I swear January is the longest month of my entire life each and every year. Thank goodness that’s over with.

Even though February is three days shorter, it comes in as my second least favorite month. Depending on the weather, it could be a really long month. March is about when I start coming out of the coma.

We certainly had a rough end of the week with the tragic accident in the air over Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., and then another plane crash in a Philadelphia neighborhood.

So much sadness, and you just have to feel terrible for all the victims and their families.

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I watched the press conference from Boston regarding the children ice skaters belonging to their skating club. The pain on those being interviewed was tough to watch.

It’s sad when anyone loses their life, but when children are involved, it’s just gut-wrenching.

There seem to be fingers pointed at how the accident in Washington happened at the national level. I’m not sure, so close to the incident happening and bodies not yet recovered, that anyone could possibly blast anyone.

Thorough investigations need to be conducted, and in many of these air traffic accidents, it could take a year or two before anyone knows what happened.

We have to hope the black boxes recovered have some preliminary answers to what happened.

The nation needs to mourn the deceased, give their families love, support and space.

The accident in Philadelphia included a medical jet with a child patient onboard crashing into a neighborhood and engulfing homes.

Two air accidents in two days probably are making anyone flying a bit squeamish, but it is said the accident at Washington was the deadliest in the U.S. in a generation.

Air travel is still one of the safest forms of transportation in the country, not to mention the quickest.

On the west coast, a fundraising concert was held at Los Angeles with top-named entertainment to aid thousands of people that lost their homes and possessions from the nasty fires a few weeks ago.

The fires are said to cover 45 square miles. I can’t even imagine what that must look like.

I attended a wedding two years ago and many of the places I visited or drove through were engulfed with the fire.

I recall going to a shopping center at Malibu that was leveled by the fires.

All told, the fires have scorched over 2,400 acres.

We are a nation of resilience and have overcome many natural disasters and come back better than ever.

Remember “The Valley with a Heart?” Most people reading this probably do, but I’m sure there are a lot more out there that have no idea where that phrase came from.

Well younger folk, in 1972, Hurricane Agnes stormed up the east coast ending around the State of New York before it backtracked over Wyoming Valley dropping so much rain, the Susquehanna River flooded the entire Wyoming Valley from West Pittston to Kingston to Wilkes-Barre and every low-lying area within its grasp.

After the flood receded, someone painted on a structure, “The Valley with a Heart” and that became mantra in getting back on our feet and rebuilding.

On a happy note, the Home and Garden show at the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza will conclude today. Check it out, if you did not get there on Friday or Saturday. Show hours today are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with four seminars scheduled, the first at noon.

Of course, the Super Bowl features the Kansas City Chiefs against Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia Eagles with kick-off at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Being a Pennsylvanian, I will be rooting for the Eagles and Lehigh Valley’s Saquon Barkley, who is a big favorite in my family.

Barkley, since moving from the New York Giants to Philly, has a chance to be the Player of the Year, and if football fans have their way, he may be a shoe-in.

The guy is magic on two pairs of legs gliding, racing, and jumping over opponents frontwards and backwards.

Barkley will turn 28 on Super Bowl Sunday, and what better birthday gift than walking away with the title and possibly an MVP to end an incredible year?

It’s hard to believe he last played in a Penn State uniform in 2017 before turning pro in 2018 going to the Giants and lasting there for seven years.

Imagine what kind of career Saquon could have had if was with a team like the Eagles since 2018. We will never know, and this year’s Eagles squad is special, and the defense is led by 66-year-old Coach Vic Fangio, a Dunmore native.

Speaking of special, congratulations are in order for City of Pittston Mayor Michael Lombardo on being appointed as Vice Chair to the National League of Cities 2025 Community and Economic Development Federal Advocacy Committee.

That’s a mouthful to say, but trust me, if it’s a feather in Mayor Lombardo’s hat; it’s a feather in the hat of all Greater Pittstonians.

Mayor Lombardo is always looking for ways to make Pittston the gem of Northeastern Pennsylvania and being involved at the National level only helps our area.

Quote of the Week

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” — Vince Lombardi

Thought of the Week

“Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live.” — Joe Montana

Bumper Sticker

“Effort will never be questioned.” — Jalen Hurts