“No matter what happens in life, the world keeps turning.”
That was my opening sentence of this column six years ago today. Little did I know, it would be long after when the world was faced with a pandemic that hadn’t been seen in 100 years.
If you think the first sentence was predicting the future, the second line is even crazier.
“Just when we get settled, and things are going well, and everyone is happy, the applecart eventually will overturn, and your world goes completely upside down.”
At that point in time, we were caught up in the tragedy of the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a fatal helicopter crash, and I was reflecting on that scenario, not the approaching COVID crisis or coronavirus as it was known then.
I followed up by saying this, “There are two things I know: 1. No one knows the future. 2. We take life for granted.
We can get caught up living day-to-day, and that can just take the wind out of our sails. We never get to smell the roses, we never get to tell someone ‘thank you,’ and we often forget how much we love someone.”
All those statements are still true today.
After that week, six years ago, all hell broke loose with the virus, and the world eventually shut down.
It took a great deal of time, and millions of lives were lost worldwide, but eventually, we got out of it and moved on to the point where it almost feels like it never happened.
“No matter what happens in life, the world keeps turning.”
We all get so upset when our daily routine is compromised, don’t we?
A road could be under construction, and a detour in place, and everyone is throwing their arms in the air. And we all know that with one of the Greater Pittston bridges shut down, again, people were up in arms about it.
Well, it’s been several years now, and everyone has adjusted to having one bridge to manage, and really, it seems like rush hour to and from work is about the biggest inconvenience drivers experience, and yes, it does take a bit longer to get over the Kridlo Bridge, but it’s not that big of a deal.
Probably the next big inconvenience bridge-wise will be, not the taking down of the Firefighter’s Bridge, but the closing of the Kridlo Bridge, when everyone will have to get to either side of the river over the newly constructed Firefighter’s Bridge.
Water St. on the Pittston side and Luzerne Ave. on the West Pittston side will be a bear to travel over.
Luckily, the plan to have the new Kridlo Bridge down will not be as long because the plan is to start building both bridges at the same time.
While the Firefighter’s Bridge is being built, the Kridlo Bridge on the Pittston side will also start construction from Mill St. to almost halfway to West Pittston. Once Firefighter’s is built, the Kridlo Bridge will come down, and the second half of the new span will be constructed.
Sounds confusing? Perhaps, but both bridges are tentatively to be completed by 2030.
When the Firefighter’s Bridge closed, and the plans were made for the two new spans, 2030 seemed like forever away.
It still seems somewhat far away, but I know that when demolition and eventual construction start, hopefully, the time will fly by.
I know there are a lot who doubt the bridges will be built because nothing has happened that we see, but there have been tons of meetings, brainstorming, revisions, testing, and more testing behind the scenes, which may make it look that way.
It will be interesting when the first bridge gets demolished. I think everyone will take tons of photos throughout the process to document it.
Once the spans are done, traffic flows, and it’s business as usual, it would only be a matter of time before all disruptions and difficulties are forgotten.
Moving on, yippee, it’s March 1, and for the most part, it looks like we survived the worst of winter.
Now I’m not that naïve to think winter is over, but I’m keeping as optimistic as possible.
We can now focus on one of the longest party celebrations of the year in St. Patrick’s events.
Things kicked off with the annual Little Miss and Little Mister Leprechaun contest yesterday, and last night was the always fun, always loud Pub Crawl.
Today, the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick 2026 Irish Woman of the Year lunch will take place at Fox Hill Country Club, honoring Sandra VanLuvender.
The big St. Patrick’s Mass and parade will take place on March 7 and on Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day; the Friendly Sons will hold their dinner at The Banks.
Don’t forget the huge St. Patrick’s Parade in Scranton on Saturday, March 14, and the Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick’s Parade on Sunday, March 15.
So you see, St. Patrick’s holiday is a big deal in NEPA, in particular, Greater Pittston.
Sadly, the 5K Leprechaun Loop race has been cancelled for 2026, which is not only a big draw for many runners near and far, but it is a fundraiser, and I was told the profit from the race was going to Shop with a Cop.
Quote of the week
“St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time — a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.” —Adrienne Cook
Thought of the week
“St. Patrick’s Day is a time to celebrate the heritage and culture of the Irish people and their enduring spirit.” —Unknown
Bumper sticker
“The heart of an Irishman is nothing but his imagination.” —George Bernard Shaw
