897.

Magisterial district and common pleas criminal courts throughout the state collected and disbursed to the state, counties, municipalities and victims a total of $469 million last year, according to the state Supreme Court's statistics.

"Although the judiciary's fundamental function is the delivery of fair, timely and accessible justice, the collection of court-ordered financial sanctions is important, not just in terms of dollars but also in restoring victims' lives and in enforcing the rule of law," Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille said in a statement.

Luzerne County court officials were unclear Tuesday on the reason for the increase in caseload and the drop in disbursements to the county.

Most of the increased caseload, an additional 988 cases, came at the magistrate level, which handles traffic tickets, summary offenses and small-claims civil complaints in addition to arraignments and preliminary hearings for criminal cases. The Court of Common Pleas, which handles misdemeanor and felony criminal cases, saw an increase of 466 cases in 2012 over 2011.

Statewide, courts saw a 4 percent drop in case filings from last year and a $643,175 drop in disbursements. Over the last five years, courts statewide saw a nearly 13 percent drop in cases, from more than 3 million to 2.6 million.

Approximately two-thirds of the decline, the state Supreme Court said, was due to a significant drop in the number of traffic citations issued throughout the state, reducing funding to a number of state and local programs and causing an 18 percent decline in funds deposited into a fund for court automation.

Luzerne County followed the trend in dropping traffic citation drops, going from a five-year high of 42,969 tickets in 2008 to a five-year low of 38,416 in 2011. That figure increased slightly in 2012, to 39,566.

A 31-year-old Lakeland High School band teacher surrendered himself to the Lackawanna County District Attorney's office Tuesday morning to face charges that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student last year.

Matthew Stevens' attorney, Joseph D. Caraciolo, said his client "absolutely denies" a former student's claim to authorities that a series of "flirty" text messages between her and Mr. Stevens on New Year's Eve 2011 sparked an escalation in their relationship from that of student and mentor to two sexual partners, as the charges against him hold.

"This is not a criminal ... this is a person who's been wrongfully accused," Mr. Caraciolo said after Mr. Stevens' arraignment on charges of institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and contact with a minor - sexual offense.

The charges arose when the former student, now enrolled at a university outside of Lackawanna County, told authorities that during her senior year she participated in the school band and became "very close" to Mr. Stevens, according to a criminal complaint filed by Lackawanna County Detectives Justin Leri and Michelle Mancuso with Scott Twp. Police Chief James Romano.

But their relationship became intimate one day in January 2012, when she and Mr. Stevens were in his office sorting through paperwork. At one point their faces became close and Mr. Stevens kissed her. As the relationship continued their contact escalated to Mr. Stevens touching the student and the two performing oral sex on one another, according to the complaint.

For nine months, the incidents would occur two to three times a week, most often on school property but occasionally in Mr. Stevens' home, said Lackawanna County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer McCambridge.

The Times-Tribune does not identify victims of sexual assault.

After the victim's disclosure, investigators recorded a one-hour phone conversation between her and Mr. Stevens during which he acknowledged their sexual relations.

As Mr. Caraciolo argued for lower bail for his client Tuesday, Mr. Stevens' 18-month-old son called out for his "Daddy" repeatedly from the arms of his mother, who sat with about 10 family members present for the arraignment.

Magisterial District Judge Paul Ware ultimately sided with the prosecution on the matter of bail and remanded Mr. Stevens to Lackawanna County Prison in lieu of $75,000.

Judge Ware also ordered that Mr. Stevens stay off of school property as a condition of his bail.

Lakeland Superintendent Margaret Billings-Jones, Ed.D., said the district is following its "administrative procedure" in light of the charges against Mr. Stevens and that "standard procedure in a matter like this is a suspension ... without pay."

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 26.

Mr. Caraciolo questioned the validity of the recorded phone call referenced in the affidavit against Mr. Stevens on Tuesday, expressing doubt that it would ever be heard.

"I'd love to see the proof, because right now what we have is the two of them never being alone, the two of them never being in a situation where anything could occur and a very extremely upstanding person," he said.

Ms. McCambridge characterized Mr. Stevens differently in comments made after his arraignment, pointing out that "his position as a teacher puts him in a special place in terms of the community and the students he supervises."

"Clearly we feel that he abused that position," she said. "School is a place where students should go to feel safe, to learn, to expand their horizons and not have to deal with this type of behavior."

Where Mr. Caraciolo questioned the integrity of the victim's allegations, Ms. McCambridge said investigators "have no reason to doubt her story" and added that the investigation has already uncovered "lots of corroborating evidence."

"With these type of cases, the investigation will remain ongoing until every stone is turned over," she said when asked about the possibility of additional victims.

Contact the writer: domalley@timesshamrock.com, @domalleytt on Twitter

PITTSTON - The teacher caught on tape berating an apparently unruly student is still an employee of the Pittston Area School District, but has agreed to punishment outside the teacher's contract, solicitor Joseph Saporito announced at the regular meeting Tuesday.

According to published reports, the teacher - who was never identified - told a student in class, "It's day 13 and I can't stand you already," and also asked if the student had Tourette syndrome.

Superintendent Michael Garzella had suggested the teacher could be fired depending on the results of an investigation, which is now complete.

At a meeting that saw the high school cheerleading team appear in full uniform, a presentation from a middle school public service group and a lengthy argument between a former board member and school officials over health care costs, the board's lawyer quickly and quietly concluded business by announcing that the teacher and district had agreed to "disciplinary action and remedial conditions outside the scope of the governing collective-bargaining agreement at no further cost."

Saporito said the agreement includes a silence clause and refused to give any more details, including on the findings of the investigation.

"There is to be no further discussion publicly or among anyone else," Saporito warned the nine board members sitting to his sides.

- Peter Cameron

Editor:

How can those who make the gun rules decide when they never served in the military?

(Obama, Bloomberg, Cuomo, etc.)

From here on in, it should be required all the new politicians must first serve two years in the military. Men and women - only handicapped exempt. (City, state and federal.)

Marriage belongs to men and women.

If gays wish to join partners, call it a union, not marriage.

In the past 50 years, I knew one person who was shot.

However, my family and I counted 30 young men and women who died from drugs over the years.

But that's back page news for the news media. They can't sell papers or attract audiences with that.

Sad.

G.C. Manno

Coral Springs, Florida

At some point the pressure is going to come. Whether it is at the beginning of the game or late in the second half, Misericordia can expect Delaware Valley to push the tempo and try to get the Cougars to play fast.

Whether or not Misericordia, the defending conference champ, allows it to happen will determine the outcome of tonight's Freedom Conference first-round playoff game.

Also opening the playoffs tonight are the King's women, who will host DeSales at 7 in Scandlon Gym.

The Cougars, 13-12, are the third seed in the tournament will play at second seeded Delaware Valley to take on the second seeded Aggies at 7. In the other conference semifinal, fourth seeded FDU-Florham will meet top seed DeSales. The winners will play Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed for the conference title and a berth to the national tournament.

"We're excited to still be play albeit under difficult circumstances," Misericordia coach Trevor Woodruff said. "It is going to be a challenging environment, it is challenging on a normal day. We are going to have to be sharp mentally."

This will be the third meeting of the year between the two schools. Delaware Valley won the first two each by three points and each time fought back from deficits late in the game. In January at Del-Val, the Aggies led by four points with one minute left but Delaware Valley scored six unanswered points. In the last meeting, Misericordia led by three with three minutes left only to see the lead slip away.

Each time it was Delaware Valley's pressure that proved to be the difference in the game.

"Their athleticism enables them to pressure you more than any team in the league," Woodruff said. "If we can handle the pressure they really don't have another pitch. If we handle the pressure on the ball we can get open shots. If not they get layups. It is high risk high reward for them and on both occasions it worked for them."

The key for the Cougars will be playing at their pace and not get caught up in the tempo the Aggies are trying to force.

"We are going to have to focus on playing simple and not allowing their aggressiveness to speed us up," Woodruff said. "We are going to have to play at our pace even though their tempo increases."

The Lady Monarchs finished the regular season 20-5 and 12-2 mark in the Freedom, tied with FDU-Florham for the top spot, but are the second seed due to the conference tie breaker. The Bulldogs earned the third seed in the conference playoff with an 18-7 overall record and going 10-4 in league play.

The Lady Monarchs are making their 17th trip to the Freedom Conference tournament in the past 18 seasons, including the seventh time in coach Brian Donoghue's eight years at the helm. Since the Freedom postseason became just the Freedom Conference teams in 2000-01, King's has posted a 8-9 record. The Lady Monarchs have won two Conference titles, in 2000-01 and 2002-03.

Senior Katlin Michaels leads the way for King's, averaging 15.2 points. Her 7.1 helpers leads the nation and her 178 dimes is just two off the King's single-season record. She also grabs 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. Fellow senior Celia Rader chips in 13.6 points connecting on 73 three-point field goal attempts the third most in school history.

Ticket prices are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $2 for students.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation advised motorists of guide rail repair work today and Thursday on the following interstate highways:

n Interstate 81 northbound between Exit 155 (Dorrance) to Exit 159 (Nuangola) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

n Interstate 81 southbound between Exit 159 (Nuangola) to Exit 164 (Nanticoke) from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

n Interstate 80 eastbound between Exit 242 (Mainville/Mifflinville in Columbia County) to Exit 256 (Conyngham/Nescopeck in Luzerne County) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be left lane restrictions while the work is going on and motorists are asked to use caution when traveling in the areas.

EXETER - Wyoming Area School Board voted on Tuesday for a preliminary budget that will hike property taxes above the level set by the state.

The 2013-14 budget calls for $30.3 million in expenditures and could mean a tax hike from 13.5408 mills to 14.14158 mills, or 4.42 percent, in Luzerne County - above the 2.3 percent index set for the district by the state Department of Education. Millage in Exeter Township, Wyoming County, will go from 75.4413 mills to 78.8120 mills. A mill is $1 on every $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The vote was 5-3, with board members John Bolin, Frank Casarella, Gil Dominick, Deanna Farrell and John Marianacci voting yes; Mary Louise Degnan, Estelle Campenni and Carl Yurina Jr. voted no, and Elizabeth Gober-Mangan was absent.

Prior to the vote, Business Manager Tom Melone presented three options: don't raise taxes, raise them by the state-allowed 2.3 percent or raise them 4.42 percent. However, he cautioned the board they were looking at a $1.1 million shortfall with no increase, a $811,000 shortfall with a 2.3 percent increase and a $534,000 shortfall with 4.42 percent increase.

The board has until June 30 to pass a final budget. The district must get state approval for an exception - in this case, to help with retirement costs - in order to get the higher tax rate.

If the 4.42 percent increase is adopted in the final budget, it would mean a taxpayer with a property in Luzerne County assessed at $100,000 would pay $60 more, one assessed at $150,000 would pay $90 more and one assessed at $200,000 would pay $121 more. Wyoming County taxpayers would get off a little easier, according to Melone: their increases would range from $14 more for a property assessed at $10,000 to $57 more for a property assessed at $40,000.

"We still have May and June to work on this," Melone told the board.

Superintendent Raymond Bernardi said a lot of factors could change by then: there could be state pension reform, potential teacher retirements - teachers don't have to announce they're retiring until April 1 - and there might be additional money from the NEPA School Districts Health Trust. The district also has money due from its former tax collector, Centax, but officials aren't sure how much they'll get or when they'll get it.

In response to a resident's question on how many times the board has raised taxes recently, Bernardi admitted he couldn't remember a year when there was a zero millage increase except "maybe once in the last decade."

Melone said a new teachers' contract is not factored into the budget. The 2013-14 school year will mark the teachers' fourth year without a contract.

Casarella said at the last meeting with the teachers' union, the district asked for a full day of negotiations.

Solicitor Jarrett Ferentino said a meeting is scheduled for Feb. 25, with the option for an extended negotiation session.

Left with the bill

In other business, Yurina expressed displeasure that a group of students had been asked to sing the national anthem at a hockey game at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza but the school board had to pick up the $300-plus price tag.

"They had to pay a group rate and got a hot dog and a hat," he told the board.

Yurina said he contacted the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority about the issue.

"I just think their whole policy stinks," he said. "You're inviting a bunch of kids to sing, you should let them in for free and give them a couple of pizzas."

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

Wilkes University Interim Provost Terese Wignot announced the fall dean's list. To be named to the dean's list, students must obtain a minimum 3.4 grade point average.

The following students from Luzerne County were included:

A: Heather Abrams, Wyoming; Benjamin Accardi, Bear Creek Township; Somiah Almeky, Shavertown; Hassan Alsalloum, Wilkes-Barre; Kevin Anderson, Falls; Dominick Ardo, Wilkes-Barre; Kara Augustine, Shavertown, and Kelsey Augustine, Shavertown.

B: Stephanie Bacchus, Wilkes-Barre; Jessica Baker, Avoca; Kerrie Barney, Nanticoke; Jessica Batchler, Hanover Township; Brittany Battista, Pittston; Michael Bauman, Forty Fort; Miranda Baur, Dallas; Brian Bedwick, Wilkes-Barre; George Behlke, Wyoming; Sara Bellanco, Wyoming; Cara Belles, Shickshinny; Andrew Bergey, Kingston; Christine Bergey, Kingston; Alysha Bixler, Wilkes-Barre; Casey Bohan, Harding; Patrick Bone, Exeter; Shawn Bookwalter, Forty Fort; Kaitlin Bowalick, Nanticoke; Luke Brady, West Pittston; Samuel Brand, Wilkes-Barre; David Brandt, Ashley; Christina Breznak, Hazleton; Sarah Brozena, Larksville; Brittany Burgit, Wilkes Barre; Adam Burt, Ashley, and Erin Bush, Kingston.

C: Rachel Capitano, Hughestown; Brian Carey, Wilkes Barre; Christopher Carey, Duryea; Robert Carley, Wilkes-Barre; James Carty, Swoyersville; Jonathan Casey, Warrior Run; Christian Castro, Dallas; Casandra Cerulli, Larksville; Kimberly Challenger, Wilkes-Barre; Theresa Charnetski, Wilkes-Barre; Timothy Cheung, Kingston; Aleona Chinikaylo, Shavertown; James Chmiola, Plains; Nicholas Cholewa, Mountain Top; Suzanne Ciarcia, Wilkes-Barre; Julia Cikota, Harding; Kelli Clemons, Hanover Township; Ariana Colella, Pittston; Chester Coleman, Nanticoke; Patrick Condo, Dallas; Amanda Coombs, Hanover Township; Dominick Costantino, Hanover Township; Francesco Costantino, Dallas; Kristen Craven, Larksville; Ashleigh Crispell, Pittston; Lauren Croasmun, Wilkes-Barre; Kelli Cummings, Kingston, and Phoebe Cutter, Shickshinny.

D: Bryana Darbenzio, Pittston; Sara Davis, Dallas; Jacqueline Delucca, West Pittston; Theodore Dennis, Larksville; Giovanna DiBlasi, Hazleton; Dawn DiMaria, Forty Fort; Lucas Domulevicz, Glen Lyon; Laura Downs, Nanticoke; Michelle Druby, Mountain Top; Bradley Dudeck, Hazle Township; Brandon Dudeck, Hazle Township; Olivia Dworak, Dupont, and Emily Dymond, Harding.

E: Jennifer Earley, Hanover Township; Tyler Edwards, Hanover Township; Alyssa Elmy, Wilkes-Barre; Stephen Emmerthal, Hanover Township; Jonathan Eroh, Nescopeck; Amanda Evanich, Pittston; Morgan Evans, Hanover Township, and Ashley Evert, Hazle Township.

F: Amanda Fasciana, West Pittston; Adrienne Feisel, Ashley; Ashley Flaherty, Hanover Township; Jennifer Foy, Wilkes-Barre; Mitchell Frear, Kingston, and Chelsea Fufaro, Dallas.

G: Rosalie Garcia, Wilkes Barre; Vincent Genoble, Mountain Top; Derek Gentry, Wilkes-Barre; Beth Gilbert, Wilkes-Barre; Shannon Gilhooley, Laflin; Miranda Godlewski, Hughestown; Claire Gothreau, Mountain Top; Cara Goughenour, Sugarloaf; Ryan Grabinski, Nanticoke; Erika Green, Kingston; Pamela Grosner, Wyoming, and Kimberly Gumaer, Pittston.

H: Ryan Habib, Nanticoke; Sara Hagenbach, Hunlock Creek; Kyla Halsor, Dallas; Casey Harding, Plymouth; Hillary Harris, Wilkes-Barre; Marissa Harrison, Shavertown; Joseph Harth, Pittston Township; Richard Harth, Pittston; Johnathan Haydock, Nanticoke; Gregory Heindel, Sweet Valley; Kevin Hernandez, Hazleton; Erin Hohol, Hunlock Creek, and Samantha Hunter, Hanover Township.

J: Matthew Januski, Edwardsville; Michael Jayne, Shavertown; William Johns, Pringle; Alyssa Jones, Wilkes-Barre, and Zachary Jones, Wyoming.

K: Michael Kachmarsky, Exeter; Jonathan Kadjeski, Forty Fort; Abigail Kaster, Mountain Top; SamanthaAnn Kerpovich, Drums; Jill King, Wilkes-Barre; Jeffrey Kinney, Kingston; Vicky Klem, Plymouth; Eric Klemchak, Bear Creek Township; Alyssa Klinitski, Hanover Township; Alicia Klug, Kingston; Jason Klus, Kingston; Patrick Klus, Kingston; Michael Kohut, Exeter; Kayla Kotch, Nanticoke, and Christopher Kropiewnicki, Nanticoke.

L: Catherine LaBuz, Drums; Margaret Labuz, Drums; David Lalla, Plains; Eric Larsen, Wilkes-Barre; Kelly Lashock, Hazleton Township; Ashley Legg, Mountain Top; Robert Lehnert, Wilkes-Barre; Courtney Leighton, Wilkes-Barre; Patrick Lello, Dupont; Jaymelyn Lendacky, Wilkes-Barre; Amanda Leonard, Plymouth; Martin Lewandoski, Plains; Troy Lewis, Wilkes-Barre; Brittany Lippert, Edwardsville, and Carmen Lopresto, Pittston Township.

M: David Macekura, Wilkes Barre; Aimee MacFarlane, Exeter; Alexandra Madaya, Shavertown; Sarah Maheady, Wyoming; Zachary Marcin, Swoyersville; Tyler Marino, Wilkes Barre; Jonathan Martin, Kingston; Karly Mason, Mocanaqua; Rebecca Mattioli, Pittston; Jesse McDermott, Ashley; Ian McDevitt, Wilkes-Barre; Richard McGarry, Larksville; Macey McGuire, Drums; Rebecca McMahon, Hunlock Creek; Walter Mieczkowski, Nanticoke; Andrew Miele, Dupont; Thomas Mike, Shavertown; Noelle Miller, Trucksville; Rachel Miller, Wyoming; Emile Mirzoevs, Forty Fort; Matthew Montville, Wilkes-Barre; Caitlyn Moore, Wilkes Barre; Bryant Morocho, Wilkes-Barre; Brandon Moul, Mountain Top; Erin Mras, Hunlock Creek; Ashley Mundenar, Pittston, and Melinda Myers, Mountain Top.

N: Erica Naperkowski, Ashley; Melanie Nolt, Wilkes-Barre, and Kelsey Noss, Plains.

O: David Oberrender, Freeland; Meagan O'Connell, Mountain Top; Stephen Olshemski, Shavertown; Joshua Olzinski, Nanticoke; Todd Oravic, Ashley, and Kayla Oster, Hazle Township.

P: Morgan Palermo, Drums; Angela Palmerio, Wilkes-Barre; Tyler Panzarella, Hazleton; Lauren Para, Jenkins Township; Alexandra Paranac, Hazleton; Matthew Parmenteri, Larksville; Billy Parsons, Swoyersville; Gina Passetti, Nanticoke; Anup Patel, Wilkes Barre; Deep Patel, Dallas; Hiral Patel, Mountain Top; Neepa Patel, Mountain Top; Nikita Patel, Mountain Top; Nimita Patel, Mountain Top; Jessalyn Paveletz, Hanover Township; Jarrod Pavelitz, Mountain Top; Amanda Pawlowski, Nanticoke; Megan Petrochko, Nanticoke; Colleen Pike, Dallas; Michael Pino, Hazleton; Sara Pisak, Sugarloaf; Anna Podrasky, Wilkes Barre; Rose Polney, Swoyersville; Carrie Poorman, Kingston; Laura Preby, Pittston; Stacy Prelewicz, Wapwallopen; Kenneth Pugh, Luzerne, and Samantha Purdy, Hughestown.

Q: Jesse Quintiliani, Mountain Top.

R: Kassondra Rader, Plymouth; Gino Raineri, Shavertown; Bobbie Lynn Richardson, Wilkes-Barre; Theresa Rider, Kingston; Elyse Rinehimer, Berwick; Amy Robacheski, Nanticoke; Alexandra Roman, Nuangola; Gabriella Romanelli, Wilkes-Barre; Sterling Rospendowski, Bear Creek; Stephen Ruch, Dallas; Tyler Ryan, Wilkes-Barre, and Sophia Rynkiewicz, Nanticoke.

S: Nicole Scharpnick, Luzerne; Thomas Schmidt, Mountain Top; Kelci Scirrotto, Freeland; Jessica Scott, Nanticoke; Robert Sebia, Laflin; Kristina Seiger, Pringle; Jonathan Seward, Harding; Joshua Shaver, Trucksville; Nicole Sheptock, Berwick; Katherine Shoemaker, Shickshinny; Amanda Shonk, Wilkes-Barre; Jocelyn Sickler, Larksville; Mallory Simchick, Swoyersville; Marina Skevofilax, Dallas; Keri Skvarla, Nanticoke; Rachel Sluhocki, Wilkes Barre; Aubrielle Smith, Dallas; Holly Smith, Milnesville; Jennifer Sobeck, Harveys Lake; Bernard Socha, Mountain Top; Nina Sorbelli, Wilkes Barre; Robin Sorber, Wilkes-Barre; Robert Sperazza, Pittston; Lewis Stalbird, Duryea; Jenette Stapert, Alden; Rhiannon Stauffer, Fern Glen; Alyssa Stencavage, Mountain Top; John Sweeney, Shavertown; Rebecca Sweetra, Shavertown, and Robert Swetts, Ashley.

T: Amanda Thomas, Swoyersville; Greg Thomas, Wilkes-Barre; Morgan Thomas, Dallas; Sean Thomas, Wilkes Barre; William Thomas, Nanticoke; Garth Todd, West Pittston; Bobbie Tondora, Pittston; Emily Travers, Dallas; Sarah Tressa, Forty Fort; Jodi Troell, White Haven, and Daniel Troynacki, Pittston.

U: Amber Uhrin, Freeland.

V: Michael Vamos, Mountain Top.

W: Joseph Waichulis, Nanticoke; James Walker, Wilkes Barre; Letitia Warunek, Pittston; Julian Welsch, Wilkes Barre; Jessica Weron, Nanticoke; Marjorie Whispell, Pittston; Stephanie Wilkie, Wilkes-Barre, and Ryan Wood, Kingston.

Y: Mitchell Yamrus, Kingston; Anne Yoskoski, Dallas; Michael Yuhas, Duryea, and Lauren Yurko, Dallas.

Z: Joseph Zack, Hanover Township; Luke Zack, Mountain Top; Justine Zaleski, Avoca; Aubrey Zenda, Wilkes-Barre; Ashley Zerfoss, Shavertown; Veronica Zimmerman, Edwardsville; Joshua Ziomek, Wilkes-Barre; Rachel Zomerfeld, Courtdale, and Nicole Zukowski, West Hazleton.

The following students from Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y., were named to the fall dean's list with averages of 3.30 or higher:

Mary Gilligan of Dallas, class of 2013. She is a graduate of Dallas Senior High School.

Sarah Stuccio of Pittston, class of 2016. She is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School.

Christopher Donnelly of West Pittston, class of 2015. He is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School.

Kathleen Nealon of Kingston, class of 2015. She is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School.

Quinn Mongeon of Mountain Top, class of 2014. She is a graduate of Crestwood High School.

Kristian Stefanides of Forty Fort was named to the fall dean's list at Fairfield University, Fairfield, Conn., with an averages of 3.5 or higher.

Colleen Leahigh of Dallas, a senior marketing major, and Meghan Pietraccini of Dallas, a senior kinesiology major, were named to the fall dean's list at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va. To be named to the dean's list, a student must maintain a semester grade point average between 3.5 and 3.899.

Juniata College, Huntingdon, announced the following local students were named to the fall dean's list with averages of 3.6 or higher:

Taylor Ann Bowman of Wyoming, daughter of Dr. Kevin Bowman and Ann James. She is a 2010 graduate of Dallas Senior High School.

Alexander Benedict Koval of Mountain Top, son of Paul and Angela Koval. He is a 2009 graduate of Holy Redeemer High School.

The following local residents have been named to Millersville University of Pennsylvania's dean's list for the fall 2012 semester with averages of 3.5 or higher:

Marissa Incitti of Mountain Top, Brian Lada of Mountain Top, Eric Wendoloski of Laflin, Michael Yalch of Nanticoke and Sarah Yoh of Kingston.

Stonehill College, Easton, Mass., named the following local residents to its dean's list for the fall 2012 semester with averages of 3.5 or higher:

Tessa G. Boyle of Mountain Top, a member of the class of 2016, and Jennifer N. Manganello of Exeter, a member of the class of 2015.

The following students were added to The University of Scranton's dean's list for the spring 2012 semester after publication of the list in June of 2012: Stephen Gadomski, Laflin; Victoria Girman, Dupont, and Jillian Novak, Wilkes-Barre. To be included on the dean's list, the students maintained averages of 3.5 or better for the spring semester.

Theresa Patten of Sugarloaf was named to the fall dean's list at Wake Forest University, Winston Salem, N.C.

Cameron Ferdinand, daughter of Jill and John Ferdinand of Shavertown, was named to the fall dean's list at West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Va., with a grade point average of 3.65. Ferdinand is a sophomore pre-nursing major. She is a 2011 graduate of Dallas High School.

Editor:

The use of drones saves a multitude of American troops' lives. They are precise and limit, not eradicate completely, collateral damage. Drones and special ops will probably be "over there" indefinitely. Strikes on country's we are not at war with such as Pakistan is a tough one to defend and God forbid if the madmen in power "over there" ever develop the technology for drones or the bomb.

John Mihalchik Sr.

Ashley

WILKES-BARRE - The Luzerne County human resources department should scrutinize requirements in Obamacare because a compliance failure could cost the county a penalty of $3 million, Assistant County Solicitor David Schwager said Tuesday at a county council meeting.

The federal Affordable Care Act, starting on Jan. 1, 2014, will force the county to provide health care benefits to all employees who work at least 30 hours a week, Schwager told council in December. County council was considering an ordinance to require county employees to work at least 40 hours a week to get health benefits.

The penalty from President Barack Obama's health care overhaul would be $2,000 for each employee and would come into play if county doesn't meet requirements for more than 95 percent of its workforce, Schwager explained.

Council members said they may now push an ordinance to increase the amount county employees pay for health-care benefits because Obamacare only requires the county to offer health benefits. The law doesn't mandate what type of benefits are provided and doesn't impose restrictions on forcing employees to pay for health benefits, officials said.

Council voted 7-3 on Dec. 11 to table a proposal from Councilman Stephen A. Urban to increase the contribution nonunion employees pay from 10 percent of a health benefit premium to 20 percent. The annual premium cost for county employees is $12,840 for a family health plan and $5,244 for a single plan, and the county budget allocates $11,500 for each employee with health benefits.

According to Urban's proposal, the employee share would increase 2 percent a year for five years, and it would not affect the health benefits of employees in unions with collective bargaining agreements. About 300 of roughly 1,440 county employees are not represented by unions.

Increasing the employee contribution for nonunion employees from 10 percent to 20 percent would save more than $220,000, officials said last year. The county pays two insurers - Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Co. and First Priority Health - to administer plans, which provide access to their health networks, and the health plans are primarily self-insured with the county paying most costs from health-care claims.

County officials have said 25 part-time employees in the executive branch are eligible for health benefits, but 17 of them are union employees entitled to health benefits because of collective-bargaining agreements. The county considers employees who work at least 32.5 hours a week to be full-time.

Officials have been debating how many part-time employees work for the county judiciary, in part because court employees do not use the county time management system to track hours worked.

According to court Administrator Michael Shucosky, all court employees are considered full-time. More than 30 attorneys work for the judiciary while maintaining private law practices and are eligible for health benefits.

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com 570-821-2073

Essa Bank & Trust to Eric J. Raitter and Catherine Carr for $172,000; Larksville.

Joanna B. Siegel and Joanna B. Gover to Renee Casterline for $129,500; Lehman Township.

Stephanie Buchinski to Justin T. Verry and Jessica E. Verry for $152,550; Duryea.

William H. Gregory and Ashley C. Gregory to Douglas W. Haasis for $615,000; Dorrance Township.

John L. Stravinski to Rob Frey for $128,900; Harveys Lake.

Kristopher J. Mead and Jamielee Mead to Laura Bond and Lloyd Bond Jr. for $153,000; Jenkins Township.

Michael Tomalis to Christopher Jones for $227,500; Harveys Lake.

Christopher R. Lenza to Timothy J. Dombroski and April A. Dombroski for $95,000; West Wyoming.

Brenda J. Harry, Walter A. Harry Jr., Terry E. Derr and Susan M. Derr to Robert J. Reilly, Mary Ann Reilly and Amber L. Reilly for $90,000; Nescopeck.

Kimberly Bowers and Carey W. Hoffman to Nichole M. Donnelly for $79,500; Union Township.

First National Bank of Pennsylvania to William D. Moore and Maureen O. Moore for $216,000; Fairview Township.

Windsor Realty Corp. to 2 North Main Street LLC for $165,000; Pittston.

Editor:

I am writing this letter because I think the taxpayers of our country are getting ripped off by the Republicans and the tea party in the House of Representatives. The House is controlled by the Republicans.

These politicians were elected to take care and represent the people of our country and also keep our country going. They are not doing this.

Why I said that is because they go our on recesses every time you turn around. They get money and perks from the taxpayers. I'm not sure, but I think they get about $174,000 a year plus their perks.

The House comes in every week. They are there on a Tuesday and are finished on a Thursday. This is every week because I watch the House and the Senate daily. The Senate comes in on Monday around 2 p.m. and also is finished on Thursday. I wish I had a job like this.

How do they do anything with all the problems facing our country? In my opinion they aren't doing what they're being paid for.

Our country needs people to get jobs. They aren't even trying to create jobs.

President Barack Obama gave them four or five jobs bills. They never even brought them to the floor of the House to discuss them. Then they have the nerve to say that President Obama isn't doing his job. If he wasn't doing his job, the never would have been reelected.

You would think that the election of 2012 would have wised them up. It didn't.

If the Republicans and the tea party can't do their job, they should be kicked out of the House. All they're good for is trying to hold our country and our people hostage and take our money.

My idea of all these recesses they take for no special reason is they shouldn't get paid for their absenteeism. It's only fair to the taxpayers.

We have so many things going on in our country, how can they walk away from these problems and go out on a recess?

I am really happy to see that our citizens are starting to stand up for themselves.

Our common ordinary people are a lot smarter than these politicians. It's probably true because they live in the real world and not in the same fantasy world like the Republicans and the tea party.

God bless America. God bless our people. And God bless President Obama.

Pat Yurick

Wilkes-Barre

Last week, I wrote about a tour of downtown Dallas in 1957; this week, let's take an industrial tour of the Back Mountain in 1958.

By the postwar era, the Back Mountain was not only growing as a bedroom community, but as a place for business and industry.

A March 30, 1958 Sunday Independent article entitled "Plenty Here To See by Students on Tour" highlights some of the increasing commercial development of the region.

"Just the other day I heard of a couple of young men who took over Gary Cuppels' former contracting firm building near Fernbrook and are making charcoal briquettes," an unnamed Back Mountain booster is quoted as saying. "It's one of the many industries we seldom hear about but which contributes to the economy of the area."

One of the businesses known statewide was the Commonwealth Telephone Co., with "modern main offices" on Lake Street in Dallas Borough.

Students touring the area "could see the manufacture of industrial washers at Linear Inc., now in its second year here, or visit Natona Mills, where a 24-hour operation has made the Dallas postmark well known in the East."

At Hillside, there was the Coal-O-Matic plant, which made automatic heating units, "and under the name of Dallas Engineers Inc. makes the water skis which have become famous in the last two seasons."

The article noted the region had many dairy farms, and that "A peat moss processor is located along upper Machell Ave., and not too far away is the famous Conyngham Farms with its beautiful array of flowers. A tomato packing plant operates later in the season by the Abod family just off the Harveys Lake Highway in Dallas."

This is the plant that turned tomatoes from local growers into Chef Boyardee sauce, among other things.

The article continues:

"Lumber firms also have much to offer and among the well-known builders are Shavertown Lumber Co. and Whitesell Bros."

There was also the Armour Tannery in Noxen, "one of the area's oldest firms and certainly one of the most interesting to visit."

None of these once flourishing industries remains today. But their legacies live on, particularly in the case of Natona Mills, where the famous textile plant has been converted to the Twin Stacks Center.

And since the 1950s, new industries have sprung up in the Back Mountain, including Offset Paperback Manufacturers and Pulverman Enterprises.

Missing honor roll

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Dallas Township honor roll, which contained the names of servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II.

The plaque, carved in anthracite, was housed in the old Dallas Township High School off state Route 309.

But it's no longer there, and Dallas school district officials apparently don't know where it is.

If anybody has any information about the Dallas Township honor roll's whereabouts, let me know and I'll pass the word on.

Elizabeth Skrapits writes about the Back Mountain. She can be reached at eskrapits@citizensvoice.com.

WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County Councilman Harry Haas announced Tuesday he's running for another term and Councilwoman Elaine Maddon Curry said she won't.

Each won a two-year term in the first election for county council in 2011. The county home-rule charter, which voters approved in 2010, established a new form government with an 11-member council.

Haas, 37, a Republican from Kingston, said he would help add "a second layer" of home-rule improvements in a second term, adding that he met various pledges from the 2011 campaign.

For instance, he said, he met a pledge to hire the "most qualified, experienced, and trustworthy county executive" a year ago when council hired Robert Lawton as the first permanent manager of the home-rule government.

"I still believe that Bob Lawton is that man," Haas said before Tuesday's council meeting.

Tuesday was the first day candidates who want to run in the May 21 primary election could begin collecting signatures on petitions to appear on the ballot.

Maddon Curry, 64, is a Democrat from Butler Township. She issued a statement about her decision to not run for re-election.

"I have been proud to be a member of the historic Luzerne County Council but at this time I believe I need to pursue other opportunities in my hometown of Hazleton," she said, noting her involvement with the Concerned Parents of the Hazleton Area and Hazleton Integration Project.

"Although this was a difficult decision, I believe my efforts toward seeing these projects succeed will provide the best use of my time," she added. "I remain very proud of council's accomplishments in setting the foundation toward putting this new government on solid footing."

Five at-large countywide seats on council are up for election this year. The term for each seat up for election is four years.

The annual salary for a council member is $8,000. The council chairman gets an additional $2,500 a year.

mbuffer@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2073

Odds are that worrying about being killed by a meteor strike aren't at the top of your list today. But the spectacular appearance Friday of the meteor that exploded in the atmosphere over Siberia is a reminder that worrying about such objects should be at the top of somebody's list.

Much of the astronomy world was focused Friday on the anticipated fly-by of a much larger object, Asteroid 2012 DA14, which passed just 17,200 miles or so above the earth, closer than some geostationary satellites and only about a fifteenth of the distance to the moon.

The meteor weighed about 10,000 tons and was traveling 33,000 mph when it hit the atmosphere and lit up the Siberian morning. The asteroid's estimated weight was about 204,000 tons.

NASA issued a report in 2007 saying it had detected about 20,000 objects that could strike Earth and have massive consequences, ranging from wiping out a city to wiping out the planet.

But its tools are as limited as its budget in trying to get a more definitive handle on the risk.

The Siberian meteor should be an alarm. Some entrepreneurs have been working on plans to detect such objects and even mine them for precious metals. NASA has proposed a dedicated space telescope to search for such objects without the distorting effects of the atmosphere.

Congress should authorize NASA to work with the private sector and other governments to develop a detection and diversion program.

Edward Lu, a former astronaut and Google executive involved in the private-sector effort, put it this way to the New York Times: "Wouldn't it be silly if we got wiped out because we weren't looking? This is a wake-up call from space. We've got to pay attention to what's out there."

WILKES-BARRE - As Darius Washington's confidence increases so do the number of shots he takes.

Judging by his performance Tuesday night, the GAR sophomore is starting to find a groove.

Washington, a sophomore, was presented with an opportunity and took advantage of it, starting in GAR's first round District 2 Class AAA playoff game against Dallas in the absence of Lamont Twyman who was unable to play after violating a school rule.

Washington came out and knocked down seven 3-pointers in a 69-31 victory.

The win improves GAR, the second seed, to 15-8 and sets up a meeting Friday with seventh seeded Holy Redeemer at a site and time to be announced. It will be the third time the teams will play this year with GAR winning the first two. Dallas ends its season at 3-20.

GAR initially took advantage of the Dallas zone defense moving the ball around the perimeter which ultimately led to some open looks. The Grenadiers finished the night with 11 3-pointers. Once the Grenadiers abandoned their own zone defense, they were able to get out and run which led to some easy baskets in transition.

"We have more offensive fluency and a little more ball movement," GAR coach Paul Brown said. "With the way we are working our offense now we try to get to the high post and low post.

"They did a nice job double and tripling Isaiah Francis. That led to some open three's. If our kids have open looks they aren't turning them down."

Washington finished the first quarter with nine points as GAR jumped to a 16-8 lead.

The Grenadiers went to the press in the second quarter and Dallas, which did not have a senior see the floor, struggled, turning the ball over eight times.

"Sometimes when we get in a zone we stand around too much," Brown said. "We switched to man and our aggressiveness came out and that led to a little more transition."

Washington added nine more points in the third quarter as the Grenadiers quickly pulled away. Christian Skrepenak finished with 12 points while Jahlil Harvey added 11.

"Darius is a shooter there is no doubt about it," Brown said. "He is still in the confidence stage. The more he makes the more confidence he gets.

Sukhmail Mathon, a 6-foot-7 freshman, led Dallas with 16 points. He also blocked three shots.

"Dallas is a very young team and they got better as the season progressed," Brown said. "With all the young players they have they are going to be something to deal with next season."

Dallas (31)

S. Mathon 8 0-1 16, C. DeBona 1 3-4 6, T. Gattuso 2 1-2 5, B. Drouse 0 2-2 2, O. Nijmeh 1 0-0 2, M. Ross 0 0-0 0, D. Johnson 0 0-0 0, M. Grumail 0 0-0 0, S. Wempa 0 0-0 0, J. Sabatini 0 0-0 0, A. Niznik 0 0-0 0, S. Bowanko 0 0-0 0, Totals 12 6-9 31.

GAR (69)

D. Washington 7 0-0 21, C. Skrepenak 6 0-3 12, J. Harvey 4 2-3 11, W. Winstead 4 0-0 10, I. Francis 3 4-6 10, J. Holmes 1 0-0 3, B. Norbert 1 0-0 2, N. Francis 0 0-0 0, G. Skrepenak 0 0-0 0, T. Winstead 0 0-0 0, Totals 26 6-12 69.

Dallas 8 4 4 15-31

GAR 16 17 26 10-69

3-point goals: B. Drouse (Dal) 2, C. DeBona (Dal) 1, D. Washington (GAR) 7, W. Winstead (GAR) 2, J. Harvey (GAR) 1, J. Holmes (GAR) 1.

Crestwood 65

Wyoming Area 48

At Crestwood, Chris Fazzini scored 19 points and Steve Roberts added 15 to lead Crestwood past Wyoming Area in the opening round of the District 2 Class AAA playoffs.

Cole Wasco rounded out the top scorers for the Comets with 10 points.

Jordan Zezza scored 19 points and Mike Carey had 16 for the Warriors.

Wyoming Area (48)

J. Zezza 6 4-6 19, M. Carey 5 4-6 16, B. Chupka 4 0-0 8, J. Zezza 1 0-0 3, J. Granteed 0 1-2 1, T. Grove 0 1-4 1, Totals 16 10-18 48.

Crestwood (65)

C. Fazzini 5 9-11 19, S. Roberts 6 2-4 15, C. Wasco 2 4-4 10, B. Gallagher 3 1-2 9, B. Markowski 4 0-2 8, B. Cole 0 2-2 2, J. Malkemes 0 2-2 2, B. Judge 0 0-2 0, Totals 20 20-29 65.

Wyoming Area 9 10 13 16-48

Crestwood 17 14 18 16-65

3-point goals: J. Zezza (WA) 3, M. Carey (WA) 2, J. Zezza (WA) 1, C. Wasco (Crest) 2, B. Gallagher (Crest) 2, S. Roberts (Crest) 1.

Holy Redeemer 63

North Pocono 53

At Wilkes-Barre, sophomore Lenny Radziak led three players in double figures wiht a game-high 21 points to power Holy Redeeemer in the first round of the AAA playoffs.

The 7th-seeded Royals, 9-13, also got 17 points from Brian Banas and 11 from John Kane.

North Pocono, seeded 10th, was led by Marty Kelly and Bordy Dial with 15 points each.

North Pocono (53)

M. Kelly 5 2-2 15, B. Dial 5 2-3 15, R. Goodall 3 3-4 9, A. Carling 4 0-1 8, B. Morrell 0 2-2 2, M. Lees 0 2-2 2, M. McGee 1 0-0 2, Totals 18 11-14 53.

Holy Redeemer (63)

L. Radziak 7 3-4 21, B. Banas 6 4-6 17, J. Kane 5 1-3 11, M. Boutanos 3 2-3 9, J. Renfer 0 3-6 3, M. Prociak 1 0-1 2, K. Gainard 0 0-0 0, C. Makowski 0 0-0 0, J. Busch 0 0-0 0, Totals 22 13-23 63.

North Pocono 10 13 8 22-53

Holy Redeemer 18 11 14 20-63

3-point goals: M. Kelly (NP) 3, B. Dial (NP) 3, L. Radziak (HR) 4, M. Boutanos (HR) 1, B. Banas (HR) 1.

Lake-Lehman 44

West Scranton 40

At Lake-Lehman, Peter Borum scored a game-high 23 points as the Black Knights edged visiting West Scranton in the opening round of the District 2 Class AAA tournament.

Jordan McCloe led West Scranton with 17 and Cullen Fanning finished with 11.

West Scranton (40)

J. McCloe 6 1-1 17, C. Fanning 5 1-2 11, M. Marsico 4 0-2 8, M. Murphy 1 0-0 2, J. Devine 1 0-2 2, T. Quiller 0 0-0 0, L. Ciullo 0 0-0 0, D. Hart 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 2-7 40.

Lake-Lehman (44)

P. Borum 10 3-8 23, A. Dizbon 4 1-3 9, C. Paraschak 2 2-2 6, V. Williamson 2 0-1 4, M. Symeon 1 0-0 2, B. Devine 0 0-0 0, B. Hillman 0 0-0 0, J. James 0 0-0 0, Totals 19 6-14 44.

West Scranton 13 14 5 8-40

Lake-Lehman 6 8 12 18-44

3-point goals: J. McCloe (WS) 4.

Abington Heights 90

Berwick 46

At Abington Heights, Evan Maxwell scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter as the top-seeded Comets rolled to the win.

T.J. Murray added 14 points for the winners while Jason Bamford scored 13.

Jeremy Clausen led No. 16 Berwick with 15 points.

Berwick (46)

J. Clausen 5 3-5 15, E. May 5 2-2 13, T. Evans 3 0-2 9, Z. Ladonis 2 0-0 4, J. Edwards 1 0-0 3, C. Curry 0 1-2 1, M. Dalo 0 1-2 1, R. Palermo 0 0-0 0, A. Koch 0 0-0 0, M. Melito 0 0-0 0, W. Morales 0 0-0 0, B. Bridge 0 0-0 0, W. Updegrove 0 0-0 0, Totals 16 7-13 46.

Abington Heights (90)

E. Maxwell 7 6-7 20, T. Murray 6 2-3 14, J. Bamford 5 3-4 13, J. Egan 4 0-0 10, J. Show 2 6-6 10, N. Hollander 3 0-1 7, C. Basalyga 3 0-1 6, K. Elwell 1 0-0 3, J. Henzes 1 0-0 2, J. Carroll 1 0-0 2, E. Danzig 1 0-0 2, M. Huggler 0 1-2 1, C. Wickenheiser 0 0-2 0, Totals 34 18-26 90.

Berwick 11 13 13 9-46

Abington Heights 29 23 31 7-90

3-point goals: T. Evans (Ber) 3, J. Clausen (Ber) 2, E. May (Ber) 1, J. Edwards (Ber) 1, J. Egan (AH) 2, K. Elwell (AH) 1, N. Hollander (AH) 1.

Pittston Area 48

Coughlin 44

At Pittston Area, the Patriots advanced to the District 2 Class AAA quarterfinals with a win over Coughlin. James Tobisch led PA with 22 points and Mason Gross added 14.

Nate Oliver scored 22 in the loss for Coughlin.

Coughlin (44)

N. Oliver 7 4-5 22, C. Flaherty 4 0-0 9, C. Keen 3 0-0 7, M. McDonald 2 0-1 4, A. Cerep 1 0-0 2, D. Rajza 0 0-0 0, Totals 17 4-6 44.

Pittston Area (48)

J. Tobisch 9 4-5 22, M. Gross 5 4-4 14, M. Schwab 3 0-1 6, H. Maxwell 2 0-0 4, J. Emmett 1 0-0 2, J. Crawford 0 0-0 0, T. McGarry 0 0-0 0, M. Delaney 0 0-0 0, C. LoBrutto 0 0-0 0, Totals 20 8-10 48.

Coughlin 7 16 12 9-44

Pittston Area 9 13 10 16-48

3-point goals: N. Oliver (Cou) 4, C. Flaherty (Cou) 1, C. Keen (Cou) 1.

A fire that destroyed an apartment on Park Avenue in Wilkes-Barre this morning has been ruled arson, city officials said.

"The fire inspectors have determined the cause of the fire was intentionally set and it has been turned over to the Wilkes-Barre police department for investigation," said Drew McLaughlin, city spokesman.  "They have determined it was not an accident."

The property at 323 1/2 Park Ave. is being scheduled for demolition, he said.

The city will solicit quotes from three contractors tomorrow morning, and bids on the project are due back by 3:30 p.m., he said.

The fire erupted this morning and displaced a family of five.

Melvin Hall, 37, and his fiancee  Latasha Woumans, 32, said they heard a loud noise from the vacant apartment below, then soon spotted smoke infiltrating their apartment. They rushed down a flight of steps, fighting through heavy smoke.

After getting safely outside, all they could do was watch as the fire ripped through 323 Park Ave. and destroyed all their belongings.

"I don't even feel like a human being. I lost everything. I can't provide for my family," Hall later said, seeking warmth inside a Park Avenue market while meeting with Red Cross officials.

The couple said they have a 4-month-old daughter who was staying with Hall's mother in Wilkes-Barre the past several days because of a lingering gas smell in the home.

Hall said the fire seems suspicious because, after detecting the gas odor on Monday, they called UGI Natural Gas officials to investigate. He said an employee for the company inspected the whole two-unit property with a meter, but didn't detect any natural gas. Hall said the employee believed the gas smell was from automotive gas. Hall said he reported the smell to his landlord, but isn't sure if anything was done.

The couple said police and fire officials told them a first-floor door to a vacant apartment had been found busted open upon arrival, a claim police and fire officials declined to confirm.

Woumans said after hearing the loud bang this morning around 9:30 a.m., she looked outside and saw someone in a hooded sweatshirt running away from the property. She said she didn't think anything of it until noticing the smoke in her apartment.

Delaney said fire crews attempted to fight the fire from the inside, but the blaze got too intense and fire crews switched to a "defense mode" by battling the blaze from the outside.

"Conditions got too bad. We pulled the firefighters out," he said. "There was too much fire."

Hall, Woumans, and their daughters - an infant, a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old - will be staying at a local hotel provided by the American Red Cross.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the embattled governing body for major college athletics, fired another volley today in the battle over sanctions imposed on Penn State in the wake of a child-sex abuse coverup at the university.

The NCAA sued Gov. Tom Corbett and other state officials in federal court, hours after Corbett signed legislation requiring the organization direct the $60 million in fines against Penn State to agencies only within Pennsylvania.

Read the lawsuit

The NCAA said that legislation, which calls for the creation of a state-controlled endowment for the distribution of fine proceeds, are unconstitutional and amounts to the state illegally attempting to interfere with the sanctions agreement signed last July by the organization and Penn State.

The state's actions, the NCAA lawsuit said, would disrupt interstate commerce by attempting to legislate where private parties like the NCAA spend their money and by confiscating funds intended for the victims of child-sexual abuse nationwide to be used solely for the benefit of Pennsylvania residents, at the direction of Pennsylvania officials.

The lawsuit again raised the issue of the murky jurisdiction the NCAA used to sanction Penn State for issues far outside its usual realm of oversight, and whether the state can retroactively impose its laws on a national organization based in Indianapolis.

“State governments can’t simply pass laws to rewrite private agreements and divert private money to their own coffers,” Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, said in a statement. “This is an important principle of federal constitutional law that affects not just the NCAA, but also any party seeking to do business with a state-related or private entity. The state has attempted to grant itself the ability to do whatever it wants to whomever it wants. The United States Constitution does not permit this kind of legislative overreach.”

The NCAA also named as defendants in the lawsuit: state treasurer Rob McCord, the custodian of the endowment fund; auditor general Eugene DePasquale and the chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Mark R. Zimmer.

The NCAA’s lawsuit did not address Corbett’s lawsuit last month challenging the NCAA’s authority to impose the sanctions, which included the fines, a four-season bowl ban and the elimination of 20 football scholarships.

The organization has asked a federal judge to dismiss that claim.

Corbett spokeswoman Janet Kelley issued a statement defending the legislation to keep the fines in Pennsylvania, which was proposed by Sen. Jake Corman, of State College.

“Governor Corbett supported Senator Corman's bill and signed it into law because he believes it is important to keep this money in Pennsylvania,” Kelley said in the statement. “He believes it makes sense and is the right thing to do. We are reviewing the NCAA's lawsuit and will respond appropriately.”

McCord's spokesman, Gary Tuma, said the office's legal team was reviewing the lawsuit but that McCord would fully embrace his custodian role, as defined in the legislation signed today.

“Treasurer McCord intends vigorously to defend his statutory authority as custodian of the endowment fund and his responsibility to ensure its distributions are made in a manner directed by the Pennsylvania legislature,” Tuma said.

DePasquale's spokesman, Barry Ciccocioppo, was said to be in a meeting and not immediately available for comment. A spokesperson for the PCCD could not be reached for comment.

Penn State spokesman David LaTorre declined comment. Last month, in the wake of Corbett’s lawsuit against the NCAA, La Torre said the university remained committed to “full compliance” with the sanctions.

The NCAA's action against Corbett and the other officials comes after a harrowing week for the organization, which dismissed its vice president for enforcement after discovering gross irregularities in its investigation of alleged infractions at the University of Miami.

NCAA president Mark Emmert, in a statement, said: “It’s important that all of our members abide by the same rules to which they have voluntarily agreed,” said. “If individual members or state lawmakers take it upon themselves to decide what sanctions are appropriate, simply to protect their home team, then collegiate sports would be dramatically altered.”

The action also comes six weeks after Corbett filed his own lawsuit against the organization, saying it unfairly punished Penn State for a matter far out of its jurisdiction of recruiting and academic violations.

Corbett, in announcing the lawsuit last month, said the sanctions, “are an attack on past, present and future students of Penn State, the citizens of our commonwealth and our economy.”