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Santa will pose for people, pet photos at Pop-Up Shops

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Wilkes-Barre firefighters union to appeal demotion of ex-assistant chief

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The size was right and the pink color, perfect.</p><p>Emily Scibek wore her new winter coat indoors Friday after she and some of her fourth-grade classmates received the coats from city firefighters, police and ambulance unions through <a href="https://www.operationwarm.org/" target="_blank">Operation </a><a href="https://www.operationwarm.org/" target="_blank">Warm</a>.</p><p>Scibek and Jaslene Torres, both 9, chose the same color as 10-year-old Yasir King fidgeted in his silver coat with red trim in the hallway of Daniel J. Flood Elementary School.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to be wearing it outside every day,&#8221; Scibek said.</p><p>&#8220;With gloves and a hat,&#8221; added King.</p><p>The firefighters and police carried sealed boxes of the coats into the hallway outside the principal&#8217;s office and stacked them against the wall. They contained between 150 and 175 boys and girls coats of varying sizes.</p><p>The unions held fundraisers to purchase the coats, said Jeremy Cook, vice president of Local 104 of the International Association of Fire Fighters. The Wilkes-Barre Police Benevolent Association, Local 1310 of the Laborers International Union of North America and the IAFF Local 840 of the Plains Township Fire Department also participated.</p><p>&#8220;We more than doubled the amount,&#8221; to over 430 coats from 200 last year, Cook said. </p><p>Firefighters across the country participate in the nonprofit program that aims to keep kids in need not only physically warm, but also boost their confidence and acceptance among their peers by having a new coat.</p><p>By helping children with their basic needs, &#8220;we can help them better in school,&#8221; said Mara Vitali, elementary school counselor.</p><p>The school has a large &#8220;struggling student population,&#8221; Vitali said, and the coats will be put to good use. &#8220;This supply will be gone in just a few weeks,&#8221; she noted.</p><p>Many of the parents of the children are doing everything they can to care and provide for them, but &#8220;They just need a little help,&#8221; said Vitali.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Joe Homza delivers boxes of coats to Daniel J. Flood Elementary School on Friday morning as part of Operation Warm. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL120718coats2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Joe Homza delivers boxes of coats to Daniel J. Flood Elementary School on Friday morning as part of Operation Warm. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL120718coats1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Fire Captain Mike Bilski helps Matthew Ainsworth, a third-grade student at Daniel J. Flood Elementary School, into a new coat Friday. The Wilkes-Barre Police and Fire Departments and others worked together to purchase coats for local children as part of Operation Warm.  </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL120718coats1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Wilkes-Barre Fire Captain Mike Bilski helps Matthew Ainsworth, a third-grade student at Daniel J. Flood Elementary School, into a new coat Friday. The Wilkes-Barre Police and Fire Departments and others worked together to purchase coats for local children as part of Operation Warm.  </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

School kids warm up to new coats from Wilkes-Barre firefighters, police