Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
 [Register]
Northeastern Pennsylvania Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pocono area
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-03-2015, 02:53 PM
 
Location: Down Yonder
343 posts, read 600,634 times
Reputation: 375

Advertisements

This says it all, sadly; Report: NEPA region lags in advanced-skilled jobs - News - Citizens' Voice


The same people within the same little groups with the same small-minded thinking are what holds this area back. It will never change unless some MAJOR change takes place and I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. I interviewed for a job last year that was a workforce development position that was supposed to bring employers to the area and you were supposed to pair them up with students graduating from college and also improve training, fix the computers when they went down, host workshops, etc. Guess how much they were going to pay? $28,000. Their first choice was a person with a Master's degree (I have a Bachelor's) She turned them down because of the salary. I told the person I knew who told me about the job: this is why people leave this area. You can't offer that salary and expect someone to do all of that work. This area continues to spiral down the drain.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-03-2015, 03:11 PM
 
3,051 posts, read 3,265,761 times
Reputation: 3959
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie2008 View Post
This says it all, sadly; Report: NEPA region lags in advanced-skilled jobs - News - Citizens' Voice


The same people within the same little groups with the same small-minded thinking are what holds this area back. It will never change unless some MAJOR change takes place and I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. I interviewed for a job last year that was a workforce development position that was supposed to bring employers to the area and you were supposed to pair them up with students graduating from college and also improve training, fix the computers when they went down, host workshops, etc. Guess how much they were going to pay? $28,000. Their first choice was a person with a Master's degree (I have a Bachelor's) She turned them down because of the salary. I told the person I knew who told me about the job: this is why people leave this area. You can't offer that salary and expect someone to do all of that work. This area continues to spiral down the drain.
My hope is that things will start to turn around at least slightly in the next 5 years or so. The region is usually behind national trends, so maybe now that the economy is becoming a little more healthy, NEPA will see the impact.

Otherwise, you are correct. The only thing that will truly change the area is if there is a complete shift in mindset, and I am not holding my breath for that to happen.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-03-2015, 03:14 PM
 
2,861 posts, read 3,826,130 times
Reputation: 2351
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magritte25 View Post
This is a question up for debate and discussion.

While you are of course free to write in snarky, nasty answers I would like to see what people think would improve the area.

I'd especially like to hear from the lurkers.
For simple starters...

Another Scranton focused newspaper would be nice...maybe it will be the new Wilkes Barre/Scranton Independent Gazette.

(BTW, does anyone find it odd that some local 'things' are/were named "Scranton/Wilkes Barre" and others "Wilkes Barre/Scranton"...it certainly wouldn't have hurt to use the same name...but of course that'll never happen )

A rail line of any type would be nice, but I know I'll never see it. Maybe it will happen in a few decades, after most residents have migrated from various NY/NJ/PA metro areas and beyond the US borders.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-03-2015, 06:54 PM
 
3,051 posts, read 3,265,761 times
Reputation: 3959
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimazee View Post
For simple starters...

Another Scranton focused newspaper would be nice...maybe it will be the new Wilkes Barre/Scranton Independent Gazette.

(BTW, does anyone find it odd that some local 'things' are/were named "Scranton/Wilkes Barre" and others "Wilkes Barre/Scranton"...it certainly wouldn't have hurt to use the same name...but of course that'll never happen )

A rail line of any type would be nice, but I know I'll never see it. Maybe it will happen in a few decades, after most residents have migrated from various NY/NJ/PA metro areas and beyond the US borders.

Much larger cities than Scranton are unable to sustain more than one daily newspaper; Scranton will not ever get one that can be competitive with the Times Tribune.

For one thing, the Lynetts have too many people in their pockets to allow it to happen. Some have tried. There have been a few independent papers that have tried, but haven't been able to do it.

The Times Leader has some decent and award-winning weeklies in Scranton and Clarks Summit. The Abington Journal regularly sweeps categories at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Keystone Awards each year. Even those publications have suffered a bit at the hands of repeated buyouts. The Times Leader would never attempt a daily in Scranton.

Newspapers are on their way out. Readership is down. Here's an interesting graph from Pew Research. Watch how the numbers drop by age.

Newspapers: Readership by Age | Pew Research Center's Journalism Project

Of course, we know that the region has a large percentage of older people, but as they pass on, younger people aren't going to take their place as newspaper subscribers.


But hey, if YOU know someone with the capital to start up a daily in Scranton, I just might know a couple of journalists in need of jobs That would solve both your problem and mine!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-03-2015, 09:02 PM
 
28,164 posts, read 25,162,070 times
Reputation: 16664
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jackie2008 View Post
This says it all, sadly; Report: NEPA region lags in advanced-skilled jobs - News - Citizens' Voice


The same people within the same little groups with the same small-minded thinking are what holds this area back. It will never change unless some MAJOR change takes place and I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. I interviewed for a job last year that was a workforce development position that was supposed to bring employers to the area and you were supposed to pair them up with students graduating from college and also improve training, fix the computers when they went down, host workshops, etc. Guess how much they were going to pay? $28,000. Their first choice was a person with a Master's degree (I have a Bachelor's) She turned them down because of the salary. I told the person I knew who told me about the job: this is why people leave this area. You can't offer that salary and expect someone to do all of that work. This area continues to spiral down the drain.
I agree with you about the small minded people in our area. Not only are they small minded, they are vicious!

The only thing that will change this area is for those of us who want progress to be louder than the group we are talking about.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-03-2015, 09:28 PM
 
3,051 posts, read 3,265,761 times
Reputation: 3959
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magritte25 View Post
I agree with you about the small minded people in our area. Not only are they small minded, they are vicious!

The only thing that will change this area is for those of us who want progress to be louder than the group we are talking about.
Unfortunately, within that group is a subgroup of folks that claim to want change, but don't. They are the ones in charge of the chambers, etc. if change were to ever happen, they would fall out of power.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-03-2015, 11:50 PM
 
2,861 posts, read 3,826,130 times
Reputation: 2351
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarbonCountyLiving View Post
Much larger cities than Scranton are unable to sustain more than one daily newspaper; Scranton will not ever get one that can be competitive with the Times Tribune.

For one thing, the Lynetts have too many people in their pockets to allow it to happen. Some have tried. There have been a few independent papers that have tried, but haven't been able to do it.

The Times Leader has some decent and award-winning weeklies in Scranton and Clarks Summit. The Abington Journal regularly sweeps categories at the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Keystone Awards each year. Even those publications have suffered a bit at the hands of repeated buyouts. The Times Leader would never attempt a daily in Scranton.

Newspapers are on their way out. Readership is down. Here's an interesting graph from Pew Research. Watch how the numbers drop by age.

Newspapers: Readership by Age | Pew Research Center's Journalism Project

Of course, we know that the region has a large percentage of older people, but as they pass on, younger people aren't going to take their place as newspaper subscribers.


But hey, if YOU know someone with the capital to start up a daily in Scranton, I just might know a couple of journalists in need of jobs That would solve both your problem and mine!
You hit on why Scranton (and NEPA) would benefit by an alternative voice to the T-T no?

In the ages we're in and entering, a 'newspaper' doesn't have to be a daily...in fact it doesn't have to be paper (does it?). The new Independent Gazette isn't exclusively either, but it's interesting and appears to be growing, at least for now.

The readership stats referred above tell a story that has been evident for years, in part that the T-T as we know it may be doomed. It is trying to morph into the new model where the vast majority of U.S. adults read newspaper media content across a range of technology platforms. The new (?) message is... it ain't over 'til it's over, change is constant, and now very rapid. Yahoo, Drudge, Bloomberg, Twitter, even C-D are where many people get "news" and info now, and likely more so in the future. It is where the T-T (and any 'competitors') want to be too. Few are investing in printing presses.

Digital tech makes having a voice easier than before...even us little ol' C-D posters

I infer you've contacted the Independent Gazette...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 03:55 AM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,792,097 times
Reputation: 17862
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimazee View Post
For simple starters...

Another Scranton focused newspaper would be nice...maybe it will be the new Wilkes Barre/Scranton Independent Gazette.
I wouldn't hold my breath, two newspapers in smaller cities are rare and many of them have declining revenue even in the big cities, it's really not a profitable venture. I expect the TL in WB to go under in the future.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 04:49 AM
 
Location: On the Rails in Northern NJ
12,380 posts, read 26,755,655 times
Reputation: 4580
So I crafted together a Map to show all the various proposals and Plans for Transit & Rail in the Northeastern US. I did Northeastern PA , adding in the Lackawanna Proposal , Wyoming Valley Regional Rail and the Susquehanna River Express. They all use existing ROW or abandoned ROW... I can see all 3 lines doing very well as long as they have cheap fares and decent service. I don't think Northeastern PA can sustain HSR which requires a chain of large metro areas. Aside from the various NEW NEC routes via Long Island/Hartford/Worcester or Danbury/Hartford/Providence. There are very few HSR corridors aside from 76 corridor between Philly , Pittsburgh and out to Chicago via Cleveland , Upstate NY HSL line : Buffalo to New York , that justify building such an expensive service. Whether it be Europe , Asia and yes Africa and the Middle East who are both building HSR aswell. They only build HSR on Corridors that are between large metros and regional job hubs. Electrified & Diesel Intercity and Regional Rail connects everything else from small towns to secondary and large cities. I think an Electrified Cutoff and Lackawanna line would do very well in NEPA. The Wyoming Valley Regional Rail should also be electrified for speed and as a way to reduce costs. Electric trains are cheaper to operate then Diesel. The trains themselves accelerate faster then diesels , electric trains these days can be dead silent compared to a loud roaring diesel. The Susquehanna River Express would be better as a diesel due to ridership being lower on that route. I did post photos the trains I listed below..

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?m...A.kQDtB3dU7TK8

Susquehanna River Express
Diesel / DMU Tilt Trains Similar to British Rail Class 180
Top Speed : 110mph
6 Daily Roundtrips from Scranton to Harrisburg

Calling at :
Scranton
Wilkes Barre
Nescopeck
Miffinville
Bloomsburg
Riverside
Sunbury
Millersburg
Harrisburg Central



First Hull Trains . 180113 . Peterborough Station . Tuesday 20th-May-2014.
by AndrewHA's, on Flickr

Lackawanna Express
Electric / EMU Push-Pull Trains similar to OBB Railjet Service
Electrification at 25kV/60Hz Catenary
Top Speed : 125mph
2 Daily Roundtrips between Hoboken & Syracuse
5 Daily Roundtrips between New York & Binghamton
15 Daily Roundtrips between Scranton and Hoboken

Calling at :
Syracuse
Cortland
Binghamton
Hallstead
New Milford
Clarks
Scranton
Moscow
Tobyhanna
Mount Pocono
Analomink
East Stroudsburg
Delaware Water Gap
Blairstown
Andover
Dover
Morristown
Summit
South Orange
Newark Broad Street Station
Hoboken Terminal or Secaucus Upper / New York Penn



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3ctfa6a6TY


1116 238-7. Roppen - Imst Pitztal (Waldele).
by Poza Granice. Kolej, on Flickr

Wyoming Valley Regional Rail
Electric / EMU Train similar to the Stadler FLIRT
Electrification at 25kV/60Hz Catenary
Top Speed : 90mph
20 Daily Roundtrips between Nanticoke to Carbondale

Calling at :
Carbondale
Jermyn-Mayfield
Archbald
Jessup
Olyphant
Dickson City
Green Ridge Street
Mulberry Street
Scranton
Taylor
Old Forge
Duryea
Pittston
Plains
Central City
Hazle Street
South Main Street
Oxford Street
Nanticoke


Stadler Flirt
by ClaGir - Photographie Transports publics, on Flickr
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 05:41 AM
 
28,164 posts, read 25,162,070 times
Reputation: 16664
Wow Nexis4Jersey! You did a fantastic job on that map and the routes. I would love to see this happen but the project seems to have a lot of naysayers. On the other hand, so did the arena in Wilkes-Barre and look how well that is doing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Northeastern Pennsylvania
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top