Taking Up Space (under the artistic direction of Dan Kimbrough, our tech director and CEO of Park Multimedia) is seeking short works that are created and told by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color) filmmakers. The purpose of the film festival is to lift the voices of historically excluded racial and ethnic narratives.

The films will be screened during the 2022 Scranton Fringe Festival on Friday, October 7th, and Saturday, October 8th at the beautiful Peoples Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College. The films will be screened in person and will also be available online as well. A talkback with the filmmakers will take place on Saturday, October 8th. The full 2022 Fringe line-up will be announced soon. 

Taking Up Space Film Festival is sponsored by Park Multimedia, the Black Scranton Project, and Fringe. Any companies or organizations interested in becoming a sponsor of this new initiative are encouraged to contact us. 

Link to learn more and submit short films: https://filmfreeway.com/TakingUpSpaceFilmFestival

Learning about different fields of study and discovering the perfect career just got easier for some area girls.

Lackawanna College and the Girls Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania are teaming up to hold a Career & Badge Showcase event from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Sept. 10 at Angeli Hall at the Scranton campus. The Scranton Foundation on behalf of Women in Philanthropy awarded the College a $2,700 grant to hold the career and education exploration event.

“One of Lackawanna’s core values is cultivating and maintaining active partnerships with our regional community, which includes non-profits such as the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania,” said Lackawanna College President Dr. Jill Murray. “This grant helps us bring a fun and educational event to the Scranton campus so young women can learn more about Lackawanna College, what careers are available to them and how Lackawanna can help them achieve their goals.”

Karen Lipnichan, program director for Lackawanna College’s Students Occupationally and Academically Ready (SOAR), came up with the idea for the showcase after meeting Lutricia Eberly, director of Outdoor and Program Experience for Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania at a Scranton Chamber women’s event. Jessica Mislinski, regional director of the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania in the local Scranton GSHPA office, presented to the Scranton Foundation on behalf of Lackawanna College and GSHPA, securing the $2,700 grant.

“This event will give the Girl Scouts a chance to participate in a day of hands-on learning and discovery about careers and education pathways,” Lipnichan said. “The girls will be able to identify what they like and what they don’t like, which can help them with their future career planning.”

The event is for Girls Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania members in kindergarten through 12^th grades. College officials are anticipating about 300 girls. The grant will enable the College to provide the girls with lunches, padfolios and a patch.

“This will also ensure that no girl is turned away because of limited financial resources,” Lipnichan said. “We want to ensure each Girl Scout who wants to attend this can, which is why we are so grateful we received this grant.”

Lackawanna’s event will also help the schools the girls attend fulfill a state requirement that calls for students to learn more about what careers they can pursue after graduating high school.

Some of the education opportunities and pathways the girls will explore include Criminal Justice, Cyber Security, Environmental jobs, Humanities, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Physical Therapist Assistant, Police and Law Enforcement, Surgical Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Additionally, the Girl Scouts will learn more about the College’s Emotional Wellness, Physical Wellness, Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Success and eSports programs.

Events will be based on the age of the girls to ensure each group is getting the information needed. Younger girls will get more hands-on interactive education sessions while the older girls will get interactive and informational sessions.

“This will expose the girls to in-demand careers and careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or STEM industries,” Lipnichan said. “This event will have something for everyone. This is so vital for not only the older girls but the younger ones. Even though the younger girls aren’t close to graduating, they will get exposed to careers and pathways that interest them so they can make more informed decisions as they get older.”

For the younger girls, the event will have activities like a scavenger hunt, which will be a fun way for the College to show them the different places on campus. The sessions for the older girls will still be interactive and fun but will include an informational component. The College will also have a career panel in the morning and afternoon for the older girls where they will have women talk about career paths they have pursued.

“What we tried to do with this event is give the girls something unique that they normally wouldn’t do with their troops,” Eberly said. “Karen identified unique aspects of Lackawanna College and we pulled those into both Girl Scout badge experiences and career discussions. We’re looking forward to our members in NEPA benefiting from this collaboration with Lackawanna College.”

The Wright Center for Community Health’s mobile medical unit is visiting numerous school districts and public parks in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties to ensure students receive the vaccines they need to return to school in the fall.

In August, the 34-foot mobile medical unit, known as Driving Better Health, will be providing routine vaccinations and COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and boosters at the following locations:

Aug. 10: Hazleton Area School District, 1515 W. 23^rd St., Hazleton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 11: North Pocono School District, 231 Pocono Mountain School Road, Swiftwater, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 16: Dunmore School District, 300 W. Warren St., Dunmore, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 17: Riverside High School, 300 Davis St., Taylor, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 18: Heights Murray Elementary, 1 S. Sherman St., Wilkes-Barre, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 22: Middle Smithfield Elementary, 5180 Milford Road, East Stroudsburg, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 23: Wallenpaupack High School, 2552 U.S. Route 6, Hawley, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 23: Connors Park, 515 Orchard St., Scranton, 5-7 p.m.

Aug. 25: Stroudsburg Area School District, 1100 W. Main St., Stroudsburg, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Aug. 25: Fellows Park, 1000 Fellows St., Scranton, 5-7 p.m.

Aug. 31: Isaac Tripp Elementary School, 1000 N. Everett Ave., Scranton, 5-8 p.m.

Driving Better Health enables The Wright Center for Community Health to deliver high-quality, nondiscriminatory health care where patients live and work in Northeast Pennsylvania. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are available for any child ages 5 and up. A guardian must accompany patients who are younger than 17. Walk-up appointments are welcome depending on vaccine availability, but appointments are encouraged for the convenience of patients. Please go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019 to schedule an appointment.

Guests are asked to observe public safety measures, including masking and social distancing, during the vaccination clinics and bring identification and insurance cards.

The Wright Center for Community Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike. Community health centers offer affordable, safety-net health care services and are the largest providers of primary care for the nation’s most vulnerable and medically underserved populations. Prevalent in both urban and rural settings, community health centers are located in regions with high-poverty rates and/or low numbers of private or nonprofit health care systems and hospitals.

A fair is planned on Sept. 13 at The University of Scranton for area nonprofit organizations seeking college students as volunteers.

Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers

The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer & Service Fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, on campus.

The fair offers University students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives from nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers.

To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429. The deadline to register for the fair is Sept. 8.

NET Credit Union and Scranton Parks & Rec are hosting a community event at the Novembrino Park Splash Pad located at S. 10^th Ave. and Washburn St., Scranton, PA 18504 on Thursday, August 18^th from 12pm to 2pm. The event will feature a day of fun in the sun with giveaways, Groovy Baby Ice Cream Truck, and 98.5 KRZ.

NET Credit Union and Scranton Parks & Rec have teamed up to help give back to the Scranton community. Novembrino Park Splash Pad is located in one of our NET Neighborhoods. This means all individuals who live, work, worship, or study in this area are eligible to bank on NET Credit Union. Click here to learn more about our NET Neighborhoods.

NET Credit Union believes in giving back to the community and in helping our members reach their goals. “People helping people” is not only our motto, but also our community’s motto. Join us and the Scranton community for one last big splash before summer ends!

Click here to learn about more information on NET’s Big Splash. See more fun activities and events offered by Scranton Parks & Rec here.

The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, Inc., has awarded a $60,000 grant to support the expansion of the Students Together Achieving Remarkable Success (STARS) Program at Marywood University.

STARS was developed as a collaboration with Marywood’s Office of Equity and Inclusion specifically to support the academic success and career exploration of local Latinix youth while also preparing Marywood students to serve effectively in diverse, local, national and global communities.

The STARS Program has proven success in its support of Latinx high school students in the Scranton School District. The much-needed expansion, enabled through the generosity of the McGowan Fund, will support middle and high school students and their families, as they journey on the path to academic success. It will also allow the program to serve more Latinx families in the community, as well as provide more educational activities and experiences to expose them to diverse opportunities and career paths in the local area.

“Programs like STARS are necessary to ensure we are preparing our youth to become our future leaders,” said Jenny Gonzalez Monge, LMSW ’19, director of the STARS program. “Thanks to the McGowan Fund’s support and believing in our mission and vision, STARS will be able to continue to grow and provide quality and holistic educational resources, information and services, to more families, using a community centered approach.”

Affirming Marywood’s mission and belief that education empowers people, Sister Mary Persico ’69, IHM, Ed.D., said the university is committed to helping these students realize and reach their full potential and to access abundant career opportunities.

“For more than 100 years, Marywood has adapted to challenges, both big and small. We will continue to come together to lift one another up, demonstrating the same strength and fortitude the IHM Sisters used to establish Marywood in 1915,” noted Sister Mary.

Join WVIA for a free screening and discussion of Agnes 50: Life After the Flood with award-winning WVIA filmmaker Alexander Monelli and other special guests on Tuesday, August 9^th at 6 p.m. at the Friedman Jewish Community Center in Kingston. 

Free reservations can be found at: wvia.org/agnes

About Agnes 50: Life After the Flood

What have we learned in the years since Agnes? WVIA’s new documentary explores improvements made by communities along the Susquehanna River, including Berwick, Bloomsburg, Danville, Forty Fort, Milton, West Pittston, Selinsgrove, Tunkhannock, Towanda, and Wilkes-Barre. 

Various officials, residents, and community leaders share memories of Agnes, describe how their towns were affected, and discuss the work that has been done over the years to mitigate the adverse effects of future flooding. Interviewees include David DeCosmo (former WYOU news broadcaster), Andrew Stuhl (professor at Bucknell University), Lara Fowler (professor at Penn State University), Wilkes-Barre Fire Chief Jay Delaney, Jim Charles (Selinsgrove Flood Task Force), Chris Belleman (Executive Director, Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority), among others.

“This documentary is really about the people of the Susquehanna watershed and how we’re all connected,” said the film’s director Alexander Monelli. “What one town does to mitigate flooding may impact another town downstream. The film raises questions about our responsibility to our own community, our neighbors downstream, and nature as a whole. I’ve met so many fascinating people while filming, and I can’t wait to share this documentary with everyone.”

“The Jewish Community Alliance of NEPA is all about strengthening our community. Part of our mission is to collaborate and partner with like-minded agencies. To have the opportunity to partner with WVIA on this project was a no-brainer. We are fortunate to host this event at the JCC by honoring the people of this valley, who lived through this hurricane and who fought through it” said Gary Bernstein, CEO of the Friedman Jewish Community Center.

“As the region’s premier storytellers, we believe sharing the stories of Hurricane Agnes and the communities affected will help shine a light for future generations to learn from,” said Ben Payavis II, WVIA Chief Content Officer. 

Johnson College’s Continuing Education Program recently announced its late summer and fall course offerings. The courses are for adults who want the opportunity to improve their skills, which will also help them stay ahead of the competition, learn new technologies, and advance in their current careers.

The courses and start dates include:

Pennsylvania Emissions Inspector Training and Testing on August 10 and August 24, 2022.
Pennsylvania State Vehicle Safety Inspection on August 9, 2022.
Fundamentals of Welding on August 9, 2022.
Fundamentals of Welding and Intermediate Gas Metal Arc Welding GMAW on August 9, 2022.
Medical Assistant Program on August 30, 2022.
Forklift Operator Training on September 24, 2022.
Basic Maintenance on November 1, 2022.

For more details on each course and how to register, visit johnson.edu/continuingeducation or contact the Continuing Education team at 570-702-8979 or continuinged@johnson.edu.

Steamtown National Historic Site will open the cab of Union Pacific “Big Boy” No. 4012 for guided tours the first weekend of each month, now through November 2022.  The locomotive returned to static exhibition in the park in May 2021 after an extensive cosmetic restoration. When open, tours will be available between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm. 

2022 “Big Boy” Cab Tour Schedule 

• August – Friday, Aug. 5^th through Sunday, Aug. 7^th
• September – Friday, Sep. 2^nd through Monday, Sep. 5^th (Labor Day) 
• October – Friday, Sep. 30^th through Sunday, Oct. 2^nd  
• November – Friday, Nov. 4^th through Sunday, Nov. 6^th  

No. 4012 is among a unique class of 25 articulated steam locomotives with a 4-8-8-4 wheel set built solely for the Union Pacific Railroad by the American Locomotive Works (ALCO). Most were constructed in 1941 (including No. 4012) on the eve of United States’ entry into World War II. An engineering marvel that is perhaps the high point to steam locomotion technology, the “Big Boys” nonetheless became obsolete as more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective diesel-electric locomotive technology was refined during the 1950s. Only eight “Big Boys” survived the scrapper’s torch, with Steamtown NHS’s No. 4012 the only one to be found on exhibit in the U.S.’s eastern time zone. 

The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. The CDC has offered guidance to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health. Masking requirements in NPS buildings and on passenger coaches are based on local conditions. Updates are posted weekly, on Fridays, to www.nps.gov/stea.  

Located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, Steamtown NHS is open 9:00am to 5:00pm, daily. From Interstate-81 follow exit 185 (President Biden Expressway, formerly known as Central Scranton Expressway); then follow the brown and white signs to the park entrance at Lackawanna Avenue and Cliff Street (GPS: N 41.41, W 75.67). General park information is available by phoning (570) 340-5200, or by visiting the park website anytime. 

The Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP) – along with partners from Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities, Sheetz, and PPL – highlighted Pennsylvania’s forward momentum in its work related to electric vehicles (EV), putting the commonwealth in a solid position to maximize new funds available to support EVs through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

“Transportation is changing every day,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has given us a great opportunity, and I’m proud of the progress that we – along with our partners – have made to prepare Pennsylvania for a future filled with electric vehicles.”

As part of the BIL, PennDOT will receive and distribute $171.5 million in National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) formula funds for EV charging infrastructure over the next five years. Additionally, $2.5 billion is available in discretionary grant funding. There are more than 31,000 EVs registered in Pennsylvania, nearly triple the roughly 9,700 that were registered in March 2019.

“Pennsylvania has made tremendous progress towards making electric vehicles and EV chargers more accessible to more people,” said DEP Acting Executive Deputy Secretary Joe Adams. “Every EV on the road reduces the amount of air pollution coming from tailpipes, which makes for cleaner air and a healthier environment.”

The BIL requires all state DOTs to submit a state EV infrastructure deployment plan to the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) by August 1, 2022. The Pennsylvania NEVI Plan has been submitted, and it outlines PennDOT’s approach to the strategic deployment of a convenient, reliable, affordable, and equitable EV charging network to support range confidence for Pennsylvanians and visitors over the course of the NEVI Formula Program.

The Pennsylvania NEVI Plan was informed by a public survey which garnered over 4,400 responses and public comments, which led to the development of an entirely new goal to address environmental benefits and consider multiple transportation modes for electrification. In addition, the feedback received spurred additional consideration for first responder training in EV response, appropriate signage and location identification, ensuring small and diverse businesses are included as potential partners or sites, and ensured early utility coordination.

PennDOT, along with stakeholders, also developed the EV Mobility Plan, which lays out the existing EV infrastructure in PA and makes recommendations on moving forward with a 5-year plan, incorporating the Pennsylvania NEVI Plan as the first phase of development. The plan recommends the installation of at least 5,000 new EV charging ports at 2,000 sites in Pennsylvania by 2028 leveraging public-private partnerships, cost sharing mechanisms, and funding through the BIL.

Additionally, PennDOT – following guidance issued from U.S. DOT – will use the EV Equity Guiding Principles developed collaboratively with DEP to help the department evaluate EV proposals in accordance with the federal guidance. The principles aim to increase accessibility to the infrastructure and maximize benefits for all Pennsylvanians and fall into five categories:

• Make EVs more affordable;
• Make EV charging more accessible;
• Invest in fleet electrification;
• Invest in traditionally underserved, low-income, persons of color and otherwise vulnerable population areas; and
• Increase EV awareness, education, and technical capacity.

“The transportation sector produces the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.,” said Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities executive director Rick Price. “Considering many of these emissions are sourced from passenger-duty vehicles, driving electric is one of the best ways to combat this issue. This NEVI funding will help Pennsylvanians to drive electric cars almost anywhere in the state.”

The BIL funding supports the commonwealth goal of expanding EV charging along the previously designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) (list) and Interstate lookalikes. Federal AFC criteria was updated earlier this year to require AFC designated corridors to have charging stations no more than 1 mile from an Interstate exit or highway intersection (previously 5 miles) and no more than 50 miles apart.

Currently, Pennsylvania has over 1,800 miles of AFCs. Per the guidance from U.S. DOT, any EV charging infrastructure installed with NEVI formula funds shall be located along a designated AFC and meet U.S. DOT minimum standards and requirements. Should PennDOT determine, and U.S. DOT certifies, that the AFCs are fully built out, then Pennsylvania may use funds to build EV charging equipment on any public road or in any publicly accessible location, including but not limited to parking facilities at public buildings, public schools, and parks.

Since 2018 DEP has installed more 1,500 plugs, with another 500 in development, through the Driving PA Forward program.  Since July 1, 2015, DEP has awarded 8,384 Alternative Fuel Vehicle Rebates, totaling $10.6 million, to Pennsylvania residents, predominantly for electric vehicles. DEP has awarded grants totaling $28.7 million to 205 projects by municipalities, businesses, and organizations for alternative fuel vehicles and fueling infrastructure, including a growing number of electric vehicle and charging projects.

To enhance traveler information for the growing number of EV drivers, the state’s traveler information system – 511PA – now also includes EV charging station locations as an option on its traffic map. Using data from the U.S. Department of Energy, the map shows locations across the state by connector type, including CCS, J1772, CHAdeMO, Tesla, and NEMA. Currently, there are over 2,800 public charging ports at over 1,200 locations across Pennsylvania. 

“Since our founding in 1952, Sheetz has been committed to being a ‘one-stop-shop’ for customers – a promise that has extended to electric vehicle chargers, which are now offered at 90 of our store locations,” said Eric McCrum, Energy and Sustainability Manager at Sheetz.  “With the support of PennDOT and the funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we intend to give customers to ability to choose Sheetz as a preferred charging destination, wherever they are in the Commonwealth.”

“We anticipate EV adoption to increase significantly over the next several years,” said PPL Electric Utilities Regional Affairs Director Maggie Sheely. “We’ve been providing input to PennDOT and DEP on EV charging plans for Pennsylvania and we are members of multiple EV coalitions, including the EEI National Electric Highway Coalition — which is made up of 17 U.S. utilities committed to supporting the development of a seamless network of rapid EV charging stations connecting major highways. As this technology develops, we’re staying engaged with our customers, helping them understand how we can provide reliable power, and giving them the support they need.”

Learn more about EV’s in Pennsylvania on both the PennDOT and DEP websites.