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Diamonds to Cassandra Coleman-Corcoran for her health advocacy. The former Exeter mayor, 28, and others promote March as Blood Clot Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. Providing information to the public about blood clots – considered “the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths in the United States” – is especially important in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where statistics show an above-average propensity among residents to smoke cigarettes and to avoid exercise. To understand your risks, and detect warning signs, of clotting, visit the National Blood Clot Alliance’s website at stoptheclot.org.
Coal to the Luzerne County prison’s overseers. Their apparent failure to update the Wilkes-Barre lockup’s security cameras since 2005, when the system was installed, has led to concerns about worker and inmate safety. Some people claim most of the cameras within the five-story correctional facility – where security was lampooned in 2003 after a killer’s bedsheet-aided escape – no longer work. At least one prison official, however, maintains most of the cameras function, but parts are no longer available to fix the cameras if they go kaput. In either case, it’s critical that county officials quickly proceed with plans to replace cameras and make other needed repairs.
Diamonds to Meyers High School’s chess team. The strategizing teens, guided by teacher Sam Elias, recently took part in the state scholastic chess championship. After three mentally grueling days of calculating, pushing pawns, avoiding blunders and castling, they collectively emerged with a team title in their school’s division. The senior members of the team soon will graduate; but they’ll carry with them through life a useful skill set, some “royal powers” and plenty of good memories. Congratulations, Mohawks.
Coal to the future-seeing sorcerers of the NCAA basketball world, or the outlandishly lucky, who correctly selected both Yale and Little Rock to advance in their respective Round 1 games this week, essentially spoiling the fortunes for those of us who logically stick with the high seeds. May your brackets self-combust between now and April 4’s national championship. Not that we’re bitter. But Little Rock, seriously?
Diamonds to Wilkes University. Its new Veterans Center of Excellence, dedicated earlier this week on the downtown Wilkes-Barre campus, provides a spot for student-veterans to receive tutoring, swap information about vet-specific services and socialize with fellow ex-military folks. A grant program supported jointly by the Student Veterans of America and The Home Depot Foundation supplied $10,000 toward the center, located in Conyngham Hall. It’ll likely become a favorite gathering place on the Wilkes campus for some of the nearly 55 veterans now enrolled – and any future “recruits.”