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Their view: February is time to focus on low vision

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Pope revives lapsed sex abuse commission amid skepticism

<p><em>&#8220;When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.&#8221;</em></p><p><strong>&#8212; Rodney Dangerfield</strong></p><p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The first time I ever moved from one home to another, it was the worst of times.</p><p>It was 1969, about one year after my mom had died. My dad and I were still calling 210 Reynolds St. in Plymouth &#8220;home,&#8221; but without mom, it had become just a roof over our heads.</p><p>Everywhere I would look, there was a memory &#8212; mom&#8217;s chair where she watched her favorite TV shows and talked on the telephone; the stove where she prepared so many delicious meals; the living room where she would entertain company on special days.</p><p>And the front porch, where she would sit and watch over the neighborhood. She loved to watch the kids play baseball in the street, sewing old socks together for us to use as baseballs.</p><p>Memories, all good, can sometimes make you crazy when confronted with them on a daily basis.</p><p>So dad and I moved to an apartment on West Main Street. It was here that I drove my dad crazy. As he tried to get on with his life, he would seek out his friends at the local American Legion or VFW and other places, leaving his 19-year-old son free to pursue the adventure of under-aged drinking.</p><p>Which brings me to the next move of my life. Dad decided to take another apartment on West Main, so we had to pack everything up once again. During this process, dad went down the basement and discovered boxes and bags filled with empty beer bottles and liquor bottles. He asked me where the hell they came from. My response was that they must have been there from the previous tenant.</p><p>But dad knew better.</p><p>So now we were settled into our newest residence, only to be escorted out of it by the Susquehanna River in June 1972. Like most people &#8212; flood victims &#8212; we didn&#8217;t expect the water to rise quite so high, so we lost just about everything of value, especially those items sentimental in nature. These items could never be replaced &#8212; pictures, baseball cards, record albums, etc.</p><p>While we waited for the waters to recede, we lived with my dad&#8217;s sister, Aunt Betty, and later in a HUD trailer. From here, life changed for dad and me &#8212; I got married, and he found a life partner.</p><p>So memories of moving have not all been good for me and as we at the Times Leader get ready to move from 15 N. Main St. to our new building at East Market and Pennsylvania Avenue, you might understand why there is a little angst.</p><p>We are eagerly anticipating settling into our new home, but it is with some sadness and reverence that we say goodbye to 15 N. Main St. While the old girl will be given a face-lift and will be utilized for a great purpose &#8212; the education of our young people &#8212; it must be said that this place has served her occupants well for 110-plus years.</p><p>There have been many outstanding human beings who called this building home for decades at a time. They came to work every day with the same mission &#8212; to gather and report the news of the day and to deliver that news to readers in a fair and accurate manner.</p><p>There have been numerous award-winning efforts done here by journalists, many who went on to much bigger and better careers. And there is an even more impressive record of community involvement and support.</p><p>We have always held community service to be of utmost concern, whether it be through community news, or by participation in countless community events. It all matters because we are all in this together.</p><p>We will continue to be the community&#8217;s voice as we gather the news every day, informing the public about everything from corruption, to mass shootings, to politics, to entertainment, to social happenings, to sports, to local, national and international events to job offerings, homes for sale or rent and where to find the best plumber, landscaper or automobile.</p><p>Moving, at least for me, has always been a challenge, but this one appears to be the smoothest.</p><p>As we begin a new chapter in the history that is the Times Leader, know that even though our location has changed, our mission remains the same.</p><p>Here&#8217;s to at least another 100 years.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Rodney Dangerfield </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Rodney-Dangerfield-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Rodney Dangerfield </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Columnshot-1-1-1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Columnshot-1-1-1-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>O&#8217;Boyle </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Movin’ on up