Author: jeff

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Munsee

The Unexpected Joy of Learning an Endangered Language

Founded in 1929, the Paris Yiddish Center – Medem Library’s existence is a testament to collective resilience: many of the 21,000 works in its collection were saved because they were hidden in basements during World War II. Macha Fogel, the center’s temporary director, explains that while Yiddish is common in Hasidic communities, the language lost prominence across the Jewish world. Fogel says, “It’s important that scholars, artists, or simply curious people study [Yiddish], so that access to all this non-religious material remains existent.” Through Paris Yiddish Center’s summer programs, travelers balance morning studies with Yiddish singing, theater, and cooking classes.

The vibrant pace is similar at Oideas Gael, an Irish language cultural center with language immersions in Gleann Cholm Cille, County Donegal, Ireland. Thematic itineraries include painting, weaving, and flute playing—all through the medium of Irish Gaelic, taught by local tutors. Accommodations include a string of thatched roof homestays within walking distance to the center.

Rónán Ó Dochartaigh, director at Oideas Gael, estimates that “2,200 travelers from 29 countries around the world, ages 18 to mid-80s” visit annually to study the language; a number that feels especially significant when he notes the local population is 700. “A small number of them married students they met during the program,” he adds. Whether for love or learning, the lyrical charm of Oideas Gael attracts an eclectic mix of students including musicians, doctors, postmen, psychologists, and politicians, including former President of Ireland Mary McAleese—a regular guest.

Ó Dochartaigh reflects on the path that returned him to this tiny coastal town: “I grew up in the area. I had a summer job at Oideas Gael. I worked and lived in other places, but kept my connection to the language because of my experience working here. We want to show that learning the…

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Nanticoke

Nanticoke River Bridge celebrates 100 years linking Seaford and Blades communities

SEAFORD, Del. – A century ago on April 23, 1925, a new chapter began for the towns of Seaford and Blades as the Nanticoke River Bridge officially opened to traffic. On this day, locals are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the iconic structure.

A Grand Opening for a New Era

The morning of 1925, a parade marked the bridge’s debut, said Jim Bowden with the Georgetown Historical Society. Seaford Mayor Charles Hastings and Blades Mayor Josh Hare led the celebration as groups gathered on both sides of the river. The Seaford High School band added cheer, and hundreds of people who lived there joined the historic walk.

The first car to ever cross the bridge was Seaford Fire Company’s first motorized firetruck known as Ole Number One. Later that summer, five hand-carved marble markers were added, etched with “Blades,” “Seaford,” “1925,” and “Nanticoke River.” The stones were made locally at Seaford Marble Works on High Street, giving a lasting tribute to the community’s pride.

Bridge

Though it officially carries no name, locals refer to the bridge differently depending on their hometown, “the Blades Bridge” to those in Seaford and “the Seaford Bridge” to people in Blades said Bowden. (Jim Bowden)

More Than Just a Bridge

Though it officially carries no name, locals refer to the bridge differently depending on their hometown, “the Blades Bridge” to those in Seaford and “the Seaford Bridge” to people in Blades said Bowden.

It once housed the original Delaware State Police Troop 5 in the bridge tender’s office, serving as a base before the department relocated to Bridgeville. The bridge itself is a drawbridge, built by the Chicago Bascule Bridge Company. It uses a counterweight system to lift and allow boats to pass beneath. Measuring 201.8 feet in total length,…

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Mohegan

Mohegan Announces the Finalization of Refinancing Transactions and Extension of Unsecured Notes

Highlights:

  • Closes previously-announced refinancing transaction of $1.2 billion in new secured notes with proceeds released from escrow
  • Enters into new, upsized five-year $250 million revolving credit facility
  • Closes private exchange of $226 million of 2027 unsecured notes for 2031 secured notes
  • Enters into agreement to extend a portion of 2027 unsecured notes to 2029
  • Mohegan Tribe acquires $100 million of 2027 unsecured notes and commits to extend maturity to 2032

UNCASVILLE, Conn., April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority (“Mohegan,” the “Company,”) today announced the finalization and closing of significant refinancing transactions, including the release from escrow of the proceeds from its April 10, 2025 notes offering, the entry into a new revolving credit facility, the completion of a private notes exchange, and entry into agreements to extend the maturity of a majority in principal amount of its remaining unsecured notes to 2029 and 2032.

On April 24, 2025, the Company and MS Digital Entertainment Holdings, LLC (the “Co-Issuer”), the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, executed supplemental indentures as successor issuers of $750 million in aggregate principal amount of 8.250% first priority senior secured notes due 2030 (the “2030 Notes”) and $450 million in aggregate principal amount of 11.875% second priority senior secured notes due 2031 (the “2031 Notes,” and, together with the 2030 Notes, the “notes”) issued on April 10, 2025 in an offering (the “Offering”) by the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Mohegan Escrow Issuer, LLC (the “Escrow Issuer”). Because the conditions for the release of the proceeds from escrow were satisfied, the Company and the Co-Issuer assumed the obligations of the Escrow Issuer.

The Company has also entered into a new, five-year $250 million senior secured revolving credit facility. The proceeds of the Offering and borrowings under the new revolving credit facility, together with cash on…

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Lenni Lenape

How the Lenape Nation fights to protect the Delaware River, its ancestral home

For the Lenape Nation, an indigenous tribe in Pennsylvania, the Delaware River is their ancestral home and a place they come to pay their respects. 

Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul and her son Chief Adam Waterbear DePaul have dedicated their lives to protecting the river. 

Asked about the significance of the river, Adam DePaul said, “There are pragmatic reasons — it’s huge for traveling, of course, it provides food, but the spiritual significance, the cultural significance, the river just communicates so much humility.”

Keeping a balance between nature and development motivates the Lenape’s activism. 

“What can we do to keep the balance, or in many cases restore the balance?” Shelley DePaul asked. “Because our early ancestors lived in balance, and now we need to relearn that.”

lanape-for-digital-photo.jpg Lenape Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul sings an honor song for her ancestors while kayaking along the Delaware River. CBS News

“Finding a new harmony”

Partnering with other organizations, the tribe’s efforts helped lead to a 2021 ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin after concerns that those chemicals could cause health problems and hurt aquatic life and ecosystems. In 2002, they helped kill a proposed dam on the river that would have created a lake along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border. 

“It’s really important to understand that we are not against construction and development,” Adam DePaul said. “It’s because there is severe and unwarranted risk to the environment and/or to the cultural history of the area.”

Now, they’re fighting against the construction of huge warehouses near the river because of concerns about pollution draining into the river. 

“It’s often one of the biggest points that people just don’t deal with, that there’s no realistic plan for,” Adam DePaul said.

Whether it’s protesting or lobbying, the Lenape…

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Nanticoke

WVC BASEBALL: Cougars zip Trojans, keep pace in Division 1 race

HAZLE TWP. – Gavin Perkosky, AJ Collevechio and Aiden Timmons combined on a one-hitter and Dom Marino homered and drove in four runs as Hazleton Area blanked Nanticoke, 14-0, in Wyoming Valley Conference baseball, Wednesday, at Schiavo Field.

Perkosky worked the first three innings on the mound to get the win. He didn’t allow a hit, struck out seven Trojans and walked two. Collevechio and Timmons came on in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, to complete the shutout in the 10-run rule-shortened game.

The Cougars (8-3, 7-1 WVC Division 1) got all the offense they needed in a seven-run first inning. Nick Ledger singled home the first two runs; Marino connected for a three-run home run; and Bryant Diaz capped the inning’s scoring with a two-run single.

Hazleton Area added to its lead in the bottom of the second when Ryan Schmidt scored the first of his three runs on the afternoon.

One inning later, Marcos Gil Pena’s fielder’s choice grounder plated one run and a passed ball accounted for another tally as the Cougars’ advantage swelled to 10-0.

While Collevechio was picking up where Perkosky left off with a clean top of the fourth, their teammates tacked on their final four runs in the bottom half to the put the 10-run rule well within reach. Ryan Welch and Micheal Pecora delivered RBI singles for the Cougars. Schmidt later singled and came home again.

After Timmons shut down Nanticoke (2-11, 2-6) in the fifth, the Cougars had their second double-digit win over the Trojans this season. This one kept the locals one game behind unbeaten Pittston Area atop the Division 1 standings.

Chris Knelly rapped a double and single and Logan Hearity added a triple, respectively, to Hazleton Area’s 10-hit total. The Cougars also benefited from nine walks and…

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Munsee

Thousands gather in New Mexico for the largest powwow in North America

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of people are gathering in New Mexico for a celebration showcasing Native American and Indigenous dancers, musicians and artisans from around the world.

Billed by organizers as the largest powwow in North America, the annual Gathering of Nations festival kicks off Friday with a colorful procession of dancers spiraling into the center of an arena at the New Mexico state fairgrounds. Participants wear elaborate regalia adorned with jingling bells and dance to the tempo of rhythmic drumming.

The event also features the crowning of Miss Indian World, as well as horse parades in which riders are judged on the craftsmanship of their intricately beaded adornments or feathered headdresses and how well they work with their horses.

Powwow roots

Powwows are a relatively modern phenomenon that emerged in the 1800s as the U.S. government seized land from tribes throughout the Northern and Southern Plains. Forced migrations and upheaval during this period resulted in intertribal solidarity among Plains people and those from the southern prairies of Canada.

Next slide

This image provided by the U.S. Postal Service shows one of the postage stamps in a new series commemorating Native American powwows. (U.S. Postal Service via AP)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/U.S. Postal Service

Alliances were formed, giving way to the exchange of songs and dances during gatherings between different tribes. In the decades that followed, powwows were advertised to pioneers heading westward as “authentic” Native American dance shows. For some, it was an exploitation of their cultures.

The word powwow was derived from pau wau, an Algonquian Narrtick word for “medicine man,” according to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Scholars say English settlers misused the word to refer to the meetings of medicine men and later to any kind of Native American gathering.

Today, some…

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Mohegan

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Lenni Lenape

How the Lenape Nation fights to protect the Delaware River

For the Lenape Nation, an indigenous tribe in Pennsylvania, the Delaware River is their ancestral home and a place they come to pay their respects.

Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul and her son Chief Adam Waterbear DePaul have dedicated their lives to protecting the river.

Asked about the significance of the river, Adam DePaul said, “There are pragmatic reasons — it’s huge for traveling, of course, it provides food, but the spiritual significance, the cultural significance, the river just communicates so much humility.”

Keeping a balance between nature and development motivates the Lenape’s activism.

“What can we do to keep the balance, or in many cases restore the balance?” Shelley DePaul asked. “Because our early ancestors lived in balance, and now we need to relearn that.”

Lenape Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul sings an honor song for her ancestors while kayaking along the Delaware River. / Credit: CBS News

Lenape Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul sings an honor song for her ancestors while kayaking along the Delaware River. / Credit: CBS News

“Finding a new harmony”

Partnering with other organizations, the tribe’s efforts helped lead to a 2021 ban on fracking in the Delaware River Basin after concerns that those chemicals could cause health problems and hurt aquatic life and ecosystems. In 2002, they helped kill a proposed dam on the river that would have created a lake along the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border.

“It’s really important to understand that we are not against construction and development,” Adam DePaul said. “It’s because there is severe and unwarranted risk to the environment and/or to the cultural history of the area.”

Now, they’re fighting against the construction of huge warehouses near the river because of concerns about pollution draining into the river.

“It’s often one of the biggest points that people…

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Mohican

The Heights Urban Empowerment at AMC Mohican Outdoor Center

02/16-02/18/2025: During this freezing February 2025, THUE youth visited the Mohican Outdoor Center and stayed in a cabin with their leaders, Antonio and Lizzette, for three days. When we arrived, it was a noticeable contrast to the snow in New York City. Even on the way to the location, we noticed how the frost-covered trees and snow-abundant environment contrasted with the chilly rain back home. When we arrived, our car had trouble going up the hill initially. We had to settle various materials into the cabin and then retrieve our gear to keep us warm and hydrated later. 

“The nature in whole was very nice because it gave us obstacles that we had to overcome together.” THUE member Ethan was referring to our troubles with the ice and snow on the first day of arrival. Once all tasks were completed, we got to relax in the warm cabin as it sheltered us from the harsh wind.

THUE youth seemed to really enjoy being back in nature; they ran up the trail to the boathouse and climbed over mini mountains of snow. While on the back porch or walking near a tree, they would constantly crack off icicles from the surfaces. Snow angels and rolling down hills of snow were another common trend during the hike. Lyly, a THUE member,  enjoyed attending this trip because it allowed her access to natural beauty and socialization. “At the beginning, I was stressed because of everything going on in the world,  just the thought of all of it was overwhelming. When I was in the nature, I forgot about all my problems. Leaving the trip was bittersweet because I wanted to spend more time there.”  

Lyly was able to catch a break from the fast-paced and, at times, chaotic moments that have filled a lot of young…

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Nanticoke

Funeral directors object to Luzerne County coroner pick

WILKES-BARRE — A funeral director raised concerns with the selection for Luzerne County Coroner at the county council meeting on Tuesday night.

Thomas Wiedlich, a funeral director with the Wroblewski Funeral Home in Forty Fort, objected to the selection of Dion Fernandes as coroner, citing past controversies involving Fernandes while working as a police officer and his job as president of the Howell-Lussi Funeral Home in West Pittston.

Wiedlich, who spoke on behalf of five other funeral directors at the meeting, said the coroner should not have “any affiliation or employment with a funeral home” because it “leads to a potential conflict of interest as recommendations may be made by the coroner to use a funeral home in which there is an affiliation.”

The coroner’s office issues death certificates and cremation permits and is responsible for investigating and certifying causes of death. Fernandes said he starts as coroner May 2, and he noted that previous coroners and many deputy coroners have worked for funeral homes.

“The funeral home I’m affiliated with, they surround me,” Fernandes said of his critics who attended Tuesday’s meeting. “They’re just ticked off that I’m in that position. It’s unethical for me to go out and solicit business as the county coroner. You cannot do that.”

The county ethics code prohibits employees and officials from having financial interests that are “to the detriment of the proper discharge of his or her official duties.” The code specifically says a coroner can’t solicit “business for a funeral home” with which he or she is affiliated or “recommend funeral home services to anyone while engaged in county business.”

County Manager Romilda Crocamo announced the selection of Fernandes as coroner on Friday and issued a statement defending the selection Wednesday.

“The County has a strict personnel policy and ethics code, and…

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