WVIA Announces New Original Documentary Film This June marks the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Agnes’s devastation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. WVIA will commemorate the day with Agnes 50, a multiplatform initiative that will explore the events of June 23rd 1972, as well as the response in the years after. The initiative will include the original documentary film Agnes 50: Life After the Flood, focusing on different communities that were affected by the flood. Excerpts from the documentary will air on WVIA’s social channels in the weeks leading up to the broadcast premiere on Thursday, June 23rd at 9 p.m. Watch the trailer for Agnes 50: Life After the Flood here: wvia.org/agnes On the evening of June 23rd WVIA TV will present an evening of programming that will include a live hour-long episode of Keystone Edition with area experts discussing the impact of Hurricane Agnes on our region at 7 p.m., followed by a special broadcast of the 1997 historical documentary Remembering Agnes at 8 p.m. The WVIA original film, Agnes 50: Life After the Flood, premieres at 9 p.m., followed by the WSKG original production Agnes: The Flood of ’72. In addition, Memories of Agnes, a digital series, will launch in spring 2022. This series will provide those who lived through the Agnes disaster the opportunity to share their first-hand accounts of the flood through user-generated content and archival film and photos. WVIA News will feature a companion series of stories on WVIA Radio and at wvia.org/news throughout the coming months that will cover additional aspects of our region’s history with flooding. Learn more about WVIA’s Agnes 50 initiative at wvia.org/agnes About Agnes 50: Life After the Flood What have we learned in the years since Agnes? What actions have communities taken since that date? To properly explore the fallout from Agnes over the past five decades and to assess steps our region is taking or should be taking in order to prepare for the challenges of inevitable flooding in the future, WVIA will premiere a feature documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Alexander Monelli that will cover key 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 will 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. “When I started this film, I never knew there were so many issues related to flooding, and they’ve been ongoing since 1972. What one town does to mitigate flooding may impact another town downstream. It 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.” “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. “The topic and its ramifications are so large that we knew one program alone wouldn’t be enough to cover its scope. That is why we have created this multiplatform initiative and full evening of programming.” “Education is at the core of what we do at WVIA, and we believe that preserving and learning from our local history is essential to the growth and future of our communities,” said Carla McCabe, WVIA President, and CEO. “In addition to the creation of this new documentary, WVIA Education will be creating a curriculum plan based on WVIA’s Remembering Agnes and Agnes 50: Life After the Flood documentaries that will be made available to all area school districts.” WVIA June 23rd, 2022, Television Programming 7 p.m. – Keystone Edition Reports: Agnes 50 – Live Broadcast Fifty years ago, life in the Susquehanna Valley changed forever as Hurricane Agnes devastated the area, and the Susquehanna River inundated homes and streets, destroying everything it touched. Keystone Edition Reports takes a look back at the toll Agnes took, how the valley bounced back, and what the future holds. 8 p.m. – Remembering Agnes – Remastered A special presentation of the remastered 1997 historic documentary. Eyewitnesses reminisce about the hours just before, during, and after the worst natural disaster to devastate the east branch of the Susquehanna River Valley in the greater Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Hurricane Agnes and the resulting flood occurred in late June 1972 and affected thousands ever since. 9 p.m. – Agnes 50: Life After the Flood – Broadcast Premiere On Friday, June 23, 1972, Pennsylvania suffered the wrath of Hurricane Agnes, which at the time was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States and would claim the lives of 128 people in the storm’s path. Now, at the 50th anniversary, WVIA explores what we as a region have learned from the Agnes tragedy. Half a century later, how did this epic event permanently change our communities – economically, physically, and emotionally? What have local communities done over the past decades to address and mitigate potential flooding in the future? Have we done enough? Followed by Agnes: The Flood of ’72 On June 19th, 1972, the first hurricane of the season, Agnes, crossed over the Florida Panhandle and quickly headed back out to sea. With sustained winds of just over 75 miles per hour, Agnes was considered a low-level threat by most weather experts. They were wrong. By June 22nd the remnants of Agnes stalled over the northeastern United States, dumping up to 22 inches of rain in some areas, including the Elmira/Corning region of New York. The devastating flooding that followed would result in one of the worst natural disasters in the region’s history and change the landscape of the region forever. Produced by WSKG. This special block of programming will re-air on Saturday, June 25th beginning at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, June 26th beginning at noon.
Dress For Success New Choices Program Dress for Success Lackawanna is announcing enrollment for New Choices career development program for unemployed and under-employed women. This specially designed course is for individuals looking for a new opportunity in their professional life or experiencing a career transition. Through this professional workshop, participants will work in both a group and one-on-one setting to learn critical professional development skills and get prepared for a career move. “New Choices is just one of the comprehensive suite of services we offer for every phase of a woman’s professional life, starting with the job search and leading to sustained employment and self-sufficiency.,” said Mary Ann Iezzi, Executive Director of Dress for Success Lackawanna. Due to the pandemic, these services are needed now more than ever. During New Choices, participants will revise or create their resume, practice online interview and application skills, learn stress management tactics, gain access to job opportunities, and more. New Choices program consists of five 2-hour sessions. It is free of charge and open to women needing assistance in seeking employment. This FREE transformative professional development class will yield participants a brand-new resume, polished interviewing skills, better communications tactics, a strong understanding of the job application process, and a renewed sense of self-worth. For more information contact, Dress for Success Lackawanna, at 570-941-0339 or email to lackawannacountygpn@dressforsuccess.org. Seating is limited. Who: Dress for Success Lackawanna’s New Choices program is a job search and career development program for unemployed women and women who are seeking a transition in their careers. Seating is limited! For additional information, please contact Dress for Success Lackawanna at (570) 941-0339 or email at lackawannacountygpn@dressforsuccess.org . What: New Choices, a free career development program to help female job seekers experiencing difficulties in obtaining employment and/or women seeking to transition careers or industries. When: February and March Virtual Sessions Where: New Choices will be conducted over an online live video streaming service, Zoom Time: TBD
Wright Center Dentist Appointed to NYU Langone Dental Medicine Faculty Dr. Satya Upadhyayula, a board-certified general practice dentist at The Wright Center for Community Health, recently received a faculty appointment to NYU Langone Dental Medicine, enabling him to share his oral surgery and dental treatment know-how with dental residents who are training locally. The Wright Center became a dental training site and welcomed its first two residents in 2021 through a new affiliation with NYU Langone Dental Medicine. The Brooklyn, N.Y.,-based organization operates the world’s largest postdoctoral dental residency program of its kind, training about 400 residents annually at partner sites including community health centers, hospitals and other affiliates in nearly 30 states. The Wright Center is currently the only partner site in Pennsylvania. The affiliation between the two health care organizations represents another way in which The Wright Center is bringing more health professionals to Northeast Pennsylvania to address the community’s pressing health needs. “I’m glad to have attained this faculty appointment, allowing me to play a more integral role in preparing the next generation of dentists, especially those with a heart for serving in medically underserved and economically disadvantaged areas,” said Upadhyayula. Known to many of his patients and colleagues as “Dr. U,” Upadhyayula is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Prior to joining The Wright Center, he completed an oral and maxillofacial surgery internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He becomes the second faculty physician based at The Wright Center to support the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency, joining site director Dr. Caitlin McCarthy. Faculty physician Dr. Isaac Navarro, who is based in California, was instrumental in the program’s startup at The Wright Center and remains critical to its success, leading grand rounds virtually each month. The dental residents train at The Wright Center’s Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., Scranton, and its Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. Each site has a state-of-the-art dental clinic that offers the public access to oral care services including check-ups and cleanings, fillings, X-rays, extractions, emergency services, oral cancer screenings and denture care. NYU Langone Dental Medicine’s residency program, which is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, complements The Wright Center’s existing educational activities. For more than 45 years, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education has been a provider of residency training in Greater Scranton, helping to build a pipeline of medical professionals to meet the needs of the region and the nation. Today it offers residencies in internal medicine, family medicine and psychiatry as well as fellowships in cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology and geriatrics. For more information, visit TheWrightCenter.org.
The Greater Scranton YMCA We Are Y Program The Greater Scranton YMCA believes all individuals should have access to opportunities that allow them to grow stronger in mind and body. The YMCA is excited to announce its We Are Y Program has officially returned. We Are Y is an inclusive community outreach program that provides individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities access to recreational activities that encourage staying active, building interpersonal relationships among peers, self-sufficiency, and aid in developing cognitive abilities. Recreational activities will rotate weekly and will be followed by light refreshments before departing.We Are Y will help build individuals’ developmental skills, personal strengths, creativity, cognitive and non-cognitive skills through swimming, movement, music, arts, and much more, all while taking place in a safe and nurturing environment. The program is generously supported by grant funding from AllOne Charities. “The Y is a community organization open to all,” said Trish Fisher, President & CEO, Greater Scranton YMCA. “Through We Are Y, we are proud to provide individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, as well as their families, with access to all the Greater Scranton YMCA has to offer!” We are Y is open to individuals (children and adults) ages 10 and up who have developmental disabilities. Participants’ families are welcome to attend. The program is free and open to Greater Scranton YMCA members and non-members and is held on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (beginning February 16th). Participants must register each month. To register, visit the YMCA online at https://www.greaterscrantonymca.org/programs/40053/we-are-y/?locations=13. For more information on We Are Y, contact Natalie Wasilchak at nwasilchak@greaterscrantonymca.org.
University of Scranton to Host Author Discussion Roosevelt Montás, Ph.D., author and senior lecturer in American studies and English at Columbia University, will present “Liberal Education for Human Freedom” at the Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 10, at The University of Scranton. The lecture, sponsored by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Moskovitz Theater DeNaples Center. At Columbia University, Dr. Montás teaches “Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West,” a year-long course on primary texts in moral and political thought, as well as seminars in American Studies including “Freedom and Citizenship in the United States.” He served as the director of the Center for the Core Curriculum at Columbia College from 2008 to 2018. He is also the director of the Center for American Studies’ Freedom and Citizenship Program in collaboration with the Double Discovery Center. Dr. Montás speaks and writes on the history, meaning and future of liberal education and is the author of “Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation” (Princeton University Press, 2021). “‘The West’ as a category is, of course, itself problematic … the banners of “Western civilization” and “Western culture” have been used to give cover to imperialist, racist and colonialist agendas and to justify the subjugation and exploitation of “non-Western” people. But the term is also used to describe something more legitimate: a large and porous cultural configuration around the Mediterranean Sea, with strong Greco-Roman roots, that served as the historical seedbed for the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and much of what is called ‘modernity,’” wrote Dr. Montás in an opinion piece published by The Chronicle of Higher Education on Nov. 16, 2021. “While the European continent figures prominently, the tradition incorporates defining elements from non-European sources like the Arab world, ancient Egypt and North Africa, and even the East. It is a tradition rife with fissures, where overturning the past is preferred to venerating it. Loose and fractured as this tradition of contest and debate is, key aspects of the modern world emerge from it. The tradition matters not because it is Western, but because of its contribution to human questions of the highest order.” Dr. Montás earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. His research specializes in Antebellum American literature and culture, with a particular interest in American citizenship. For the lecture, the University will follow current health and safety guidelines as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan, which include the wearing higher grade masks (e.g. N95, KN95 or KF94) or double masking (e.g. a cloth mask worn over a surgical mask) in indoor spaces on campus. For more information about the lecture, contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D, professor of philosophy and faculty director of the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, at matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Johnson College Now Enrolling Students in Fundamentals of Welding Johnson College’s Continuing Education Program is currently enrolling students in its next Fundamentals of Welding course, scheduled to run from Monday, February 28, 2022, to Friday, April 22, 2022, in Weaver Hall on its campus in Scranton. Space is very limited. To learn more or enroll, contact the Johnson College Continuing Education department at 570-702-8979 or email continuinged@johnson.edu. Students will learn the basics of the major welding processes. After fundamentals, students can enroll in an intermediate class in either Shielded Metal Arc Welding (Stick), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG), or Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG). Each of these classes works toward plate certification to a common welding code. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.
MiLB Expands Triple-A Schedule to 150 Games Minor League Baseball has announced that six additional games will be added to the 2022 Triple-A season, expanding the slate to 150 games. The additional games help Triple-A baseball better align with the Major League season and push the end date of the Minor League campaign to September 28. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was slated to close the season with a three-game set at Lehigh Valley from Monday, September 19 through Wednesday, September 21. That series will now begin on Tuesday, September 20, and run through Sunday, September 25. The RailRiders will now close the 2022 season at PNC Field with a three-game series against the Buffalo Bisons from Monday, September 26 through Wednesday, September 28. Each of those three games will begin at 6:35 P.M. Full season ticket members will have tickets for the additional three home games added to their accounts while all other plans will have the ability to exchange unused tickets or vouchers for these games per the RailRiders exchange policy. This 150-game schedule will be the longest for any Minor League team since 1964. International League franchises played 154 games that season while the Pacific Coast League clubs played 156. Tickets packages for the 2022 season are available now. For more information, please visit swbrailriders.com or contact a ticket sales representative at (570) 969-BALL.
Nicole Strauser – EMPOWER Conference Moderator Vice President, Beneficiary Fulfillment, Prudential Enabling Solutions Presentation Moderator: Managing Conflict Panel The ability to resolve conflict in the workplace is an essential ability for leaders in any organization. When there is open and transparent processes for identifying, resolving, and managing conflict, it is proven to improve productivity and job satisfaction of employees. In this session, our panelists will discuss techniques on how to engage in meaningful conversations and manage conflict in the workplace. Bio: Nicole Strauser, vice president, beneficiary fulfillment, has over 20 years of experience with Prudential. In her current role, Nicole is responsible for delivering final promises for group insurance, individual life insurance, annuities, and retirement customers. She has been focused on strengthening Prudential’s operational discipline and empowering associates via ideation and customer obsession to transform our customer experience. Prior to her current role, Nicole held various roles across Prudential’s retirement organization including the contact center, client services, and all back office operations from money in, money out, to complex record keeping. Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marywood University. She is a Series 6, 99, and 26 registered principal. Nicole currently sits on the board for Leadership Northeast, a local non-profit focused on creating servant leaders in the community. Nicole also serves as the Prudential executive site lead for the Scranton office and the executive sponsor of the Scranton PRIDE BRG. GET TICKETS
Brooke Lipperini – EMPOWER Conference Panelist Regional Manager, Human Resources, CANPACK US Presentation: Managing Conflict Panel The ability to resolve conflict in the workplace is an essential ability for leaders in any organization. When there is open and transparent processes for identifying, resolving, and managing conflict, it is proven to improve productivity and job satisfaction of employees. In this session, our panelists will discuss techniques on how to engage in meaningful conversations and manage conflict in the workplace. Bio: Brooke Lipperini, SHRM-SCP, has over 15 years of professional experience in human resources, primarily in manufacturing organizations. Currently, she is the regional manager, human resources at CANPACK US, a manufacturer of aluminum beverage cans. Prior to joining CANPACK US, she was the human resources manager at The AZEK Company, a manufacturer of premium building products in Scranton. Lipperini holds a SHRM-SCP certification and has been awarded the Veterans at Work Certificate by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation. She has served on the NEPA SHRM board of directors since 2017 and currently holds the role of president elect. Brooke also serves on the board of directors of Skills in Scranton, the workforce development affiliate of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Brooke lives in Olyphant with her two children, fiancé, and two dogs. GET TICKETS
