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Letter to the Editor: Hillary Clinton supporter finds ‘good reasons’ for his convictions

At least three neighborhood groups recently formed in Wilkes-Barre, which suggests certain people want to work toward making things better tomorrow &#8211; perhaps by rekindling a community spirit from the past.We highlighted this promising trend in <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/opinion/editorials/511429/our-opinion-join-groups-aiming-to-improve-wilkes-barre-neighborhoods-other-nearby-communities" target="_blank">an editorial</a> last week. The piece, which attracted 95 online &#8220;likes&#8221; and several reader comments, put the focus on two startup groups: the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HeightsMayflowerRA/" target="_blank">Heights-Mayflower Residents&#8217; Association</a> and the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/swbresidentsassociation/?fref=nf" target="_blank">South Wilkes-Barre Residents&#8217; Association</a>. Each has scheduled a meeting this month.Not to be left out, residents of the city&#8217;s Rolling Mill Hill neighborhood also have a budding <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RollingMillHillResidentsAssociation/" target="_blank">residents&#8217; association</a>, according to a message posted on the Times Leader&#8217;s editorial. It indicated the group&#8217;s next gathering will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Church on Blackman Street. &#8220;We encourage residents to attend to work together for a better community,&#8221; the post stated.Each new group presumably aims to identify and conduct local improvement projects. One possible side effect: Participants will better get to know and appreciate one another.A comment made on our editorial, from a poster self-described as &#8220;seventy-eight years young,&#8221; hearkened back to an era when &#8220;most all neighbors on a street knew each other on a first-name basis.&#8221;The poster wrote: &#8220;Granddad told me it stemmed from the days when many (people) came from many countries to Luzerne County to work the coal mines. Often speaking no English, near financially broke and scared with their new venture, they clung together to help one another.&#8221;The writer acknowledged that today &#8220;we face different challenges,&#8221; including &#8220;sometimes unwarranted distrust.&#8221;&#8220;This (residents&#8217; association) movement can change that and in fact improve the lives of many,&#8221; the writer suggested.Separately, the writer of one online comment reflected on how families in the Miners Mills neighborhood, specifically on St. Clair St., responded in bygone days when they learned of a neighbor&#8217;s death. Each person, including children, &#8220;assumed a duty to help in any need,&#8221; according to the post. &#8220;We went house to house, collecting coins for the family. From those nickels and dimes, a basket of flowers from &#8216;Your Neighbors&#8217; was purchased and was part of the viewing and funeral. This giving/sharing/volunteering mindset carried into our teenage and adult lives.&#8221;With enough support from residents, perhaps today&#8217;s associations also can create an impressive track record of caring.<div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Meet the neighborsNew Wilkes-Barre neighborhood groups have announced via Facebook the following meeting dates:&#8226; Heights-Mayflower Residents&#8217; Association. 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Marymount Center, 154 S. Hancock St.&#8226; Rolling Mill Hill Residents&#8217; Association. 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Church on Blackman Street.&#8226; South Wilkes-Barre Residents&#8217; Association. 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at Firwood United Methodist Church. Invited guest speaker is Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis.</factboxMeta></div>

Our Opinion: Wilkes-Barre’s new neighborhood groups could revive old community spirit