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There’s something special about this holiday show at Kirby Center

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; X-rated graffiti marked the spots at the North End intersection pocked by potholes, until the city cleaned it up.</p><p>Department of Public Works employees filled them with cold asphalt and attempted to cover the nine penises spray painted around the holes at West Elm and North Franklin streets. Some of the white paint remained Tuesday, but the images were not recognizable from the original graffiti driven over by motorists and viewed by neighbors.</p><p>&#8220;This is pure genius. It got their attention,&#8221; said a neighbor near the intersection who asked not to be identified.</p><p>It wasn&#8217;t an original idea, however. Similar<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-48068866" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> graphic graffiti</a> grabbed the attention of authorities in the United Kingdom and forced them to repair the roads.</p><p>But the North End neighbor suspected the graffiti, that had been there almost a week, and the potholes, even longer, would pop up again as the patch petered out into gravel from the cold weather and traffic on the side street near Wilkes-Barre General Hospital.</p><p>&#8220;They didn&#8217;t fix it the right way,&#8221; the neighbor said.</p><p>The city&#8217;s Director of Operations Butch Frati agreed the repair was temporary.</p><p>&#8220;The next time we go up there, it will be a more permanent patch,&#8221; Frati said.</p><p>DPW crews will be using hot asphalt if they can get it before the plants shut down for the winter, Frati said. It binds better and lasts longer than the cold patch, he said.</p><p>Frati discouraged the public from going to extremes to point out problems and encouraged them to call city officials.</p><p>&#8220;I would prefer they don&#8217;t do anything to the streets and contact us,&#8221; Frati said.</p><p>The Mayor&#8217;s Helpline is 570-821-1111.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Graphic graffiti of penises spray painted around potholes is unrecognizable after the Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works patched up West Elm Street at the intersection with North Franklin Street in the city&#8217;s North End. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Graffiti-potholes-in-WB.jpg</photo0><caption0>Graphic graffiti of penises spray painted around potholes is unrecognizable after the Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works patched up West Elm Street at the intersection with North Franklin Street in the city&#8217;s North End. </caption0><photoCredit0>Jerry Lynott | Times Leader </photoCredit0></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>

Graphic graffiti gets city’s attention, potholes filled in Wilkes-Barre