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Neighborhood Impact Team hits South Wilkes-Barre in search of nuisance properties

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Board of optometry approves appointment

<p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the Luzerne County Council members who voted against repealing a requirement that high-ranking administrators reside in the county. The argument against the mandate sounds strong: It limits the pool of applicants. And it might be wise to allow limited exceptions if a candidate already lives pretty close, but not within county boundaries. But for all the residents who actually pay the salaries of those administrators, the logic is too hard to top: If you want to help run the county, you should be willing to live in it.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to the Hanover Area School District administrators responsible for under-budgeting to the tune of $3.5 million. School district budgeting has become tough and tricky business in an era of escalating pension costs set by a state agency, a state legislature that chronically dallies in finalizing an education budget, and a state funding system that would be laughable in its inequity if it didn&#8217;t impact so many children. But miscalculating by $3.5 million in a $30 million budget?</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the four Meyers High School Speech and Debate Team members in Louisville this weekend competing in the National Catholic Forensic League&#8217;s national competition. Bright enough to get to the finals and daring enough to use material that can sound offbeat and challenging &#8212; Steven Sondheim&#8217;s Assassins, Gay Talese&#8217;s Esquire profile Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, and debate topics that call for the impeachment of the president and accuse debate competitions of sexism &#8212; these students deserve as much public attention as any high school sports star.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George and city council for managing to get the city&#8217;s credit rating downgraded by Standard and Poor&#8217;s. Its not the end of the world &#8212; George is right in saying the city still has an &#8220;investment grade&#8221; rating &#8212; but it does mean higher interest on any money borrowed. More worrisome, it signals that things could get worse if the city doesn&#8217;t fix budget problems. It is undeniable that the city faces a tough challenge to get the fiscal house in order, but one prefers that it not slide backwards while trying.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to all those who volunteered to help out on United Way of Wyoming Valley&#8217;s &#8220;Day of Caring&#8221; Thursday. Yes, it can feel a bit gimmicky: get a day off work, spend a few hours cleaning and helping out at place like Luzerne County Head Start or Children&#8217;s Service Center. But the need is often quite real &#8212; Head Start has only one custodian right now for the entire county operation. More importantly, it lets those who often don&#8217;t know what the various agencies actually do see it first hand, and sends an essential message: Helping those who help the community is smart and rewarding.</p><p><strong>Coal</strong> to the Luzerne County Prothonotary office for getting rebuked, again by the state Auditor General&#8217;s Office regarding inadequate internal controls over funds. It&#8217;s likely not a big thing, and the county said it has since fixed it. But this was a problem cited in a prior audit and should have been fixed before this one came out.</p><style>
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Our view: Kudos to Luzerne County Council for keeping residency rule