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Writer questions diocese’s nursing home purchase
I thought the Scranton Diocese was broke, with all the church closings, raising the tuition for Catholic schools and busting the teachers union. But it found money to buy the Heritage House in Wilkes-Barre.
Where are its priorities?
WVSA should back off plan to treat frack water
The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority plan to allow the construction of a frack water treatment plant along the Susquehanna River must be stopped
It’s absurd for the authority’s board members to even consider, let alone pick, someone to design, build and operate a natural gas wastewater treatment facility, as was discussed at a recent meeting.
Even though they say they aren’t making a commitment until they do more homework, it sure sounds as if they already made up their minds.
The company chosen by the board says that water dumped into the Susquehanna will be treated to drinking water standards. While it is quite possible that frack water can be turned into drinking water, the costs would be prohibitive. Furthermore, if the water is treated to drinking water standards, then why does it need to be dumped into the Susquehanna at all?
It appears that they want to dilute their contaminated water with the treated sewage until it just barely meets the requirements of an National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, and then dump it into the river. This is seemingly one more attempt to discharge contaminated water into the streams and rivers in our area. It was attempted in Wyoming County at Lemon Township and Eaton Township. Both were refused by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
When I was a boy growing up in Harding, I spent my summers in, and on, the Susquehanna River. At that time there were no environmental laws, and everyone who lived along the Susquehanna threw their garbage over the river bank. The bottoms of my feet are covered with scars from stepping on cans and broken bottles.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s the cleanup of the area began. The undaunted effort to remove the junk tossed into the river paid off.
In 2009, I took my SCUBA gear and drifted down the river for approximately a mile, and I found only two pieces of construction debris that looked like aluminum siding. I found no cans, no bottles – no garbage of any kind.
To avoid the mistakes of the past, we need to be very vocal and active in protecting not only our precious water resources, but also our environment.
Resident enjoying use of new Eighth Street span
I walked across the new Eighth Street Bridge in Wyoming on March 29 and drove across it on March 30. Wonderful!
Thank you for your news coverage of this issue over the years. I have shared articles about the bridge with family members who live out of the area but remember well the old span.
The March 31 editorial on the old bridge almost made me miss it. Not!
One correction: There is a walkway for bikes and pedestrians, though narrow, on the original structure. I used it often.
School cuts shouldn’t be only way to cut deficit
Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed a budget that would drastically reduce funding for public schools and four-year colleges. Public education will lose approximately $1.5 billion. State-funded universities stand to lose nearly 50 percent of their state funding.
Corbett is asking public school teachers to take a one-year pay freeze. In lieu of the pay freeze, many districts are being forced to consider furloughs – reducing the number of classroom teachers and guaranteeing increased class size on both the elementary and secondary levels. Additionally, this proposed reduction in funding will result in the elimination of many programs, including Head Start. Such programs have proven success rates, yet our newly elected governor fails to see the benefit.
As an 11th-grade student, I am looking toward the future. In two years I will be attending (or hoping to attend) college. I fear that losing state funding will make it harder to get into college. These cuts will raise tuition prices. Not only that, they also are cutting down on acceptance rates. If it is hard to get into college now, imagine how hard it will be when fewer students are accepted.
I am aware that our state is facing a budget deficit, but there are other ways to save money.
I wonder if Gov. Corbett or our state lawmakers would take a pay freeze. I am sure they will not, so then how can he ask teachers, the people who mold our future generations, to do so?
It is time for our lawmakers to lead by example.
No one deserves to be denigrated with a label
I am writing to add my voice to a new organization, “Ability Path.” We must refrain from putting labels on people and using insulting words such as “retard.”
It is such a degrading word; it belongs with “idiot,” “stupid,” etc. – words that shouldn’t even exist!
We need to start teaching others – especially our children, that it’s inappropriate to call anybody these names.
I have mentally challenged and handicapped family members, and as a child, I was called names. It was not because of a mental illness, but because I never had or knew my father. I felt degraded, ashamed, singled out, confused, lost, alone and abandoned. The one or two friends I had didn’t want to be seen with me when the bullying would start. For a very long time, I felt worthless, and because of this I wanted to leave this world. At age 12 I tried to commit suicide.
I believe this whole-heartedly: The mentally challenged are smarter than all of us! They show an unselfish love; they know the world they live in and they bravely live in it. We are not strong enough to handle their world. I’ve never been called a nasty name by them and only received lots of hugs and kisses when they saw me sad. All they wanted was to make me feel better.
Remember the old saying “sticks and stones may break my bones?” Well, names do truly hurt us.
How bad? Look at our teens who are killing themselves. So think before you speak, and for God’s sake, please choose words wisely.
Sorick receives support in run for W-B mayor
Republican Frank Sorick is running for mayor of Wilkes-Barre. He is an honorable man.
Sorick is more than qualified. He is concerned about the residents of Wilkes-Barre.
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