Joshua Keiper, candy chef and owner of Naked Toffee, shows off a few of his creations during the Back to the Grind fall festival in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader File Photo
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Diamonds to Abide Coffeehouse and all those involved in staging the second Back to the Grind fall festival on Public Square last weekend. Note that this time it was a three-day event, compared to the inaugural single-day celebration. The mix of live music, vendors, games, food and a citywide scavenger hunt is a worthy addition to the many activities staged on the venerable diamond-shaped park in the heart of the county seat. It serves not only as a general draw for more people to see what Downtown Wilkes-Barre has to offer and as a welcome to students settling in at King’s College and Wilkes-University, but also as a fundraiser for the Abide Foundation, which helps community members meet day-to-day needs. Added bonus: It promotes businesses both fixed in the downtown and visiting for the occasion.
Coal to the Wilkes-Barre man who allegedly decided to redefine the old trope of a “food fight” by, according to police, throwing a baked potato at another person. While that’s bad (and dumb) enough, this was reportedly a 49-year-old man speeding a spud at an 11-year-old boy during a domestic dispute. The two were in an argument that turned physical, with the boy’s mother saying she heard the row and arrived to see the man throw the boy to the floor and strike him with a fist to the body. Even after the woman separated them, the man picked up the tater and whipped it across the room, hitting the boy’s right eye. If all this proves true, the man bears the blame for a simple reason: He was supposed to be the adult in the room.
Diamonds to the Luzerne County government officials who decided to livestream surveillance camera video of the election bureau room where Nov. 5 general election ballots will be gathered and stored. As a Tuesday story noted, this is allowing anyone with an internet connection to watch election workers entering and exiting at all hours. County Election Director Emily Cook noted there are strict security protocols governing access to the ballot storage room, and County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the livestream is intended to increase transparency. It should do exactly that. Call it “Crowd-sourcing security.” Allowing everyone to view it decreases the ability of someone to claim they saw something suspicious that, conveniently, no one else noticed. That said …
Coal to anyone who decides the livestream is a great opportunity to cast aspersions on the process by making specious or deliberately misleading claims about what they see without confirming their suspicions. We’re not saying that will happen, but let’s be honest: The age of the internet and endless social media options allowing anyone to post any claim without a shred of proof. Even before near-instant global communications, there was a saying that a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth puts on its shoes. These days, lies can smother the world almost instantly. We doubt this admonishment will stop people determined to abuse the livestream from doing so (though here’s hoping). But we do believe pointing out the risk should remind people to set aside any biases regarding election integrity and wait before reposting inflammatory claims.