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Kopechne family to auction off letter from Muhammad Ali to Mary Jo’s parents

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Wolf: ‘SCI-Retreat is best suited for closure’

<p>Unable to get in touch with 269 delinquent property owners, Luzerne County&#8217;s tax-claim operator is asking county court to deem a legal advertisement sufficient notice their real estate is heading to auction.</p><p>This court option is available if tax claim demonstrates it has exhausted efforts to find someone through multiple service attempts, according to Sean Shamany, a representative of county tax-claim overseer Northeast Revenue Service LLC.</p><p>A court hearing on the request is scheduled for Sept. 12, he said. The properties involved appear in the classified section of today&#8217;s Times Leader.</p><p>All impacted properties were listed but not sold in past first-stage upset sales, when bidders would have been required to pay all back real estate taxes and accept responsibility for liens.</p><p>Court intervention is necessary to ensure they advance to a final-stage, free-and-clear auction, Shamany said.</p><p>Tax claim is legally required to notify all owners and lien holders of their right to contest a sale in court, officials have said.</p><p>This notification is important because free-and-clear auction properties go to the highest bidder with the understanding all mortgages, liens, utility bills or other past claims are no longer attached. Bidders could encounter legal challenges or difficulties obtaining clean property titles on their acquisitions if someone with a claim wasn&#8217;t properly notified, Shamany said.</p><p>However, property owners often dodge service and ignore certified mail or cards left by sheriffs, Northeast Revenue representatives have said.</p><p>&#8220;We were unable to get service on the listed property owners after several attempts, so we are asking the judge to provide an order that the publication can act as service,&#8221; Shamany said.</p><p>If cleared by the court without challenges, the 269 properties likely will be included in the next free-and-clear auction Oct. 17, he said.</p><p>Bids start at the cost to bring the property to sale, which can be several hundred dollars but typically runs in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.</p><p>Northeast Revenue will publicly advertise a complete list of properties eligible for the Oct. 17 auction as the sale nears and also post lists and updates on its website, <a href="http://www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com</a>, Shamany said.</p><p>&#8220;We want to try to get as much interest in the sale as possible,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Among the 269 properties are two tracts in Ashley and Hanover Township that once housed the Huber Breaker.</p><p>Philadelphia-based Paselo Logistics LLC owns the property, which includes a 14.5-acre Ashley parcel carrying $142,941 in delinquent taxes dating to 2014 and a 6.7-acre Hanover Township parcel with $16,8612 in back taxes for the same period, records show.</p><p>This site is unique because it remains in violation of government environmental cleanup orders, which means $150,000 from any sale must be placed in escrow to address remediation, officials have said. Northeast Revenue attorneys are reviewing court orders to ensure bidders are aware of any special requirements, Shamany said.</p><p>Also on the list of 269 is the deteriorated former L.S. Bowl-A-Rama property, which runs the entire length of East Washington Street in Nanticoke between South Prospect and South Walnut streets. PS Capital Ventures Inc. of Hazleton owns this property.</p><p>In addition to the Oct. 17 auction, Northeast Revenue has scheduled a Sept. 26 upset auction and a combined upset/free-and-clear sale on Nov. 7.</p><p>N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Courthouse </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_luzcocourthouse01-6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Courthouse </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County tax-claim operator seeking court order to bring delinquent properties to sale