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Wilkes-Barre Township police officers post ‘One Bite’ video doughnut review

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Luzerne County Restaurant Inspections: June 3 through June 10

<p>LARKSVILLE &#8212; State Rep. Gerald Mullery&#8217;s latest tour began by meeting with Larksville Police Chief John Edwards to discuss law enforcement issues.</p><p>Mullery said Edwards stressed the importance of qualified and trained law enforcement officials and reported the current Municipal Police Academy graduating class contained only one Luzerne County student.</p><p>He and Mullery discussed legislation that could assist officers in the line of duty, including mandatory body cameras. The two also discussed Larksville&#8217;s two Wyoming Valley West school resource officers, regionalization efforts and the need for a county booking facility.</p><p>Edwards also updated Mullery on the department&#8217;s K-9 officer, Una.</p><p>The Larksville visit was part of Mullery&#8217;s ongoing constituent and community outreach service dubbed &#8220;One.19.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;The &#8216;One.19&#8217; initiative enables me to hear firsthand concerns, complaints and priorities directly from my constituents,&#8221; Mullery said.</p><p>The lawmaker is scheduling meetings and constituent service hours in all 19 communities of the 119th Legislative District.</p><p>Mullery also met with several officials from Wyoming Valley West School District at State Street Elementary Center, including Principal Jacob Sholtis, Superintendent Irv DeReemer and Director of Personnel Joseph Muth.</p><p>The Valley West team expressed concern about growing student transiency, school safety in the aftermath of the recent school shootings, the rising costs associated with special education, IEP litigation and transportation. Sholtis took Mullery on a tour of the grounds where they had the opportunity to meet with educators and students.</p><p>&#8220;State Street Elementary Center is one of the most impressive education environments in my legislative district,&#8221; Mullery said. &#8220;I was particularly impressed with the emotional support programs in the center and the positive atmosphere throughout the entire building.&#8221;</p><p>Mullery visited several small businesses, including Petriga&#8217;s Auto and Grasshopper Lawns Inc.</p><p>At Petriga&#8217;s, Mullery met with owners Michael and Billy Petriga. The business has been in operation for more than 50 years and provides automobile towing, repairs, service and state inspections. The Petriga brothers discussed several issues, including Pennsylvania&#8217;s vehicle emissions and safety inspections program.</p><p>Additionally, as Larksville&#8217;s fire chief, Michael Petriga, and Mullery discussed the difficulty attracting and retaining new volunteer members, high costs associated with equipment purchases and the department&#8217;s apparatus. Larksville&#8217;s fire department responds to approximately 25 to 30 calls per month and more than 300 per year.</p><p>Michael Kravitsky, president and owner of Grasshopper, gave Mullery a detailed history of his family&#8217;s business started in 1964 by his grandfather. Today, Grasshopper has grown to include more than two dozen employees based out of its East State Street location, which provides complete lawn care and has expanded to offer Christmas d&#233;cor during the off-season.</p><p>Michele Wallace, a member of the Larksville Sewer Authority, provided Mullery with an update of the authority&#8217;s business. She expressed concern about customers reliant upon fixed incomes and the struggles they face making ends meet. She provided personal stories of Larksville residents and questioned Mullery on whether any state funds could be directed to those homeowners most in need.</p><p>Mullery reviewed several ongoing and future projects in the borough with Larksville Councilmen Joseph Romanoskey and Leo Adamski. The councilmen expressed concern over the continued erosion of Steele&#8217;s Road, as well as the need for road work in Larkmount Manor. The three also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of local Councils of Government.</p><p>Mullery concluded the day with a town hall meeting for Larksville residents.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rep. Jerry Mullery meets with constituents at the Larksville Borough Building to listen to their concerns. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_Mullery-Larksville-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rep. Jerry Mullery meets with constituents at the Larksville Borough Building to listen to their concerns. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mullery takes ‘One.19’ initiative to Larksville