Click here to subscribe today or Login.
MATTHEW G. SOLOVEY EDITOR GREATER NANTICOKE LEADER
Tuesday, February 08, 2000 Page: 2
They call her “Feisty Irene.” Our local superhero Irene Rinehamer, who took
down an escaped convict a few months back, was in the news again on Friday.
The 77-year-old resident of Nanticoke was awarded the Liz Pearson Citizen of
the Year Award by the U.S. Marshall Service. Fellow Nanticoke citizen Walter
Sokolowski presented the award at a ceremony at the Federal courthouse in
Wilkes-Barre. I’m proud of you, Irene. For those who may not remember, Irene
was shopping at a local supermarket when escaped convict Anthony Yang
attempted an apparent carjacking. Yang picked the wrong person to mess with.
Irene warded him off with her keys and a good kick to the stomach. A weakened
Yang fell back and took off as others came to Irene’s aid. Police were later
able to lift a fingerprint off Irene’s glasses to verify that it was indeed
Yang who attacked. Within hours, Yang and his cellmate Michael McCloskey were
back in jail… all thanks to our Irene. Typically, Irene should have
probably just let the attacker take her vehicle to avoid any bodily harm. But
she reacted and seized an opportunity to save herself and her property. And
she won. I wonder what I would have done in the same circumstances. According
to Sokolowski, about 75 people are nominated annually for the Liz Pearson
Citizen of the Year Award. I don’t know what any of the other nominees
accomplished, but it doesn’t matter. Our Irene won it. You just have to feel
proud of her. How can you not? She’s part of our community and as a community
we need to support one another. I like to keep tabs on accomplishments of our
residents. Even if I don’t know them, if I ever run into them I want to be
able to congratulate them. Accomplishments of our residents paint our
communities in positive light. That’s important. When it seems like only
negative news makes the headlines, it’s always good to see something positive.
If Irene didn’t do what she did, who knows what would have happened? Those two
thugs could have hurt or killed someone in desperation. They could have broken
into any of our homes. But they didn’t have a chance. Irene stopped them cold.
If there are some lessons to be learned from this it’s, that the good guys
(and girls) do win. And above all else, don’t mess with Irene.
FOR THE RECORD
In the last issue of The Greater Nanticoke Leader, there was an incorrect
statement concerning the Nanticoke Indian tribe in a story on page 6.
According to a member of the Turkey Clan of the Delawares, the Nanticokes were
not a member of their tribe, also known as Lenni-Lenape. The Nanticokes were a
separate and distinct tribe with their own language.