Marywood University Presents “The Magic Flute” Marywood University’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance is collaborating with the School of Architecture in creating a full-scale production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The production marks only the second time in Marywood’s history that its students will perform a complete opera with orchestra. The stage director for The Magic Flute is A. Scott Parry, who is on the faculties of Manhattan School of Music and New York University and has directed productions at professional opera companies across the country, including New York City Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Dallas Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Indianapolis Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera. The Music Director and Conductor is Rick Hoffenberg, D.M.A., co-chair of Marywood’s Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Marywood’s production of The Magic Flute is made possible in part by a grant from the Community Events Fund of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, which supports non-profit organizations hosting community events which add value to the overall community and enrich the lives of those in our area. Performances are free and open to the public and will be held in the Munley Theatre of the Sette LaVerghetta Center for Performing Arts on Saturday, November 12, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, November 13, at 2 p.m. Additionally, there will be a compressed version of the opera performed for local middle school and high school students on Thursday, November 10, at 10 a.m.
PennDOT Invites Businesses To Prepare for Nevi Grant Program The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that resources are now available to help businesses and organizations to prepare in advance of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Notice of Funding Opportunity announcement, which is anticipated for late December/early January. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), PennDOT will receive and distribute $171.5 million in formula funds for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure over the next five years. The NEVI funding available for the first federal fiscal year is $25.4 million. NEVI grants will require the grantee to provide a minimum 20% match. “The NEVI program will help Pennsylvania build out its EV charging infrastructure,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian. “As this is a new program for Pennsylvania and the nation at large, we want to give our partners and businesses as much opportunity as possible to prepare for application submission to support our efforts of transparency and equity.” The NEVI grant funding supports the commonwealth and federal goal of expanding EV charging along the previously designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) (list) and Interstate lookalikes. Pennsylvania has over 1,800 miles of AFCs. Per the guidance from U.S. DOT, NEVI formula funds must first be used to “build out” designated AFCs (no more than 50 miles between stations and less than 1 mile from an exit) and meet U.S. DOT minimum standards and requirements. The NEVI Grant pre-announcement resources include information about applicant eligibility, eligible projects, and eligible and ineligible costs. In addition, PennDOT has created an interactive map identifying existing AFC-qualifying stations and has grouped interchanges based on priority through a gap analysis. An outline of the potential scoring criteria is also included listed in order of priority. Interested businesses and organizations are encouraged to review the ‘How to Get Ready’ section on PennDOT’s website for recommendations on how to prepare for the upcoming grant opening. PennDOT will host an informational webinar about the 2022 NEVI Grant Program on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, from 10 AM to noon. This webinar is intended for all audiences interested in applying for PennDOT NEVI grant program funds. This webinar will provide an overview of the PennDOT NEVI grant program, as well as information on eligibility, types of projects funded, how to apply, eligible and non-eligible costs, and application best practices. In addition, NEVI stakeholder sessions are being held around the state. These sessions will include a presentation portion, followed by an opportunity to network, and expand professional connections and partnerships. Interested parties can register for a session of interest on PennDOT’s “Learn About NEVI” webpage. 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.
Mohegan Sun Arena Keith Urban’s Tour Keith Urban’s “THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR” shifted into overdrive today, with news that Tyler Hubbard, lead singer of the multi-platinum-selling, record-breaking duo Florida Georgia Line, will join Urban’s fall lineup, that already includes 3x GRAMMY® nominee Ingrid Andress. Urban, whose shows are a legendary combination of freneticism and unpredictability debuts his new lineup, a musically explosive trifecta on September 3rd at The Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. The tour will hit Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Thursday, October 20th. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster or in person at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena. “THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR,” which brought Urban back to the road late last month after nearly four years, continues through the summer with Andress, before taking on Hubbard for more than two-dozen shows to run through November. For information on where to get tickets go to www.keithurban.com. Urban’s shows feature many of his 24 No. 1 hits, some not played in years, as well as new songs never performed live. In addition, Urban’s set list includes his latest single “Brown Eyes Baby,” as well as songs reworked specifically for “THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR.” “I’m psyched that my brutha Tyler Hubbard is gonna come out and join Ingrid (Andress) and me on the fall leg of my “SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR,” said Urban. “…it’s like some Ocean’s 11 sh#t, and it’s gonna be a BLAST!!!!!” Hubbard brings to the tour his trademark high-energy performance style, as well as songs from an upcoming new album. The project’s first single, “5 Foot 9,” has over 40M global streams and is quickly moving up the charts. The second track from the project, “35’s” has over 1M global streams and his next song, “Way Home,” will be released July 15. “I’ve been writing and recording a lot of new music for my first solo album, songs that are made to be played live,” says Hubbard. “I am so excited to be joining Keith (Urban) on his fall tour and can’t wait to play them for the first time for fans across the country.” Critics from around the globe have hailed Urban’s concerts as ones “not to be missed,” as unpredictable as they are explosive. Combine his infectious showmanship, virtuoso guitar playing, effortless spontaneity with a fist-pumping, arena-ready arsenal of hits and “THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD” TOUR promises to be one of the concert event of the summer. “THE SPEED OF NOW WORLD TOUR” September 3 Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre September 8 Phoenix Footprint Center September 9 San Diego North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre September 10 Los Angeles The Kia Forum September 15 Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre September 16 Denver Ball Arena September 17 Wichita INTRUST Bank Arena September 22 Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena September 23 Columbus Nationwide Arena September 29 Kansas City T-Mobile Center September 30 Oklahoma City Paycom Center October 1 Ft. Worth Dickies Arena October 6 Lexington Rupp Arena October 7 Nashville Bridgestone Arena October 8 Atlanta State Farm Arena October 13 Savannah Enmarket Arena October 14 Knoxville Thompson Boling Arena October 15 Charleston Charleston Coliseum October 20 Wilkes-Barre Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza October 21 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena October 22 Belmont Park UBS Arena at Belmont Park November 4 Peoria Peoria Civic Center
Keystone Mission to Host RealTalk CEO & Executive Director Justin Behrens will be outside the Lackawanna County Courthouse to host the 3rd Annual 24-hour REAL TALK event starting October 25th. Each year, REAL TALK invites community members and leaders, local, state, and federal politicians, and church leaders to talk about how they can partner with Keystone Mission to better the men and women experiencing homelessness. Come have a conversation with Justin about what we can do to change homelessness in our local community!
NeighborWorks Welcomes PNC Bank as Fall Festival Presenting Sponsor NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NeighborWorks) is pleased to welcome PNC Bank as this year’s presenting sponsor for the West Scranton Fall Festival. In collaboration with the City of Scranton, the inaugural West Scranton Fall Festival will be a two-part event that is FREE to the public and will be held Saturday, Oct. 22. Rain date is Nov. 5. It will take place first at Clover Field, located at 400 W Locust St, in Scranton from noon to 3 p.m., and then at Allen Park at the corner of North Main Avenue and Price Street from 6-9 p.m. “Coming together to support local businesses and celebrate our community has never been more important than it is now,” said Pete Danchak, PNC regional president for Northeast PA. “As a National Main Street Bank, supporting the West Scranton Fall Festival as the inaugural presenting sponsor is simply the right thing to do – and fun!” From 3-6 p.m., attendees will be encouraged to check out local establishments within the West Scranton business corridor. For more information and future business promotion regarding the Fall Festival, please go to the Facebook event page here.
Keystone College To Host Internship and Career Expo Keystone College/Sodexo will sponsor an Internship and Career Expo on Thursday, Oct. 20 from noon to 3 p.m. in the Theatre in Brooks on campus. Over 30 regional and national employers will be in attendance along with numerous Keystone students. You are invited to cover and speak to students seeking jobs in our area and companies looking to hire them.
The Wright Center Schedules Winter Coat and Clothing Giveaways As winter approaches, The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement aims to help underserved individuals and families in the community prepare for colder temperatures by offering free coats, warm clothes and personal care items. Two distributions are scheduled for November in Lackawanna County. During these Community Closet events, patients and community members are invited to select items for children and adults from among an assortment of new and gently used coats, hats, boots, gloves and other outerwear. Community Closet events are planned at these practice locations on the listed dates: The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn Thursday, Nov. 3,from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Wright Center for Community Health Scranton Practice 501 S. Washington Ave., Scranton Monday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each attendee will be awarded 10 “points” to exchange for clothing and 5 “points” to exchange for hygiene items that will be marked with points, rather than prices. Quantities will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Organized by The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement, this year’s clothing distributions are made possible by generous donations from The Wright Center’s employees, board members and valued supporters such as Operation Warm. The Wright Center for Patient & Community Engagement focuses on improving access to health care while addressing the negative social and economic determinants of health that can affect underserved patients, including food insecurity, limited educational opportunities, homelessness and poverty. For more information about the Community Closet events, call Gerri McAndrew, director of community outreach and engagement, at 570-591-5273.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Announces Student MVP Program The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and NEPA Crane & Hauling are pleased to announce the Student MVP program is returning for the 2022-23 academic year. Local elementary school and middle school students can be honored and rewarded for their efforts during the current school year! The Student MVP program uses the fun of RailRiders baseball as an incentive and reward system for students at no cost to schools, teachers or the students themselves. Teachers at participating schools will create criteria and help track students towards their goal of becoming an MVP. A limited number of MVP awards are available at each grade level in each school, helping incentivize and reward positive academic and behavioral development. “NEPA Crane & Hauling is proud to team up with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and show our support to students in our local area,” said Jeff Keeney, the owner of NEPA Crane & Hauling. “Students today are faced with many challenges and often their hard work goes unnoticed. NEPA Crane & Hauling is extremely proud of our local students for their hard work and dedication to their education, and we are cheering them on as they strive to reach their goals and chase their dreams.” Each Student MVP will be honored at the RailRiders game on Friday, June 23, 2023. Additionally, each MVP will receive: • A Personalized Award Certificate signed by the RailRiders General Manager, CHAMP and completed by their teacher • A shout out on the video board during the game, welcoming all of our RailRiders Student MVPs attending the game • A special gift from NEPA Crane & Hauling and the RailRiders Principals can register their schools by visiting www.milb.com/scranton-wb/community/studentmvp now. The deadline to register is November 22, 2022. For more information, contact Krista Lutzick, the Community Relations Manager for the RailRiders, at klutzick@swbrailriders.com or by calling (570) 558-4616.
