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Jamie’s Litter Crew keeping Greater Pittston beautiful

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Tunkhannock teachers strike, promise unfair labor practice complaint

Diamonds to the Luzerne County leaders who led an effort to restructure government debt. This week, investors scooped up the county&#8217;s bond offerings, putting the government &#8211; and taxpayers &#8211; in better shape for the long run. The county will save an immediate $4 million this year, according to County Manager Robert Lawton. Plus, he said, yearly debt repayments between 2016 and 2021 will be reduced by about $3 million. The deal was done without raising Luzerne County&#8217;s overall debt burden of $395 million; in fact, the figure dropped by a few thousand dollars. It might be a long tunnel ahead, but there&#8217;s finally a glimmer at the end.Coal to the clod, or perhaps crew of dunderheads, responsible for ransacking a Kingston church. At Grace Episcopal Church, the congregation learned this week that a vandal had struck, strewing Communion wafers on the floor and leaving behind vile graffiti. Also, several items were reported missing. These kinds of incidents might seem of concern to only the victimized houses of worship, but in fact they harm the whole community.Diamonds to the area&#8217;s network of emergency medical services personnel. As part of National EMS Week, which wraps up Saturday, give a nod of appreciation to all the men and women who provide pre-hospital care &#8211; and sometimes supply life-saving aid. They are first on the scene yet seldom fully acknowledged. Fittingly, their week of recognition coincides with the unofficial start of the summer season, when people are prone to require EMS care for vehicle crashes, barbecue grills gone awry, animal encounters, bicycle spills, swimming mishaps and other sorts of misfortune. Be careful out there.Coal to anyone riding in a vehicle who fails to secure his or her seat belt. In the event of a crash, the device potentially will spare you serious injury, perhaps even save your life. Yet more than 380 people in Pennsylvania died last year in &#8220;unrestrained fatalities,&#8221; according to the state Department of Transportation&#8217;s data. A &#8220;Click It or Ticket&#8221; campaign, which involves stepped-up enforcement of seat belt laws, continues through June 7. Don&#8217;t risk it. Buckle up.Diamonds to area residents who pause during the extended Memorial Day weekend to properly honor those for whom the holiday is intended. If not for those who sacrificed and died, you would not be free to exercise so many personal liberties and, as Americans tend to do with increasing relish, pursue happiness. So, attend a patriotic parade. Tune to a solemn observance on TV or radio. Visit a cemetery. Remember.

Our Opinion: Luzerne County makes right financial moves