Photography and Life Lessons
By Kassidy Ravina and Sara Dimmick Photography is like telling a story with pictures. That’s what we learned in a “Smart Photos with Smart Phones” workshop on January 30 at the Teen Canteen with journalist Garry Pierre-Pierre, the Executive Director of the Community Reporting Alliance, which... Read More
Walking Routes Promote Health
By Amber Lawrence Do you want to have a healthier lifestyle? You can do that just by taking a walk in your town. The program Walk Works is from the University of Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. It establishes walking trails on existing sidewalks... Read More
Running Across the Continents
Marathoner Michael Messerschmidt By Meredith Rhoades Michael Messerschmidt isn’t your typical eighth grade civics teacher; he’s an avid runner who has finished a total of 44 marathons. He has run a marathon on every continent and plans to run one in every US state (up... Read More
The Facts of Science Fiction
By Joseph Peters As a writer and reader of science fiction, I was excited to interview three literary agents of the Virginia Kidd Agency, one of the most renowned and long lasting agencies of the genre. Christine Cohen is in charge of short fiction, novel length,... Read More
Citizen of the Year: Peg Grigalonis
By Serena Bennett The Mahanoy City Elks Lodge No. 695 recently named Margaret “Peg” (Guinan) Grigalonis, of Barnesville, as Citizen of the Year. “I was honored by one of the most esteemed organizations in Mahanoy City, the Elks, where my father and grandfather, Abe Hawkes, and... Read More
Baseball Bonding: A Father and Son Story
By Slayden Wargo Baseball season will soon be here, so I asked my dad why he liked to play baseball in Mahanoy City’s Little League. He said he loved to hit the ball. That’s why I like it, too. I asked my dad what position he... Read More
My Favorite Wild Cat
By Oceana O’Boyle Black panthers are my favorite wild cats. I wanted to write about them, so I did some online research to learn more about them. The class of a black panther is mammalia. Their family is called felidae. The genus is panthera, which is... Read More
Donations Needed for American Flags
The Mahanoy City American Legion Auxiliary Post #74 is seeking contributions to purchase approximately 50 American flags and brackets. The flags will be hung on Centre Street lamp posts from Catawissa to 3rd streets in the borough. The goal of this community project is to raise $1,500 so that flags... Read More
Coal Cracker files Articles of Incorporation
Articles of Incorporation Articles of Incorporation were approved by the PA Department of State on February 19, 2016 for the purpose of creating a nonprofit corporation to be named Coal Cracker Kids, organized under the Pennsylvania Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988. The purpose for which said corporation is organized is:... Read More
Comic Books from the Coal Region
By Serena Bennett Graphic Novelist Jimmy Gownley Talks Creativity Coal Cracker recently spoke with Jimmy Gownley, a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator originally from Girardville, PA. Gownley is well known for award-winning comic books such as “Amelia Rules”, which earned 13 Eisner nominations and... Read More