The Times-Tribune from Scranton, Pennsylvania • 3

LOCAL I SCRANTON, PA SATURDAY. JUNE 12, 1999 Al http:www.nepanews.cont Otratiton itimts AI Native So tOt 11 1111 Howe gs President's Messa I 4 MY MARGARET EMERY THE SCRANTON TIMES 0 It's great to be home. It's great not to see Sam Donaldson RAM TOW 1973 CHS grad 0 ''A 0-- 1 The president deserves credit for reducing the budget deficit and balancing the federal budget, Mr. Toiv said. "NATO has been strengthened by the addition of new members as well as by what we've Just gone through," he said, referring to the successful air war in Yugoslavia.

Mr. Toiv said Mr. Gore is going through a difficult period that all vice presidents face at a similar point in their boss's term. Still, he thinks Mr. Gore could beat Texas Gov.

George W. Bush. "Nobody knows what George Bush stands for yet He's going to have to start explaining himself." Asked whether ABC's Sam Donaldson is really the most difficult reporter in Washington, Mr. Toiv replied, "Sam's a great guy, actually. It's amazing to travel with him, though, because he might be a bigger celebrity than the president" fore June is out.

As for Social Security, the system is secure for a good 30 years." However, the future of Social Security needs to be addressed beyond that, Mr. Toiv said. Turning to the subject of crime, he said Hollywood needs to look at the way It markets violence to children. Mr. Toiv said Pennsylvania received 3,000 of the 100,000 new police officers added recently.

Mr. Clinton wants to see an additional 30,000 to 50,000 cops on the streets, according to Mr. Toiv, who noted, "Community policing is working." In an interview after his speech, Mr. Toiv said the president's legacy is yet to be written completely. "We do have a year and half left" However, Mr.

Toiv singled out "the extraordinary economy" and the strengthening of NATO as two major accomplishments of the Clinton years. Bill Clinton was not in Scranton on Friday but his official spokesman was And Deputy White House Press Secretary Barry J. Toiv sounded a lot like the president when be spoke to the Permsylvania Federation of Democratic Women. Unemployment and inflation are low, he said. Social Security and Medicare need to be protected.

The country needs more teachers and police officers. The audience at the Radisson at Lack. awanna Station included Mr. Toiv's proud parents, Leonard and Beatrice "It's great to be home," said Mr. Toiv, a 1973 graduate of Central High School.

Then, as he surveyed the room, he Joked, "It's great not to see Sam Donaldson here." Mr. Toiv's remarks indicated he is al. ready looking ahead to the 2000 election, UNDA MORGAN THE SCRANTON TIMES when a new president and Congress will be elected. He called Al Gore "the best vice president in the history of the cotmtry." He pointed out that the Republican hold on both houses of Congress is slim. And he said the rematch between Don Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock, and Patrick Casey will be one of the top five races in the country.

Medicare needs an affordable drug plan, Mr. Tolv said, and he indicated Mr. Clinton will announce such a plan be White House Deputy Press Secretary Barry To Iv addresses the Pennsylvarda Federation of Democratic Women Friday at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station. Federal Officials Probing TV Deal Woman Waives Hearing By MN MATES THE SCRANTON TIMES A Honesdale woman is accused of forging nearly $200,000 in checks made out to her employer. BY 111011AS N.

DI-STASIO THE SCRANTON TIMES HONESDALE A Honesdale woman accused of forging checks on her employer's account totaling almost $200,000 over a two-year period waived her preliminary hearing Friday before Dis: trict Magistrate Bonnie Lewis. Susan Durso, 35, is charged with 243 counts of forgery, one count each of theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception and 11 counts of conspiracy to commit forgery. It is alleged that from Jan. 13, 1997, to June 1, 1999, Ms. Durso forged checks made out to her employer, Swendsen Engineering home.

Jennifer Rose, a Justice Department spokesperson, was unable to comment on the investigation, In early May, Justice investigators began looking at the two stations' operations. As part of its probe, in late May the Justice Merger Task Force served The Scranton Times, The Sunday Times and The Tribune newspapers with a civil investigative demand seeking information about the newspapers' advertising revenues and circulation for the last five years. The investigators also are seeking information on attempts to win customers from other media and losses of customers to other media. "I think they're taking a look at what the advertising market is and what eitect that (shared services agreement) is going to have on the competitive situation in the market place," said Steve Sauder, the newspapers' director of advertising. Mr.

Condron said he was asked about the impact of merging the two stations' sales departments. They asked if other advertising media could be substituted for TV. "I told them that anytime you narrow the playing field, that would affect pricing," he said. "I told them that combining the two stations' sales staffs would adversely affect pricing for our Investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's Merger Task Force converged on the Scranton area this week to investigate "the proposed joint sales agreement" between WBRE-TV (Ch.

28) and WYOU-TV (Ch. 22). Philip Condron, owner of Condron an advertising agency in Scranton, said Justice Department lawyer Karl Knutson and another investigator "were very pointed in their questions." WBRE is owned by Nexstar Broadcasting of Northeastern Pennsylvania formerly WYOU'li owner. When it sold WYOU to Bastet Broadcasting Columbus, Ohio, two years ago. Ll4e stations agreed to share news, 'engineering and production personnel and facilities under a groundbreaking "shared services agreement" The stations maintain separate advertising sales, programming and fmancial staffs.

John Dittmeier, WYOU general manager, said Friday that he has not seen any of the papers that may have been filed by the station's owners. Perry Sook, Clarks Summit, Nexstar president, said Monday he had not been contacted by the Justice Department He was away Friday, as was WBRE general manager 'Art Daube. Dave Smith, owner of Bastet, did not return a call placed to his '4, IN i i I II 41 1 rit 11214) 1 Ilik 4. i ii 4 0 iii, Al 't to VI 0 0 a 11 4,1 Imo 1 tip i 7. ,1 irx i 1 I i I r-- 'I-11 )1, (r, 0,,,, I l' 1 i) 'lea ,.4) i 10 I'D k.

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AAP.tk!..ritot 4 4 17 a i 1 r', i i-5; 1 '1- 4:4 0 Susan Durso, 35, is charged with 243 counts of forgety, one count each of theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception and 11 counts of conspiracy to commit forgery. I 1 0 1 pl IF Illiiitl 1 C.F.." I 1 c7 ..,1 LI II It ot it it, uiqt for 8191,084.78. The amount includes $7,550 she allegedly conspired with her roommate Melyinda Ricketts, 36, to forge. Ms. Durso remains free on $30,000 bail.

Ms. Ricketts was arrested Thursday and charged with five counts each of receiving stolen property and conspiracy to commit forgery. It is expected that the complaint against Ms. Ricketts will be amended to reflect the 11 checks made payable to her. Her preliminary hearing is tentatively set for June 18.

She is incarcerated in Pike County Prison after failing to post 835,000 bail. Wayne County District Attorney Mark Zimmer said that the Investigation is continuing by his office and the Honesdale Borough police and lead investigator Lt. Thomas LeStrange. Investigators ask that anyone with information regarding the theft, including the disposition of the proceeds, contact Lt. LeStrange at 253-1900.

MICHAEL J. MULLENTHE SCRANTON TIMES Fuel Leak 2 Etozzo ECns 's Largest Distributor Of The Worlds Finest 'A MER TO r-i a I J3T: PRICE SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: COMING SMOKING NOW GREATLY REDUCES SERIOUS RISKS TO YOUR HEALTH IIPECIIIC PACK OFFER CARTOP2 PRICE ON MARLBORO'S IS GOOD ON ANY STYL AND DOES NOT INCLUDE TAX. PRICES GOOD Tit. AM 4, 1949 SAUG 131 lir 11110 RILL CASES, HALM REEF 00 tes0 EATTERY I 1 tZ't eF SAT x711271 11" Arli1 rr a VI 11)111 inliatilooLdellit) Tr7. Ii eCn 064-C-- INIC111111111 ta to a fir 's Largest Distributor Of The Worlds Finest IN 0 4 r-11 Oh oniric I i lb, balT1 I 0 swami 4- iimmig.g.p., z-7.

i ALN.1' 7) Iralli -atiEcml, PACK I'S nyon arll CART011 2 0 SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: PRICE ON MARLBORO'S IS GOOD ON ANY STYLE, OUMING SMOKING NOW GREATLY REDUCES AND DOES NOT INCLUDE TAX. SERIOUS FIISKS TO YOUR HEALTH PRICES 0000 TIL JIIIY 4, 1949 to littlY SAIJ'a DIJIT 11110 err FULL CASES, FIALTIrt REFREsr 7 1 oslts 1 so 1 gm t) 1, le-art 0 ,114 Vel'f" I 4 esOttItt EATTERY A -e tZt 11 c13 ,) SAT J21211 ii 11.1' 'f1 wil "Ty rct I- 71--;) rt.r..7. vi t--------- 7, r- --I rl Workers clean up 60 to 70 gallons of diesel fuel along Interstate Route 81 ramps, Northern Boulevard and South Abington Road. The fuel leaked from a truck Friday morning after a valve malfunctioned. Robert Flanagan, Lackawanna County emergency management coordinator, said none of the fuel migrated Into storm sewers or Leggett's Creek, which runs nearby.

It was cleaned up by the personnel who repaired the truck, he said. Pair Appointed To Investigate Ticket Fix The district attorney appoints John Notarianni and George Seig to i probe allegations of parking-ticket fixing in Scranton. Lackawazma County Assistant District At. following a meeting he held with his staff on Friday that centered on preliminary discussions of how to handle the investigation. The district attorney said all he knows about the case now is what he has read in the newspapers.

City solicitor Frank Bo lock, who was not requested to attend Friday's meeting, has been in touch with the district attorney and agreed to provide any needed information. The allegations center on a review of park tug ticket records by The Times-Tribune in which it appeared that police Chief James Klee voided approximately 175 tickets since 1995 most of them in that year and that Mayor Jim Connors had requested that 11 tickets be abated. Chief Klee maintains that he has the authority to void tickets, and that he has used that authority when there was reason to do so. The mayor has denied fixing any tickets. Both the mayor and City Council requested that Mr.

Barrasse conduct the investigation in order to clear up the allegations. torneys John Notarianni and George Seig have been appointed by District Attorney Mi: chael Barrasse to investigate allegations of parking ticket fixing by city officials. Mr. Barrasse announced the appointments 41 I.