web1_gavel.jpg

Sixth defendant pleads guilty in Luzerne County heroin trafficking operation

web1_crawford.jpg

Luzerne County prosecutors challenge convicted double murderer Holly Ann Crawford’s appeal

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Announced with great promise in December 2014 and publicly unveiled with fanfare last November, the SHINE afterschool program in Luzerne County has hit a bump despite generous funding already topping $2 million. Only a few months after its launch at area schools, SHINE is looking for a leader for the third time.Mary Kolessar of Dallas Township announced her resignation from the post and had already left the program as of Tuesday, Wilkes University Spokeswoman Vicki Mayk said. Wilkes is serving as &#8220;educational host&#8221; for the county-wide program which, to date, is held in five locations for 180 students, with plans to expand quickly.According to a media release from Wilkes, Kolessar &#8220;announced her resignation to program staff this week saying she has made the difficult decision to step down in order to assume more responsibility in a family business.&#8221; She had been on the job since September, working on program development and administration.Jeanne Miller has been tabbed as interim director until a new one is found. Miller was the original director of the 11-year-old SHINE program in Carbon County, which expanded into Schuylkill County. She was picked to spearhead the early development of Luzerne County SHINE before Kolessar came on board.In December 2014, state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, and U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, announced plans to bring SHINE to Luzerne County. Both men touted the program as a public/private partnership that combines state and federal funds with private contributions to offer after-school services to disadvantaged students four days a week, 32 weeks a year.At the time, Yudichak estimated the program will require $1 million or more annually to operate effectively but predicted it would be easy to draw that much in grants and contributions. On Tuesday he repeated an earlier claim that it had already garnered more than $2 million from a variety of sources, including a grant from legalized gambling money, a state Workforce Investment grant, and money from the United Ways of both Wyoming Valley and Hazleton.Yudichak said turnover in the program had been expected, and that while the loss of Kolessar was unfortunate, the program will move forward thanks to Miller having stayed on as a technical adviser. &#8220;I&#8217;m still very confident we&#8217;re on a great trajectory,&#8221; he said.SHINE, short for School and Homes in Education, is intended to be STEAM-centric, stressing the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. It is set up in several elementary schools and provides services to middle school students at the West Side Career and Technical Center.Mayk said the opening for a director will be advertised and posted on Wilkes&#8217; website. Wilkes provides office space and administrative support, and serves as the non-profit umbrella for SHINE, allowing the program to raise money through the state&#8217;s Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program. Businesses can get up to 90 percent of a donation in state tax credits.Mayk said that last time candidates for director were screened by a committee made up primarily of Wilkes leadership, including the dean of the school of education, the provost, the associate provost and Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood.&#8220;We anticipate it wold probably be that same group this time,&#8221; Mayk said, adding the salary range for the director would likely run from $50,000 to $70,000. She could not immediately provide Kolessar&#8217;s salary.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Mark Guydishmguydish@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</shirttailMeta></div>

After abrupt departure of Mary Kolessar, SHINE afterschool program looks for third director