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Wilkes men’s basketball returns to the championship stage Saturday

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Area traffic conditions

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to King&#8217;s College for expanding its sports offerings. Former high school track and field athletes can continue to sprint and jump competitively as part of the Catholic institution&#8217;s recently sanctioned team. It&#8217;ll compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference indoor and outdoor seasons, the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/515017/kings-experiencing-early-success-with-debut-of-colleges-first-sanctioned-track-and-field-program" target="_blank">Times Leader reported</a> this week. Plus, the college in downtown Wilkes-Barre intends during the 2017-18 academic year to offer men&#8217;s and women&#8217;s hockey, the newspaper <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/sports/516103/kings-college-to-launch-mens-and-womens-ice-hockey-teams-in-2017" target="_blank">reported separately</a> this week. The hockey teams will use the Revolution Ice Centre in Pittston. &#8220;We&#8217;ve been looking for opportunities to see where we could grow,&#8221; Athletic Director Cheryl Ish said.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to crooked businessman David D. Valenti. As owner of Wyoming Homes, the Moosic resident bilked customers of the Plains Township modular home company by accepting down payments for houses he failed to deliver. Valenti, 63, pleaded guilty Monday in Luzerne County Court to 19 counts of theft. His sentencing is set for May 26.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Luzerne County Councilman Stephen A. Urban. He bravely spoke in favor this week of conducting a countywide property reassessment. Though politically unpopular, the necessary task should be completed every few years. When real estate values were last examined here, in 2009, it caused an uproar among certain residents who deemed their new tax bills unfairly inflated. But the project corrected widespread inaccuracies that had been allowed to develop over decades because prior county leaders failed to authorize a reassessment since 1965. Urban rightly argued that the county cannot again let decades pass before the next property review or the figures &#8220;will get out of whack.&#8221;</p><p><strong><strong>Coal</strong> </strong>to teenagers who inject violence into their relationships. Jealousy-fueled acts. Belittling. Abuse. Those behaviors don&#8217;t belong in a relationship between two people who care about each other. During February, known as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, young people are encouraged to get the tools necessary to lead healthy adult lives. For information, go to <a href="http://www.loveisrespect.org/" target="_blank">www.loveisrespect.org</a> and <a href="http://www.breakthecycle.org/" target="_blank">www.breakthecycle.org</a>.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the Keystone Rescue Mission Alliance. The program, which organizers describe as serving &#8220;the homeless and near homeless,&#8221; agreed this week to open its community room three days a week for another purpose: to house a newly displaced after-school program. The Lighthouse Resource Center caters to school-age youths living at or near the Sherman Hills apartment complex in Wilkes-Barre. The center&#8217;s operators learned this week that it would be necessary to relocate; a deal was quickly reached with the alliance at nearby Parkview Circle, meaning the 20 to 30 children who regularly participate probably won&#8217;t even notice a disruption.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">King&#8217;s College student Mike Tumminello practices throwing the javelin in preparation for the newly formed track and field team&#8217;s upcoming competitions. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_track.jpg</photo0><caption0>King&#8217;s College student Mike Tumminello practices throwing the javelin in preparation for the newly formed track and field team&#8217;s upcoming competitions. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: King’s College expands appeal to potential students with new sporting opportunities