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Police searching for West Pittston armed robbery suspect

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Throwback Thursday: Music, then lunch, then music again

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; After three weeks of angst, employees of the State Correctional Institution at Retreat woke up Thursday to the news that their place of employment will not close &#8212; preserving some 400 jobs, at least for the immediate future.</p><p>At about 8:45 a.m. Thursday, news leaked that Gov. Tom Wolf and Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel had decided that only one prison will close &#8212; SCI-Pittsburgh &#8212; and four others under consideration will remain open &#8212; SCI-Retreat, SCI-Waymart, SCI-Frackville and SCI-Mercer.</p><p>At a joint press conference Thursday morning, state Sens. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, and Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, and state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, collectively breathed a sigh of relief at the news.</p><p>The decision came 20 days after the Department of Corrections shocked legislators, union officials, local elected officials and residents of the five communities on Jan. 6, announcing that two of the five state correctional institutions would close as of June 30. The state currently has 26 correctional facilities. Wetzel said Wolf was looking to trim some $180 million from the DOC budget.</p><p><strong>Stressful times for workers</strong></p><p>Mark Truszkowski, a corrections officer and the local representative of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, said the last three weeks has been tough on all of his &#8220;brothers and sisters&#8221; who work behind the bars.</p><p>&#8220;To be on a list where you don&#8217;t know what your future may be is hard to deal with,&#8221; Truszkowski said. &#8220;Basically, we all have been waiting to hear the news. All I can say is that we are ecstatic to learn of the decision and our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters at SCI-Pittsburgh.&#8221;</p><p>Mullery cited a Facebook posting of an employee at SCI-Retreat regarding the possible closing. The employee talked about &#8220;crossing that bridge&#8221; on the way to work at the facility.</p><p>&#8220;I feel anxious and sad because for 14 years I have crossed that bridge,&#8221; the employee wrote. &#8220;On the other side were my friends, my sidekicks, my partners-in-crime (pun intended). And if tomorrow brings the news we&#8217;ve all been dreading for the past few weeks, then I just want to say thank you to everyone who has made working at Retreat one of the nicest experiences of my career. Cheers to us.&#8221;</p><p>Truszkowski said those sentiments were shared by most of the employees. Mullery agreed, noting that concerns ranged from relocation, to family issues, to community involvement to extended travel.</p><p>A wife of a corrections officer said she and her husband cried themselves to sleep Wednesday night, fearful of what was going to be announced Thursday. She said the news of SCI-Retreat staying open was overwhelming and they were relieved that they would not have to deal with the prospect of relocating.</p><p>Paul Czapracki, chairman of the Newport Township Supervisors and an employee at SCI-Retreat, thanked the Northeastern Pennsylvania delegation for standing united and opposing the closure of SCI-Retreat.</p><p>&#8220;From the day that the short list was announced, I was sick to my stomach,&#8221; Czapracki said. &#8220;I thought about having to relocate, having to resign my seat on the Board of Supervisors and the possibility of the township&#8217;s rating being downgraded. It&#8217;s been a very stressful time.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Protocol must be reformed</strong></p><p>Yudichak said the people of Luzerne County stood strong and united to protect jobs and protect the community.</p><p>&#8220;I am convinced now, more than ever, that Pennsylvania must reform its protocol for closing prison facilities,&#8221; Yudichak said.</p><p>The legislators gathered at Yudichak&#8217;s Nanticoke office said testimony at a Senate hearing Monday in Harrisburg on the economic impact of closing two facilities swayed the DOC and Wolf to close only one prison.</p><p>&#8220;Going forward, we need to work with the Department of Corrections to continue criminal justice reinvestment and implement other administrative reforms that will vastly improve the quality of our corrections system and curtail costs so that prison closures are unnecessary until occupational capacity has been reduced to optimum levels,&#8221; Mullery said.</p><p><ins>Yudichak said that a conference call was held early Thursday morning with the superintendents of the five prisons that were in <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/622716/doc-sci-retreat-among-five-state-prisons-considered-for-closure" target="_blank">consideration of being closed.</a></ins></p><p>Baker said the effort to provide information on the potential adverse economic impact on the region contributed to the governor&#8217;s decision.</p><p>&#8220;This is a terrific example of communities, officials and citizens alike rallying to safeguard their interests and stopping a shortsighted decision whose negative consequences would have rippled across the region,&#8221; Baker said. &#8220;This news comes as welcome relief to area communities and residents.&#8221;</p><p>Baker said local officials deserve credit for the thorough job of assembling compelling documentation of the benefits derived from the institutions at Waymart and Retreat. She said detailing the costs and complications that would arise from a move to close either of them surely contributed to the determination that they will remain open.</p><p>&#8220;Over the last several weeks, it has become clear that we need to put a process in place that ensures community involvement earlier in state decision-making,&#8221; Baker said. &#8220;I have signed onto a Senate bill that will put a community public hearing requirement into state law. This is probably just the starting point for debate, but it is a good start.&#8221;</p><p>Baker, Yudichak and Mullery agreed that it is impossible for anyone to determine the length of the reprieve. Baker said given the continuing fiscal distress confronting state government and the prospect for action on additional legislation altering sentencing practices, nobody can count on this being the last round of prison closures.</p><p>&#8220;So we need to continue building the case and undertaking the advocacy that will ensure we are prepared to meet head-on any future attempts at closure,&#8221; Baker said.</p><p>Baker and Yudichak said they will look into supporting a bill &#8212; SB-220 &#8212; proposed by Sen. Wayne Fontana of Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, Fontana introduced the legislation that would require the Department of Corrections to hold a local public hearing before it could close a prison.</p><p><ins>&#8220;Closing prisons will drastically impact prison workers, rehabilitative programs, community security and local economies,&#8221; Fontana said on his website. &#8220;There is no excuse for not accepting and considering community input as a significant factor in its decision to close prisons.&#8221;</ins></p><p>Fontana&#8217;s bill would mandate that the department hold a public hearing in the municipality where the prison is located before reaching its decision. The department would also need to provide at least 30 days public notice about the hearing.</p><p><ins><strong>Luzerne County praised for input</strong></ins></p><p><ins>Yudichak highlighted testimony at Monday&#8217;s Senate hearing from Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, County Manager C. David Pedri, Newport Township managers, and Truszkowski.</ins></p><p><ins>Salavantis said as pleased as she is that SCI-Retreat is staying open, she stood by her testimony of Monday that she feels no prison should be closed.</ins></p><p><ins>&#8220;It&#8217;s unfortunate even one facility is still being closed,&#8221; Salavantis said. &#8220;I am very happy that the governor listened to our pleas and made the decision he did today &#8212; closing one rather that two facilities. That&#8217;s a success to a point, but closing any prison would hurt our communities.&#8221;</ins></p><p><ins>Salavantis said the job of a corrections officer is one of the most dangerous and more crowded prisons and housing them in less secure areas would make the job even more dangerous.</ins></p><p><strong>Wetzel offers comments</strong></p><p>Wetzel said closing SCI-Pittsburgh by June 30 will enable the department to realize an estimated annual net savings of $81 million.</p><p>&#8220;Closing an institution is a challenging process, and this decision only came after considering input from stakeholders and an extensive review of all of the institutions and took into consideration several factors including the age, size, location, programming, and economic impact on local communities,&#8221; Wetzel said.</p><p>Wetzel said every employee of SCI-Pittsburgh will be offered a job within the DOC and the 1,900 inmates will be relocated safely to appropriate facilities with available beds.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Paul Czapracki, Newport Twp Supervisor and SCI-Retreat employee discusses the decision to keep Retreat open. 1/26/2017 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close1-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Paul Czapracki, Newport Twp Supervisor and SCI-Retreat employee discusses the decision to keep Retreat open. 1/26/2017 Aimee Dilger|Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, remarks about the decision to close SCI-Pittsburgh and keep three state correctional institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania open. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close2-4.jpg</photo1><caption1>State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, remarks about the decision to close SCI-Pittsburgh and keep three state correctional institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania open. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close3-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mark Truszkowski, of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, right, discusses the decision to keep SCI-Retreat open as state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, and Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, look on. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close3-4.jpg</photo2><caption2>Mark Truszkowski, of the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, right, discusses the decision to keep SCI-Retreat open as state Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, and Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, look on. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close4-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">SCI-Retreat, as seen from under a bridge spanning the Susquehanna River that must be crossed to enter and leave the facility. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_TTL012717Prison-close4-4.jpg</photo3><caption3>SCI-Retreat, as seen from under a bridge spanning the Susquehanna River that must be crossed to enter and leave the facility. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_SCI-Prison-locator-1-27-17-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">FOR WEB</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_SCI-Prison-locator-1-27-17-4.jpg</photo4><caption4>FOR WEB</caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Gov.: State will close SCI-Pittsburgh, save $81M annually</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>VIDEO</strong></p><p>To view video for this story, go to <a href="http://tinyurl.com/hdzjelh" target="_blank">tinyurl.com/hdzjelh</a>.</p><p><strong>INSIDE</strong><div>&#8226; Officials react to announcement, 2A</p><p>&#8226; Editorial: Decision mishandled from the start, 9A</div></p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><videoMeta><p><table class="mceItemTable" style="border:none;width:98%;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoID:</td><td id="videoid" style="width:50em;font-size:90%;">XFYta_jjokc</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">VideoType:</td><td id="videotype" style="font-size:90%;">YOUTUBE</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">URL:</td><td id="url" style="font-size:90%;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYta_jjokc</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Embed String:</td><td id="videoembedstring" style="font-size:90%;">&lt;iframe width=&#8221;560&#8221; height=&#8221;315&#8221; src=&#8221;https://www.youtube.com/embed/XFYta_jjokc&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Caption:</td><td id="videocaption" style="font-size:90%;">S.C.I Retreat</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Credit:</td><td id="videocredit" style="font-size:90%;">Sean McKeag and Aimee Dilger</td></tr><tr><td style="font-weight:bold;font-size:100%;vertical-align:top;text-align:right;border:none;">Video Position:</td><td id="videoposition" style="font-size:90%;"> </td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="margin-top:10px;font-size:70%;color:#555;">(use the &#8220;for files&#8230;&#8221; link above to associate attached files with this source)</p></videoMeta></div>

All 3 Northeastern Pa. prisons will remain open