Diamonds to Shavertown native Lauren Chapple for landing a big gig: throwing a ceremonial first pitch July 21 for a Philadelphia Phillies-Boston Red Sox game. It’s been nearly a year since Chapple endured pulmonary thromboendarterectomy surgery at Temple University to remove blood clots from her lungs, as recounted in a story published last month. It’s a condition that had left the once-active soccer player mysteriously breathless. Now recovered and back to a full life while working in Philly, she got the first-pitch opportunity on “I Heart Phillies night,” which is presented by the Temple Heart and Vascular Institutes, with part of the proceeds going to that organization. Kudos to the Phillies and Temple for giving her the recognition, and best wishes to Chapple moving forward.
Coal to the person who brutally assaulted a 13-year-old boy who died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton. State police have charged the boy’s adopted father, and calling the details of the criminal complaint horrific is inadequate. According to the paperwork, the child was whipped multiple times with an electrical cord and had a stick-like object rammed into his mouth. Responding to a call about the child being unresponsive in the basement, Butler Township police found blood splatter across the floors, counters and doors. Police later charged the mother with endangerment for failing to intervene or call 911 in a timely fashion, instead allegedly opting to instruct other children in the house to clean up the blood. More details likely will come out as the case unfolds, but it’s hard to imagine any event that would justify such an inhuman assault on a young child.
Diamonds to Wilkes-Barre City and Luzerne County Community College for launching a municipal workforce development partnership. The initiative reduces the cost of college classes for city employees through a 50% tuition discount — 25% reduced by the college, the other 25% covered by the city. First up: Fire Department members plan to enroll in continuing ed and fire safety training. Citing a national shortage of paramedics, Fire Chief Jay Delaney said the “partnership will help us build a pipeline of trained, skilled emergency personnel and allow us to better serve our community.” This sounds like a smart idea that, done properly, can be a boon for the city, workers and taxpayers. And if it works well we hope other local municipalities can make similar arrangements.
Coal to the Wilkes-Barre woman charged with felony animal cruelty after two emaciated dogs were found left behind when she switched apartments. According to the criminal complaint, a humane officer came to the apartment after a housing manager sought help for the two dogs. The officer found both dogs saturated in urine, covered in feces and emaciated. After taken into custody it was determined that one of the dogs had irreversible injuries, and was euthanized. If you can’t care for an animal under your protection, seek help before it’s too late.
