Mark Guydish

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Education Reporter

mguydish@timesleader.com

(570) 970-7161

A West Hazleton native, I worked as a service technician repairing electronic mailing and shipping systems, a bike shop owner and an Emergency Medical Technician (among other jobs) before landing a reporter job at the Times Leader Hazleton Bureau in 1995. I started by covering primarily politics in Hazleton City and outlying municipalities, eventually became "social issues" team leader in the Wilkes-Barre office with the accent on education, and headed the Hazleton Bureau for a spell before returning to full-time reporting, my preferred position. I'm an avid cyclist and rode across the country in 1990, a trip of more than 5,000 miles from New Jersey to Seattle and down the coast to San Francisco. Years in the Boy Scouts made me a life long backpacker and camper, and I've yet to find a better way to enjoy the quiet lure of winter snow than cross country skiing.

Mark also writes a regular blog for timesleader.com.

Latest Columns by Mark Guydish

November 7, 2009

Inquisition on juvie justice is coming to town MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Tomorrow, the Inquisition comes to town.

November 4, 2009

In election ’09, write-ins telling a cryptic tale MARK GUYDISH OPINION

All is not write in the world.

November 2, 2009

WVW vote reveals big flaw in process MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Wyoming Valley West School District voters in region 6 (Kingston) face a conundrum today, the result of a state law that lets school board candidates run on both party tickets. It is an object lesson on how the election system can defeat itself with a little help from voter apathy and inertia.

October 31, 2009

Juvie ruling puts justice back on track MARK GUYDISH OPINION

On Wednesday, Plunder Dome seemed to go into reruns, as our two scariest characters of the Halloween season, disgraced judges Mark “Shameless” Ciavarella and Michael “Cocky” Conahan, again insisted that they are immune from civil lawsuits no matter how heinous their actions on the bench were.

October 28, 2009

District sites can be used to further trust MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Our Tuesday editorial suggested a string of moves local school boards could make to restore trust amid the expanding corruption probe, and to avoid problems in the future (even if your board is untouched by allegations). All the ideas involved greater public access to district dealings, with emphasis on the power of the Internet: Post information – lots of it – on the district Web site for public scrutiny.

October 26, 2009

This scandal story all Dunn, please say so MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Six months later and we’ve got a Dunn Deal. In the words of Ned Flanders of “The Simpsons,” it’s Dunn diddly done. As Edward G. Robinson might put it in one of his old gangster flicks, Dunn’s done for, see.

October 24, 2009

A rotten apple can take bite out of board MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Now that Hanover Area’s Anthony Spinozza has admitted taking a bribe, there are six Luzerne County school board members charged with corruption.

October 21, 2009

Present could use a little dose of past MARK GUYDISH OPINION

On North Wyoming Street in Hazleton, near the hub of town, sits the now-infamous La Cantina Bar. It gained notoriety this month after a Wild West-style shootout, with reports of multiple guns drawn, sounding like a saloon scene in a Sergio Leone “spaghetti western.”

October 19, 2009

Latest diocese sex charges test faith again MARK GUYDISH OPINION

News that Father Bob Timchak turned himself in on child pornography charges in Pike County hit me like a punch in the gut. Why now? Why for this? Why him?

October 17, 2009

Carpet weaved into corruption probe story line MARK GUYDISH OPINION

Last week Plunder Dome became more sci-fi than soap opera as federal charges flew at warp speed and Harrisburg fired up its time-machine in hopes of learning what happened and why.

Latest Articles by Mark Guydish

November 6, 2009

Bishop to visit St. Stephen’s

WILKES-BARRE – For what may be the first time in nearly two centuries, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral Wednesday, spending time at outreach ministries in the afternoon and giving a sermon at an evening service followed by a brief reception and a question-and-answer session.

November 5, 2009

Diocese taking steps to raise child safety

SCRANTON – The Diocese of Scranton has expanded programs and improved background checks in an ongoing effort to protect children from sexual misconduct, the Diocesan newspaper reported Thursday. The details were included in a Catholic Light article announcing that an annual audit by an outside agency found the diocese “in compliance” with national guidelines for protecting children.

November 5, 2009

Kids soar with bird lesson

Paula Longo told the first-graders they could run to the bird blind but had to be “super quiet.”

November 4, 2009

WVW accepts Bellas’ resignation

KINGSTON – Wyoming Valley West School Board accepted the resignation of President Allen Bellas during a 5 p.m. meeting Wednesday.

November 3, 2009

School board races feature few competitive encounters

With at least five districts touched by the widespread federal corruption probe and six board members in three districts charged (one for actions not related to board activity), the 2009 races for 45 open seats on Luzerne County’s 11 school boards were unlike any in recent memory.

November 2, 2009

Students in Plymouth lose a class day to fire

PLYMOUTH – A morning fire in a basement lavatory at Main Street Elementary school in Plymouth prompted Wyoming Valley West School district to move all students to the high school gymnasium Monday.

October 31, 2009

Reading, math good for eighth graders

If you’ve got an eighth-grader in your house, give her (or him) a gold star and a pat on the head.

October 28, 2009

LIU’s chief Ostrowski bows out

KINGSTON – Luzerne Intermediate Unit Executive Director Michael Ostrowski alternated between cracking his trademark corny jokes and choking back tears during a farewell at the board meeting Wednesday.

October 24, 2009

Rigali’s pastoral visit thrills the faithful

WILKES-BARRE – Cardinal Justin Rigali may have fallen a few minutes short when it came to punctuality Saturday – the 5 p.m. Mass at St. Nicholas Church started about six minutes late – but service went full tilt once it began, with Knights of Columbus Honor Guard in full regalia, an organ and choir accompanied by brass, cymbals and timpani, and 13 priests concelebrating.