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Happy birthday Tucker Davis Tranell!

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Trump criticizes FBI over handling of shooting suspect tip

<p>What does it mean when you pile a 10-foot tent, 100 T-shirts and 100 Weekenders into a car?</p><p>In my day-to-day, it&#8217;s easy to guess.</p><p>It means the Times Leader and Weekender staff are off to yet another event.</p><p>This time, the team headed to Montage Mountain for College SnowJam 2018 &#8211; a day where college students and others passionate about winter sports hit the slopes, listen to live music and meander about the top of the mountain.</p><p>Last Saturday was perfect for skiing and idyllic, with a clear sky and above-normal temperatures for early February. It was also ideal for our team to connect with the college crowd, outdoor enthusiasts and vacationers.</p><p>Advertising Director Kerry Miscavage, Features Editor Matt Mattei and I manned the tent in the morning, before being joined by Digital Specialist Adam McGahee, Media Consultant Rob Ostrowski and Advertising Manager Diane McGee later in the day.</p><p>The team effort led to picture posing, picture taking and the eventual swiping right to see our custom-built Weekender SnowJam filter on Snapchat. Turns out the filter had more than 3,000 views, a sign of the success of the event.</p><p>A group of professional skiers preparing for their PSIA Level 1 Certification came by too, subsequently donning our black Weekender tees as they hung out with us for a bit. I was, of course, quick to snap their picture to share with our 15,000 Weekender Facebook followers.</p><p>Wendy Cominsky, who many know from her run for Luzerne County Council, and I got to catch up as well. Turns out she&#8217;s still involved in the political realm as she&#8217;s planning Rock the Vote, a meet and greet for Democratic candidates at 6 p.m. Thursday at Ole Tyme Charley&#8217;s in Plains Township. With music by Robb Brown, it should be a good time (but let&#8217;s be honest, wherever Robb Brown plays turns into a good time).</p><p>I came to get a kick out of Wendy when she was campaigning locally, so it was good to see her in a different atmosphere and connect outside of a political function.</p><p>After the long day on the mountain, I, of course, couldn&#8217;t let the fun end there.</p><p>An invitation from friend Geena Russo to attend The Broken Heart Art Show at 570 Tattooing couldn&#8217;t be ignored, so I made my way down there in the evening &#8211; ending up purchasing two pieces of art for hanging.</p><p>It was something different for a tattoo studio (a distinction 570 has championed), and I was happy to accept the invitation and browse the work various artists displayed. I could always use a little art in my life, I figure.</p><p>Luckily enough, my next stop was just a block away at Senunas&#8217; Bar &amp; Grill, which was one of several places listed on the Second Line Pub Crawl benefiting the Wilkes-Barre City Preservation of the Arts group. Other stops included Rodano&#8217;s, City Market and Cafe, Vesuvio&#8217;s Pizzeria &amp; Sports Bar, Heat Bar &amp; Nightclub and Franklin&#8217;s.</p><p>Party planner Patty Hughes, who also serves as Wilkes-Barre City special events coordinator, and other Mardi Gras enthusiasts were decked out in purple, feathers and more spirited attire.</p><p>Mardi Gras-themed events were popular last week indeed. Even the Back Mountain Chamber&#8217;s annual awards dinner had Mardi Gras inspiration in its decorations.</p><p>That dinner on Tuesday honored the best businesses and people in the Back Mountain. Those recipients included Twin Stacks, Kraken Boardsports, Jim Reino, Danko&#8217;s All American Fitness, The Barn, FNCB, Molly Lorenzen, Grotto Pizza, United Way and Penn State Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>While awards dinners can tend to be boring, this one wasn&#8217;t, probably because of the diverse group of people.</p><p>My dear friend Kathy Bozinski, my first soccer coach Attorney Tom O&#8217;Connor, and Wilkes-Barre Chamber Vice President Lindsay Bezick were among the multitude of attendees.</p><p>To me, being around town is truly all about the people. And we have some great ones around the Wyoming Valley.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Mike McGinley is the Times Leader Media Group&#8217;s major accounts executive. Reach him at mmcginley@www.timesleader.com or 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Around Town: A snowy Saturday and an evening of art