24 students honored in Scholastic Superstars program
It has been a Times-Tribune tradition for three decades.
Students received a medal while their parents and guests applauded during the ceremony sponsored by PPL Electric Utilities.
Larry Holeva, executive editor of The Times-Tribune, presented the awards.
Each high school in the Times-Tribune coverage area is invited to nominate up to three seniors. After the names of students and schools and other identifying information is removed, the winners were voted on by judges from local colleges.
The winners are:
• Grace Beckish, North Pocono High School
• Owen Carso, Delaware Valley High School.
• Ella Cohen, Scranton Preparatory School
• Chelsea Empet, Mountain View Junior/Senior High School
• Gabriella Estadt, Valley View High School
• Emily Hanson, Blue Ridge High School
• Lia Hartman, Western Wayne High School
• Matthew Hill, Scranton High School
• Sara Hoban, Abington Heights High School
• Ryleigh Kilmer, Mountain View Junior/Senior High School
• Zachary Kovaleski, Holy Cross High School
• Stephanie Kucharski, Old Forge High School
• Winni Lin, Riverside High School
• Gavin Monahan, Holy Cross High School
• Declan Moran, Scranton High School
• Zarina Mustafina, West Scranton High School
• Kaia Negvesky, West Scranton High School
• Ivy Neureuter, Scranton High School
• Adam Paranich, Abington Heights High School
• Maura Pivirotto, Abington Heights High School
• Allison Rocco, North Pocono High School
• Christian Segiel, North Pocono High School
• Austin Shramko, Riverside High School
• Logan Zdaniewicz, Tunkhannock Area High School
This year's judges were Lois K. Draina, Ph.D., retired dean, Marywood University; Aaron Mattern, senior regional director of enrollment management, Penn State Hazleton, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre; and Joseph M. Roback, associate vice president, admissions and enrollment, University of Scranton.
Additional coverage can be found at thetimes-tribune.com and will appear in print Wednesday. Starting Wednesday, The Times-Tribune will publish a biography and photo of one Superstar a day, excepting Mondays.
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Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Cupich celebrates 50 years as a priest. ‘Every day was an opportunity to live out my priesthood.'
In one of the most exhilarating moments in his half century as a priest, Cardinal Blase Cupich watched in awe from an adjacent balcony in May as newly-elected Chicago native Pope Leo XIV gave his first address to the world on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, While the experience was unprecedented, the head of the Chicago Archdiocese says he has felt that same spirit of joy and elation laced throughout his five-decade career, ever since he was ordained Aug. 16, 1975. 'I have to say that I brought the same excitement of that day to every day that I've been a priest,' he told the Tribune during a recent interview. 'I've always looked for moments in which being a priest could be a benefit to other people.' Cupich will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination with a golden jubilee Mass at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. The service will be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person. Despite major challenges facing the global Catholic Church — from financial woes to ongoing fallout from the church sex abuse crisis — Cupich says his love for pastoring and service hasn't waned since his ordination five decades ago. 'Whether I was teaching kids in high school my first years after I was ordained or serving in the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., or being the pastor of a parish, and then of course being named bishop, I always felt that every day was an opportunity to live out my priesthood,' he added. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1949, the grandson of Croatian immigrants believes his roots helped shape his ministry and leadership, particularly in an ethnically and racially diverse part of the country such as Chicago, where he was installed as archbishop in 2014. At the helm of the third-largest Catholic archdiocese in the country, he serves roughly 2 million Catholics at 216 parishes. Cupich, the third of nine children in a devoutly Catholic home, recalled his grandparents 'tried as immigrants to come here and start a life and family that would become more prosperous than where they came from.' 'And I think that is the story of all immigrants,' the 76-year-old cardinal said. 'That's why I'm so very focused on immigrants' rights, not only to protect their dignity but also to make sure that the country doesn't forget that we've been enriched by immigration.' Often deemed more a pastoral leader and less authoritarian in style than his predecessor, the late Cardinal Francis George, Cupich has been criticized by a more conservative faction of Catholics for his focus on issues such as gun violence and poverty, as opposed to more politically right-of-center causes such as abortion opposition. Illinois abortion opponents last year condemned Cupich for giving the invocation on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, an event that included pro-reproductive rights organizations, including Planned Parenthood. Yet the archbishop of Chicago says that he's championed the dignity and sanctity of human life throughout his ministry, adding that 'the full gamut of issues that deal with respect for life have always been a center of my attention.' 'It may be that people don't see that gun violence and poverty and homelessness and war and peace are necessarily pro-life. I would disagree with that,' he said. 'I think that the Holy See, the teachings of the church and the catechism and the works done by (Pope) John Paul II all the way to Pope Leo are very clear: We have to have a consistent ethic of life.' In 2016, Cupich's influence over the international church expanded when Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. During the ceremony, he received the iconic red hat, also known as a biretta, which symbolizes a cardinal's willingness to shed blood in service of the church. The service was attended by then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the governor at the time, Bruce Rauner, as well as members of Cupich's family. 'I told myself, as I went up to the pope to receive the red biretta, that I was going to just drink in the moment and enjoy it as much as I could and be present to the situation. And not be distracted by anything else,' Cupich recalled. 'It was a proud moment, not just for me, but I think for Chicago. Chicago has had a special place in the life of the church and I think that was recognized on that occasion.' As cardinal, Cupich took part in the papal conclave's May historic election of Pope Leo, the first American-born leader of the world's estimated 1.4 billion Catholics, who grew up in south suburban Dolton. During Pope Leo's first three months, Cupich has seen a renewed spirit among local Catholics as well as excitement across the area among folks of all faiths and backgrounds that a Chicago native was named pontiff. It's like nothing the archbishop has seen in his 50 years of service since ordination as a priest. 'There's a new pride that I'm seeing in having the pope come from Chicago, for people to know that Chicago produced a pope,' he added. 'So there is a new kind of energy that I'm seeing.'
New York Times
09-08-2025
- New York Times
Timely Manner
A recent story in The Times, by Emily Laber-Warren, describes the ways we relate to time, dividing us into two groups. Monochronic people 'tend to live by the clock and are primed, at least during work hours, to prioritize obligations over relationships.' Polychronic people, on the other hand, 'tend to give primacy to experiences and relationships that don't always fit neatly into prearranged schedules.' If you prefer to work on one thing at a time, emphasizing deadlines and seeing interruptions as irritating, you're monochronic. Those who are good at multitasking, who comfortably allow shifts in their schedules if, for example, a friend comes to town and wants to go for a hike — those people are probably polychronic. The article insists there are downsides with each time personality. Monochronic people can be rigid, missing out on serendipity. Polychronic people can be easily distracted and can have difficulty finishing what they start. But I found myself thinking, as I often do when I read about socially scientific binaries — Type A vs. Type B, maximizers vs. satisficers — that it's secretly better to be the more laid-back type, that life is richer and more fulfilling if you're less rigid and don't, say, view a deadline the way a beast of burden does a plowman's whip. Despite my efforts to be loose and breezy with time, I'm pretty regimented. Calling myself 'monochronic' allows me to justify what I have always characterized as an undesirable uptightness. While I want to be productive, I want so much more to prioritize relationships over industry, to say 'this can wait' when I'm fast at work and someone calls with last-minute theater tickets. We're obsessed with our attention these days, how it's been captured by our screens, attenuated by too-busy schedules and the impossible pace of modern life. Monotasking is seen as an advantageous skill, deep work and flow states the antidotes to cognitive fatigue. But as we try to marshal our attention, it seems possible we will be tempted to overcorrect. My monochronic preference for uninterrupted stretches of time in which to work — oh, the exquisite relief of turning on 'Do Not Disturb' on my laptop and knowing that it will also silence my phone, my iPad, the text alerts and weather alerts and news alerts and calendar alerts! — often keeps me from engaging with things that would bring me pleasure. I've missed perfect 75-degree days because I need to finish chores before I relax. I tell myself that nothing will feel as good as getting things done, but then I think of the cliché about people on their deathbeds never saying they wish they'd spent more time working. There's hope: Time personalities are preferences, not traits, so we can shift them. The aim, as in all things, is balance, being nimble enough to shift from one style to another as the situation prescribes. 'Is your goal here relationship building? Then go polychronic,' one expert in the article advised. 'If your goal is to complete a task, then we need to be monochronic for a window of time and shut out all distractions.' While switching gears may feel uncomfortable for those of us conditioned to do the thing until the thing is done, this framing highlights the stakes. Completing the task feels good, but — here comes the deathbed again — the accomplishment is hollow without some flexibility, without letting in the possibility for surprise, serendipity and delight. AMERICA AND THE WORLD President Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week to talk about ending the war in Ukraine. Putin hasn't been face-to-face with an American president since 2021. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rejected President Trump's proposal of a peace deal that could mean ceding land to Russia. At the White House yesterday, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan said they would end their long and bloody conflict. Trump directed the military to target Latin American drug cartels, a role previously carried out by law enforcement. But Mexico's president said U.S. forces are unwelcome in her country. 'We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,' she said. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Trump is removing the head of the I.R.S., two months after he was confirmed. For now, the Treasury secretary will run the agency, which has seen six different leaders this year. An appeals court said Judge James Boasberg could not investigate Trump officials for criminal contempt after they sent migrants abroad despite his order not to. Trump doesn't seem to mind that his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is undoing his vaccine legacy. Trump wants U.C.L.A. to pay $1 billion to restore its research funding, far more than other universities have agreed to. REDISTRICTING The Texas attorney general moved to oust 13 Democrats from the Legislature. They left the state to block a new map of congressional districts that favors Republicans. Is that allowed? 'It's never been done before,' the attorney general conceded. Our reporters explain the law. INTERNATIONAL Colombia and Peru are fighting a war of words over who owns a tiny island in the Amazon River that is home to 3,000 people. Israel says it is preparing to take control of Gaza City. What does that mean? How do Times journalists report on the aid crisis in Gaza? Using interviews, data, witness footage, satellite imagery, photography and more. They explain here. OTHER BIG STORIES An Army veteran wanted for the killing of four people at a Montana bar was captured after an eight-day manhunt. James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the near-catastrophic Apollo 13 mission, died at 97. He was etched in cinema history when Tom Hanks, playing him in a 1995 movie, uttered the line, 'Houston, we have a problem.' A gunman fired at the headquarters of the C.D.C. in Atlanta, killing one police officer before being fatally shot. An official said the man was fixated on the Covid vaccine, which he believed had made him ill. Film and TV For some millennials, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis's return in 'Freakier Friday,' a sequel to the 2003 movie, will provide a surge of nostalgia. Our critic says the movie works best 'if you're there for the memories.' Curtis, Lohan and their two new co-stars sat down with The Times to discuss the sequel — and what's changed in the 22 years since the first. Read the interview here. Speaking of 2000s nostalgia: Photos of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' being filmed on the streets of New York are everywhere. Esther Zuckerman explores what that means in an era of anti-spoiler culture. Zach Cregger, director of the 2022 horror movie 'Barbarian,' is back with 'Weapons.' Both films show his skill at melding laughs and screams, our critic writes. Music 'Fleetwood Mac,' the 1975 album that turned the band into superstars, is getting a 50th anniversary rerelease. After half a century, the music still gleams, Jon Pareles writes. A new book, 'The Gods of New York,' traces four transformative years in the city, 1986 to 1990. Jonathan Mahler, the book's author and a Times reporter, offers a playlist of early rap that captures the turmoil of that era. More Culture For the last two years, the Delacorte Theater — home of Free Shakespeare in the Park — has been closed for an update. Here's a look at the $85 million renovation. London is a global capital for Indian restaurants. Some of the city's most beloved eateries, including the chain Dishoom, are making their way to the U.S. The teen jewelry chain Claire's has filed for bankruptcy for a second time. By Desiree Ibekwe 🎸 Ethel Cain, 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You' (Out now): On a summer's day about two years ago, standing in a field in West London, I fell in love with the music of Ethel Cain, the southern gothic persona of the singer Hayden Anhedönia. It happened during her performance of 'A House in Nebraska,' a cinematic, nearly eight-minute track about regret and lost love. There was more where that came from — much of the rest of her 2022 debut album, 'Preacher's Daughter,' was just as rich and just as evocative. This new album is supposed to be second in a trilogy of albums from Ethel's perspective — I'm looking forward to entering her cinematic universe once more. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Chicago Tribune
08-08-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: The White Sox wear shorts on ‘the coolest day of the summer'
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on Aug. 8, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Vintage Chicago Tribune: The paper's role in the demise of Richard Nixon's presidency after WatergateWeather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1931: Several hundred performers — including Goliath the sea elephant — arrived to perform as part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which became a fixture of summer in Soldier Field's parking lot for decades. 1940: 'Blond Tigress' Eleanor Jarman escaped from the women's reformatory in Dwight. The mother of two boys had been serving 199 years as an accomplice to a murder her lover committed in Chicago. Vintage Chicago Tribune: Jailbreak!!!Jarman's family in Sioux City, Iowa, planned to use a bomb shelter to hide her, but she remained on the lam. Only once was she positively seen again — in a then-secret 1975 reunion with a handful of relatives. 1958: O'Hare became an international airport. When a TWA flight landed from Paris, its passengers were the first to be processed inside a customs depot that included immigration, public health and agricultural inspectors — services that weren't previously available at the facility. 1974: Almost 7.5 million tickets were sold for the first Illinois State Lottery drawings, which took place starting at 10:30 a.m. on a stage at the edge of the racetrack at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. About 500 people, 'sweating under the August sun,' assembled to watch the event. (It was not front page news, however, due to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.) Vintage Chicago Tribune: Illinois Lottery's first drawing took place 50 years agoLotto's winning numbers were 15-12-16-18-04. The weekly Bonanza and Millionaire numbers were 697-192-352. The biggest winner present was a 28-year-old electrician who had just finished wiring the stage. An estimated 35,000 people around the state won prizes of $20, $100 or $5,000. Laws at the time prevented the lottery's winning numbers from being broadcast live over radio and television. The Tribune began publishing the results following that first drawing — though no one in the newsroom was allowed to give the numbers over the telephone due to the laws. 1976: The Chicago White Sox wore shorts in the first game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals, but refused to wear them for the nightcap. The Sox also donned pajama-style jerseys in 1976, and wore them through 1981. The shorts, however, were short-lived. The players wore them in just three games that season including an Aug. 21-22, 1976, series against the Baltimore Orioles. Vintage Chicago Tribune: The White Sox's wild ride into the team's 125th season'It's almost inconceivable that men dressed like little boys could give up 16 hits in six innings, trail the Samson-like Baltimore Orioles by six runs, yet still beat them in 12 innings, 11-10,' former Tribune baseball writer Richard Dozer wrote. 1977: 'Mr. Cub' Ernie Banks was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Vintage Chicago Tribune: How Wrigley Field got lights and why Cubs fans had to wait past 8-8-88 to raise 'W' flag1988: The first night game at Wrigley Field was scheduled. Rain, however, ended it after 3½ innings, barring it from being recognized as official. 2004: A tour bus for the Dave Matthews Band passing over the Chicago River unleashed a torrent of foul-smelling waste onto a tour boat below. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
