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Kelsey Jones named Student of the Month for November at Northwest High School

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Holiday Pop-Up Shops: Dec. 20, 2018

KINGSTON &#8212; Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, national broadcaster and attorney Michael Smerconish, known for his shows on SiriusXM and CNN, will headline the first formal program at the new Jewish Community Center next year.&#8220;American Life in Columns,&#8221; Smerconish&#8217;s one-man stage presentation, will come to the JCC on April 7. The presentation is based on his new book &#8220;Clowns to the Left of me, Jokers to the Right,&#8221; which is a collection of his columns covering the post-9/11 era.For the JCC, the event brings a marquee name to kick off public events at the 54,000 square foot Third Avenue facility, which is expected to open in phases between January and March.For Smerconish, meanwhile, it will be something of a homecoming.Though Smerconish, 56, was born and raised in Bucks County, his parents, Walter N. and Florence, came from the Hazleton area, where his brother, Walter S., was born.Smerconish has many memories of visiting family and friends in the region, and ties abound &#8212; he expects to be back for a visit between Christmas and New Year&#8217;s Day, for example.Fast friendsA much different local tie helped lure Smerconish&#8217;s national tour to the Wilkes-Barre area, however.&#8220;Dave Schwager let me sleep on the floor in his dorm,&#8221; Smerconish said with a chuckle, describing his long friendship with the Kingston attorney who also serves on the board of the Jewish Community Alliance of Northeastern Pennsylvania.Schwager recalls the incident well.Smerconish was the chair of the Lehigh University College Republicans in the early 1980s when Schwager was the chair of the Lafayette College Republicans.&#8220;As we were each preparing for law school and our legal careers, we attended the same LSAT review course over several months in the Lehigh Valley. Each year, the LSAT rotates between being given at Lafayette in Easton and Lehigh in Bethlehem,&#8221; Schwager said.&#8220;In late 1983, the exam was given at Lafayette and, in order for Michael not to have to travel through Route 22 traffic early on a Saturday morning to take the test, I offered him my dorm room,&#8221; Schwager added. &#8220;He slept on my floor that night and we took the LSAT&#8217;s early the next morning.&#8221;When Schwager reached out recently to see if Smerconish would bring his book tour to the JCC, Smerconish was quick to oblige.&#8220;I owe him one,&#8221; Smerconish said, hearkening back to that long-ago LSAT sleepover.The pair have remained in touch over the years, however, and continue to have many friends in common, including many in the legal community, Schwager added.Politics in focusFriendship aside, Schwager believes Smerconish&#8217;s distinctive views on politics will be appreciated by the audience here.&#8220;In today&#8217;s world of hard right and hard left talking heads on television and radio, Michael Smerconish provides a wonderful middle-of-the-road view on so many of the hot topics of the day,&#8221; he said, noting that Smerconish&#8217;s interview subjects have included Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, as well as Vice Presidents Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden.&#8220;Smerconish has appeared on virtually every television program where politics is a staple,&#8221; Schwager added.Reflecting on the 2016 presidential campaign, Smerconish acknowledges that Luzerne County&#8217;s shift right for Donald Trump was something he didn&#8217;t fully grasp leading up to Election Day.&#8220;I want to kick myself for not seeing that coming,&#8221; he said during a telephone interview on Thursday.One of his subsequent interview subjects was Ben Bradlee Jr., author of &#8220;The Forgotten,&#8221; which tells the story of that election through the words of several Luzerne County residents.Smerconish also isn&#8217;t reading much about 2020 based on the defeats suffered by Republicans in the 2018 midterms &#8212; including Hazleton native and ardent Trump supporter Lou Barletta &#8212; nor does he perceive any real deterioration of Trump&#8217;s base in those results.&#8220;I don&#8217;t think that the president has coattails,&#8221; Smerconish said. &#8220;He is a unique political animal.&#8221;Expect discussion of that and more &#8212; as well as an interactive segment &#8212; when Smerconish comes here in April.IF YOU GO&#8220;Michael Smerconish: American Life in Columns&#8221; is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7 at the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Jewish Community Center, 400 Third Ave.Tickets for Smerconish&#8217;s appearance will be $45 to $118, and information is available through <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/michael-smerconish-american-life-in-columns-tickets-53925510654" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.com/e/michael-smerconish-american-life-in-columns-tickets-53925510654</a>.Book proceeds benefit the Children&#8217;s Crisis Treatment Center, a Philadelphia-based, private, nonprofit agency that provides behavioral health services to children and their families.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Smerconish </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_Smerconish_Michael-copy-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Smerconish </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Roger DuPuisrdupuis@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div>

Smerconish appearance to kick off new JCC’s event schedule