Scranton, PA

IT'S ABOUT TIME THE NEEDS OF OUR DISABLED CHILDREN GOT SOME ATTENTION.

This recent Scranton-Times article announces a long needed addition to one of the most popular public parks located in Lackawanna County Pa.

Lackawanna County commissioners announced earlier this month a huge playground is under construction at McDade Park, designed for equal use by children with disabilities. This very popular public park will become a "go-to: place for children and parents.

The new playground will allow inclusive access for disabled children. There are 50 activities in the playground, 40 of which will be accessible by wheelchair. This is a huge project that will be gratefully welcomed by families with physically disadvantaged children. The playground encompasses 140 feet in diameter. We all look forward to seeing this new addition for our families.

This is certainly good news for parents. Disabled children can now feel "included" instead of excluded. Having a place for both groups of children to interact in a safe environment helps to foster mutual respect and understanding. Instead of looking on - disabled children now will have an outlet designed specifically for them.

Lackawanna County is a great place to raise a family. If you have never visited McDade park, pack your lunch, your lawn chairs, load up the car and spend an enjoyable day this weekend

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Jayne and Bonnie Vaughan - Driven and Dedicated Realtors. Full Time serving Buyers, Sellers, Investors, Estates, Probate, Foreclosures and Relocation.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR PROPERTIES IN THE AREA www.callthesisters.com

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Paupack Group Independently Owned and Operated

Scranton PA Toilet Lawsuit, © 2008 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved. Originally published by the author on PikeWaynePABlog.com - "Curse Your Toilet in Scranton PA and Get $19,000"

Buying a home can certainly become a daunting task. It sure helps if you have some information before jumping in. You should always create a structured plan before beginning your home search.

Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) is a local not-for-profit firm that is dedicated to educating buyers about the home-buying process.

If you plan to buy a home in the near future, your first step is attending this free course at their NEPA office in Pittston, PA. It's going to be held Wednesday, September 17 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. You can click here to enroll in the course to ensure you have a spot.

Of course, you should also meet with a Credit Specialist if you fear you may have issues with your credit report. CCCS is a very good company for debt management programs and education, but they will not perform "Credit Repair Services". Credit Repair Consultants, LLC. does perform these services, like deleting negative information from your report if it is found to be unverifiable.

We live in America, the land of choice. We can choose our elected officials. We can choose whether to use a small mom-and-pop shop or a big store like Walmart. What we haven't had here in Scranton is a choice of newspapers.

One person, one company, one organization could never fill all our needs in NEPA. There are too many of us and our population is diverse. Could you imagine having one grocery store in town? One hardware store? One news show on TV? There are people who are ademant about their news shows, whether it's 16, 22, or 28. There's no reason to not have that excitement about our city's newspapers.

When I first heard about it, I thought what some of you may be thinking. What's the big deal? The news is the news. You either read it or don't, no matter who wrote it. It's factual so there can't be much difference between two newspapers.

Ted Brunelle put me at ease. He explained that The Scranton Post will have a different viewpoint. They are going for a more local feel and staying away from content that you can see anywhere. The Associated Press releases stories for local news media to use. The Scranton Post is going to get a locally written article about this content so that we can share our views, not the views of a national news service.

They also encourage readers to submit your own stories and announcements. The tagline of The Post is "The People Of Scranton's Newspaper" and I believe that is what it will be based on my conversation with Ted.

You may want to pay special attention to a certain section of the paper. There seems to be a section with a Q&A about Mortgage and Credit Issues. Brilliant! It's about time someone answered the concerns that have affected people's lives so much lately. Oh, wait. That person is me! Ted and Barbara have been kind enough to allow me to lend my thoughts to their newspaper.

I think the Scranton Times is a good paper. I'm just glad that there will be another option in town. I, personally, will be reading both. I suggest everyone do this to give a new viewpoint a try. It promises not to be too political while offering plenty of local content.

And don't forget about the guy giving free mortgage and credit advice! Email me to see your question in the paper.

Here we go! Scranton is transforming.

I can still remember watching "The Implosion". A long row of businesses on Lackawanna Ave were blown up from the inside. My brother and I watched as the buildings folded into themselves and came crashing to the ground. In what felt like a moment, the Steamtown Mall was upon us. The transformation of Downtown Scranton was in full swing.

Here we are again. We're back on Lackawanna Ave, but this time there are no explosions. Just celebration for the ongoing renovation project. You can expect to see restaurants with inside and outside seating along the street. The area will be inviting for pedestrians that can stop for a bite during some shopping or after a movie.

Perhaps the more important aspect of the new buildings are the condominium units above. To turn the city around, we need to bring people Downtown. If they live here, they will work here, shop here, and eat here.

So let's toast the improvements here in Scranton. The accolades from national media, the medical school, the train line to NYC... these are all reasons to believe that Scranton is improving and will only become a more desirable place to live as time goes by.