web1_courthouse.jpeg.jpg

Luzerne County may provide more funding to community college

web1_Trunk-or-Treat.jpg

Still in the spirit

<p>It has been said that that only thing that is constant is change. There is no better reminder of this as we turn back the clocks, watch the last of the leaves fall and prepare for the season that lies ahead.</p><p>Just as the seasons of weather change, so do the seasons of our lives. The Byrds&#8217; famous song, &#8220;Turn, Turn, Turn,&#8221; also reminds us that there is &#8220;a time and a season for everything &#8211; a time to be born, a time to die; a time to laugh, a time to weep; a time to dance, a time to mourn.&#8221; Based on the Bible&#8217;s, Book of Ecclesiastes, many believe that the song is one of hope. The lyrics suggest that there is a reason, a plan, and a time for everything on earth, which can help us accept every period of life &#8211; the happy and sad, the good and the bad. No matter what we go through, life keeps on turning and changing.</p><p>As a region, we have weathered many seasons and things are changing here as well. Today, we possess many of the natural assets necessary to build a competitive, dynamic and diversified economy. Statistics show that the percentage of adults with a bachelor&#8217;s degree or higher are on the rise. High school graduation rates have fluctuated but remain above the statewide average. The region&#8217;s labor market has improved, the unemployment rate is at an all-time low and income growth has increased.</p><p>Economic development organizations have had consistent success in attracting employers to our region. There are jobs here and coming that need to be filled. Retaining and attracting talent will be important to our economic growth and overall success.</p><p>We too, can help with this is effort. Making people feel welcome and accepted isn&#8217;t just a nice thing to do, it is good for our economy. We have a vested interest in the perception people have of our region and its people.</p><p>A spirit of hospitality, positivity, respect and fun will help us to put our best foot forward. A man who lived his life this way, Jim Gallagher, recently passed away after a brief illness. Jim and Erin Gallagher are parents to five grown boys and surrogate to countless others who spent as much time as they could in their home because it was a place you wanted to be. Everyone was, and still is, enthusiastically welcomed and made to feel special.</p><p>The days around which Mr. Gallagher was laid to rest were filled with sadness but also much laughter and storytelling &#8211; and celebration of his life &#8211; because he celebrated everything starting with family and Penn State football.</p><p>His son, Mac, said what he looked up to most in his father was that he treated all people with respect &#8211; he didn&#8217;t care what you did or where you came from. Family came first and he loved the Valley. Mr. Gallagher had worked in a career in finance outside the area and chose to commute instead of relocating, so that he could raise his family here. And he and his wife successfully created a home that one of his son&#8217;s friends called &#8220;paradise.&#8221;</p><p>Mr. Gallagher loved our region and his legacy will live on here and in the hearts of all who knew him. If we could each take a bit of the hospitality, respect, love and magic of the Gallagher home and extend it to friends, neighbors and strangers, we might just be successful in spreading a little bit of paradise throughout our region.</p><p>To everything there is a season. And a purpose. Thank you, Mr. Gallagher, for purposely choosing to spend your season here. Your life was a song of hope for all who knew you. Rest in peace.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Susan-Magnotta.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_Susan-Magnotta.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Susan Magnotta</p><p>Institute Insights</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Susan Magnotta is Director of Community Outreach at The Institute. Her column appears every other Monday.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Institute Insights: We could all learn a lesson from Jim Gallagher