Alleima Global Celebration Sandvik Materials Technology located in the Ivy Industrial Park just off I-81 in Clarks Summit recently changed names to Alleima on August 31, 2022 with a global celebration for all of its employees. Alleima and their fully-owned subsidiary, PEXCO, are premier producer of stainless steel tubing for some of the most technically demanding applications in the world from chemical plants to rocket engines and renewable fuels. Starting at their present location off Griffin Pond Road in 1971 and expanding multiple times over the past fifty-one years, we are thrilled to celebrate with them and their over 250 employees as they take this journey forward with a new name. The local plant continues to expand and grow, adding additional equipment and staff to support the growing needs of the North and South American market. Please share the new name with your friends and colleagues who may be seeking a new adventure. Current openings may be found at alleima.com/jobs Congratulations to the entire Alleima team!
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!
SACF Charity Event Hosted by Brandon Matthews The second annual NEPA Invitational charity event, hosted by PGA TOUR player Brandon Matthews was held at the Country Club of Scranton on October 14 – 16, 2022 and raised $100,000. The NEPA Invitational is a pro-am golf tournament that brought together professionals, high-level amateurs, and golf aficionados alike. Proceeds from the 2022 NEPA Invitational will support Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and the William Lawler Scholarship Fund through the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Matthews was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A Pittston Area graduate, he established the NEPA Invitational Fund with a desire to give back to the community he grew up in. He partnered with the Scranton Area Community Foundation to help allocate the funds raised to local organizations in need. “The Scranton Area Community Foundation is honored that Brandon and the NEPA Invitational have partnered with us to carry out the charitable goals of this event,” stated Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “His desire to give back is truly making a difference right here in our communities.” “Being able to give back to the community that shaped me is something that I have always dreamed of and for that dream to currently be in the process of being realized is truly amazing. The support from the Northeastern Pennsylvania community for my career and this event is incredibly humbling and I will never forget where I came from,” stated Matthews. The 2nd Annual NEPA Invitational kicked off Friday, October 14, with a ‘Dinner with the Pros’ event at the Country Club of Scranton. Dinner, live entertainment, and a live auction were included. Forty-seven teams competed in a two-day event. “We rely on community partners to help us respond to the evolving needs of families across the region, and we’re grateful to Brandon Matthews and all the leadership and supporters of the NEPA Invitational,” stated Frank Maffei, MD, Geisinger Chair of Pediatrics. “This support helps Geisinger Pediatrics and the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital to deliver family-centered pediatric care that is driven by best practice, innovation and compassion.” To date, the NEPA Invitational Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation has provided $150,000 to support a variety of charities including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA, Meals on Wheels of NEPA, Inc., Outreach, and United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, in addition to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. Additionally, the NEPA Invitational and Matthews have worked closely with the Scranton Area Community Foundation to establish to William Lawler Scholarship, awarded to an NEPA area junior golfer who is going on to play collegiate golf.
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.
Scranton Tomorrow Salute to Soup Salute to soup! Nothing says fall like a hearty soup! As part of Scranton Tomorrow’s Fall into Downtown Scranton campaign, restaurants and cafes in the Downtown Scranton Business District are stirring up seasonal favorites for lunch, including soup’s to keep your warm on those chilly, fall days. Yum! Where to Dine Click here to visit our Downtown Scranton Dining Guide, featuring more than 60 restaurants, cafes and pubs offering indoor, curbside, takeout, and delivery options in the Downtown Scranton Business District.
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.
WVIA’s Broadcast of Pennsylvania’s Congressional District Debate WVIA will broadcast the 2022 8th Congressional District Debate live from the WVIA Studios in Pittston, PA on Thursday, October 20th, at 7 p.m. The debate will simulcast live regionally on WVIA-TV, and WNEP TV, statewide on PCN and nationally on C-SPAN. The broadcast can also be heard on WVIA Radio and will livestream on WVIA’s Facebook and YouTube channels as well as at wvia.org. The live debate for the 8th Congressional District will feature incumbent Congressman Matt Cartwright (D) and Jim Bognet (R). Information on Matt Cartwright can be found at https://www.cartwrightcongress.com Information on Jim Bognet can be found at https://www.bognetforcongress.com The producer and moderator of the debate will be WVIA’s Larry Vojtko. Panelists for the debate include Borys Krawczeniuk, Staff Writer of the Times-Tribune, Roger DuPuis, News Editor for the Times Leader, and Lisa Washington, WNEP. On Friday, October 21st, WVIA will broadcast the 2022 9th Congressional District Debate at 7 p.m. live from the WVIA Studios. The debate will feature incumbent Congressman Dan Meuser (R) and Amanda Waldman (D).
Johnson College Receives Grant Johnson College has been awarded a $250,000 grant from the Moses Taylor Foundation to support the development of a new Biomedical Equipment Technology laboratory to be housed in the new campus gateway building, Ideal Saldi Hall. The new laboratory will provide critical hands-on learning on the latest technology available and in use throughout the region in healthcare facilities. The program trains students as entry-level biomedical technicians with medical terminology and human physiology principles, as well as the maintenance and support, planning, and installation of medical equipment according to standards and guidelines. The future promises revolutionary advancements in the biomedical equipment technology industry. New technology such as 3D printing, computer miniaturization, and nanotechnology, will provide exciting new opportunities for biomedical equipment technology graduates. The construction of the new gateway building is one of the four pillars of the College’s comprehensive, 5-year capital campaign, Innovation at Work. The building will highlight students’ future career potential by showcasing various industry training opportunities within classroom and laboratory spaces such as a Biomedical Equipment Technology laboratory. In recognition of its support, the new biomedical equipment technology laboratory will be named in honor of the Foundation. Campus visitors will have the opportunity to see students actively learning within the new lab through large glass viewing areas. The two-year Biomedical Equipment Technology associate degree program prepares students as entry-level biomedical technicians with skills training that include medical terminology and human physiology principles, as well as the maintenance and support, planning and acquisition, and installation of medical equipment according to standards and guidelines.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity: Account Validation Makes Payments More Secure Treasurer Stacy Garrity today announced that the list of vendors qualified to provide new electronic payment security protocols (Account Validation Services, or AVS) for state government agencies has been posted to Treasury’s website. “AVS is a powerful tool in the never-ending fight against fraud and identity theft,” Garrity said. “Criminals are constantly looking for new ways to steal taxpayer dollars, and we will do everything possible to stop them. I thank the General Assembly and Governor Wolf for giving Treasury the authority to require AVS across all state agencies.” Act 54 of 2022 authorized Treasury to require the implementation of AVS, a significant step forward in detecting and preventing the fraudulent expenditure of public funds. AVS, which is almost instantaneous, uses bank account information and other unique identity data fields to confirm a payee’s relationship with the receiving bank account. The list of qualified vendors includes 10 companies capable of providing AVS. Every agency, board or commission for which Treasury makes payments must choose one of the vendors to use for its payments no later than January 2024. Act 54 requires Treasury to update the list of approved vendors at least every two years.
The University of Scranton Events The University of Scranton Open House The University of Scranton, a nationally recognized Jesuit university in northeast Pennsylvania, will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 6. “Best 388 Colleges,” “Best Buys in College Education,” “America’s Best Colleges,” “A Focus on Student Success,” “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” “Best Catholic Colleges” – these are just a few of the ways that the nation’s leading college rankings and guidebooks consistently refer to The University of Scranton. For 29 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 21 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 7) for six years, among other rankings. At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 69 undergraduate majors, meet with faculty, students, admissions counselors and financial aid representatives. Student-led campus tours will be conducted throughout the day and will include residence halls, dining halls, computer labs, science labs and academic facilities. In addition, representatives of student organizations, athletic teams and Scranton’s programs of excellence, such as the undergraduate Honors Program, Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Magis Honors Program in STEM, Business Honors Program and Business Leadership Honors Program, will also be available. Judaic Studies Fall Lecture Dru Johnson, Ph.D., director of Center for Hebraic Thought and associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City, will present “Does the Hebrew Bible have a Unique Philosophy?” at The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public. Dr. Johnson teaches Biblical literature, theology and biblical interpretation at The King’s College. He is an editor for the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism series, an associate director for the Jewish Philosophical Theology Project at The Herzl Institute in Israel and a co-host for the OnScript Podcast. Dr. Johnson has held research fellowships at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland, the Shalem Institute for Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, and the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He currently serves on the steering committee of the Scripture and Church Seminar in the Institute for Biblical Research and was formerly the chair and co-founder of the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy Program in the Society for Biblical Literature. He has taught in Western Kenya, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Dr. Johnson is ordained as a minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, a Master’s in Divinity degree from the Covenant Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of St. Andrews – Scotland. The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute was created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community. The Institute fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty research, travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the Institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990. Andrew Gonzalez To Perform at the University of Scranton Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a solo recital featuring acclaimed modern and historical performance viola and violincello da spalla player Andrew Gonzalez on Saturday, Oct. 15. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. According to Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music, “Andrew has performed at Scranton many times with our student string orchestra and his own quartets and trios. We are very excited to welcome him back to present a solo recital – our hall loves his sound.” Passionate about historical performance, Gonzalez frequently performs on baroque viola and the violoncello da spalla. A student of Cynthia Roberts from the Juilliard 415 program, he has performed in festivals and series such as the Washington Bach Consort, Valley of the Moon Music Festival, American Bach Soloists, the Boston Early Music Festival, Helicon and many others. Gonzalez is one of the few people in the world who plays the violoncello da spalla, a five stringed mini cello that is played on the shoulder. Hailed by the Strad Magazine for his ‘warm hearted playing and mellow tone’, Gonzalez enjoys a full career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in prestigious venues throughout the United States, as well as halls throughout Asia and Europe. As a sought–after chamber musician, his playing has allowed him to collaborate with respected ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Sejong Soloists, as well as members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion, Borromeo and Vermeer quartets. In the fall of 2020, he became the new violist of the Jasper String Quartet. Also an accomplished teacher, Gonzalez served as a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s ‘Ensemble Connect’ from 2016-2018 and teaches chamber music in the Heifetz Institute’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. Originally from Chesapeake Virginia, Gonzalez attended the Governor’s School where he was introduced to chamber music and symphonic music. This led to his affiliation with the Hampton Roads Chamber Players, an ensemble that he has since performed with and offered masterclasses for, as well as a concerto appearance with the Virginia Symphony. An avid orchestral player, Gonzalez performs frequently with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Orchestra of Saint Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, New York Classical Players and Novus NY. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Gonzalez holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree under the direction of renown violists and pedagogues Michael Tree, Heidi Castleman, Steve Tenenbom and Hsin-Yun Huang. He performs on a 1930 Frederick Haenel viola modeled after a Gaspar da Salo. PA House and PA Senate Candidate Debates Set The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS), in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, will host debates for PA House and Pennsylvania Senate candidates in October. All debates are presented free of charge and will take place in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on the University’s campus. The dates and times of the debates and the candidates (listed alphabetically) are listed below. The 112th Pennsylvania House seat: Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 p.m.; Kyle Mullins (D) and William Torbeck (R). The 114th Pennsylvania House seat: Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m.; David Burgerhoff (R) and Bridget Kosierowski (D). The 118th state House seat: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at 8 p.m.; James Haddock (D) and James May (R). The 22nd state Senate seat: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.; Thomas Bassett (R) and Martin Flynn (D).
