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Game Winner takes charge late to win Breeders Cup Juvenile

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Their view: Armed guards in synagogues? They’re already there

<p>Maybe it was a Halloween full of good spirits, but it seemed like a week of diamonds, and that&#8217;s not a bad thing</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the many community leaders, organizations and institutions that stood in solidarity with the victims in Pittsburgh&#8217;s horrific synagogue shootings. It is times like this that we need to come together and focus on loss and the pain being endured by those who survive, and the various events staged locally did just that. Coal, on the other hand, to any politician, at any level, who tried to turn this tragedy into a campaign gain.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to the Luzerne Foundation for the move into its new, permanent office in downtown Wilkes-Barre. The nonprofit foundation did a service to Wilkes-Barre by fixing up and occupying a building that had stood vacant for some 15 years, and looks to do the county a service by being accessible so close to Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Public Square, and by offering space in a community room for meetings of a philanthropic nature. Foundation Executive Director Charles Barber put it succinctly when he said &#8220;This is the people&#8217;s building.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Diamonds </strong>to the many municipal governments and area businesses and associations who opened their hearts and wallets to make Halloween a joy for area children. Wilkes-Barre exemplified this spirit yet again with a downtown trick-or-treat extravaganza that drew hundreds of smiling young faces to the heart of the diamond city, but there was enough generous sharing in the region to go around.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to Misericordia University for its free physical therapy clinic, available to those who are under-insured or uninsured. Diamonds as well to amputee Donovan White, who benefited from the clinic&#8217;s services when he lost his leg above the knee three years ago, and who has been giving back by coming to the clinic to give students both advice and real-world experience in dealing with those adapting to artificial limbs.</p><p><strong>Diamonds</strong> to all those pulling together to build the new Friedman Jewish Community Center under construction in Kingston. Center President Barbara Bell gave the Times Leader a preview of things to come, outlining a 54,000-square-foot facility with gym, multi-purpose rooms, an early childhood education program, and some leased commercial space. It is refreshing to see something so useful to area residents take shape. It&#8217;s also the epitome of what being a community is all about.</p><p><strong>Diamonds </strong>to NorthPoint Development for the massive, $209.4 million project in Nanticoke and Hanover Township promising to bring 1,548 jobs with an average salary of $41,000 and a combined annual payroll of $63.4 million. As an added bonus, much of the property being developed is reclaimed mine land. The development of such &#8220;brown field&#8221; sites, rather than the decimation of forested land, is a goal devoutly to be sought. NorthPoint has already brought Chewy.com, Adidas and Patagonia to the area, and this latest project makes it easy to believe state Sen. John Yudichak, D-Nanticoke, when he estimates it is pumping more than $1 billion into the region.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><em> &#8212; Times Leader</em></p><style>
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Our View: Week brings diamonds all around