Spotlight

For the better part of those angst-filled teenage years and during summers spent at home in Pennsylvania's Coal Region, between college years, I found myself saying, "God, I can't wait to get out of Tamaqua."

Now, having lived in China for three years among Beijing's nearly 20 million people, three million autos and its domineering buildings and dirty streets, the hypocrite in me now says, "God, I can't wait to go home," not indefinitely, but certainly as a short respite from my busy city life.

"To learn a lifestyle of change that will make living with diabetes manageable."

That's the explanation Lauri Price, an RN at St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital, Coaldale, uses to describe the purpose of a new 10-hour diabetes education program being taught at various locations in Schuylkill and Carbon county by members of the St. Luke's Miners Diabetes Education Center.

Respect.

That was the topic of a recent program at Our Lady of The Angels Academy in Lansford.

This week, the students were treated to The Respect Program, sponsored by J.P. Mascaro and Sons of Audubon, Pa. The event was held in conjunction with Catholic Schools Week.

During the presentation, Nicole Hager, education coordinator for J.P. Mascaro and Sons and The Respect Program, taught the children how to respect people, property and the environment.

"We're all about educating the community and children about respect," Hager said.

Were Civil War draft protestors hung as Molly Maguires?

Tom McBride explores this question in his new book, Civil War Draft Resistance and the Molly Maguires.

McBride will hold an inaugural book signing today from 2- 4 p.m. at the Treasure Shop, 44 Broadway in Jim Thorpe.