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Lottery Numbers for Sunday, July 24

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Beyond the Byline: A van, a dog and a cellphone game were my newest challenges

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A barbecued chicken dinner to raise money to purchase K-9 officers for the police department on Sunday ran out of chicken a bit early, but that didn&#8217;t bother Joann Jones.</p><p>Jones, a long time Wilkes-Barre resident, said she came out to the event to support the city and its police department.</p><p>&#8220;I know in the past, K-9 officers have been instrumental in reducing crime,&#8221; she said. &#8220;They would be an asset to our community.&#8221;</p><p>Charlotte Raup, president of the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition, credited city residents and businesses with making the event possible.</p><p>&#8220;Tony Thomas and others supplied the chicken dinner, Schiel&#8217;s (Family) Market donated charcoal, Diamond City Dairy donated containers, and the Anthracite Newstand provided brownies for sale,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Raup said K-9 officers can assist the department in ways as diverse as searching for missing people, locating criminals and finding narcotics.</p><p>Police Chief Marcella Lendacky said the effort to purchase police dogs snowballed after MotorWorld donated $15,000.</p><p>&#8220;That amount will make it possible for us to purchase our first dog,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This event will hopefully help us buy a second one.&#8221;</p><p>Lendacky said the dogs will be trained specifically for the work they will do.</p><p>&#8220;The dogs aren&#8217;t mean,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But they have the ability to be very focused.&#8221;</p><p>Although many of the 300 people who attended the event said the dinner was delicious and reasonably priced, most said that despite temperatures that rose above 90, they were attending as a show of support for the city.</p><p>&#8220;The drug epidemic is taking over,&#8221; said attendee Gina Kaiser, of Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;Canine officers would provide a tool for overcoming the problem of increasing drug activity.&#8221;</p><p>Attendee Dorothea Cienki, of Wilkes-Barre, said reality TV shows have highlighted the benefits of K-9 officers.</p><p>&#8220;They can help police go into cars and houses,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even routine traffic stops could mean finding drugs and catching criminals.&#8221;</p><p>Raup said the 13 crime watch groups in the coalition, six of which operate out of high-rise complexes for senior citizens and seven others operating in various neighborhoods or sections of the city, help reduce crime and keep the city safe.</p><p>Although some municipalities have found it difficult to maintain a crime watch group, she said, Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s groups are thriving.</p><p>&#8220;We help people know what to look for in their neighborhoods,&#8221; she said. &#8220;And we help them get to know each other.&#8221;</p><p>Raup and other members of the coalition say they will continue to raise money for K-9 officers.</p><p>She said in addition to raising over $2,000, the event provided an opportunity for members of the community to gather with their neighbors.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a great use of Public Square,&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Customers line up for barbecued chicken. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq2_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Customers line up for barbecued chicken. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq3_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tony Thomas mans the grill at the chicken barbecue. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq3_faa.jpg</photo1><caption1>Tony Thomas mans the grill at the chicken barbecue. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq4_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dawn Libertucci, left, waited in line over an hour for six orders of barbecued chicken on Sunday, as did Carl Lisowski, right, for his two orders. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq4_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Dawn Libertucci, left, waited in line over an hour for six orders of barbecued chicken on Sunday, as did Carl Lisowski, right, for his two orders. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq5_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A thermometer shows the barbecued chicken is nearly done as workers assemble takeout boxes in the background. The chicken was cooked to 180 degrees. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq5_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>A thermometer shows the barbecued chicken is nearly done as workers assemble takeout boxes in the background. The chicken was cooked to 180 degrees. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq1_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tony Thomas removes freshly barbecued chicken from a grill to serve to a line of customers Sunday on Public Square during a fundraiser for restarting a police K-9 unit in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_bbq1_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>Tony Thomas removes freshly barbecued chicken from a grill to serve to a line of customers Sunday on Public Square during a fundraiser for restarting a police K-9 unit in Wilkes-Barre. </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Police K-9 unit fundraiser a popular event Sunday in Wilkes-Barre