Orchestra Festival at Shenandoah Valley High School
By David Lindenmuth More than 100 of the best high school musicians from the Poconos, Lehigh Valley, and the Coal Region converged on Shenandoah in late January for the 2016-17 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 10 Orchestra Festival. Students from Schuylkill, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon,... Read More
Memories of Band Director Bill Mitchell
According to Mahanoy Area Historical Society’s Images of America book, “In 1957 Mahanoy City High School hired Bill Mitchell as Band Director. A trombone student from the famous Professor Dorsey, the service veteran and graduate of Pennsylvania State University was about to revolutionize the performance of high school marching bands.”... Read More
The Unwelcome Ones – The Conclusion
An Excerpt of Original Science Fiction By Joe Peters I turned in the opposite direction of the men and took off, my feet smashing off the ground, sending dirt flying in a dusty trail behind me. My muscles pumped harder than they ever had before, propelling me... Read More
Making a Difference
By Meredith Rhoades “Empowered women empower women.” This quote embodies the exact reason why I attended the Women’s March on Washington. Not only did I feel the absolute need to stand up against discrimination, I also wanted to prove to people that even at 16 years... Read More
Women’s March: a Once-in-a-Lifetime Moment
By Serena Bennett The Women’s March on Washington on January 21 attracted an estimated 1 million people, and I was one of them. Standing together to support one another was one of the most surreal and exciting experiences of my life. I chose to attend the... Read More
Taking the OMG and SMH out of Social Media
By Oceana O’Boyle Kids these days have a lot of new technology. Our kids at Coal Cracker youth-led news decided to keep everyone updated on the social media of today. We mainly use phones or social media for contacting friends and family or playing games. Games... Read More
The Safety Pin Movement
Article by Amber Lawrence Illustration by Sarah Matz There is no doubt that this year’s presidential election was a rocky one. After the election of Donald J. Trump many people have been struck with fear that his presidency might come with abuse to minorities, immigrants, women, and... Read More
Christmas Crafts ‘Tis the Season
Members of Mahanoy City’s A.C.T.I.O.N. Youth Group, above, recently made 130 handcrafted reindeer out of washcloths and bars of soap. The crafts were delivered to residents of the Mahanoy City Elderly Apartments, such as Pat Kechula, pictured at left. On Saturday, November 26, Mahanoy City hosted its annual tree lighting... Read More
Holiday Cheer! Sharing Joy!
By Emma Shaller On Wednesday, November 30, the Mahanoy Area Midget Cheerleaders and coach Keri Cavenas gathered at the Teen Canteen in Mahanoy City to create homemade Christmas cards. This squad project was organized by Bobby Moucheron of the M & M Redzone to spread holiday... Read More
The Story of Red and Green
By Alivia Economy Have you ever wondered why we use red and green colors to celebrate Christmas? Well, I have an answer. It’s a very good story to tell. My grandma, Elaine Souchak, always tells it before we eat our dessert on Christmas. Most people think... Read More