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Wyoming Seminary receives donation from Community Bank, N.A.

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Benefit bingo at St. Jude’s for Nick Legge

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to area promoters of &#8220;<a href="https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/" target="_blank">Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month</a>.&#8221; Participants in a highly visible campaign at the Luzerne County Courthouse this week poked 439 pinwheels in the lawn, with each twirling toy representing a child who in 2015 obtained a free medical exam or other services through the <a href="http://www.luzernecountycac.org/" target="_blank">Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center</a>. One victim is too many. Visit the center&#8217;s website, at luzernecountycac.org, to learn about its mission, see the items on its &#8220;wish list&#8221; and stay updated on fundraising events such as its April 23 gala, The Enchantment Ball, at Mohegan Sun Pocono in Plains Township.</p><p><strong><strong>Coal</strong> </strong>to the person, or people, responsible for last month&#8217;s potentially deadly error inside Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s police station. A loaded handgun, presumably connected to an arrest, was discovered several days later inside a holding cell, according to the mayor&#8217;s account. How did a weapon containing nine bullets get there? While it was unsecured, who might have had an opportunity to pick it up? Asked this week about the incident, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said, &#8220;It&#8217;s upsetting, to say the least.&#8221; Mayor Tony George previously <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/525969/loaded-handgun-found-in-wilkes-barre-police-holding-cell" target="_blank">told the Times Leader</a>, &#8220;We avoided a catastrophe.&#8221; An internal investigation is underway.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Luzerne County residents Mark Rabo and Harry Haas, for collectively considering solutions to neighborhood blight. Rabo, as a private citizen, proposed that the county establish a blighted property review committee, modeled after one in Berks County. Haas, a county councilman, was receptive to the notion and has brought it up for consideration by the county&#8217;s Legislative Committee. Regardless of the outcome, it&#8217;s good to see collaboration between residents and their elected public servants.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to a callous disregard for the planet. The earthquake risk for certain parts of the nation has risen, not due to natural causes, but because of the way wastewater from natural gas and oil fracking gets disposed, injected deep underground, seismologists said this week. Places particularly prone to the smaller but property-damaging quakes include areas of Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. So, gas might be cheap, but insurance rates and home repairs will rise? Good grief. As a nation, we&#8217;ve never been smart about handling waste: household, nuclear, coal or other.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Pittston native and Elvis impersonator Shawn Klush. He appeared on Sunday night&#8217;s episode of the HBO series &#8220;Vinyl,&#8221; portraying he of the gyrating hips. The episode, titled &#8220;The King and I&#8221; contains a few scenes with adult themes that aren&#8217;t suited for children, Klush <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/525226/pittston-native-elvis-impersonator-shawn-klush-headed-to-television" target="_blank">told the Times Leader</a>. &#8220;It was a show about rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll in 1973,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It was pretty edgy in those days.&#8221; Suffice it to say, if you catch the show in reruns, there&#8217;s a whole lotta shakin&#8217; going&#8217; on.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The pinwheels displayed this week on the Luzerne County Courthouse lawn represent abused children, part of a national Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month campaign during April. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_pinwheels02.jpg</photo0><caption0>The pinwheels displayed this week on the Luzerne County Courthouse lawn represent abused children, part of a national Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month campaign during April. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Spread child abuse-prevention message across NEPA