1 of 2 girls charged in Slender Man stabbing appeals bond

NBC and Golf Channel facing a busy summer of golf

Here are the stories for this week's Pennsylvania Member Exchange package. If you have any questions, contact the Philadelphia bureau at 215-561-1133. For use anytime: EXCHANGE-EDITORIAL RDP Editorials from around Pennsylvania. For Saturday, May 7, 2015 EXCHANGE-MENTORING PROGRAM ALIQUIPPA -- In rapid-fire succession, Danaysia Hall shows addition flash cards to a trio of her math proteges, competing to see who can answer first. "Twelve!" shouts Kelly Booker, 7, edging My'Kion Mills, 9, and Kyle Moreland, 7, by nanoseconds. The boys -- balancing on knees, forearms resting on a table -- lean forward in their chairs in eager anticipation of the next card. "Eight!" an exuberant My'Kion calls out. "Ready? Who's going to get it?" says Hall, a first-grade teacher, before flashing another card. The boys are up to the challenge. They are among 20 -- ages 7 to 9, predominantly African-Americans living in single-parent homes -- that the Family Life Center of Aliquippa hopes to mold into men through Boys-2-Men, an innovative after-school program that not only tutors, but mentors them. Marsha Keefer, Beaver County Times. EXCHANGE-ADDICTS' FAMILIES HANOVER — Sandy Swenson makes the pilgrimage from Texas to Florida every year, not knowing whether she'll create another memory with her son. A hug. A meal. A surface-level conversation. Anything except talk of his addiction and the chaos spiraling outward from it. After years of dealing with her son Joey's addictions, these annual interactions are the only chance Swenson has to make new memories with her oldest child. For every addict who dies, or goes to jail, or threatens self-harm, many more loved ones and acquaintances are feeling the effects of that person's behavior. Although experts say these people could benefit from counseling and support just as much as the addicts, these friends and family members are often too worried about helping the addict to care for themselves. Jennifer Wentz, The (Hanover) Evening Sun. EXCHANGE-CHESS CLUB SCRANTON — The sounds of mental combat waged on a 64-square battlefield are common Tuesday nights at Abington Community Library. Observations are shared. "Those bishops are certainly nasty there." ''They most certainly are." Opening strategies are discussed. Some are named after people, others for areas of origin: The French. The Pirc. The Sicilian. Even the Two Knights Defense Wilkes-Barre Variation. Hands guide pieces and pawns on the field of battle, then press the stop button on a clock. These are the sounds of the Abington Chess Club of Greater Scranton. The informal group of chess players have been meeting at the library for about 1½ years. Bruce Wisenburn, Ph.D, a professor at Marywood University, started the club after realizing there weren't any others in the area outside of schools. Clayton Over, The (Scranton) Times-Tribune. EXCHANGE-COLLEGE PET THERAPY PITTSBURGH — College is going to the dogs, and even a few cats these days. As a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for 38 years, Mary Jalongo saw her share of students stressed out as finals approached. Now retired, Jalongo, a longtime dog lover who has researched and written about the benefits of therapy dogs, is doing her part to ease those stress levels. She is among a legion of therapy dog handlers who have put college campuses throughout the region on their itineraries. Once the province of nursing homes, hospitals and elementary schools, therapy dogs — canines specially trained and certified to interact with people in institutional settings — are going to college. Debra Erdley, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. EXCHANGE-LAKE ERIE BOATING ERIE — Recreational boating opportunities on Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie keep Pittsburgh residents Dennis and Rose Bowers visiting Erie nearly every summer weekend. Their pride and joy is a 30-foot Sea Ray powerboat, "Wild Irish Rose," which they have berthed at Presque Isle State Park Marina for the past 14 years. On a recent sunny day, the couple spent an afternoon prepping their vessel for another season of fun on Erie waterways. "We come up here and get the maintenance done," Dennis Bowers, 56, said. "We wash it, wax it and get all the zebra mussels off of it. Last year was the worst year for the zebra mussels I've seen. Other than that, we like coming up here and we like boating." The Bowers, like many recreational boaters, have been scurrying to bayfront and Erie-area marinas in recent weeks to clean, wax, paint and perform maintenance on their vessels. Ron Leonardi, Erie Times-News.

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