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Let’s end the summer on an upbeat note with nothing but diamonds.

Diamonds to Wilkes-Barre city for impressive renovations unveiled at Weissman Park. From the high-tech safety material underfoot to the climbing, hopping and swinging gear above ground, it looks like an old eyesore has been converted to a genuine asset. It supplants the Spruce Street park as the most recently renovated, and precedes a planned do-over at the Parsons Park. Here’s hoping children both benefit from these renovations and respect the value of the work done.

Diamonds to the Kids Wish Network for helping fulfill Wyoming resident Selena Nova’s dream of traveling to Disneyland in California to watch a taping of the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Nova, who suffers from epilepsy, has been dancing from an early age. It’s always good to see a child’s dream become real.

Diamonds to Penn State Wilkes-Barre for again hosting the Arts at Hayfield, a family-friendly event on a bucolic campus. Tents pop up around the greens offering an array of vendors who often sell unique items while live musicians entertain. Arts at Hayfield remains one of the many jewels in our region, yet sometimes seems overlooked. Here’s hoping for many more years of the event.

Diamonds to Dallas School District for the drama-free construction of Luzerne County’s newest school, the Intermediate School replacing the old and increasingly problematic Dallas Elementary School. The district held a formal ribbon cutting last Sunday, ushering in not only a new school but a new grade configuration as Wycallis will now house grades kindergarten through second while the new school takes grades three through five, ending the age of two schools that both held K-5.

Diamonds to Deep Woods Lake LLC for deciding to drop a massive housing project around Beech Mountain Lakes in favor of putting 1,779 acres into the state Clean and Green program. There is, of course, a financial benefit to the owners, as the program gives reduced assessed values in exchange for keeping the property undeveloped, but the outcome is still the same: More forest will stay forest. There is, of course, nothing wrong with smart development of such land, but as we grapple with growing concerns regarding greenhouse gasses, keeping forests in tact has plenty of merit.

Diamonds to the Fine Arts Fiesta for establishing the Jane Lampe Groh Fine Ats fiesta Fund through the Luzerne Foundation. The new fund gives Fiesta supporters (and if your not one you should be) a new way to support the venerable event held annually on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square, but it also honor the late Jane Groh, a woman who volunteer many hours to community events, including the Fine Arts Fiesta.

Diamonds to Wilkes-Barre for swearing in not only the city’s first female firefighter, but the first three. One of them, Danielle Illiano, conceded the challenge of breaking this 200-year-old glass ceiling when she said, “Gotta make a footprint,” but we have confidence in them and in the people who selected them for the challenge. Besides, getting sworn in is already making a footprint. Here’s to years of making it ever bigger.

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