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SUNDAY, JULY 11, 2010 THE SUNDAY VOICE A3

www.citizensvoice.com

W-B man County

charged in
shooting
By Patrick Sweet
Staff Writer
WILKES-BARRE — In
less than 24 hours, two
shootings took place on the
same block of Academy
Street.
Craig Lee Hickson, of Wil-
kes-Barre, shot a 21-year-old
man in the head at 184 Acad-
emy St. around 1:40 a.m. Sat-
urday, according to police.
After arguing with anoth-
er man on the front porch,
Hickson brandished a gun,
authorities said. He fired at
least two shots, one striking
the victim in the side of the
head after entering a front
window. Witnesses, accord-
ing to a police affidavit,
dropped
from suit
By Michael R. Sisak
Staff Writer
A federal judge has
removed Luzerne County
from a series of civil-rights
lawsuits filed in the after-
math of a kids-for-cash cor-
ruption scandal.
U.S. District Judge A. Rich-
ard Caputo said the county
was not liable for the actions
of two former judges who
shipped juveniles to for-profit
detention centers in exchange
for $2.8 million in kickbacks.
The former judges, Mark
A. Ciavarella Jr. and Michael
T. Conahan, were state
MARK MORAN / THE SUNDAY VOICE
employees and had no final
A section of the proposed Sherman Street Trail and Bikeway would intersect with the former Wilkes-Barre policy-making authority
train station. within the county govern-

City faces uphill climb

described the weapon as a
black revolver. ment, Caputo said.
When police arrived, the The plaintiffs in the law-
victim was exiting the home suits, thousands of youths
with the help of a friend and parents victimized in the
and holding a bandana to scheme, “do not allege any
the side of his head. specific policy or custom of

on regional trail project

Hickson fled on foot.
Police later found him in a
second-floor bedroom of 258
Academy St. after property
owner Florena Hickson
allowed them to enter.
Around 4 p.m. the same
day, police were called back
to the same area to investi-
gate another shooting. This
time, though, no one was
injured.
“We don’t know if it’s
related to last night,” Wilkes-
Barre Police Sgt. J.E. Sheri-
dan said. “I assume it is.”
Two men in a “small
black car” heading east on
Academy Street fired 11 9-
mm rounds at a man walk-
ing in the opposite direc-
tion.
“Bad shots, thankfully,”
Sheridan said. “I don’t like it
when they start doing this
stuff during the day … at
least at night, the kids are in
bed.”
The motive behind the
shootings, police say, may
stem from an argument
between two of the men
over a woman.
“That’s where it looks
like it’s headed,” Sheridan
said.
In 2007, Hickson was
charged with two counts of
aggravated assault and riot-
ing while serving a sentence
at the PA Child Care juve-
nile detention facility in
Pittston Township. Hickson
sent two corrections officers
to the hospital, knocking
one unconscious. He was
serving time for incidents
By Matthew Harris
Staff Writer
WILKES-BARRE — A blue-
print for tying a network of
regional trails through the
city is nearly finished, but
whether residents will walk,
pedal or jog along its gravel
paths any time soon is anoth-
er matter.
The Pennsylvania Environ-
mental Council on Tuesday
submitted to city council a
draft of a plan for 10.5 miles
along eight paths in the city,
tying seven regional trails
throughout the Wyoming Val-
ley at the old Wilkes-Barre
Train Station.
However, making it reality
poses a daunting task.
“When this was started, we
were in a very different eco-
nomic climate than we are
now,” said Julie McMonagle,
director of the nonprofit coun-
cil’s regional office in Luzerne.
“Once this plan is done, it’s
going to be slower to get off
the ground.”
The plan, which has taken
two years to produce, outlines
a network along city streets
and sidewalks along with
abandoned rail road beds
under the control of the
Luzerne County Redevelop-
ment Authority. The system
would also provide residents
‘When this was started, we were in a very
different economic climate than we are
now. Once this plan is done, it’s going to be
slower to get off the ground.’
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
access to regional trails, such
as a stretch of the 185-mile-
long Delaware and Lehigh
Trail, the Susquehanna War-
rior Trail and the Back Moun-
tain Trail.
“You usually can connect
them at such a pinpoint desti-
nation,” said George White,
owner of White Environmen-
tal Services, which identified
potential trail routes. “A lot of
times in a big trail system,
your looking for easements
across people’s properties, and
that’s not the case here.”
Besides binding trails, sec-
tions of the city would be knit-
ted together. For example, a
trail from the Parsons section
would use old rail beds to take
residents to downtown and
the River Common while
avoiding the Cross Valley
Expressway.
But the plan, which cost
$59,000 in state and county
grants, hasn’t pinned down an
estimated project cost.
JULIE MCMONAGLE
Jim Caldwell, a project
manager with consultant
Rettew Engineering, said
budget estimates for the vari-
ous trails haven’t been calcu-
lated. The aim of the plan is
to highlight trail corridors
and act as a tool for the city to
decide which options it can
afford, he said, meaning an
exact project cost wouldn’t be
known until selected trails
are designed.
“This is almost like a floor
plan,” Caldwell said. “You
can’t build a house from the
floor plan. You need to take
that floor plan to someone and
make a design.”
The sticker price, which
McMonagle said could reach
at least $1 million, might be
too expensive for Wilkes-
Barre.
This year, the city’s parks
and recreation department
budget is $858,834, with 65 per-
cent dedicated to employee
salaries, and $10,000 set aside
Luzerne County caused their
constitutional violations,”
Caputo said.
An attorney representing
the county in the lawsuits,
John G. Dean, called the rul-
ing a “tremendous victory”
for maintenance at 21 park
facilities.
for Luzerne County and tax-
payers.
“We’re going to have to go “The unheard victims
out and look for grants,” said
city Health Department Direc-
were the taxpayers of
Luzerne County,” Dean said.
tor Ted Kross, who sat on the
committee overseeing trail
“Now the taxpayers aren’t
going to be burdened with
planning. “But I believe this a
this lawsuit going forward.”
five or 10 year plan to make
Caputo’s ruling, issued
this happen.”
Friday, echoed his decision in
Traditional funding sources
November severely limiting
are also under strain, though.
the county’s liability in the
The state Department of
civil rights lawsuits.
Conservation and Natural
In the November ruling,
Resources, a long-time backer
Caputo rejected arguments
of such projects, had its bud-
from the plaintiffs that the
get slashed 11 percent to $82.4
county is liable for Ciavarella
million for 2011. In addition,
and Conahan’s actions, as
roughly $216.6 million of its
well as those of county dis-
$217.7 million chunk of the
trict attor neys, public
Growing Greener II fund,
defenders and probation offi-
which covered $33.3 million in
cials.
parks improvements, is com-
Caputo also rejected the
mitted to projects through
argument that the county
next year, according to a
commissioners who approved
March report submitted to the
contracts with the two for-
joint state Legislative Budget
profit centers at the heart of
and Finance Committee.
the kids-for-cash scandal
For its part, the redevelop-
could be held liable.
ment authority, which over-
Caputo’s ruling does not
sees rail road beds targeted as
apply to a lawsuit filed last
locations for the trails, is not
week accusing the county,
in a position to pitch in cash
former commissioners Greg
for the trails, said interim
Skrepenak and Todd Vonder-
director Andrew Reilly. He
heid and other officials of
said he’s in the process of
aiding and abetting Conahan
being brought up to speed on
and Ciavarella.
the trails plan.
msisak@citizensvoice.com
See TRAILS, page A10 570-821-2061

Sewer work rattles residents

in 2006.
As of 9 p.m. Saturday,
police were still investigat-
ing both incidents.
psweet@citizensvoice.com
570-821-2117
NEWS
BRIEFS
W-B police activity
Wilkes-Barre police are
investigating the following
incidents:
■ Police are looking for
unknown suspects who
punched a 30-year-old
woman in the face Friday
evening at 37 Pine St.
■ A woman reported
that someone shattered
the windows of her car on
Riverside Drive on Friday
afternoon. Another wom-
an reported the theft of a
GPS from her 2006 Chevy.
■ Police are investigat-
ing the hacking of a Wil-
kes-Barre man’s facebook
and Yahoo! accounts.
Joseph Zavec reported
around 10:30 a.m. Friday
that individuals accessed
his accounts and tried to
solicit money from people
while pretending to be
him.
— Staff report
By Andrew Staub FOOTING THE BILL every right to complain,” bor-
Staff Writer ough manager Savino Bonita
West Pittston residents’ said. “The dust, the inconve-
WEST PITTSTON — Slid- yearly sewer fees have been nience and everything.
increased from $60 to $260 They’re frustrated.”
ing a finger along the window-
sill on his porch, Harry Green as borough officials work That’s shown at recent
to pay back a $9 million
collected a layer of blue-green
dust, a grimy film that has PENNVEST loan to support
council meetings. Earlier this
week, several residents joined
stood as his No. 1 nemesis as sewer improvements. The Green to complain about the
his small town undergoes long- change took effect this sewer side effects. Some said
needed sewer improvements. quarter, borough manager their driveways had been
“When you sit out here, Savino Bonita said. damaged. Others worried
WARREN RUDA / THE SUNDAY VOICE
you’ve got to go in the house change as residents deal with about speeding construction A Pioneer Construction Co. crew works on Delaware
because you’re choking and inconveniences that accompa- vehicles. Avenue in West Pittston. Several residents have com-
spitting up dust,” he said. ny the project.
The filth frustrates Green. “Believe me, they have See SEWER, page A10 plained about dust and loose gravel during ongoing
sewer improvements.
The dust from the construc-
tion work outside his Dela-
ware Avenue home often forc-
es him to hose down his sid-
ing. Loose rocks on the street
call for weekly sweeping to
ensure nobody slips and
nobody’s car suffers unneces-
sary damage when passing
cars kick up stones.
The situation has earned
sympathy and understanding
from borough officials, engi-
neers and workers from Pio-
neer Construction Co., the
firm heading up the first
phase of sewer improvements.
But with a hot, dry summer
contributing to dusty condi-
tions and work planned
through early 2011, little might