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Fate of new Dorrance Township housing project remains unclear

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RailRiders’ Michael King to throw first bullpen session since injury on March 23

<p>&#8226; <strong>Diamonds</strong> to the sizable number of people who filed nominating petitions to run for local offices, particularly Luzerne County Council and several of the county&#8217;s 11 school districts. Public service in roles that require a great deal of time and effort (at least by the conscientious) can be a thankless job even for the most optimistic, and too often the trade-offs are too unattractive to lure a decent field of candidates. Yet we have 11 people seeking a crack at six <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/local/736374/11-person-field-set-for-luzerne-county-council-incumbent-urban-not-running" target="_blank">county council</a> seats, and several highly competitive races in the <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/736446/crowded-school-board-races-include-opposition-groups-in-wb-area-and-crestwood" target="_blank">school board</a> arena. That includes Wilkes-Barre Area, which has been surprisingly non-competitive in recent election years even with high interest in the high school consolidation plan estimated to cost upward of $140 million and reshape the education future for countless youngsters. It would be nice to see more, but kudos to all those who put their names in the hats.</p><p><strong>&#8226; Coal</strong> to owners of the Ali Baba Lounge in Wilkes-Barre for failure to address recurring public concerns, so much so that the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board proposed the bar owner, Nabil Abualburak Inc., <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/736462/plcb-to-work-with-ali-baba-nightclub-in-wilkes-barre-to-set-conditions-for-liquor-license-renewal" target="_blank">sell the liquor </a><a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/736462/plcb-to-work-with-ali-baba-nightclub-in-wilkes-barre-to-set-conditions-for-liquor-license-renewal" target="_blank">license</a>. With the license up for renewal, the PLCB instead asked it be put into safekeeping to be held until &#8220;it is transferred or sold to an independent third party,&#8221; spokesman Shawn Kelly said. This is hardly a rash decision by the PLCB. As noted in Thursday&#8217;s paper, there have been more than two dozen reports of fights, drunk and disorderly patrons and a fatal shooting within the last two years. The opportunity to eliminate the problems has been provided long enough.</p><p><strong>&#8226; Diamonds</strong> to <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/736496/urban-recalls-ups-downs-of-nearly-two-decades-in-luzerne-county-government" target="_blank">Stephen A. Urban</a> for his 20 years of service to the county, previously as county commissioner under the old form of government and more recently as a county councilman under the new system. This space has criticized Urban often enough regarding his penchant for seeming to oppose for opposition&#8217;s sake. But as he made the surprise decision not to run for re-election this year, there can be no denying he has given a tremendous amount of personal time to helping run a complicated enterprise through many daunting changes. The 66-year-old Republican left the door open for a future run for council, and it would not be surprising to see him seek another office &#8212; politics seems to course through his bones. But if he opts to step back for good, there is little doubt he deserves both the respite and our respect.</p><p><strong>&#8226; Coal</strong> to a continuing problem that seems a contradiction: Drugs in prisons. The issue arose yet again this week when, as Ed Lewis reported in Wednesday&#8217;s paper, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/news/736358/four-inmates-charged-with-peddling-meth-inside-correctional-facility" target="_blank">four inmates</a> at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility were accused of peddling methamphetamine at the lockup. The paradox, of course, is that such actions can be unearthed so frequently in a setting that, we want to assume, is highly regulated and where the residents are subject to 24-hour oversight. If this were a distinctively local phenomenon, harsh words would be due those in charge, but it is a well-documented national issue. Here&#8217;s hoping the county and prison officials can find innovative ways to become a model for how drugs get eliminated from a prison where they simply shouldn&#8217;t exist.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><em> &#8212; Times Leader</em></p><style>
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Our View: Diamonds to all who choose to make run for local offices