web1_Joe_Biden_smile.jpg

Details for Hillary Clinton’s visit to Scranton are announced

web1_bree-2.jpg

Times Leader Girls Track and Field Player of the Year: Bree Bednarski lifts Wyoming Area to new heights

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to people who exercise their freedoms &#8211; <em>and</em> their good sense &#8211; during the Independence Day holiday. If traveling far distances by vehicle or plane this weekend, prepare for delays. AAA predicts a record-high traveler volume, with nearly 43 million people moving about the country. Don&#8217;t allow your frustration to boil over while in boarding lines or traffic backups. Likewise, be responsible with alcoholic beverages. Whether pursuing your happiness by land or by sea, go easy on the brewskis or don&#8217;t dare take the wheel.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to pale sunbathers and weekend warriors who forget to slather on the sunblock. Our warning to them: The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Luzerne County government leaders. They delivered a double dose of encouraging news this week. An audit of county spending for 2015 was completed on time, they said. Meeting the deadline should soothe critics who rightly complained that, since the implementation of home rule a few years ago, prior audits had not been completed by the stipulated June 30 mark. The timely release of these audits allows people to keep better tabs on the county&#8217;s financial condition. And that brings us to the second positive development: This audit shows Luzerne County spent less than it took in during 2015, by about $7.5 million. That&#8217;s its first general fund surplus since 2011. Don&#8217;t pop any champagne corks just yet. Luzerne County still has a mountain of debt, some $350 million from past projects. However, with continued patience and good planning, this county might yet pull off a miraculous turnaround.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to show-offs who decide it&#8217;s OK to swim all the way across the river, douse an extra squirt of starter fluid on the charcoal grill, guide a speeding motorboat within feet of another craft, or move a step closer to that snake.</p><p>It&#8217;s no holiday &#8211; for you or the medical staff &#8211; when you arrive at the emergency room.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to proponents of diversity training for the Wilkes-Barre Police Department&#8217;s members. Area residents from various religious and racial backgrounds say they intend to meet with the police, discussing ways to improve communication and understanding between city officers and the people they are sworn to protect. It sounds like a potentially useful strategy. Then again, so does actually hiring officers who are minorities.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to the Fourth of July picnic guest who is asked only to bring ice, then lets it slip his or her mind.</p><p>The potato salad hangs in the balance. The root beer won&#8217;t be the same.</p><p>People are counting on you to keep their cool.</p><p>This is your reminder.</p><p>Ice.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/car-highway.png">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/car-highway.png</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Keep your cool during holiday travel – and the likely backups