Statewide Aggressive Driving Coordinated Enforcement

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation(PennDOT), Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and the Highway Safety Network are urging safe driving ahead of a statewide aggressive-driving coordinated enforcement day on March 30.

“Safety on our roadways is everyone’s responsibility,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “PennDOT often urges drivers to slow down, buckle up, and to never drive distracted or impaired, but staying calm and courteous while driving is just as important.”

In 2020, there were 5,615 aggressive-driving crashes, resulting in 91 fatalities and 401 suspected serious injuries. Preliminary 2021 data indicates fatalities in aggressive-driving crashes – crashes involving two or more aggressive driving factors – may have increased by as much as 40 percent.

“Troopers and local law enforcement will be conducting targeted enforcement with the goal of reducing the number of aggressive-driving crashes,” said PSP Colonel Robert Evanchick. “These crashes can be prevented by slowing down and limiting distractions behind the wheel.”

According to 2020 PSP data, Troopers issued more than 107,000 speeding citations, including more than 2,000 for driving 100 mph or faster. In 2021, those numbers saw an increase as speeding citations totaled more than 129,000. In addition, more than 2,200 tickets were issued for driving 100 mph or more.

Speeding is an aggressive driving factor and is usually defined as driving in excess of the posted speed limit or driving too fast for conditions. It can have dangerous consequences by reducing a motorist’s ability to react to changing traffic or road conditions, putting the driver, passengers, and others on the road at risk.

In 2020, there were 24,978 speeding-related crashes, resulting in 433 fatalities and 1,387 suspected serious injuries.

“With the return to the road and more normal work and school schedules, we are finding that many have forgotten safe-driving behaviors and may also experience higher levels of distraction and stress,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “Aggressive driving can be triggered by heavy traffic and drivers in a rush. This type of driving plays a major role in crashes and fatal collisions.”

The coordinated enforcement is part of an aggressive-driving enforcement wave running through April 24 focused on speeding, distracted driving, and work zone awareness. The goal of targeted enforcement is to reduce the number of aggressive driving related crashes, injuries, and deaths on roadways throughout the state. Motorists exhibiting other unsafe behaviors such as driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, or making careless lane changes will also be cited.

PSP, as well as more than 300 municipal agencies from across the state, will concentrate efforts on roadways that are known to have a high number of aggressive-driving crashes using traffic enforcement zones, saturation patrols, speed enforcement details, work zone enforcement, and multi-jurisdictional enforcement details to identify and cite aggressive drivers.

“Aggressive driving involves heightened feelings of stress, anger, or frustration that can lead to dangerous behaviors on our highways,” said Robert Schaeffer, executive director of the Highway Safety Network. “These behaviors can have devastating consequences. Drive patiently and be part of the solution, not the problem.”

Aggressive-driving factors include:

  • Making illegal U-turn;
  • Improper/careless turning;
  • Turning from wrong lane;
  • Proceeding w/o clearance after stop;
  • Running stop sign;
  • Running red light;
  • Failure to respond to other traffic control device;
  • Tailgating;
  • Sudden slowing/stopping;
  • Careless passing or lane change;
  • Passing in no passing zone;
  • Making improper entrance to highway;
  • Making improper exit from highway;
  • Speeding;
  • Driving too fast for conditions; and
  • Driver fleeing police.

If you encounter an aggressive driver, put your own safety first:

  • Get out of their way and stay as far away as possible.
  • Do not engage or challenge the driver in any way.
  • Stay relaxed, avoid eye contact, and ignore rude gestures.
  • Don’t block the passing lane if you are driving slower than most of the traffic.
  • Do not attempt to follow or pursue the vehicle.
  • You or a passenger may call the police. But, if you use a cell phone, pull over to a safe location. If you can, note the license plate and a description of the car.

While many people associate aggressive driving with road rage, they are two different behaviors. Road rage is a criminal offense and is often the result of aggressive driving behavior that escalates into an assault with a vehicle or other dangerous weapon.

The enforcement is part of Pennsylvania’s Highway Safety Program and is funded by part of PennDOT’s investment of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

For more information on aggressive driving, visit PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, visit www.PATurnpike.com.

For more information on the Pennsylvania State Police, visit psp.pa.gov.

PennDOT’s media center offers social-media-sized graphics highlighting topics such as aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving, and seat belts for organizations, community groups, or others who share safety information with their stakeholders.

The public can join the discussion on social media using the hashtags #BeSafePA and #AggressiveDriving.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.

Misericordia Players Will Present Tony Award Winning Musical “Once”

Actors in the play Once practice a scene from ‘The Apartment’ for the upcoming show.

The Misericordia Players will present the musical “Once” April 7-10 at the Lemmond Theater on the Misericordia University Campus. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m. The production is directed by Scott Woolnough from the Student Success Center, and musically directed and conducted by Kimberly Johnson. Dr. Rebecca Steinberger, English Department faculty member, is the producer.

What starts as a typical “guy meets girl” tale quickly evolves into a love story about two very different cultures told through song.  Written by Edna Walsh with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, “Once” won eight Tony Awards in 2012 including Best Musical and is based on the 2007 film by the same name written and directed by John Carney.  Set in Ireland, the show explores aspects of all types of relationships from family, lovers, unrequited love, platonic love, and adds the complication of cultural differences. 

“Once” features Misericordia students Elizabeth Cote, Cody Palubinski, Logan Padden, Sierra Ward, Megan Guziewicz, Olivia Fiocco, and Jacob Scherr in addition to Gabriel Gillespie, Rob Padden, and Matt Sarnovsky.  It also features a live orchestra of seven musicians.

For more information or to reserve tickets in advance, contact the Misericordia University Box office, 570-674-3069. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $7 for students with a valid ID. The wearing of masks is pending university policy on the days of the show.   

Geisinger Holds Ribbon Cutting for Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center Expansion

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, March 23, to celebrate the expansion of the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center.

The conclusion of the $80 million expansion brings world-class cancer care closer to home for patients and their support systems, which is critical in improving outcomes for those battling cancer. Since 2008, Geisinger has invested more than $515 million into better and more accessible care for people in Luzerne County and the surrounding area. Patients of the Henry Cancer Center in northeastern Pennsylvania will no longer need to seek advanced care in cities like Philadelphia and New York.

“This commitment in Luzerne County means our neighbors in northeastern Pennsylvania can stay close to home for the most advanced, lifesaving cancer care,” said Geisinger’s president and CEO, Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D. “It’s the fulfillment of the vision that the Henry family and Geisinger established 30 years ago.”

Patients who previously had to seek care outside the region will soon be able to visit the 92,150-square-foot, four-story cancer center expansion with an 18-bed inpatient unit. The new 51-bay infusion center doubles the previous number of bays used for chemotherapy and other intravenous treatments. Besides improving accessibility to care, the cancer center expansion will reduce wait times and increase appointment availability. State-of-the-art technology includes the non-invasive CyberKnife S7, which delivers precise doses of radiation anywhere in the body without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.

“For nearly three decades, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center has developed a program that brings exceptional cancer care to residents of northeast PA,” said Rajiv Panikkar, M.D., chair of the Geisinger Cancer Institute. “Today marks another step forward as we expand cancer services for our neighbors and their caretakers, providing what they need in their own community.”

The opening of the cancer center reinforces Geisinger’s pledge to offer the best quality care to everyone it serves.

“When our patients enter Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, they’ll know they’re getting world-class care in the same hospital that’s taken care of generations of their neighbors,” said Ron Beer, chief administrative officer of Geisinger’s northeast region. “Our patients will no longer have to travel far for advanced cancer treatment, thanks to the continued support of our community. The Henry family’s vision for state-of-the-art cancer care in northeastern Pennsylvania has changed the lives of countless people, and that vision lives on today.”

For more information on cancer care at Geisinger, visit Geisinger.org/CancerExpansion.

PA CareerLink Offers SkillUp PA Courses

SkillUp™ PA provides access to free, online job skills training to Pennsylvanians. Courses are available on the portal and can be taken by registering for a free account on the PA Careerlink® website. SkillUp™ PA helps Pennsylvanians strengthen their job skills to compete in the current employment market. 

The portal is a flexible, self-directed, web-based online learning service that offers over 6,000 courses for job seekers to improve their skills. 

Courses included for Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, IT, and other business-related topics – as well as curriculum to obtain industry-recognized credentials in CompTIA, Cybersecurity, Project Management, HR, Microsoft Office Specialist, and more.

The SkillUp™ PA program is delivered through the Metrix Learning platform. It is designed to help you evaluate your skills, get training, and search for jobs. It is free with no additional cost, accessible 24/7 from any location with high speed internet access and flexible to match your skill level and learning pace.

If you have other questions, please contact us at support@metrixlearning.com

Tuxedo by Sarno Will Host Hiring Event

Tuxedo by Sarno will host a hiring event at its facility. There will be on-the-spot interviews at the event with full-time and part-time jobs available across 3 shifts. Warehouse, store and delivery positions available. No experience of education requirements. Job seekers are encouraged to tour the facility.

Event will take place on Wednesday, March 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 401 South Washington Ave., Scranton PA, 18505. Enter through the Warehouse entrance along River St.

Camp Freedom Awareness Walk

Please join us at Camp Freedom on Sunday, April 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. for an Awareness Walk. Camp Freedom is a nonprofit organization that provides healing through outdoor activities and adventures for veterans, first responders, and Gold Star Families. These activities remove individuals from clinical settings and into the healing environment of the outdoors. Proceeds from the Awareness Walk will go to aiding in the development and installation of trail marking and safe access to the 26 miles of trails. One trip to the camp could be what it takes to save someone’s life! 

This event will educate the general public on what Camp Freedom is doing for their community as well as give a preview of the new trail and sign markers that are being installed on the preserve by the Camp Freedom Project Team from Leadership Lackawanna Core Class. The Awareness Walk will feature light refreshments, entertainment from Froggy 101 and basket raffles. We hope to see you there!! 

Pre-registration is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Awareness Walk is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The First 100 people at the event will receive a free t-shirt. Children 12 and under register for free.

Event will take place at 284 Number 7 Road Carbondale, PA US 18407.

New York Yankees Announce 2022 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Field Staff

Doug Davis returns as manager with several new additions to SWB dugout

The New York Yankees have announced the field staffs for each of their Minor League affiliates and PA-native Doug Davis returns to helm Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Davis will have a nearly-new bench backing him this season with Pitching Coach Graham Johnson, Hitting Coach Trevor Amicone and Defensive Coach Lino Diaz joining the RailRiders field staff. Raul Dominguez returns to the RailRiders for his second season as a Defensive Coach.

Jimmy Downam is the team’s new Athletic Trainer, while Strength & Conditioning Coach Larry Adegokeis back for his second season. Brent Drevalas will serve as the Video Manager and Nick Loeffelholz will be the Advance Scouting Analyst. Jim Billington will serve as the RailRiders Home Clubhouse Manager for the second straight season.

After three years of coaching in a variety of roles for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Davis was slated to manage the RailRiders in 2020 but officially took the reigns in the dugout last season. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished the season with a 75-52 record and in second place in the Northeast Division of Triple-A East.

Davis, 59, graduated from Central Columbia High School and played collegiately at NC State University. He was a ninth-round pick by the California Angels in the 1984 First-Year Player Draft and played professionally for 12 years, appearing in 797 games.

Davis made his Major League debut in 1988 for the Angels and finished his playing career in 1995. He moved into the coaching ranks the following season and won a New York-Penn League title with Pittsfield in 1997. In 1998, he led Columbia to the South Atlantic League crown. Davis was a bench coach on Jack McKeon’s Florida Marlins staff in 2003, helping lead that club to a World Series win over the Yankees. The Toronto Blue Jays tabbed Davis to lead the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2006 and then elevated him to lead the Syracuse Chiefs in 2007 and 2008.

Over nine seasons as a manager, Davis has skippered 1,126 games with a .524 winning percentage (590-536). In addition to his time as a manager or coach, he has also held the positions of Minor League Field Coordinator for the Montreal Expos, the Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays

Johnson, 36, joins the Yankees organization as the RailRiders new Pitching Coach after serving in the same role at multiple levels with the Houston Astros organization since 2018. He played at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO, before becoming a graduate assistant at Lindenwood University, completing his Master’s of Education with an emphasis in strength and conditioning degree in 2010. After a stint with Western Illinois University, Johnson joined the staff at Morehead State. He was the pitching coach for the Eagles from 2012-17 and also served as an assistant head coach, oversaw field maintenance and the academic development of all student-athletes involved in the baseball program. In 2018, Johnson joined the Astros system as the Pitching Coach for Class-A Quad Cities. He spent 2019 & 2021 as the Pitching Coach for Corpus Christi in Double-A.

Amicone, 34, will serve as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Hitting Coach this season. He joined the Yankees organization in 2020 and spent last season with New York’s Dominican Summer League team. The Sandy, Utah, native has served as an assistant coach and camp coordinator for the Dixie State baseball program as well as the head baseball coach at Woods Cross High School in Utah. Amicone has also worked privately with hitters at the professional, college, high school and youth levels. He was the play-by-play voice of the Orem Owlz from 2010-11 and 2013-14. His father, Marc, is the General Manager of the Salt Lake Bees in the Pacific Coast League.

Diaz, 51, enters his eighth season with the Yankees organization. He spent 2015-16 as a defensive coach for the GCL Yankees and served in the same role for Trenton in 2017. Diaz managed the Staten Island Yankees to a 37-36 record in 2018 and returned to the GCL in 2019 as their defensive coach. In 2021, he was a defensive coach in the Florida Complex League. Diaz was originally selected by Kansas City in the 30th round of the 1993 First-Year Player Draft and hit .294 over 504 games in the Royals Minor League system spanning five years. Diaz began his coaching career in 1998 with Indianapolis, then a Cincinnati affiliate. He went on to serve a variety of roles for Cleveland, including stints as the Cultural Development Coordinator (2002-04, ‘10-12), Assistant Farm Director (2005-06) and the Director of Latin American Operations (2007-09).

Dominguez, 40, spent the 2021 season on Davis’s staff coaching outfielders and baserunning, helping lead the RailRiders to a franchise-record 148 stolen bases. He was with the Trenton Thunder in 2018 and 2019. He initially signed with the Yankees as a non-drafted Minor League free agent in 2001 and played four seasons before moving to the player development side. Dominguez also spent eight years managing teams in the Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer Leagues. 2022 marks his 15th season in the Yankees organization.

Downam enters his tenth season with the Yankees as an Athletic Trainer, but his first in Triple-A. He joined the Yankees in 2013 as the trainer for Staten Island and also spent three seasons with Charleston from 2014 through 2016. Downam has been the New York’s trainer for their Double-A club each of the last five seasons. He attended Liberty University, where he received his B.S. in Athletic Training in 2009 and a M.S. in sports administration in 2012.

Adegoke joined the Yankees organization on a full-time basis in 2018 and joined Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. He served as the Yankees performance science assistant in the spring of 2017. Adegoke graduated with a B.S. in exercise science from Kennesaw State University (Ga.), where he also spent time as a strength and conditioning intern for the football team. He earned his M.S. in exercise and nutrition science from the University of Tampa.

Three former RailRiders coaches have been promoted to Aaron Boone’s Major League staff this year. Casey Dykes was the RailRiders Hitting Coach in 2021 and is now the Yankees Assistant Hitting Coach. Desi Druschel replaced Pitching Coach Dustin Glant midway through the season when Glant left the organization for an opportunity at Indiana University. Druschel is now the Yankees Assistant Pitching Coach. Former Red Barons infielder Travis Chapman served as the RailRiders Defensive Coach in 2018 and is now the Yankees First Base Coach.

Longtime RailRiders trainer Darren London has retired after 33 years in the Yankees organization. He spent the last 29 seasons as the New York’s Triple-A trainer, spanning the club’s final years in Columbus and each year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre since 2007.

Please direct all interview requests to Adam Marco, the Director of Communications for the RailRiders. He can be reached at (570) 558-4637 or via email at amarco@swbrailriders.com.

The RailRiders open the 2022 season on the road at Syracuse on April 5. Season ticket memberships and single-game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.swbrailriders.com for more information