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Traffic report for Friday, Sept 11

Luzerne County employee waives hearing in DUI case

<p>PITTSTON TOWNSHIP &#8212;To the right of a mystical sun/moon, Piera Santi Marotto painted a heavenly face. Tears trickle from its eyes and transform into stars &#8212; the stars on the United States flag &#8212; while two sturdy hands clasp the twin towers of the World Trade Center.</p><p>&#8220;I want it to give people a sense of comfort and peace,&#8221; said Marotto, who named the piece &#8220;In the Arms of the Angels&#8221; and dedicated it to the memory of the close to 3,000 people who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks of 14 years ago.</p><p>&#8220;It can be God, an angel, whatever you&#8217;re interpretation is,&#8221; she said of the entity in her artwork.</p><p>The painting will be on display 5 to 9 p.m. Sept. 11 during the Second Friday activities in downtown Pittston, where art lovers can see it on Main Street.</p><p>&#8220;It hit us so hard,&#8221; Marotto said, remembering how, 14 years ago, she and her co-workers watched televised reports that showed smoke billowing from the towers. &#8220;At first we thought it was a horrible accident. Then we didn&#8217;t know what to do. People were calling their families.&#8221;</p><p>Her family &#8212; her husband, two sons, her mother &#8212; all were safe, but Marotto&#8217;s heart broke for those who were lost.</p><p>Several weeks ago she turned to the easel in her basement studio and started to paint her 9/11 memorial, without a clear idea of how it would turn out.</p><p>&#8220;Things happen when I start painting,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Marotto, a former Air Force wife who used to travel extensively for her husband&#8217;s career, has retired from a marketing position with Forbo Flooring Inc. in Hazleton. She set up a studio in her basement for her artwork and is working on building her brand, &#8220;Piera Design,&#8221; which specializes in house portraits.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Piera Santi Marotto of Pittston Township works in her basement art studio. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090615piera3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Piera Santi Marotto of Pittston Township works in her basement art studio. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090615piera24.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Heavenly hands support the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Piera Santi Marotto&#8217;s painting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090615piera24.jpg</photo1><caption1>Heavenly hands support the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Piera Santi Marotto&#8217;s painting. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090615piera1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Piera Santi Marotto of Pittston Township works on a painting to commemorate the events of 9/11 in her basement studio. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL090615piera1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Piera Santi Marotto of Pittston Township works on a painting to commemorate the events of 9/11 in her basement studio. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Pittston Township’s Piera Santi Marotto imagines 9/11 souls ‘In the Arms of the Angels,’ work to be featured during Pittston’s Second Friday activities