`pass The Pothole' Game Wears Thin 
To The Clatter Of Bouncing 
Automobiles, A Battle Rages 
About Who's Responsible For 
The Jumbo-sized Hole In An Intersection

Accused Assailant Describes Killing 
Daniel Scott Petrichko Details Incidents In Police Affidavit

Thursday, September 12, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





`College Town' event augurs well for Valley &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Today it beginsToday may seem like just another Thursday, but it's not.
It's a landmark day in Luzerne County history. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Because today marks "A Wilkes-Barre Welcome to All Colleges," one of the
first city-wide celebrations of this region's local colleges -- colleges that
will be our intellectual and economic powerhouses for decades to come. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The "Wilkes-Barre Welcome" will involve an All-College Band Blast, a mixer
at the Ramada Hotel and other events. It promises to draw some number of
students out of their collegiate castles, across the various drawbridges and
down to Public Square, where they'll find musicians and merchants who are
eager to please. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But neither music nor shopping will be the highlight of the day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The highlight of the day is the Wilkes-Barre Welcome itself. Higher
education in the Wyoming Valley got its start in the 1920s and 30s. But in the
70 years since then, the colleges have taken a back seat, their importance
always overshadowed by the fall of coal, the rise of textiles, the flooding of
Agnes and countless other events that commanded attention. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As recently as last year, the appearance of Wilkes University or King's
College in a news headline always seemed to be followed by a complaint by City
Hall about the schools not paying taxes. That attitude of mild resentment
seemed to be the best Wilkes-Barre could offer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But not any more. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 These days, City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, the Luzerne County
Commissioners and just about every other leadership group recognize the
colleges' importance, and accept their pivotal role in the Wilkes-Barre of
tomorrow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the knowledge industry promises to be the dominant force in 21st
century American life. Those regions that embrace and excel in education,
technology, communications and other knowledge fields will prosper. Those that
don't, won't. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At last the Wyoming Valley seems to be awakening to that stark but
thrilling fact. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 19th- and early 20th-century coal industries brought hazardous working
conditions, environmental degradation, and a deep sense of fatalism to the
Wyoming Valley. The legacies of those traits haunt us to this day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the late-20th and early-21st century knowledge industries can bring
better environments, better working conditions and a sense of optimism to many
communities they touch. You find those traits on most college campuses, which
is what makes campuses such pleasant places to work. You find them at
Microsoft and other world-class computer firms. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And slowly but surely, company by company, you're starting to find them in
Wilkes-Barre, too. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Like the silicon chips at the heart of a great computer, our region's five
colleges will be the "brains" at the center of it all as our valley's
knowledge networks link, glow and grow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In recent years, people in Wilkes-Barre have looked with new eyes at their
riverfront, their mountains, their abandoned coal lands and their miles of old
railbeds, to name a few items. They've recognized the potential in these
assets and begun to explore developing them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now the colleges are starting to get this scrutiny, as today's events will
prove. It's exciting, it's encouraging and it's an exceptionally good omen.
It's also a great time to be alive and living in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`college Town' Event Augurs Well For Valley Today It Begins.