Scranton, PA – Throughout November, The Wright Center for Community Health’s case management team raised funds for the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. This year, through the contributions of employees and faculty, 56 Thanksgiving meals, including turkeys, vegetables, stuffing and desserts were distributed to patients and their families on Tuesday, November 20.

MOOSIC, PA (December 10, 2018) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are pleased to unveil the infielders selected for their All-Time SWB Team.  The RailRiders will spend the 2019 season honoring 30 years of professional baseball in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Rick Schu have been tabbed by voters as the top players at their respective spots on the infield.  Each will be honored with a custom bobblehead giveaway during the 2019 season.  Howard played for the Red Barons in 2004 and 2005, batting .371 in ‘05 with 16 home runs over 61 games.  Utley spent portions of three seasons in Moosic, including 2003 when he played 113 games and hit .323.  Rollins batted .274 in 2001 for SWB with 12 home runs and 69 runs batted in.  Schu played over 100 games in back-to-back seasons for the Red Barons and hit over .300 both years.

During October and November, fans nominated and then voted on their all-time favorites that graced the field in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the home club.  Nominations spanned the full history of professional baseball in NEPA, were pared down to the finalists before the voting determined the fan’s ultimate selections.

Howard received 75% of the possible votes at first base, besting Tyler Austin, Gene Schall and Jon Zuber.  Utley recorded 78% of the votes at second, topping Marlon Anderson, Dave Doster and Jose Pirela.  Rollins recorded 73% of shortstop votes, defeating Eduardo Nunez, Nick Punto and Tyler Wade.  Schu narrowly edged Miguel Andujar, Travis Chapman and Scott Rolen, collecting 43% of the vote to earn the third base honors.

Rollins bobblehead will be the first given away in 2019, set for May 11, and will be followed by Utley on June 1.  Schu’s bobblehead is scheduled for July 6 and Howard’s is slated for August 3.

Howard, Utley, Rollins and Schu join pitcher Luis Severino and catcher Gary Sanchez on the All-Time SWB Team.  The outfield will be announced on Monday, December 17.  The RailRiders are offering a bobblehead plan for the 2019 season, guaranteeing all nine bobbleheads in addition to your game ticket.  A field reserved plan is $110 per seat and the bleacher plan is $100.

To purchase the bobblehead plan, season tickets or for more information, visit swbrailriders.com or call (570) 969-BALL.  The 2019 season begins on April 4 at Buffalo with PNC Field opener set for April 11.

WILKES-BARRE – WWE announced today the return of WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE to the SMG-managed Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, March 5th at 7:30pm. The event will be broadcast live nationally on the USA Network from 8pm-10pm, once again showcasing fans from the Greater Wilkes-Barre area in front of the WWE Universe!

The event card will feature a double main event with AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan in a WWE Championship Match and Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton. Plus, fans will see other WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE Superstars including Becky Lynch, The Bar, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Charlotte Flair, Samoa Joe, Rusev, Asuka, The New Day, The Usos, Naomi and many more! *CARD IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*

Tickets, starting at just *$20, go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 14th at 10am at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena and Ticketmaster. *Tickets subject to additional fees.

For more information, please visit www.MoheganSunArenaPA.com or www.WWE.com.

On January 10, 2018, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared the opioid epidemic a statewide disaster.

This week, Governor Wolf’s administration will make Naloxone (also known as Narcan®) available to any Pennsylvanian for free on Thursday, December 13th from 11am to 7pm at over 80 locations across the state. Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug (i.e. prescription pain medication or heroin). When administered during an overdose, Naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing within two to eight minutes. Any Pennsylvanian can access Naloxone at their pharmacy under the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health’s Standing Order and all Pennsylvanians are encouraged to attain Naloxone at no cost this Thursday. 

To read the full press release that includes all of the distribution locations, click here.  Click here to read more about the Standing Order.

For your convenience, the Lackawanna and Luzerne County locations are also included below.

• Lackawanna County State Health Center – Scranton State Office Building, 100 Lackawanna Avenue, Room 110, Scranton, PA 18503
• Luzerne County State Health Center – 665 Carey Ave., Suite 2, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706
• Wilkes-Barre City Health Department – 71 N. Franklin St., Kirby Health Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

If you’re active on Facebook and are interested in sharing this information with your network, please visit https://www.facebook.com/pennsylvaniadepartmentofhealth/posts/2118550785122463 and feel free to share this email with anyone in your network to help get the word out if you choose to.

Wells Fargo contributed $15,000 to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program for high school students designed to develop the skills needed to successfully gain entrance to college.

Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.

The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Wells Fargo has provided continuous support of this program since 2011.

For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.

The Wilkes University Chamber Orchestra will present a concert of music at 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the Main Stage of the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. The concert features renowned pianist Hwaen Ch’uqi as guest artist and will be conducted by John Vaida, adjunct professor of violin at Wilkes and the director of the chamber orchestra. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public.

The concert program features Felix Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 10 in B Minor, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 37 and Franz Schubert’s “Overture in the Italian Style,” -D.590.

Ch’uqi, an Inca Indian and native of Peru, has performed throughout the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Russia, Taiwan and Japan. He is the co-founder of several ensembles including Duo Feathers, a piano duo which performs completely from memory; the Florestan Piano Quartet; Blue Ivory, a piano-banjo duo which seeks to fuse elements of genres particular to each instrument; and Johnny Carcrash, a piano-saxophone duo specializing in free improvisation. In March 2012, he was a finalist at the 17th International Piano Duo Composition Competition in Tokyo, Japan. Ch’uqi holds a bachelor’s and a master of music degree in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y.

The Wilkes University Chamber Orchestra performs orchestral literature in a variety of traditional and contemporary styles.

Dr. Devanshu Patel, president of Parul University in Vadodara, India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Parul University and Marywood University with Haley Cheetham, international admissions counselor at Marywood University. To complete the signing (second photo), Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., president of Marywood University, skyped with several members of Marywood University and Parul administrators in her office.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is an initiative from both Marywood University and Parul University to pursue collaborative, international educational opportunities. For additional information about Marywood University’s International Admissions, please visit www.marywood.edu/admissions/landing.html?audience=graduate&acat=International, or call (570) 348-6234, ext. 2486.

Marywood University continues to promote books and reading through its biannual book swap and sale. The University’s fall book swap will take place in the Learning Commons Lobby from Monday, December 3, through Friday, December 7, 2018. Monday-Thursday the Book Swap and Sale will take place from 8 a.m. – 12 a.m., and from 8 a.m. – 2p.m., on Friday, December 7, 2018. This event is free and open to the public.

A wide selection of titles and genres will be available. The book swap and sale is sponsored by the English Club and Library Services. Book donations are being received on the first floor of the Learning Commons. For additional information, please contact Annette Fisher, associate professor of library services, at (570) 348-6211, est. 2365, or email fisher@maryu.marywood.edu.