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Diamonds to St. Nicholas – St. Mary Parish for another heartwarming, smile-inducing St. Nicholas Feast Day commemoration. Of course, it is a religious rite with a Catholic Mass, but it blends the spiritual with here-on-Earth charity, and there are few sights that better the joy of giving than a large crowd of parishioners carrying presents for needy children to the altar, volunteer Boy Scouts helping to pile them in as orderly a fashion as possible when there are so many donations. This particular cake is annually iced with a visit from “St. Nicholas” (the actual bishop of history, not the Santa variation) and his sidekick Ruprecht — portrayed this year by parishioner Chris Kohl and his grandson, Adam Martino. A healthy dose of good advice, a few jokes, several bags of coal to select parishioners (including one tossed to the choir in the balcony), a chance for children to sit and pose with the bearded man in cloak and miter, and a reception with some cookies and other goodies all added up to a crowd-pleasing celebration that embodied all the best sentiments of the Christmas season.
Coal to an odd error that gave Greater Nanticoke Area School District voters instructions to vote for five candidates in the recent election when there were only four seats available. The Luzerne County Election Bureau put the blame squarely on the district’s shoulders, saying the district officially told the county there were five openings, and we have no reason to doubt that explanation. The fact that the error persisted from the May primary through the November general election is clearly frustrating; someone (including local media) should have noticed the error over the course of six months. In the end, no harm and no foul as only four candidates actually got on the ballot for both elections, and no write-in candidate got the minimum 100 primary votes required to advance to the general election.
Diamonds to Newport Township for commemorating its heritage with a new coal miner statue, and for framing the history of King Coal in a way that acknowledges the importance while admitting the negatives. Miners worked hard under dangerous conditions often for barons with little or no concern for their safety, and in that constant sacrifice they built families and communities while fueling the nation’s industrial revolution. While most of us are happy to put the age of anthracite forever behind us, it left an indelible mark beyond the slowly-disappearing strip mines and acid mine water drainage. Much of the region’s work ethic and resiliency stems from those who endured so many years ago. The statue has the added value of being part of the township’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Coal to every aspect of the tragic tale which unfolded in court at Jennifer Travinski’s trial. Prosecutors contend the young mother committed third-degree murder and child endangerment after her newborn died from adverse effects of Fentanyl exposure complicated by acute pneumonia. Police allegedly found nearly 200 fentanyl packets in the Larksville home where she and her husband took turns caring for the infant Arya. Defense attorney Demetrius Fannick concedes Travinski was careless in keeping the drug in the house, but that her husband and Arya’s father is equally, if not more, responsible. He argued evidence will show Fentanyl was not involved in the child’s death, and that no evidence justifying a murder charge exists. Jurors on Thursday convicted Travinski. Regardless of the outcome, a young child is dead, and no matter how you spin it, parents having Fentanyl in the house while caring for a newborn (or any children) is utterly reckless and shows a dangerous indifference to the safety of the young.
— Times Leader