Month: May 2022

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Nanticoke

Yudichak appears before Luzerne County Council urging infrastructure loan guarantee

State Sen. John Yudichak appeared before Luzerne County Council members remotely last week to personally seek their guarantee on a new infrastructure loan.

An estimated $55 million for county and municipal infrastructure projects is at stake, he said.

New state legislation customized solely for the county earmarks $3 million annually for 25 years from the casino-gambling Local Share Account (LSA) to repay debt required to secure the up-front infrastructure cash.

Financial institutions are seeking assurance the county would repay the debt if the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino in Plains Township unexpectedly closes down the road.

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Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, told council members he is as frustrated as they are that lending institution attorneys want the county assurance for an improbable gaming industry shutdown.

“It is not going to happen, but that’s what lawyers do for a living,” he said, referring to a casino closure. “They want to make sure that every scenario is planned for.”

With 15 casinos that generated $4.83 billion in gross terminal gaming revenue last year, Pennsylvania is ranked as the second most profitable gaming state, just behind Nevada, Yudichak said.

Although individual casinos have closed across the country, no gaming state has ever pulled out of the casino business, he said. Pennsylvania would be compelled to attract another casino operator to Luzerne County if Mohegan Sun Pocono closed, he said.

Among casinos nationwide, Mohegan Sun Pocono is ranked 13th and has generated, on average, more than $10 million annually for the county LSA over the last ten years, he said. Under the new legislation, $3 million of that annual allocation would come off the top to cover the infrastructure program, while the rest would continue to fund local earmarks for a range of community purposes, he said.

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Mohegan

Jasmine Thomas’ absence creates defensive void; Sun struggle in 85-77 loss to Wings

UNCASVILLE — Several hours before Tuesday night’s game against the Dallas Wings, the Connecticut Sun announced that star Jasmine Thomas, the team’s starting point guard and de facto leader for the last seven seasons, would be out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in her right knee.

The Sun had looked like one of the most dominant teams in the WNBA up until then. But the devastating news of the injury appeared, at least on the surface, to put their hopes of finally capturing their first WNBA championship, which had narrowly slipped from their fingers in each of the last few years, at risk.

The effects of Thomas’ absence showed as the Sun went on to drop their first game since opening night, a 85-77 loss to the Wings at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“It’s tough seeing our point guard go down,” Brionna Jones said. “The leadership that she brings on the court, she keeps us together, she runs the team on the court when she’s out there. …. We just gotta figure out a way to get that same energy, same leadership — she’s bringing it on on the bench as much as she can — but we just gotta still find that groove.”

Thomas’ defensive leadership was especially missed, as Connecticut (4-2) allowed Dallas guards Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale to combine for 36 points and seven rebounds.

Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones each scored 13 points for Connecticut, with Alyssa Thomas also adding nine assists and eight rebounds, and Jonquel Jones pulling down 12 rebounds. Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman each had 11 points.

Head coach and general manager Curt Miller elected to remain with a lineup featuring two ball-handling guards and keep forward Brionna Jones as his top option off the bench, replacing Jasmine Thomas with Hiedeman…

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Lenni Lenape

Lenni Lenape were forced from Pennsylvania. Their ancestral remains now will rest in Falls

Carl LaVO  |  Special to the Bucks County Courier Times

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Video: United Way seeking volunteers for Bucks Knocks Out Hunger

Bucks Knocks Out Hunger returns for its 10th year, with an in-person food packaging event at the Neshaminy Mall on June 17, 2022.

Provided by United Way of Bucks County, Bucks County Courier Times

What impressed me on arrival from Florida in the 1970s was discovering William Penn once lived in Falls Township. In boyhood, I only knew Willie as the guy on the Quaker Oats container in Mom’s kitchen. But here I was suddenly covering Falls for the Bucks County Courier Times newspaper as a rookie news reporter.

My beat included Pennsbury Manor, the reconstructed estate of William who happened to found Pennsylvania in 1682. What was curious to me was his unusual bond with the Lenni Lenape Native American tribe. It governed the Delaware River estuary for a millennia, maybe as far back as when mastodons walked the earth.

Though English King Charlie II deeded Pennsylvania to William, he decided to negotiate with the Indians for a fair purchase. The natives respected Penn and were frequently feted at his Manor. However, the Lenape were not treated fairly by Penn’s sons after his death. They divested the Lenape of…

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Unami

Security Council Authorizes One-Year Mandate Extension of United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2631 (2022)

Attachments

The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today for another year, until 31 May 2023, retaining its core tasks.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2631 (2022) (to be issued as document S/RES/2631(2022)) the Council requested that the Secretary–General’s Special Representative for Iraq and UNAMI prioritize the provision of advice, support, and assistance to the Government and people of Iraq on advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national and community-level reconciliation, considering civil society input, with the full, equal and meaningful participation of women.

The 15-member organ also requested the Special Representative and UNAMI to further advise, support and assist the Government of Iraq in facilitating regional dialogue and cooperation, including on issues of border security, energy, trade, environment, water and the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly those contributing to desertification and drought, resilience building, infrastructure, public health and refugees.

The Council also requested the Special Representative and UNAMI to approach gender mainstreaming as a cross-cutting issue throughout its mandate and advise and assist the Government of Iraq in ensuring the full, equal and meaningful participation, involvement and representation of women at all levels of decision-making, including in the context of elections and government formation, and the promotion of women’s economic empowerment.

They were also requested to promote, support, and facilitate the coordination and delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance, notably to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the transition of humanitarian services to government systems.

Further, the Special Representative and UNAMI were tasked with actively supporting the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to work together and engage in regular and structured dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, including security provisions, budgetary arrangements and the management of Iraq’s oil and gas resources, and to implement existing agreements, including the 2020…

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Mohegan

Mohegan Tribe Partners with Yale to Combat Problem Gambling through Digital Therapy

The Mohegan Tribe has always been invested in supporting and developing health programs in Connecticut and this is just the newest addition to the list of their contributions. CBT is a very digital-friendly form of therapy, so there is great promise in this endeavor.

In the age of digitalization, all businesses are looking into ways to find more value by making the switch and expanding further and faster. Ever since online gaming and sports betting became legal in Connecticut, taking more preventative and therapeutic initiatives to combat problem gambling has become a new focal point for organizations such as the Connecticut Lottery and tribal casinos. For the Mohegan Tribe, this applies to finding ways to help the community and give back as Mohegan is looking at contributing $2 million to Yale University for developing a comprehensive approach to helping people combat problem gambling.

The money will be assimilated through the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and will be used to develop a new digital program for providing CBT services. On the user’s side, this will be the interface of a downloadable mobile app that provides the developed CBT tools to assist them. And, on the backend, this will be the work of Yale School of Medicine scientific staff and researchers who have been leading the way in digital healthcare tools for years.

Why Yale Is A Great Partner

Yale University and their School of Medicine in particular have been heavily focusing on research and development of digital-assisted or entirely computer-based therapeutic tools for treating substance abuse. Brian Kiluk, associate professor of psychiatry at YSM has commented that “using digital platforms such as mobile phones to provide treatment offers the potential to get help to more people.”

This approach applies not only to a specific tool but…

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Lenni Lenape

Girls Lacrosse: State tourney results, links and featured coverage for Thurs., May 26

THURSDAY, MAY 26

FEATURED GAMES

NON-PUBLIC A – Quarterfinals

4-Kent Place 13, 5-Mount St. Mary 7

NORTH JERSEY, GROUP 4 – Semifinals

1-Morristown 18, 4-Hunterdon Central 6

STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

TOP 20 SCOREBOARD

STATEWIDE SCOREBOARD

Thursday, May. 26

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, North Jersey, Group 1

Caldwell 11, Verona 8 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, North Jersey, Group 2

Summit 19, West Essex 4 – Box Score

Mendham 16, Somerville 7 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, North Jersey, Group 4

Morristown 18, Hunterdon Central 6 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, South Jersey, Group 1

Glen Ridge 11, West Deptford 6 – Box Score

Haddonfield 18, New Providence 8 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, South Jersey, Group 2

Rumson-Fair Haven 11, Wall 3 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Semifinal Round, South Jersey, Group 4

Lenape 10, Rancocas Valley 6 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, Non-Public, Group A

Kent Place 13, Mount St. Mary 7 – Box Score

Trinity Hall 16, Immaculate Heart 11 – Box Score

Pingry 19, Red Bank Catholic 4 – Box Score

Oak Knoll 16, Montclair Kimberley 1 – Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament, Quarterfinal Round, Non-Public, Group B

Princeton Day 15, St. Elizabeth 4 – Box Score

Holy Spirit 18, Morristown-Beard 8 – Box Score

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here.

Brian Deakyne may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDeakyne.

Thank…

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Unami

UN Security Council renews mandate of assistance mission for Iraq

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to renew the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for a year, till May 31, 2023.

Resolution 2631, which won the unanimous support of the 15 members of the council, requests the UN secretary-general’s special representative and UNAMI, at the request of the Iraqi government, to prioritise the provision of advice, support, and assistance on advancing inclusive, political dialogue and national and community-level reconciliation, Xinhua news agency reported.“);]]>

The resolution recognises that the security of UN personnel is essential for UNAMI to carry out its work and calls on the Iraqi government to continue to provide security and logistical support to the UN presence in Iraq.

The resolution expresses the Security Council’s intention to review the mandate and reporting cycle of UNAMI by May 31, 2023, or sooner, if requested by the Iraqi government.

UNAMI is a political mission established by the Security Council in 2003 at the request of the Iraqi government in the wake of the invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Nanticoke

Luzerne Co. Bar Association to hold Wills for Heroes event next weekend

Luzerne Co. Bar Association to hold Wills for Heroes event next weekend | WOLFPlease ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility-1; } // command = ‘getUSPData’, version = 1, callback = function(uspData: uspdata, success: boolean) window.__uspapi = function (command, version, callback) { if (command === ‘getUSPData’ && version === 1) { if (isFullMeasure() || getPrivacyKVP()) { // enable via KVP or if the site is fullmeasure.news // check trustarc for privacy info var uspString = getTrustArc(); if (uspString) { // if the uspString was created and returned properly // Then perform callback with correct object var uspData = { version: version, uspString: uspString }; return callback(uspData, true); } } } // Case where command !== getUSPData || uspString returns null || version !== 1 || !usPrivacyEnabled // call callback with uspData = null and success = false return callback(null, false); } function getTrustArc() { if (window.truste && window.truste.cma) { // if the trustarc object and methods are available var url = location.protocol + ‘//’ + location.host; // Get consent decision by calling trustarc api var consentDetails = window.truste.cma.callApi(“getConsentDecision”, url); /* returns consentDetails: {consentDecision:$integer, source:”asserted”} consentDetails.source can be “asserted” or “implied” – ignore for our purposes consentDetails.consentDecision can be 0, 1, 2, or 3 0 – no decision (closing banner without making a decision) 1 – required – “opted out” 3 – advertising – accepted */ var uspPrivacyString = formatUSPrivacyString(consentDetails.consentDecision); return writeUSPrivacyString(uspPrivacyString); } else { return null; } } // Handle getting the value of the notice_behavior cookie (provided for us by trustarc) function getCookieData(name) { var value = ‘; ‘ + document.cookie; var parts = value.split(‘; ‘ + name + ‘=’); if (parts.length === 2) { return parts.pop().split(‘;’).shift(); } return null; }…

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Mohegan

Delle Donne reaches 4,000 points as Mystics beat Dream

Elena Delle Donne scored 15 points to reach 4,000 for her career and the Washington Mystics beat the Atlanta Dream 70-50 on Tuesday night.

Delle Donne entered needing 15 points to become the 40th player to reach the milestone. She was 7 of 13 from the field and had three of Washington’s seven blocked shots.

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Washington took control in the third quarter, outscoring Atlanta 20-8 to help build a 54-33 lead.

Kennedy Burke added 13 points for Washington (6-2), which was without coach Mike Thibault due to personal reasons. Alysha Clark scored 11 points and Ariel Atkins had 10.

Atlanta shot just 35.7%, including 4 of 21 from distance, and turned it over 23 times.

Rookie Rhyne Howard, the league’s leading scorer at 20.5 points per game, missed all nine of her shots and was scoreless in 29 minutes for Atlanta (4-3).

WINGS 85, SUN 77

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Marina Mabrey scored 20 points, Allisha Gray had 17 points and eight rebounds, and the Wings beat the Sun for their fourth straight road victory.

Dallas trailed 38-27 at halftime before taking its first lead since the opening minutes late in the third quarter. Mabrey capped a 12-2 run with a 3-pointer to help Dallas take a 53-51 lead.

Arike Ogunbowale added 16 points for Dallas (5-2). Kayla Thornton grabbed 10 rebounds and Isabelle Harrison had nine points and eight rebounds. Mabrey made three 3-pointers and reached 20 points for the third time this season.

Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones each scored 13 points for Connecticut (4-2), which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

SKY 95, FEVER 90

CHICAGO — Candace Parker had 16 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Azura Stevens added 15 points, and the Sky beat the Fever.

Parker, coming off her second…

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Nanticoke

Gas prices keeping some folks local this Memorial Day weekend

Record-high prices at the pump have some people changing their annual travel plans.

GOULDSBORO, Pa. — Close to $200 — that’s a number nobody wants to see when filling up the gas tank. You might budget that amount for a long weekend trip, but on Monday, at the Gouldsboro Travel Plaza, this is what drivers call Monday morning on the way to work.

“I remember I used to be able to fill my car with $60. Now my V-8 takes double that. So it’s going to be $120 to $130,” said George Ramos from Newfoundland.

The price at the pump has jumped for the fifth straight week, according to GasBuddy.com.

The average price in Pennsylvania is $4.77, according to AAA.

“It’s definitely hurting. I mean, that’s why we try not to use that car if we don’t have to.”

“I just feel like I’m wasting all my money on gas, money I could use to eat, to pay my bills,” said Gregory Benoit from Tobyhanna.

“I travel a lot for work, so I’m looking at double the cost everywhere I go. It sucks,” said Andrew Lencoski from Nanticoke.

Lencoski usually heads to Florida for Memorial Day Weekend. Not this year.

“Just staying in the area, maybe doing some hiking, trying not to drive as much as possible.”

He’s in good company; lots of people are planning to keep it local this year.

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Jacob Krisovitch from Covington Township.

“We’re trying not to do much other than stay home and maybe do a little barbecuing. That’s pretty much it,” Ramos said.

Nationwide, high gas prices aren’t keeping everybody at home. AAA predicts 8.3% more travelers this Memorial Day Weekend compared to last year.

If you have travel plans in June or July,…

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