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Diamonds to the two sides settling the dispute involving parking on the lot once home to the Hotel Sterling. It never should have happened in the first place, and the dispute earned a coal back in August precisely because the site has been the victim of too many missteps and too much mismanagement for a decade. But at least it’s resolved.

Coal to Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George’s no-tax hike budget, and yes you read that right. This should be a diamond — who isn’t happy when a government passes a budget without a tax hike. But this instance of fiscal restraint comes on the heels of high drama created when the city sought “distressed” status from the state. George and his administration made it sound like the Diamond City was on the brink of fiscal ruin, so much so it was initially surprising when the state refused to grant said status in late August. Yet here we are, able to make it another year. Consistency in the message would go a long way to building trust in the messenger.

Diamonds to Wilkes-Barre for settling a grievance dispute with police officer Dan Duffy, and yes, this is also worth a coal. Duffy was fired for an email he shouldn’t have sent because administration took it as a threat they shouldn’t have perceived as so egregious it warranted dismissal. It was a textbook case of a legitimate concern on both sides escalating into a costly and avoidable legal battle. Duffy, on his part, should now dismiss a civil lawsuit and put the whole thing in the past.

Coal to the unsettling fact that the investment group buying the historic train station in Wilkes-Barre sought and received a one-year extension on a $1.08 million payment. And yes, this should be a diamond for the light at the proverbial tunnel this iconic building has been in for so long. Sensing a pattern yet? In the end, Luzerne County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Andrew Reilly insisted, the authority can’t lose out because the investment group, headed by George Albert, signed an irrevocable letter of credit guaranteeing that $1.08 million. But considering how long the property has languished and deteriorated, this delay is unwelcome news.

Diamonds to Wilkes University and three like-minded organizations for bringing the message of author Richard Louv to our region: Children benefit mightily from exploring the natural world. Indeed, that’s true for all ages. Louv is no Luddite, he welcomes the technology of modern life. But he cautioned rightly against ignoring the world of nature while looking at it on screens. His analogy for those raising children was apt: Be a “hummingbird parent,” not a “helicopter parent.” The latter, somewhat notoriously, hover noisily about a youngster ready to drop in and save them from any perceived threat. The former watch quietly from a distance while children explore nature the way they have since the dawn of man, intervening only when necessary.

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