Category: Nanticoke

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Nanticoke was the birthplace of an All-American football player, a volunteer of the Mexican War, a decorated hero as a U.S. Army captain and major during World War I and a Luzerne County assistant district attorney.

Thomas Alexander Butkiewicz was born June 21, 1883, to Nanticoke postmaster Thomas Butkiewicz and his wife, Anna. After graduating Nanticoke High School, he studied law at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

While attending UPenn, Butkiewicz signed up to play football for the Quakers, playing on the offensive line for three years. For the 1904 season, the Quakers went undefeated outscoring all of their opponents 222-4 to a 12-0 record and being named by sports writers of the time as the nation’s best collegiate football team in the country.

Butkiewicz was admitted to the Luzerne County Bar Association on Sept. 25, 1905, and began his law career being named assistant district attorney under District Attorney Abram Salsburg.

“Assistant District Attorney Thomas Butkiewicz again held forth in court room No. 1 yesterday and succeeded in disposing a number of cases on the criminal calendar,” reported the Wilkes-Barre Record on April 25, 1908.

Butkiewicz continued his career with the district attorney’s office through the 1900s and into the early 1910s. As the conflict with Mexico grew over the border, Butkiewicz answered the call for volunteers and enlisted in the U.S. Army as a lieutenant in 1916, taking a leave of absence as an assistant district attorney.

“He served for several months and developed a military aptitude that elevated him from lieutenant to captain to major,” the Record reported.

As the United States took a neutral position at the outbreak of World War I, Butkiewicz volunteered to go to France as a member of the Princeton…

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Addison F Kreamer Jr., 84, of Nanticoke, Luzerne County, passed away the evening of Monday, August 14, 2023 at the River View Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Wilkes-Barre.

Addison F Kreamer Jr.

He was born on May 13, 1939, a son of the late Addison F. and Louise E. (Truckenmiller) Kreamer, Sr.

Addison enjoyed fishing, farming, and anything that had to do with nature. He was also a United States Navy Veteran.

He is survived by his wife, Eileen M. (O’hern) Kreamer; three children, Michael Kreamer of Newville, Christine Kreamer of Kingston, and Jason Kreamer of Nanticoke; five grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four siblings, Ruth Rosenberry, Patricia Peiffer, Helen Reese, and Richard Kreamer.

Addison’s graveside service will be held on Monday, August 21, 2023 at 11 a.m. in the Spring Hill Cemetery. Pastor Bruce Levy will officiate. There will be no public viewing or visitation.

Arrangements are entrusted to Fogelsanger-Bricker Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be expressed at the funeral home’s website.

MORE OBITUARIES

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Terence Ostrowski recently embarked on a hike through Hanover Township, revealing a sight that never fails to amaze him—the crystal clear waters of Espy Run flowing towards the Nanticoke Creek and eventually, the Susquehanna River. What sets this stream apart from others in the region is the fact that it is brand new—the reestablishment of a waterway that disappeared seventy years ago due to coal mining.

Ostrowski, President/CEO of the nonprofit Earth Conservancy, displayed a series of maps at their headquarters in Ashley to showcase the significance of this achievement and its recent recognition with an environmental award. One of the maps, dated 1894, depicted Espy Run flowing from Hanover Reservoir through the West Hanover section of Nanticoke. Another map from the 1939 showcased the stream’s similar path.

However, on a map from the 1950s, the stream abruptly vanished due to strip mining at the Bliss Colliery. Mining activities caused fractures in the earth, swallowing up the stream underground. Instead of continuing its natural course, the water ended up in the strip pits, resulting in heavily contaminated runoff resurfacing through boreholes at the Askam pond area.

A 2001 study highlighted the severe water quality issues caused by Espy Run’s disappearance, leading to a 2005 assessment of the Nanticoke Creek Watershed and plans for the restoration of the waterway. The Earth Conservancy designed a riparian forest buffer to enhance habitat and create a wildlife corridor.

The construction of a new 6,000 linear feet stream began in 2016, with slight alterations to the path to avoid disrupting a residential area. The new channel closely resembles a natural stream, meandering with pools and rifts, and is heavily vegetated. To prevent water infiltration below, the entire channel was lined with clay, and over 1,500 coniferous and deciduous trees were planted along its course.

Elizabeth Hughes, Earth Conservancy’s communications director,…

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Aug. 14—Terence Ostrowski hiked through vegetation in Hanover Township last week to reach a marvel he will never tire of seeing — the clear water of Espy Run gently flowing toward the Nanticoke Creek and, eventually, the Susquehanna River.

This stream is unlike the many others winding through this region because it is brand new — the resurrection of a waterway that was erased seven decades ago when it became a victim of coal mining.

To convey why this achievement is worthy of understanding — and a recently announced environmental award — Ostrowski spread out a series of maps at the nonprofit Earth Conservancy headquarters in Ashley, where he serves as President/CEO.

An 1894 map showed Espy Run flowing from the Hanover Reservoir through the West Hanover section of Nanticoke along Espy Street and into Nanticoke Creek, he pointed out.

The stream still generally followed the same path on another map from 1939.

But on a 1950s map, the stream was interrupted and diverted due to strip mining at the Bliss Colliery. Mining created fractures in the earth, swallowing up the stream underground.

“It was disconnected from the watershed and never made its way down to the lower reaches. Instead it went into the strip pits,” Ostrowski said.

As a result, runoff from the Hanover Reservoir and remainder of the 200-square-mile watershed drained through the deep mines and resurfaced, heavily contaminated, through boreholes at the Askam pond area along Dundee Road, he said.

A 2001 study identified the severe water quality problems associated with Espy Run’s underground disappearance, which led to a 2005 assessment of the Nanticoke Creek Watershed and plans to reconstruct the waterway as it was intended.

A riparian forest buffer also was designed for the new channel to improve habitat and create a wildlife corridor to the top of the Wilkes-Barre Mountain, Earth Conservancy said.

Design, permitting…

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Luzerne County’s Election Board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on certifying Nov. 7 general election ballot questions in Jenkins Township, Nanticoke and the county.

The county referendum is the most complicated because it would reconstitute the election board itself and requires voters to decide if they want to make several changes.

Election board members must certify the wording of all ballot questions and a “plain English” explanation of the purpose, limitation and effects of ballot questions, the county law office has indicated.

In Jenkins Township, the ballot question asks voters if they will allow the township to raise taxes 0.5 mill solely to provide dedicated funding to emergency services.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 in assessed property, and 0.5 mill would equate to $50 more annually for a property assessed at $100,000.

Nanticoke City Council is proposing questions asking voters if they want to eliminate city home rule charter term limits for city council and the mayor.

The city’s charter currently limits both city council members and the mayor to three consecutive, elected terms.

County question

A county council majority had voted in June to approve Councilman Gregory S. Wolovich Jr.’s ballot question asking voters if they want to reconstitute the five-citizen election board.

The referendum asks voters, in part, if they want council to appoint the fifth election board member of any affiliation instead of leaving that choice up to the four council-appointed members (two Democrats and two Republicans).

This fifth board seat also would be filled every two years instead of four years, and the fifth member also would not automatically serve as board chair as stated in the charter. Instead, board members could select any board member as chair.

The amendment also would vacate the current election board in January if the question passes, although…

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Greater Nanticoke Area School District will be getting a new, digital color marquee sign at the entrance to the campus on Kosciuszko Street. The board approved a sponsorship agreement with FNCB Bank to purchase and install the sign. The existing sign is seen here.

Times Leader file photo

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NANTICOKE — The Greater Nanticoke Area School District became the latest to join a growing movement that gets special education and regular education students together in sports. At Thursday’s regular meeting, the School Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Special Olympics Pennsylvania to participate in the Unified Champion Schools program. The program promotes social inclusion through “Unified Sports.”

Locally, that has meant students competing in track. Hanover Area, Wyoming Area, Wyoming Valley West and Wilkes-Barre Area have already been fielding unified sports teams against each other in area track meets. Greater Nanticoke Superintendent Ron Grevera said he’s excited about creating the opportunity for the students to work and play together, and hopes the options will expand in the future.

The district will be getting a new, digital color marquee sign at the entrance to the campus on Kosciuszko Street. The board approved a sponsorship agreement with FNCB Bank to purchase and install the sign. Grevera said the current sign is broken and at least 20 years old.

With the first day of school just three weeks away, the agenda was — like many other local…

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SEAFORD — Virginia “Ginny” Hendricks, RN, of TidalHealth Nanticoke’s Medical Surgical Unit, has been selected as the Seaford hospital’s August 2023 recipient of the Daisy Award.

Her nomination, below, was written by a family member to acknowledge the exceptional care and compassion she provided to their aunt:

My 52-year-old aunt was admitted to TidalHealth Nanticoke with respiratory failure from metastatic colorectal cancer to the lungs on April 13. My aunt had been told her lung tumor burden was causing her respiratory failure and there was nothing else to be done but focus on keeping her comfortable.

During my aunt’s 23-month battle with cancer, her goal had been to survive long enough to make it to her daughter’s high school graduation. My aunt gave up her career to homeschool my cousin and poured every bit of herself into making her daughter’s life as wonderful as possible. My cousin was scheduled to graduate in the first week of June. My family asked if we could do a fake graduation early, as we felt my aunt was suffering to try and make it to June, but we were always told that wasn’t what my aunt and cousin wanted.

All the nurses involved in my aunt’s care were truly remarkable, but Ginny had a special bond with my aunt and cousin that helped them agree to do the graduation early at the hospital. On April 18, Ginny set up a conference room for us to use for the cake, pizza, pictures and balloons. Ginny arranged it so the whole family could be there as well as some of my aunt’s chemo nurses.

The graduation ceremony and celebration were gloriously perfect. My aunt was able to give a speech to say how proud she was of my cousin. Another nurse came in and offered to…

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