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Diamonds to the people powering Pittston’s revitalization. They fulfilled a long-held aspiration of attracting a college, in this case, Luzerne County Community College, to the city’s Main Street. LCCC reportedly will operate an educational center out of the former M&T Bank building starting early next year, according to a news article Friday at timesleader.com. In a 2014 editorial, we championed Pittston’s efforts to put higher education within easy reach. “More area residents,” the editorial stated, “particularly young people, need to be reminded that a college degree is something to which they can reasonably aspire.”
Coal to inertia. Our tendency to remain at rest, as Isaac Newton described it, seemingly is leading to big trouble in Luzerne County. Specifically, too many of us have packed on extra pounds, according to WalletHub.com’s recent ranking of the “Fattest Cities in America.” The local metro area consisting of Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and Scranton landed in 20th spot out of the nation’s most populous 100 areas. More of us need to routinely accelerate our masses (F = ma), which brings us to …
Diamonds to the science whizzes at Wilkes-Barre Academy. The private school’s Science Olympiad team took the top spot at this month’s regional contest at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, besting certain area institutions with more prestige and some with larger student populations. That said, the contestants from every participating school, and the devoted teachers who prep them, also deserve our “diamonds” – which are never in short supply because, after all, the universe is infinite. The scientific principles that these young minds master today could one day propel new discoveries, rocking our world … or even a galaxy far, far away.
Coal to Hunlock Township officials. They apparently lumped new fees for fire and ambulance coverage into this year’s municipal property tax bill without widely telegraphing the change, causing some residents to undergo a sort of government-induced sticker shock. No question, our region’s volunteer fire companies and ambulance crews require support. But this tactic is taking too many people by surprise.
Diamonds to Plymouth. The West Side borough marks its 150th anniversary this year, and its historical society intends to highlight the milestone with a series of sesquicentennial activities. Incidentally, the society hits a significant anniversary of its own in 2016, having been established 30 years ago. The society’s planned lineup includes an open house (May 1), a dinner meeting at which a time capsule will be opened (June 10) and a float created for this summer’s Kielbasa Fest. For information, visit the society’s Facebook page or call 570-779-5840.