An Italian Family Tradition

By Oceana O’Boyle         I love stuffed shells, especially the ones my mom and I make. My grand pap Gino passed the recipe on to us. He was Italian, which is where I get my love for Italy and Italian food. My grand pap Gino, pictured above,...   Read More

Holiday Cookies with a Twist

By Taylor Walsh         With the holidays just around the corner, everyone will soon be searching for the perfect cookie recipes. Just like last year, I will be making one of my favorite types of cookies: candy cane twist cookies! They are the perfect cookie to eat...   Read More

The Unwelcome Ones – Chapter Three

An Excerpt of Original Science Fiction By Joseph Peters       The guard stared down at me. If he were able to tear through my soul just by looking at me, he would’ve. “What the hell are you doing outside of the walls this early in the morn? Do...   Read More

Oh Cell No! Prevent Distracted Driving

The Motor Vehicle Safety Coalition recently launched a campaign called Get an App! Arrive Alive. Schuylkill County’s VISION is promoting the apps as a way to divert text messages while driving. Many of the apps send an auto reply saying that the driver will respond at a later time. The...   Read More

Grassroots Growth at Coal Cracker

Coal Cracker youth-led news is experiencing some exciting growth. The newspaper is now a project of Coal Cracker Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to empower young people of Pennsylvania’s Anthracite Coal Region through youth-led projects that explore sense of place and promote professional development. The nonprofit’s volunteer...   Read More

Leslie Richardson: Coal Cracker Project Coordinator

By Meredith Rhoades         The Coal Cracker Kids Board of Directors recently hired Leslie Richardson, of Mahanoy City, as the new Project Coordinator to lead development of Coal Cracker youth-led news. Here, we introduce our readers to Richardson with a quick question and answer session to help...   Read More

Too Young to Vote? You Have a Voice.

Article by Serena Bennett Illustrations by Sarah Matz       With the presidential election coming up on Tuesday, November 8th, many adults will be casting their votes and waiting for the final outcome. However, for those of us under 18 who are too young to vote, seemingly all we...   Read More

National Park Service Turns 100

Photos and captions by Meredith Rhoades         The National Park Service turned 100 on August 25, 2016, marking a century of protecting some of America’s most special places for the enjoyment of us all. There are more than 400 sites nationwide in the National Park system. One...   Read More

The Art of Printmaking

By Emma Shaller         This summer I went to Peters Valley School of Craft. I learned three printmaking techniques: screen printing, monoprinting, and woodcut. My teacher’s name was Stephen McKenzie, and he always wore CRAZY socks! There is a picture of him above. In screen printing, we...   Read More

On Strike for Summer Vacation

By Oceana O’Boyle         This summer I went to Atlantic City for vacation. I’ve been going there every summer since I was little. The past two years I was allowed to bring a friend but I didn’t this year because it was a hard choice. I stay...   Read More

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