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Lenni Lenape

Vernon football preview, 2021: Vikings look to carry momentum forward from end of 2020

Team name: Vernon Vikings

Head coach: Steve Down, fourth season (4-24)

Last season: 2-6

2021 Starting SI: 48.30

Division: Super Football Conference, National Red

Division opponents: Hackettstown, High Point, Kittatinny, Lenape Valley, Newton, Sussex Tech

Key players: Kevin Coulther, Sr., DE/DE; John Kowalski, Sr., QB/WR/ILB; Shane Saulnier, OT/DR; Jeremiah Carfello, Sr., WR/OLB; Justin Simone, Sr., WR/CB

Outlook: Vernon is feeling more optimistic headed into 2021 with better numbers in the program, a ton of returning experience and two wins to end last season. The Vikings won just two games across three seasons from 2017-19, so blowout wins over Indian Hills (42-12) and Pascack Hills (33-13) represented an important step.

The Vikings have been able to put up a decent amount of points offensively under Down the past two seasons, but the major issues have been on the defensive side of the ball. Improving upon giving up over 30 points per game last year will be the key to making strides. Vernon allowed at least 35 points in five of its six losses.

Vernon hopes nine returning starters on defense will make a difference. They have experience on all three levels of the defense led by Kevin Coulthier and Shane Saulnier on the defensive line, John Kowalski, Jeremiah Carfello and Aidan Duffy at linebacker and Justin Simone and Ian Schmid in the secondary.

Offensively, Vernon returns seven starters, but will have to replace its two of its best players from last year — quarterback Zack Waschek and receiver Aden Moskovitz. Ian Schmid recorded 502 yards on 114 carries and five touchdowns last year and will be back.

The hopes were high when Down took the Vernon job in 2018 since he came over from Matt Parzero’s Newton staff that was coming off a state sectional championship. The Vikings have had bad injury luck during his tenure, but the added depth in numbers…

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Nanticoke

Lisa Baurys Haywood

Lisa Baurys Haywood, 57, of Camp Hill, passed away at home surrounded by loved ones Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021, after a tough four-year battle with mucosal melanoma cancer — she never gave up fighting it. Lisa was born in Nanticoke on April 15, 1964, to Eugene and Maxine Paveletz Baurys.

She graduated from Greater Nanticoke Area High School, Class of ’82, earned her BA in communications at Mansfield University and her master’s in education at Penn State University. For the past eight years until the time of her passing, Lisa found great joy in teaching English, history and geography at Harrisburg Academy, where she was beloved by her students and fellow teachers.

Lisa was a teacher, but she also considered herself a lifelong student and was always determined to learn from others. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom for 17 years, she worked in public relations and communications at numerous firms. Lisa performed professionally at Open Stage of Harrisburg and Gamut Theatre for a number of years. Lisa loved being with her family and friends. She was passionate about reading, dancing, acting, running, hiking, biking and camping. She also led Zumba classes at the West Shore YMCA. Lisa was tireless and full of energy and brought joy, beauty and laughter to the lives of all who knew her.

Lisa is survived by her husband, Mark; daughter, Kathryn; son, Lucas; parents; sister, Jennifer Levering and husband, Daniel; nephews, Derek Ezra, Andrew Zook and Matthew Zook; and nieces, Jacki Ezra and Sydney Levering.

Memorial services will be held privately with her family. A public celebration of Lisa’s life will be announced and held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, Lisa’s family requests that donations be made to the Lisa Haywood Memorial Scholarship Fund at Harrisburg Academy — donations may be made out to “Harrisburg Academy”…

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Mohegan

David Spade Warns Wokeness Is Killing Comedy: ‘One Wrong Move and You’re Canceled’

Actor and comedian David Spade warned in a recent interview that wokeness is killing comedy. “One wrong move and you’re canceled,” the Grown Ups star and Saturday Night Live alum said of being a comedian in the age of cancel culture.

“It’s very dicey. It’s very tricky. You used to have to say anything to go as far as you could, to push the envelope, to get attention, and people would be like, ‘I like this guy. He’s pushing it.’ And in comedy clubs, audiences really appreciate that,” Spade told Variety. “Now you say the one wrong move and you’re canceled. It’s a very tough world out there.”

“I think all the comedians have gotten together, in a way, to say we just have to keep doing what we were doing, and the people that come to the shows will appreciate it,” he added.

David Spade seen at KAABOO 2017 at the Del Mar Racetrack and Fairgrounds on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in San Diego, Calif. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Spade also suggested that comedians are typically canceled after an “outsider” comes into a comedy club and decides they are offended after a show.

“But you get an outsider that comes in and goes, ‘I was so offended,’” he said.

“The intent is not to be mean,” Spade continued. “If the intent is to do it as a joke or a spin on something, and it is mean to people, but you’re just making fun of that, I don’t think that’s horrible.”

“I’ve been in the business doing it for 20 years, so I hope comics are allowed to be comics. I really hope so,” the comedian added.

Spade has been one of the recent celebrity guest hosts to replace longtime host Chris Harrison on ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise.

Harrison

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Unami

Iraq: Clock ticks on all-important elections, commitment to credibility needed

NEW YORK — With just 46 days until Iraq goes to the polls, the UN Assistance Mission for the country (UNAMI) is stepping up its communications to inform voters about their conduct, Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council on Wednesday, stressing that it is up to the political parties themselves to refrain from attempts to distort the results.

Briefing Council members for the first time in over a year, Hennis-Plasschaert, who is also the head of the Mission, also called claims that UNAMI is advocating for a postponement of the elections “frankly absurd”.

She urged everyone to “stick to the facts”, focus on their own roles and refrain from using the United Nations as a scapegoat. “Truth, discipline and, yes, courage, are required at this critical juncture,” said the UN official

Misinformation ‘risky business’

If misinformation overtakes reality, “it is not only an enormous energy-drain for those working hard for the greater good of Iraq,” she cautioned. “It is also risky business.”

The UNAMI chief urged media outlets to provide accurate, reliable and timely information, instead of fueling “false perceptions to suit their backers”.

Stressing that Iraq “leads and owns” the Oct. 10 elections, she reminded that their credibility would prove essential for its future.

Elections at hand

Detailing joint efforts, Hennis-Plasschaert said that the Independent High Electoral Commission has reached “several complex milestones” while noting that UNAMI has provided technical assistance wherever it can.

She outlined that candidate lists have been finalized; a ballot lottery conducted for all 83 constituencies; ballot printing is ongoing; and all ballot papers expected in country by mid-September.

Meanwhile, polling and results management systems are being reviewed by an independent audit firm.

In parallel, she said preparations for UN monitoring are moving rapidly, with most members of the preparatory team being deployed to Baghdad “as we speak” and regional teams due on…

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Lenni Lenape

Millville football preview, 2021: Thunderbolts have look of a championship team

Millville Thunderbolts

Head coach: Dennis Thomas (seventh season at Millville, 40-23; 53-33 in ninth year overall)

Last year’s record: 4-4

2021 Starting SI rating: 76.11

Division: WJFL American

Division opponents: Lenape, Shawnee, St. Augustine, Vineland, Williamstown

Key players: LeQuint Allen, RB/LB, Sr.; Nate Robbins, QB, Sr.; Lotzeir Brooks, RB/DB, Fr.; Thomas Smith, WR, Sr.; Calem Bowman, WR/LB, Sr.; Ti-yon Cephas, WR/DB, Sr.; Jaydan Wright, OL/DL, Sr.; George Gonzales, OL/LB, Sr.; Tyheem Mitchell, OL/DL, Jr.; Ta’Ron Haile, WR/DB, So.; Achan Harris, OL/DL, Sr.

Outlook: The Thunderbolts were just 9-10 the past two years and 15-15 the last three, but this is a team that seems ready to vault back into contention. Two of Millville’s four wins last year came against powerhouse teams in Williamstown and St. Augustine and this is a team that is talented and experienced.

All-state RB/LB LeQuint Allen, a Syracuse recruit, is back and should fill up the stat sheet on both sides of the ball. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Lotzeir Brooks, who has four FBS offers before taking a snap and is “lightning in a bottle” according to coach Dennis Thomas, while sophomore wide receiver Ta’Ron Haile is another player picking up significant recruiting interest.

Third-year starter Nate Robbins also returns to lead what should be a potent offense, and Allen and Calem Bowman headline what should be an excellent linebacking corps.

Expect a first winning season in three years and a chance to contend for a sectional title. There’s some tough games on the schedule – beginning with what Thomas considers an even matchup against Union – but there shouldn’t be any win considered an upset this year.

2021 schedule

  • Aug. 28 vs. Union at Battle at the Beach, 5
  • Sept. 2: Mainland, 6
  • Sept. 10: at Shawnee, 7
  • Sept. 17: at Highland, 7
  • Sept. 24: vs. St. Augustine, 6
  • Oct. 8: Hammonton, 6
  • Oct. 15: at Williamstown, 7
  • Oct. 22: at…

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Nanticoke

Look Back: Nanticoke Dam constructed for the North Branch Canal

A job advertisement appeared in the Wyoming Herald newspaper in Wilkes-Barre on Aug. 7, 1829, seeking 200 “stout, able-bodied” laborers to construct the Nanticoke Dam.

The job ad sought “steady, sober and industrious men.”

A week earlier, the Board of Canal Commissioners met in Harrisburg on July 30, 1829, to discuss the construction of the Nanticoke Dam inquiring if the dam would be strong enough to withstand the mighty Susquehanna River.

The Nanticoke Dam was built seven feet height extending across the river between West Nanticoke and Nanticoke, with the pool of water used to fill the yet-to-be constructed North Branch Canal from Nanticoke to Wilkes-Barre. The canal was built along the river shore and snaked through Wilkes-Barre where it exited back into the river at today’s location of the Luzerne County Courthouse.

A guard lock was built just north of the dam to control water levels in the canal.

Once the canal opened in 1831, arks and barges began transporting coal from collieries, lumber from mills and produce from farms in the Wyoming Valley to the bigger cities.

“A journey hence to the city of New York or Philadelphia will be a matter as familiar as a joy to the Nanticoke dam,” the Republican Farmer and Democratic Journal reported Jan. 23, 1833.

With the dam forming a deep pool of water on the river, landowners along the river were quick to realize their properties increased in value. Many sold their lands to mine companies and railroads.

“For sale a tract of land in Plymouth Township, Luzerne County, containing 47 perches. A mine has been opened upon the property at a vein 18 feet thick. The opening of the mine is three-quarters of a mile from the pool formed by the Nanticoke…

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Mohegan

Mark Brown seeking to return to Mohegan Tribal Council in ongoing voting

Mohegan — Mark Brown, the former long-serving Mohegan Tribal Council member who lost a 2019 reelection bid and then won a special election that later was invalidated and lost the do-over, is seeking to return to the council in ongoing voting among tribal members.

The voting concludes Sunday.

Brown confirmed this week he is among the candidates for five seats up for election to the nine-member council, which oversees tribal government and serves as the management board of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, which operates the tribe’s gaming enterprises, including Mohegan Sun, its flagship casino.

Four incumbents — Chairman James Gessner Jr., Sarah Harris, William Quidgeon Jr. and Ken Davison — are seeking new, four-year terms. A fifth incumbent, Kathy Regan-Pyne, is not running for reelection.

A field of candidates was narrowed to 10 in primary voting earlier this year. In addition to the four incumbents, the other candidates are Brown, Bethany Seidel, Kim Strickland, Brian Bozsum, Chris Friday and David Rubino.

Brown, who served as council chairman from 2000 to 2005, was nearing the end of his sixth term when he lost his bid for a seventh in August 2019. Less than four months later, he won a special election held to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of his brother, former Chairman Kevin Brown. Mark Brown won the special election in a three-way race, edging Davison by a single vote.

Davison and another tribal member challenged the result, filing suit in tribal court and petitioning the tribe’s election committee and its elders’ council. They claimed the vote should be invalidated because tribal members had not been properly notified in advance that voting hours had been shortened, costing Davison two votes. The elders’ council, the tribe’s ultimate judicial authority, invalidated the special election and scheduled a new vote, which…

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Mohican

Mohican storytellers curate their past and future

The canoe draws the eye at the center of the room, a long tapering organic shape ribbed like a whale, with the warm patina of old wood. Above it, the shape of a wave crosses a banner in a web of blue lines — like a three-dimensional digital model, or a weaving.

Past and future come together in Mu-he-con-ne-ok, the Mohican people, people of the waters that are never still, at the Berkshire Museum. Come in and stand quietly, and you will hear their stories in their own voices.

From the Stockbridge-Munsee Nation, Eunice Stick and Sheila Powless, Dorothy and Bruce Davids, Betty Putnam Scheil and Clarence Chicks talk about their experiences over the generations. They talk about young people leaving to work in the city, the cost of education and the resources it can bring — the challenges of learning forestry and preserving birch trees or running for office within the Tribal Council.

A wooden canoe rests at the center of Mu-he-con-ne-ok, the Mohican people, people of the waters that are never still, an exhibit curated by Heather Breugl, director of cultural affairs for the Stockbridge Munsee community of the Mohican nation, at the Berkshire Museum.A wooden canoe rests at the center of Mu-he-con-ne-ok, the Mohican people, people of the waters that are never still, an exhibit curated by Heather Breugl, director of cultural affairs for the Stockbridge Munsee community of the Mohican nation, at the Berkshire Museum.

Photo by Kate Abbott

A wooden canoe rests at the center of Mu-he-con-ne-ok, the Mohican people, people of the waters that are never still, an exhibit curated by Heather Breugl, director of cultural affairs for the Stockbridge Munsee community of the Mohican nation, at the Berkshire Museum.

It’s powerful to hear them here, in their traditional homeland, said Heather Breugl,…

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Munsee

Halo Infinite Xbox Series X console is a space-themed monolith – how to get it

The Gamescom 2021 showcase finally revealed the Halo Infinite release date, but that’s not all – there will be a limited edition Halo Infinite Xbox Series X console and controller coming out, too, and preorders are live. 

If you’ve already got a system, there’s also an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller patterned after the Master Chief that’s up for pre-order now, too. 

The console pre-order is live on Microsoft’s Xbox store for $549 / £479 (around AU$755), and pre-orders should go live soon on other retailers. 

The console itself dresses up the Xbox Series X with a Halo-themed skin – sorry, there’s not a speck of Master Chief green in sight, but series fans will appreciate the geometric gray and black with burnished gold detail as feeling a bit more USMC, making the ‘black fridge’ console look a bit more like the Pillar of Autumn. The top of the console has a cool starfield effect, so perhaps it’s more like peering out of a cockpit? Interesting choices here.

Xbox Senior Marketing Manager Josh Munsee first tweeted the news, which was followed up by an official tweet with pre-order link:

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The limited-edition Xbox Series X’s controller gets its own skin, too, with the same light gray and black-rimmed with gold look. Munsee confirmed in a follow-up tweet that fans won’t be able to buy this separately, so your way way to get a new one is ordering the limited edition console outright.

Halo Infinite Xbox controller

(Image credit: Microsoft)

The Master Chief gets his own controller

For fans who desperately need Halo flavor in their gamepads, the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series…

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Lenni Lenape

Community digest 08/26/2021

Wyoming Valley

Luzerne County Historical Society will host musician Melanie Zinkanis from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Nathan Denison House, 35 Denison St., Forty Fort. She will play period music on the harpsichord and violin on site. Tours of the 1790 home will also be given by docents in period attire. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for children and free for LCHS members. Public is welcome. Reservations are not required. Nathan Denison was one of the first 40 shareholders in the Susquehanna Company to settle five new towns in the Wyoming Valley in February 1769. Denison became a popular leader of the pioneer settlers from Connecticut. He served as a justice of the peace and colonel of the local militia. He was the second in command at the Battle of Wyoming, and was present at the surrender of the Wyoming Valley in 1778. Founded in 1858, the Luzerne County Historical Society is Pennsylvania’s oldest county historical society. For information, visit the website, www.luzernehistory.org or follow the society on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/luzernehistory/.

The Music Box Players non-profit theatre company will hold auditions for “All Together Now,” a musical review opening the Music Box Dinner Playhouse 40th anniversary season at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12-13 at the Music Box Dinner Playhouse, 196 Hughes St., Swoyersville. Production dates are Nov. 12-14. Auditions are open for all ages 12 and older. Director Dana Feigenblatt asks all auditioning to prepare a song of their choice. Bring a recorded accompaniment. The revue celebrates the worldwide return to live theatre and also the Music Box 40th anniversary. Many of the songs are from shows presented by the Players since 1981 such as “Guys and Dolls,” “Les Miserables,” “My Fair Lady,” “Oliver,” “Into the Woods,” and others. Call 570 283-2195 for information or visit…

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