Sebastianelli Announces Senate Run

Marlene Sebastianelli has announced that she is running as a Green Party candidate as the people’s alternative for Senator in the Pennsylvania 22nd District.

Marlene Sebastianelli resides in Peckville with her husband Sam and is the proud mother of two daughters—Danielle and Jessica. After growing up in a rural section of the Abingtons, Marlene went on to graduate from Abington Heights High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in communication disorders and a master of business administration degree, both from Marywood University.

Marlene is not the type of person to just talk about serving people; she lives it in both her vocation and her personal life. As a seasoned Nursing Home Administrator (NHA), Marlene has spent years in health care, ensuring elderly residents receive quality care. Throughout 2020 up to today, she has taken that expertise into consulting for the State of Pennsylvania on regulatory compliance in nursing homes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, helping struggling facilities implement needed corrections to save lives and prevent future infections. 

She is also the owner and operator of Case Quattro Winery in Peckville and co-owner of Intact Health & Wellness in Dunmore, two small local businesses, both of which she has had to work hard to adapt, like so many others, to the difficulties presented by the pandemic’s restrictions.

For many years, Marlene has been a community advocate and volunteer for several non-profit organizations. As a cancer survivor herself, she is proud of her time spent volunteering for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and American Cancer Society, where she has served as a community ambassador in Washington to promote colorectal screening legislation and earned a Volunteer of the Year Award. 

Building on her career in long-term health care, Marlene has spent much  time volunteering for the Alzheimer’s Association. 

As a member and officer of Citizens for a Healthy Jessup (CFHJ), Marlene has seen up close what local political pressure over public interest looks like, but that has not stopped her from spear-heading many public outreach events, including organizing pasta dinners and food drives for the needy in local communities during this last year when so many families were hurting financially. 

She is proud of serving on the CFHJ committee that worked on drafting legislation for implementing minimum standards for power plant host agreements, legislation that has been introduced by Senator Blake and State Representative Kyle Mullins.

 In recent years, she has worked diligently alongside the Dunmore Historical Society to develop a thriving farmer’s market in the borough, of which she serves as the current president. While at Marywood, she also worked on developing a program to help grow small businesses.

Marlene believes that people want common sense solutions to problems that all people, have no matter their party affiliation. She plans to listen to the voters of the 22nd district and focus on serving their needs only, while not being weighed down by the obligations that power and influence brings with it.

Golf Tournament Planned for May 26th

Scranton Chapter of Unico National will return to the golf tournament circuit on Wednesday, May 26, at Mt. Airy Golf, Casino & Resort with a tournament honoring Al Magnotta, the longest serving member of the chapter and former golf tournament chairman.

Anyone or group interested in joining the event may contact any member of the committee or chairman Vince Martino at 570-499-8469.

Event committee members include, seated from left: Karen Clifford, Linda Stefursky, Gail Cicerini and Jim Sagona. Standing, same order: Jim Baress, Diane Alberigi, golf chairman Vince Martino, Diane Calabro, Mary Marrara and Diana Giovannini.

2021 SAGE Award Winners

A large number of Dunmore businesses were winners when The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce hosted its Chamber Gala in March presenting the 2021 SAGE Awards – the Scranton Awards for Growth and Excellence. 

Borough businesses who came up winners included Fidelity Bank, Business of the Year winner; DePietro’s Pharmacy, Impact: Community Outreach winner; Space Time Mead & Cider Works, New and Emerging Business of the Year winner; Hematology & Oncology Associates of NEPA, People’s Choice winner, and United Sports Academy, Small Business of the Year.

This year’s event was a hybrid celebration with SAGE finalists and award sponsors attending at the Hilton Scranton & Conference Center, while other guests enjoyed viewing parties from home via Zoom.

Chamber president, Bob Durkin, and Chamber board chair, Patrick Fricchione, opened the ceremony thanking all finalists, award sponsors, and Gala sponsors for their dedication to the NEPA community. Emcee for the evening was Thom Welby, with musical entertainment provided by Lexington Entertainment.

The SAGE Awards honor outstanding local businesses for their talent, creativity, and innovation. This year, the awards were enhanced to honor and recognize the innovation our local businesses employed due to COVID-19.