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Renal Race 5, set for March 13 in Wilkes-Barre, will raise money for fight against kidney cancer

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Schuyler Avenue students shine

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to organizers and attendees of <a href="http://www.pittstonstpatricksparade.org/" target="_blank">Pittston&#8217;s St. Patrick&#8217;s Parade</a>. To be held at noon Saturday, the parade on Main Street and Kennedy Boulevard adds pep to this city on the upswing during what can otherwise be a dreary month. In addition to the parade, now in its third year, planners added a &#8220;Leprechaun Loop 1 Mile Run/Walk,&#8221; which will take place on the some route an hour before the parade steps off. Prizes will be awarded to runners judged to have the best costumes. (Hint: Green looks good on you.)</p><p><strong><strong>Coal</strong> </strong>to the dunderheads using parts of Newport Township as their personal &#8211; and illegal &#8211; landfills, lacing the rural landscape with their household trash. Four illegal dumpers reportedly have been cited by township police since mid-January. How can some people, in 2016, still be so clueless about caring for our environment?</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the Luzerne Intermediate Unit, in Kingston, for drawing attention to the ongoing cash crunch confronting area school districts. Certain districts might be compelled to close later this month or in April because of the deadlock between the governor and certain state lawmakers over a Pennsylvania budget. The LIU&#8217;s roundtable this week amplified the warning. What might school closures mean to graduating seniors? To the academic calendar? To sports seasons? After a 2015 budget failed to materialize last summer, several districts, including Northwest Area in Shickshinny, had threatened shutdowns or borrowed funds; then partial state funding was provided. It&#8217;s a new calendar year, but the problem persists and schools are against the ropes due to &#8230;</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to lawmakers in Harrisburg. Unable to craft an agreeable budget &#8211; and unwilling to compromise &#8211; the governor and General Assembly appear poised to use a school-closure crisis as leverage. The logic: A public uproar resulting from shuttered schools across the state will cause the other side to cave. That&#8217;s not leadership. That&#8217;s ludicrous. And it&#8217;s another good reason to question why taxpayers shell out the salaries of Pennsylvania&#8217;s top executive and 253 General Assembly members, all of whom get at least $85,000 per year and, in many cases, much more. For what? To throw the state&#8217;s school children under the bus?</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Nanticoke native Dr. Stanley J. Dudrick, recently recognized as one of the &#8220;50 most influential physicians in history.&#8221; The designation made by Medscape, a division of the WebMD Health Professional Network, recognizes Dudrick for his research that ultimately allowed doctors to feed people whose gastrointestinal tracts were impaired. The technique, used around the globe today, is credited for preventing malnutrition among patients. Dudrick serves as medical director of Misericordia University&#8217;s physician assistant program and a professor of surgery at The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Fans of St. Patrick and all things Irish are in luck this weekend. Pittston&#8217;s third annual St. Patrick&#8217;s Parade and related festivities take place Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_Parade.jpg</photo0><caption0>Fans of St. Patrick and all things Irish are in luck this weekend. Pittston&#8217;s third annual St. Patrick&#8217;s Parade and related festivities take place Saturday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo | Bill Tarutis </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Pittston’s parade and ‘Leprechaun Loop’ supply excuse to get outside in early March