web1_Mosquito_2.jpg

Mosquito spraying set for 5 Luzerne County municipalities on Monday

web1_lawtonnewuse.jpg

Lawton submits proposal to fund Luzerne County government raises and new deputy

WILKES-BARRE &#8212; I&#8217;m from the Wyoming Valley, Northeastern PA, Luzerne County and I&#8217;m damn proud of it.I am so tired of hearing people talk this area down. And those emails &#8212; &#8220;You know you&#8217;re from the Valley if&#8230;&#8221; &#8212; well they can all head to the deleted file.Why do so many of us so eagerly laugh at ourselves? Why do we find humor in our proud heritage? Why do we denigrate the very fabric that weaves through our DNA?I really don&#8217;t get it at all.I am proud to have been born and raised in this area.I&#8217;m proud to say I went to school here, that I work here, that I stayed here.I&#8217;m proud to say I enjoy living here and I find this area to offer everything needed to raise children, to provide entertainment, to secure education, to have fun and to recreate.So here goes:You Know you&#8217;re from the Valley I know:&#8226; If you possess a solid work ethic, where you show up on time, work an honest day and appreciate your co-workers.&#8226; If you attend or have attended one of the five area colleges/universities where you received a quality education that prepared you for the real world.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever strolled around a farmers market or an arts festival in downtown Wilkes-Barre and sampled local produce or marveled at the work of local artists.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever played a round of golf on one of the numerous beautiful and challenging golf courses.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever been helped by members of local law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day to keep all of us safe.&#8226; If you have ever volunteered for any of the not-for-profit groups operating in the area who give of their time and energy to help others less fortunate.&#8226; If you know of anybody who has been helped by the response of caring individuals who have donated to various causes for people displaced by fire, or who have sick children, or who need financial help.&#8226; If you have ever had a meal in one of the many area ethnic restaurants.&#8226; If you have ever kayaked down the Susquehanna River and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and abundance of wildlife that abounds.&#8226; If you have ever sat on a front porch in your neighborhood and chatted with your neighbors and solved the world&#8217;s problems.&#8226; If you really love pizza and sample the many different styles and tastes at shops throughout the region.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever put on your school&#8217;s colors and attended a Friday or Saturday high school football game and sipped some hot chocolate and cheered for the players and the bands.&#8226; If you have ever attended any event at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, which has attracted big names and up-and-coming acts.&#8226; If you enjoy rooting for your hometown Penguins or RailRiders at their outstanding facilities.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve taken a bike ride through Kirby Park and enjoyed the beauty that sits along the river and provides such beautiful space for games, concerts and fireworks.&#8226; If you have taken advantage of Frances Slocum Park and its amenities for hikes, bike rides, boat rides, picnics and swimming.&#8226; If you have strolled in downtowns in places like Pittston City or Plymouth Borough or Edwardsville for tomatoes, kielbasa or pierogis.&#8226; If you have ever benefited from being helped by good Samaritans who put others safety ahead of their own.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever attended events like the Bloomsburg Fair for great food, rides and games and the chance to pet a cow.&#8226; If you&#8217;ve ever taken the time to shake the hand of a military veteran to tell them how much you appreciate what they did to preserve our freedom.&#8226; If you have enjoyed each of the four seasons and what they bring &#8212; spring flowers, summer fun in the sun, fall foliage and winter snows.&#8226; If you appreciate the diversity of our population and value what each person brings to the community table.&#8226; If you value family and friendship and the spirit of fellowship and sharing.I&#8217;m sure I missed something and I hope you remind me of all I forgot.But the point is we should be proud of who we are and where we live. We should brag about our past and cherish the history that built our region.It&#8217;s easy to be negative. It&#8217;s simple to be too lazy to really search for the good. It takes a strong person to stand up to peer pressure from people who are too shallow or too afraid to admit they like who they are and where they live.If we don&#8217;t tell the world what a great place this is and how great the people are, then why would we expect anyone on the outside to decide to locate here.We can no longer be our own worst enemy. We have to boast, not roast.By being proud, we put out the welcome mat to others.So instead of laughing and sharing those derogatory emails, do as I do &#8212; delete them, forget them and forward this.<style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Columnshot-1-8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_Columnshot-1-8.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Bill O&#8217;Boyleboboyle@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</shirttailMeta></div>

In Focus: You know you’re from the Valley when…