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Latest Columns by Jack Smiles

October 3, 2009

Random notes on the news

In his speech to the UN President Obama talked about “an almost reflexive anti-Americanism” among people around the world. In a story about the speech Jennifer Loven, the AP White House correspondent, said the anti-Americanism Obama referred to “swept the globe under the administration of his predecessor, George W. Bush.”

August 22, 2009

Empty nester, me

On Thursday my wife and I dropped our daughter Sadie off at Penn State. With a lot of help from her friend Mitchell McCabe we got her moved into a tiny dorm room at Mifflin Hall.

August 8, 2009

Random musings on the news

Larry Vojtko who lives on 8th Street near me in Wyoming sent an email correcting something I wrote two weeks ago in a column about the state budget, where I equated PBS with NPR and said the state government shouldn’t be funding radio and TV stations.

April 18, 2009

What’s your favorite Gus outfit?

Back in the day in the Local Chatter section of this paper there was a section called Human Scenery, where there were whimsical descriptions of people the editors spotted during the week, like, Joe Jones walking down Main Street wearing a polka dot tie or Sam Smith tooling through town in his new convertible.

March 21, 2009

Random notes on the news

According to Democrats we need a federal level energy policy and educational policy, but do we? Before the Comrade Carter administration there was no Department of Energy or Department of Education at the federal level. Carter created both of them.

March 7, 2009

The eagles have landed

It’s going to be a good spring for wildlife and bird watching along the dike trail in Wyoming and Forty Fort. Maybe even better than last spring when I identified several different species of ducks, red tail and sharp-shinned hawks, kestrels, three spices of herons, a family of ruffed grouse, killdeer, the lesser yellowlegs, gold finches, red-winged black birds, turkeys, snow geese, and of course, tons of Canadian geese and other common species.

February 21, 2009

Let energy technology be free

In the 1950s this newspaper regularly railed against citizens who installed oil burners in their homes and businesses. They were ridiculed as ingrates. Not even priests were immune from the paper’s wrath. Pity the poor padre who dared put an oil burner in the rectory. One was pilloried on the front page as a man, not of God, but of the devil for contributing to the demise of the local anthracite industry. How could he conspire to throw out of work the very men who built his parish?

February 7, 2009

Split Decision

I was burning with curiosity as the weekend for parish restructuring approached.

January 10, 2009

National Pizza Week starts now

I don’t know why the second week of January isn’t the biggest week of the year around here. After all, it’s National Pizza Week.

November 8, 2008

Yes, I helped Obama

There a clich� – “The last thing I expected to be doing was…” fill in the blank. Like I might say the last thing I expected to be doing was rooting for the Yankees. But I did root for the Yankees when they played the Mets and I expected to.

Latest Articles by Jack Smiles

November 14, 2009

Trying to make a go of it down on Main Street

An upscale pub and restaurant is a tough sell on Main Street in Pittston. If it takes a proprietor who is also a character to pull it off, then Rooney’s Irish Pub should work

November 14, 2009

Running start for PA freshman Lombardo

In the District 2 AAA girls cross country championships, PA freshman Catherine Lombardo was the top local runner. Catherine won a medal for placing 11th in 21:33 in the field of 91 runners.

November 7, 2009

Only 17, Kerry Pernot inspired by WWII vet

Kerry Pernot, 17, a Pittston Area senior from Duryea doesn’t consider herself a top student or a good writer.

November 7, 2009

The case of the missing ‘Piano Man’

Fans and friends of Greater Pittston’s own “Piano Man” Lee Strubeck may have been wondering where he’s been. Lee, the West Pittston native and Wyoming Area Warrior class of ’72 grad, has been fulfilling a career-long dream by playing in piano bars on cruise ships. He’s been at it since February with just one three-week break in May.

November 7, 2009

Goldsworthy survives challenge in West Pittston

Of eight mayoral races in the Greater Pittston area only three were contested. In those contested races in Dupont, West Pittston and Wyoming Boroughs the incumbents won handily.

November 7, 2009

Sixth in D-2, Krall to states; Lombardo 11th in D-2

Wyoming Area senior runner Josh Krall was the highest local finisher in the District 2 AAA boys cross country championships on Wednesday at Scranton Municipal golf course. Josh was 6th overall with a time of 17:45 and qualified for the state championships yesterday at the Parkview Cross Country Course in Hershey.

November 7, 2009

Patriots pay the right ‘Price’ for victory

As the clock wound down on the Patriots eventual 40-19 win over the Warriors on Friday night in West Pittston, up in the press box, MVP selectors Ryan McDonnell and Jim Norris looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Price.”

November 7, 2009

Bye-Bye Birdie: landmark Exeter bar closing

Back in the anthracite heyday miners working the Exeter colliery bellied up to the bar at Veronica Shonk’s Cafe. Standing with a foot on the rail, they drank 12 cent bottles of Stegmaier’s or Bartell’s beer and spit juice from their chaws and cigars into five spittoons.

October 31, 2009

After a first-round win, LWs ousted by Sem

The Wyoming Area girls field team reached another milestone for the program when they played in a District 2 playoff game on Tuesday. Playing without their forwards Serra Degnan, the division’s leading scorer, and Adrianna Vullo, both out with flu symptoms, the Lady Warriors won that first playoff game beating Northwest 3-1 in West Pittston in a District 2 Class 2A first round game.

October 31, 2009

Thirty-second Falcone MVP trophy to be awarded Friday

The local football teams are having down seasons as far as the ‘Ws’ and ‘Ls’ go, but that shouldn’t diminish the value of the rivalry game Friday. In fact it could be argued that not having titles or playoff berths at stake make the game more compelling for the players than if there was a next week to worry about. Friday’s game is the end of the season for both teams and all that’s left is to win that game.