User: rsheposh Time: 01-08-2012 23:16 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 01-09-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 9 A
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Editorial
MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2012 PAGE 9A
WORLD OPINION
Apathetic Arab League failing to stop atrocities
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ECENT EVENTS IN Syria have claimed the Arab League as another casualty of Syria’s bloody crackdown. Continuing violence by security forces is showcasing the League’s impotence and irrelevance, and it dashed any hope that League observers might help stem the bloodshed. According to Syrian activists, the reverse is true – protesters have faced a growing assault since the observers arrived. Their mission appears to have been designed for failure. With 60 monitors on the ground and another 90 to follow, the number of atrocities is too many and their locations too vast for observers to even scratch the surface. The observers are completely dependent on the Syrian government for transport and security and are unable to speak to victims without tip-
ping off authorities, who have reportedly hidden hundreds of detainees in off-limits military sites. Without unrestricted access, the results will lack credibility. The League’s lackadaisical approach reflects the organization’s ambivalence. Comprised of despots who share much in common with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, not least their disdain for the human rights of their respective citizens, Arab League members were reluctant, just until two months ago, to pressure their old friend, al-Assad, to stop the massacres. If it wishes to salvage what remains of its reputation, the League should replace Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Mustafa alDabi, assign more observers and stop Mr. al-Assad from manipulating its mission. The Globe and Mail Toronto
QUOTE OF THE DAY “The public looks at the public defenders office as we represent the scumbags of the world, why would we want to give them money If you don’t believe in the Constitution, then shut the office down. This is not mob rule.” Al Flora The Luzerne County Chief Public Defender has urged increased funding for a short-staffed office.
Shaky step to stability
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RAN’S announcement that it test-fired two missiles at the end of naval exercises in the Gulf was a sharp reminder of regional instability, whether in countries emerging from dictatorship or still subject to arbitrary rule. During the exercises, the government said it would close the Strait of Hormuz, the entrance to the Gulf, were the United States and the European Union to impose embargoes on its oil exports because of its uranium enrichment program. The Iranian threat has since been withdrawn, but the confusing signals from Tehran did nothing to calm nerves. The fulcrum of the Middle
East, Egypt, is in the throes of transition between a dictatorship and representative government, an exercise which has so far favored Islamist parties and is due to end with presidential elections in June. Political uncertainty has deterred investors and tourists, a blow to an already weak economy. Still, in contrast to Iran, Syria and Iraq, Egypt is at least moving in the right direction. Success during the coming year in laying the foundations for a stable democracy will be of profound benefit to the region as a whole. The Telegraph, London
A troubling arms deal
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MASSIVE ARMS deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia has received surprisingly little attention here in Israel. The United States finalized the sale of 84 F-15SA fighter jets. From the United States’ standpoint, the deal appears to achieve a number of goals. But from an Israeli perspective, the deal appears somewhat problematic. Though Washington’s intention is to build the Saudis’ confidence in the face of an in-
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creasingly belligerent Iran, these fighter planes could, in theory, just as soon be used against the Jewish State. The present Saudi regime seems stable – but so did Egyptian Hosni Mubarak’s. The United States needs to re-evaluate its military ties in the region, not primarily out of a concern for Israeli interests, rather as a means of preventing religious extremists from imposing radical policies with the aid of advanced U.S. arms. The Jerusalem Post
PRASHANT SHITUT President and Interim CEO/Impressions Media MARK JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Editorial Page Editor Vice President/Executive Editor
MALLARD FILLMORE
A confident beginning to the new year? No can-do. BARELY A WEEK old, 2012 already has a top contender for its slogan: “The year we can’t.” We can’t let people drive on the lanes of Market and River streets by the Hotel Sterling because the building is in imminent danger of collapsing. We can’t knock down the structure for many months, even though county commissioners set aside money, because they’ve been replaced by a new county council that has to approve the spending all over again. We can’t let county council approve the spending until the feds conclude their investigation of the whole inept failure to preserve the Sterling. And the investigation seems necessary because we can’t figure out how we spent $6 million to save the building long enough to have to knock it down. We can’t refinance Luzerne County debt at a lower interest rate because we have no credit rating. We can’t get a credit rating because Moody’s, the group that would rate us, says the county hasn’t done enough to prove it is on the road to solvency. Even if we got a credit rating, we can’t refinance most of our debt because past commissioners issued bonds with “call protection” to guarantee return on investment to entice people to buy bonds sold by a county without a credit rating. And if we didn’t have that restriction, we
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The transition from a county run by commissioners to one run by a county council and a manager should prove to be a temporary detour on progress in many fields, the COMMENTARY Sterling being just one. Presumably, once the council is up to have a debt management policy that says we speed, things can get done again, though can’t restructure debt just to cover operating one wonders why former Commissioner Stephen Urban and his son, both now on the expenses, which, after all, is why we need County Council, opted for a private swearmore money. We can’t cover our expenses ing-in rather than standing with the nine with the taxes we’re getting in this anemic others in a joint ceremony. economy. Maybe the elder Urban is so used to the That shortfall means we can’t give the minority role he played as commissioner judges or public defenders as much money that he can’t adjust to teamwork, even when as they say they need, which means they the team is brand new. We’ll see. can’t meet their Constitutional obligations. But a year that begins with so many roadChief Public Defender Al Flora said the blocks – some unavoidable, some manutight budget means his office can’t provide factured – bodes poorly. And you can expect representation for all the people who apply a whole lot more. Gov. Tom “Hatchet Man” for it, so he limited the types of cases acCorbett is signaling another year of austerity cepted. and budget cuts, so you can bet school disWhen a person without an attorney aptricts and municipalities will be voicing a peared in court charged with violating a whole lot of cant’s in coming months. We protection from abuse order – one of the can’t replace retired teachers, we can’t contypes of cases Flora said he can’t take – Judge Tina Polacheck Gartley said she can’t tinue a separate junior high school sports let that happen, and ordered a County public program, we can’t afford police or firefighters, we can’t have a bulk garbage pickup, we defender who happened to be there to take can’t survive without a tax hike … the case. He did. You want good news? Apparently, two “can’ts” make a “can.” We can’t find it. In fairness, a lot of this has been evolving for months, even decades, and things just happened to hit a new high – or more appro- Mark Guydish can be reached at 829-7161 or email mguydish@timesleader.com priately, new low – with the New Year.
MARK GUYDISH
LETTERS FROM READERS
Reader sees no reason for increased hunting
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n general, hunters comprise 3 percent of the U.S. population. (I suspect the percentage might be higher in Pennsylvania, but it’s lower in some states, less than 1 percent in Rhode Island.) It seems sensible that the other 97 percent of us, especially farmers, should be entitled to engage in outdoor work and nonlethal recreation on at least one day of the week without having to fear stray bullets. Pennsylvania is ahead in that respect. The reason there are so many deer is that killing increases their birth rates, enabling state wildlife departments to regulate hunting to obtain “the maximum sustained yield” of deer for the benefit of those people who enjoy wounding and killing them. Most deer/automobile accidents occur during hunting seasons when bucks are too occupied with breeding to pay attention to traffic. Killing other wild animals also stimulates breeding, resulting in more conflicts with humans and endangering some species around the world. This is changing, but too slowly to preserve the Earth as we know it. Recreational killing further slows our
already slow advances toward a kinder, less violent world. Bina Robinson Swain, N.Y.
Casey contributing to nation’s financial ruin
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.S. Sen. Robert Casey still does not get it, and he is helping to drive this country into the ground financially! In 2011, he consistently voted for bills that increased government spending and rarely voted for any sizeable spending cuts or reduction in the size of government. Sen. Casey has consistently increased the spending of his office and staff in each of his past five years. In fiscal year 2011, Sen. Casey spent more than $3.2 million
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taxpayer dollars for his office personnel. What Sen. Casey, and most of Washington, fails to understand is that the economic downturn that is gripping this country has, at its core, a government that is running amok with excessive spending and debt that will most likely never be repaid. Making matters worse is that Sen. Casey’s apparent solution is to spend more money that can come only from a printing press. Case in point: The only bill in recent memory that Sen. Casey has sponsored is the bill to extend and enlarge the payroll tax reduction. On the surface, this seems to be a good idea, and it certainly will go a long way in “buying” the votes of those people who see government handouts as a good thing. What is not mentioned, nor understood, is that both the U.S. government and Social Security are out of money. As such, the only way to make Sen. Casey’s proposal work is to go deeper into debt, worsening this country’s financial crisis. In 2012, Sen. Casey will be asking the people whom he represents to re-elect him. At a time when every American home, business and municipality is cutting spending and downsizing, the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania need to ask themselves this: Do we really need a senator who cannot do the same? John Moga Dallas
User: jmacintyre Time: 03-01-2012 19:52 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 03-02-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A
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FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 PAGE 11A
Editorial
OUR OPINION: COMMUNITY HELP
Take a day (or 2) to show you care
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ID GOODBYE TO the winter blahs during this first week of March by committing to do something uplifting for your soul and your community. ❏ ‘Skip’ work, show you care. Support the United Way of Wyoming Valley as it marks a milestone this year, coordinating its 20th annual Day of Caring. During this volunteer-driven event, area residents – many of whom are given a day off by their employers – blitz the area’s nonprofit organizations to lend a hand. They paint, sweep, landscape, file, arrange and otherwise assist charitable groups throughout Luzerne County. Collectively, these Day of Caring laborers boost the ability of often cash-strapped charities to do projects that might otherwise go unfinished. Day of Caring is scheduled for June 21; it’s not too early to make arrangements with your co-workers or fellow club members to participate. First, however, leaders of area nonprofits are encouraged to submit their project proposals to the United Way. The deadline for those submissions is March 16. Visit www.unitedwaywb.org or call 829-6711 ext. 237 (John Winslow) or ext. 222 (Amy Zawada). ❏ Tidy the planet, clean your neighborhood. A statewide, antilitter campaign is again under way, with trash pickup projects planned through May 31. Chip in at any of the eight events scheduled, so far, in Luzerne County, including Wilkes-Barre’s cleanup on April 21. Groups that properly register their garbage-ridding projects and hold them between April 21 and May 7 are eligible for free landfill disposal. Visit the Great American Cleanup of PA’s website: www.gacofpa.org. ❏ Stock shelves, feed the less fortunate. During National Nutrition Month in March, contribute to a food drive such as the one conducted by Geisinger’s Clinical Nutrition Team. Donations of healthy, nonperishable items are being accepted through March 23 at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township and Geisinger South WilkesBarre, at 25 Church St. Separately, a food drive organized by an area tax-preparation business is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Thomas’ Foodtown locations in Dallas and Shavertown. This list only hints at the many ways you can do something during 2012 to improve your community. What’s stopping you?
QUOTE OF THE DAY “We, of course, will be watching closely and judging North Korea’s new leaders by their actions.” Hillary Rodham Clinton The U.S. secretary of state recently addressed a congressional hearing after North Korea agreed to suspend uranium enrichment at a major facility and refrain from missile and nuclear tests in exchange for a mountain of critically needed U.S. food aid.
OTHER OPINION: CHURCH ABUSE
Open window to discover truth
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ITH THE deeply troubling disclosure that Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua ordered aides to shred a memo identifying 35 suspected predator priests, there’s no longer any question that Pennsylvania should give victims of long-ago abuse an avenue to have their day in court. Just as two Philadelphia grand juries concluded, Bevilacqua’s reported 1994 shredding directive, brought to light only last week, appears to confirm that there was a carefully orchestrated effort by Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials to shield predators. Similarly, it has been revealed that Bevilacqua joined with other Pennsylvania bishops “to examine how the dioceses … can better protect their secret archives from civil-law discovery,” according to court records. The cardinal died Jan. 31, on the eve of the sex-abuse trial of a former church administrator and two former parish EDITORIAL BOARD
priests. Indeed, the conspiracy charges against Monsignor William J. Lynn, a top aide to Bevilacqua, and the counts being pursued against former priests James J. Brennan and Edward Avery for allegedly molesting a boy in the 1990s, are the exception. But victims would have another route to uncover the truth if they could file lawsuits under so-called civil-window legislation, which would relax the state’s statute of limitation for a specific period. State Rep. Michael McGeehan, D-Philadelphia, has introduced a bill in Pennsylvania that mirrors the civil-window laws in California and Delaware. But Catholic officials continue to stymie Harrisburg’s efforts to act on the civilwindow bill, with Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput among its most vocal and vehement opponents. The Philadelphia Inquirer
PRASHANT SHITUT President and Interim CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor
MALLARD FILLMORE
County taxpayers deserve diligence ‘as a matter of course’ THE PERSON who conducts the forensic audit of bills submitted to Luzerne County by attorney Angela Stevens had better find a Harry Potter-style “time turner.” It’s hard to imagine any other explanation for her workdays that lasted, in some cases, 23 to 46 hours. If you’re not a part of Pottermania, the “time turner” allowed wizard-in-training Hermione Granger to attend two magic lessons held in separate places at the same time. Such a gizmo would be one of the few viable explanations for Stevens’ bills. Well, that or Mr. Peabody’s WABAC machine, but that also would require finding a talking beagle with a penchant for puns … which seems as likely as finding a plausible explanation for this fiasco. Reporter Terrie Morgan-Besecker discovered all this after asking a simple question: How did the county spend $209,000 more than allotted to assure that parents got representation when the Children and Youth agency took away their kids? First, Terrie looked at total bills from lawyers, and found Stevens out-billed everybody by a factor of, oh, let’s call it “Holy cow!” Stevens billed $144,554 in one year; only one other attorney had topped even $30,000. At $55 an hour, Stevens’ total bill would equate to working more than 50 hours a week every week of 2011 – no vacation, no
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MARK GUYDISH
LETTERS FROM READERS
Writer questions merger of med school, university
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all of seven minutes at a casual pace. Which would have given Stevens 20 minutes to wend through the courthouse and do whatever dropping off or picking up she needed COMMENTARY to do. Presumably, driving would have afforded even more time in the courthouse. Stevens’ charges for time spent on cases holidays. Next, Terrie looked at invoices. Turns out appear almost as egregious. There are numerous invoices on which she billed for 12 Stevens was billing for round trips to the to 23 hours of work in a single day. courthouse to deliver and process her bills, Best-case scenario (other than a time which is legal, though ethically annoying to turner or WABAC machine): Stevens is a many of us who don’t work under such hardworking attorney who got caught up in rules. Stevens apparently delivered dozens massive billing errors of her firm. Or she of bills in one trip, but billed as though she sloppily drew up bills that reflected accurate had made dozens of separate trips. hours but lumped them into a single day for Her explanation? Travel time was included in each bill “as a the sake of expedience. But this case is so galling because even if matter of course. … When petitions were those explanations are true, they are indelivered in groups, the final bills should have been adjusted to reflect a single charge sufficient for obvious reasons. First, how could a county judicial system for delivering all the petitions. Unfortunatestruggling to overcome the stench of a corly, these adjustments were not made.” ruption overlook such glaring over-billing? Ignore that this “unfortunate” error cost Second, Stevens signed documents legally taxpayers more than $38,000 for all those attesting to the accuracy of the bills. If it’s alleged trips. Focus on the mindset you need to make a bill for work that you haven’t all clerical error, she: a) signed without done, and to do that “as a matter of course.” actually checking for accuracy, b) signed knowing they were inaccurate, or c) In three separate days, Stevens billed an couldn’t tell the difference. average of 34 minutes for 91 round trips of Any way you look at it, it’s a mockery of 2.2 miles – across the bridge from her Kingpublic trust. ston office in Riverside Commons to the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. I took a little stroll. Walking one way from Mark Guydish can be reached at 829-7161 or email mguydish@timesleader.com. the courthouse to her office building lasted
he people of Northeastern Pennsylvania need to respond publicly to secret negotiations between The Commonwealth Medical College and the University of Scranton regarding a future affiliation/ merger. Sensible connections between medical providers and educators certainly can be beneficial, but the imposition of Catholic dogma on the policies of a public medical school would not be beneficial for the majority of our residents. More than 51 percent of state residents are women. Catholic doctrine specifically prohibits providing women with a full range of reproductive health care, even for victims of rape. More than 15 percent of state residents are 65 or older. Catholic doctrine specifically limits the range of options available for end-of-life-care. About 47 percent of state residents are not Catholic. These residents could find that the health care available to them in Northeastern Pennsylvania would incorporate doctrinally determined policies to which they may or may not subscribe. Why is secrecy necessary? Our tax dol-
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lars fund the medical school. We all know that these are difficult economic times; but why not seek affiliation/merger with a secular institution, such as Geisinger Health System, nationally recognized for the quality of its care and its success at cost management? Make no mistake; these meetings between TCMC and the University of Scranton could have a profound effect on the medical care available in this region. If the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania wish to live by the health care mandates of the Catholic Church, then all will be well. But if there are those people who wish not be have their health care options determined by Catholic doctrine, then it is our responsibility to speak up and support
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alternative approaches to funding the medical college, a truly invaluable resource for our region. Jennie Congleton Dallas
Reader believes Obama has no regard for voters
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lthough I’m encouraged that the church has temporarily stopped turning the other cheek in regard to being forced to be part of “Obamacare,” my feelings about being made into a slave to “King Obama” are just as strong and pure. The Constitution spoke about God-given rights! For Obama and his leftist comrades to think that they can dismantle the Constitution without cries of outrage from many sectors of our population clearly demonstrates just how little he thinks about us. But then again, his parents seemingly had little love for this country either; and they say that coconuts don’t fall too far from the tree. Joseph DuPont Towanda
User: jmacintyre Time: 11-15-2012 19:20 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 11-16-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: edit_01 PageNo: 11 A
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012 PAGE 11A
Editorial
OUR OPINION: FEEDBACK
Give your 2 cents to county manager
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AVE YOU BEEN itching to suggest a new way for Luzerne County’s government to save money, deliver better service or both? Do you care to comment publicly on the county’s operations since its historic transition earlier this year to home rule? If so, don’t miss your chance to be heard Tuesday. Robert C. Lawton, the man who oversees the county’s dayto-day operations and who devised next year’s $122.2 million proposed budget – will be listening. It’s his duty. When a majority of Luzerne County voters agreed in 2010 to toss out the longstanding, three commissioner-type of government and try something new, they gave their blessing to a home rule charter that, in Section 4.07 A9, dictates the county manager shall: Hold at least one public forum annually for the purpose of providing a reasonable opportunity for the public to offer comments and suggestions directly to the County Manager.
G E T I N V O LV E D Review Luzerne County’s proposed 2013 budget, read news announcements and find a list of upcoming meetings at www.luzernecounty.org.
Each forum shall be held in the evening. The date, time and place of each forum shall be advertised and posted on the County website and/or other electronic medium as shall be provided for in the Administrative Code. In accordance with the charter, the first of these public forums has been scheduled. The date: Tuesday. The time: 6 p.m. The place: Council meeting room on the first floor of the Luzerne County Courthouse, 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre. As a county resident, a concerned citizen and/or a taxpayer, don’t you think you should stay engaged in what your county government does? Regrettably, we have learned after a series of high-profile, public corruption arrests what can happen if you don’t.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “No government would tolerate a situation where nearly a fifth of its people live under a constant barrage of rockets and missile fire …” Benjamin Netanyahu Israel’s prime minister pledged “whatever action is necessary to defend our people” in response to Palestinian rocket fire Thursday. The fighting in the Gaza Strip, the heaviest in four years, brought life to a standstill on both sides of the border, with schools canceled and people huddled indoors.
OTHER OPINION: LEADERSHIP
Dems in Congress need young voice
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ANCY PELOSI IS the woman in the Democratic Party whom Republicans love to hate. As we observed two years ago when we suggested she step down as her party’s leader in the House, she has aroused “a visceral dislike in her critics that goes beyond the fact that her job has been to push an agenda that affronts conservatives.” Pelosi, who in 2010 was coming off a disastrous midterm election that cost Democrats the majority in the House, decided to stay on. Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that Pelosi, House Democratic leader for 10 years, was considering giving up the role now that her caucus has suffered its second disappointing election in a row. On Wednesday, she announced that she would remain as leader. That is a mistake. Two years on, nothing much has changed except Pelosi’s age. She is now 72. Despite the caricatures of her, she is what she always was – a dedicated, smart and attractive politician who made history as the first female EDITORIAL BOARD
speaker. Her biggest problem is simply coming from San Francisco, which conservatives use against Pelosi her as a stereotype suggesting wacky liberal excess. Unfair or not, voters in America’s heartland aren’t going to rejoice over her decision. But it would be best for the Democratic Party if a clean break were made from the past. To do that would require someone younger to replace her; the potential successors are in their 70s – Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, 73, of Maryland and Rep. James E. Clyburn, 72, of South Carolina. In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid will soon be 73, and he should be thinking of handing over the reins, too. The Democrats have had success in appealing to young people at the polls, which is even more reason for believing that its leadership can’t afford to be geriatric for much longer. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PRASHANT SHITUT President and CEO/Impressions Media MARK E. JONES JOSEPH BUTKIEWICZ Vice President/Executive Editor Editorial Page Editor
MALLARD FILLMORE
A beloved dad’s pictures tell the story of life amid war HE STARES up at me, a five-o-clock shadow, tilted head and eyes showing the commitment, intensity and silent compassion he carried through life. And though the photo of Sgt. Jake Guydish at a Walterboro Air Force Base in South Carolina is 70 years old, he speaks to me. “I just looked at the camera and snapped this one. Silly, Eh? I know, I need a shave.” Dad was a shutterbug during the war, recording his experiences as he traveled from U.S. base to U.S. base, then across Africa and into Italy, a mechanic one step behind the lines, keeping the Army Air Force aloft. I digitized his photos this year, and while the images were often compelling, it was the words on the backs that brought them palpable life 11 years after his death. January 1942, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, a double exposure of dad sweeping a porch: “Here’s one Levan took. Two pictures of me without turning the film. One guy said it looks like my conscience in the background.” April 1942, Meridian, Miss., a car zipping by: “Here’s a picture of a girl who was riding up the road nice and slow, but there was no light on her face & of course it didn’t come out at all. Taken in Meridian. She was pretty, too.” May 1942, Columbia, S.C., a black youth steers a horse-drawn cart, a sign on the wagon partially visible: “The sign said: Mr. Henderson, Please don’t ration hay!”
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COMMENTARY The comments paint “The Greatest Generation” in human terms: “Thompson. He’s the Clark Gable” … “John Fish. He quit Rutgers U. to join the army.” … “Manuel Gonzales. He’s a bum soldier but he’s a pretty swell guy.” … “Hamil. Rochester N.Y. He was a Packard salesman” … “Joseph Eastwood, Lowell, Mass. He’s as English as could be almost, for an American” …“R.L. Gillies, my right-hand man. My number-one boy. Best stock chaser in the outfit” … “‘Heavy’ Feinstein, our sloppy mess Sgt.” They show the cost of war: blown bridges, soldiers posing before houses with facades turned to rubble. They show the victims: An Italian woman carrying a stack of wood, twice as long as she is tall, balanced on her head; an Italian “beach bum” grinning through silver beard. U.S. soldiers joke around in German uniforms, pose by tiny Italian Fiats that look like circus clown cars next to beefy Yanks and, most strikingly, find something to smile about in the midst of a world war. And they show the planes Dad helped to keep running: “Sad Sack,” “Talking For Joe,” “Bottom’s up,” “Droopy Dogs,” “Lil Bea Hind,” “Who Cares,” “Early Bird,” “Little Stardust,” “Ready, Willing and Able,” “Available Jones.” Dad served 17 months abroad before a
piece of shrapnel tore into his left arm during an air raid in May 1944 that took away full use of his left hand for life. I thought of the pictures after attending this year’s Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade, the one parade I try to see every year anymore. My wife and I admit to tearing up a little as troops march by. “They’re young and brave,” she said. “And they could be put in danger any day.” I thank you all, past and present. And I thank you, Dad. Mark Guydish is a reporter for The Times Leader. He can be reached via email, at mguydish@timesleader.com, or by calling 829-7161.
LETTERS FROM READERS
W-B Public Works Dept. needs accountability
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ore numbers are not adding up for Wilkes-Barre’s gas usage at its Department of Public Works garage. Set up a street camera; it records 24 hours a day with date and time displayed. And who is in charge or responsible down there? Fire the person and get someone else in there. Rich Novis Wilkes-Barre
Bravo to Wilkes actors for ‘Godspell’ production
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MARK GUYDISH
ecently, four of my friends and I attended the play “Godspell” that was put on by Wilkes University students. We enjoyed the performance immensely
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and encourage others to see it. I commend the very talented cast, director, musical director, choreographer and all of those behind the scenes. Congratulations to all of you for giving us an enjoyable evening. “Godspell” will be shown again at 8 tonight, 8 p.m Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center. I have seen many of the productions by the college and have never been disappointed. I’m looking forward to many more
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in the future. Keep up the good work. Carol Schickner Harveys Lake
Video cameras at pumps can track use properly
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ay I suggest to Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton that video cameras be installed at the fuel pumps to record who pumps the fuel, into what vehicle it is pumped and when it is pumped? That should help deter any theft and provide a method of explaining discrepancies. Cameras already in use in the city can be moved to avoid having to purchase additional cameras. Bob McDougal Wilkes-Barre