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Early morning fire displaces two in Newport Township

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Areas of South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre; Middle Road, Nanticoke, closed

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to The Mall at Steamtown. The retail center on Scranton&#8217;s Lackawanna Avenue, which slid into bankruptcy in 2014, continues to stage a vigorous and creative comeback. A farmers market-like bazaar &#8211; to be known as the Scranton Public Market &#8211; is expected to open this summer in space formerly occupied by the Express store, the venue&#8217;s promoters announced this week. The market will offer fresh produce during the growing season, then continue year-round with a mix of edibles and seasonal merchandise. Among its expected vendors: Purple Pepper Farms, Pittston Popcorn and Beta Bread. Hats off to area businessman John Basalyga, who is bringing the mall back to life. Other pending additions to the mall reportedly include an upscale movie theater, containing a bar and bistro, and a gym called Crunch Scranton. (Are you paying attention, Wilkes-Barre?)</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to thieves. With the return of warmer temperatures, criminals will take advantage of open garage doors and unattended homes to slink off with stuff: electronics, cameras, tools, bikes and other valuables. Be smart; follow the burglary-prevention strategies touted by <a href="http://www.opid.org/" target="_blank">Operation ID</a>. For possessions with serial numbers, jot down the numbers and store the list in a safe place. Other items should be engraved with your driver&#8217;s license number and state. Police can use this information to return items to their rightful owners. (The Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition, whose schedule of meetings can be found on Faceback and in the city&#8217;s 2016 calendar, provides participants with temporary use of an engraver.)</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to careful drivers in the Keystone State. Traffic fatalities in Pennsylvania remained at near-record lows in 2015, according to <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pennsylvania-traffic-deaths-in-2015-at-second-lowest-level-since-record-keeping-began-300247236.html" target="_blank">information released this week</a> by the state Department of Transportation. PennDOT aims to push the toll (1,200 lives lost last year) even lower with continued safety improvements, enforcement and education through campaigns such as its <a href="http://www.justdrivepa.org/" target="_blank">JustDrivePA website</a>. Do your part. Cut out any aggressive driving, follow the rules of the road and don&#8217;t be careless, which brings us to &#8230;</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to distracted drivers. Silence your cellphone while behind the wheel. No selfies. No texts. No makeup application. No eating. And no pets balanced on your lap with their paws on the steering wheel. Any of these behaviors could end in tragedy. Or a $100 citation, courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Police, which, as with other safety-conscious groups, is touting April as <a href="http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/distracted-driving-awareness-month.aspx" target="_blank">Distracted Driving Awareness Month</a>.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Wilkes University, which this month finalized a deal to collaborate with the largest community college system in the nation: Arizona&#8217;s Maricopa County Community College. Wilkes already had a foothold in the Grand Canyon State. The Wilkes-Barre institution opened a satellite site in Mesa in 2012. This agreement makes it easier for community college students to transfer into the bachelor&#8217;s degree business program at Wilkes in Arizona.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Scranton Public Market, seen here in an artist&#8217;s rendering, will offer fresh produce during the growing season, then continue year-round with a mix of edibles and seasonal merchandise, promoters announced this week. The market is expected to open sometime this summer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_ScrantonMarket.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Scranton Public Market, seen here in an artist&#8217;s rendering, will offer fresh produce during the growing season, then continue year-round with a mix of edibles and seasonal merchandise, promoters announced this week. The market is expected to open sometime this summer. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Scranton Public Market will bring pep, fresh produce to resurgent shopping mall