Rain, rain – some photos

Last night some terrible storms passed through the area – and the sky was really dark and stormy.

It made for some good photos of the sky churning just before the deluge of rain hit. I think the fact that it was already getting dark out mixed with the darkness of the storm really caused the sky to get a menacing, dark look to it.

Here’s the view from my house:

And just in case you think I’m the only one crazy enough to do something like this – I’m not.

A lot of people reveled in the beauty of the sky, as evidenced by these photos:

Great contrast there. Turbulent sky. RT @ravenchuck92 @ryancoyle check it out. NW York twitter.com/ravenchuck92/s…

— Ryan Coyle (@RyanCoyle) May 23, 2013

Some big ugly cloud over Sovereign Bank Stadium: twitter.com/JimSeip/status…

— Jim Seip (@JimSeip) May 23, 2013

Do you have pictures from last night? Send them to me!

Election night and pizzas go together like PB&J

Yesterday was election night. Check out the results for the Valley’s elections here.

For journalists, that means a late-night shift including the newsroom staple: the election night pizza.

Pizza is cheap, most people like it and low-paid journalists will do just about anything for free food.

The Daily Item had them, and so did a lot of other newsrooms, as evidenced by tweets coming out of newsrooms from across the state. Here’s just a small sample.

Re-routing to office. RT @madnewsboy Election night officially underway @wistatejournal with the arrival of THE PIZZA twitter.com/madnewsboy/sta…

— Nick Sunderland (@NSunderlandWSJ) April 2, 2013

How do we stop texting while driving?

Yesterday on Facebook, a story brought out a surprisingly large reaction from users.

We asked “How do we stop texting while driving?” while linking to a story about a woman who was charged with manslaughter for texting while driving before a fatal crash.

People had some good ideas.

I guess what struck me though, were those that said maybe it can’t be stopped.

They have a point: we outlaw texting while driving, drinking and driving, speeding, but that doesn’t stop people from doing it.

So can anything be done? Should technology take care of it?

I don’t know.

What do you think – can texting while driving be stopped?

My Weekend: Movie villian in Star Trek Into Darkness?

Like so many Americans, I spent a part of my weekend at the movie theater. My fiance and I took in the latest in the massive Star Trek franchise, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

PLEASE STOP HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS, BECAUSE, WELL, IT WILL PROBABLY HAPPEN.

OK, so I’m not a huge Star Trek fan. I essentially went into the movie blind, having never seen another Star Trek piece. Mike assured me that would be OK.

And for the most part it was. The movie plot was pretty much able to stand on its own, only with a couple references that had to be explained, though I was told if I had watched the first one, I would understand completely.

HOWEVER, the movie villain, in my humble opinion, well, wasn’t much of a villain.

CNN.com says Khans up there with Hannibal Lector, Lord Voldermort and Regina George.

Um…..did I miss a part of the movie?

I mean, Khan was out to kill people in Starfleet. No doubt about that. But at the same time, he did some good too, showing the characters what they couldn’t see themselves.

He essentially saved them from certain death – TWICE -  before, well, trying to kill them. But really, only because they didn’t use the resources they had in front of them.

Does that make him a bad guy? Yes.

A fearsome, loathesome villain? Maybe?

I don’t know. But apparently, Khan is one of the greatest Star Trek villains of all time. I just don’t buy that his new franchise reincarnation is all that terrible.

And I know Trekkies will love the movie while I look forward to The Hangover Part III.

What movie did you see this weekend? How was it?

Powerball jackpot: What would you buy?

Reblogged from Suquehanna Reporting:

The Powerball jackpot is up to $500 million for tonight's drawing.

No matter whether you buy a ticket or not, everybody that hears that just stops and wonders: what would I do with that kind of money?

Here at the Daily Item, there's an office pool and we're dreaming big!

Here's my list:

• Pay off my student loans, plus my older sister's and my boyfriend's.

Read more… 109 more words

The Powerball is up to more than $550 million again! It's all people can talk about at the Daily Item! So what would you buy if you hit it big? Here's a reminder of what I would buy, from the last time the jackpot was through the ceiling:

Facebook reaction to treehouse story

One of the stories that has really captured the public’s attention this week is the story of a little girl her treehouse in Selinsgrove.

Here’s a synopsis:

John “J.C.” Carlson was preparing to finish building a tree house for his daughter, Samantha, last Saturday when he received a notice from the borough zoning office informing him the structure is illegal.

He began building the eight-foot, by six-foot wood structure on a tree stump in the front yard of his 701 W. Spruce St. home a few weeks ago for his daughter’s 11th birthday.

Carlson didn’t give zoning regulations a second thought when he began construction.

“A tree house is a tree house,” he said. “What possible harm can it do to build one for an 11-year-old.”

Carlson’s tree house violates the zoning ordinance because it is located on his front lawn on a lot that doesn’t accommodate its large size, said deputy zoning officer Janet Powers.

When that story hit social media, it really took off, with people overwhelmingly on the side of the family wanting to build the treehouse.

It appears the borough is going to be receiving some phone calls and letters now that this story has gotten out.

I understand both sides of the issue: You have to enforce laws uniformly, no matter what a person’s intentions are. You can’t make exceptions for one person then refuse to help another.

But it’s really hard to stand up against a little girl and her treehouse. It’s going to be unpopular, no matter what she wants – which is, after all, only a treehouse.

What do you think about this situation? Which side are you on?

Bonus Photos and Video: Loretta Claiborne at Milton

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear an amazing woman speak. It was Loretta Claiborne, a woman who overcame incredible odds to become one of the most famous and decorated Special Olympians and an advocate for others facing challenges.

If you haven’t heard about her story of growing up in the projects of York before being introduced to competitive athletics through the Special Olympics, you’re missing out. She’s a great example of a Pennsylvanian doing good.

Here’s a little bit of her story, put together for the 1996 Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs:

She spoke yesterday to elementary students in Milton, and she was incredibly positive. For someone who overcame such incredible odds, she was neither downtrodden nor haughty about her life.

I was truly impressed with her. And now I’m looking for the movie – Netflix here I come!

She also brought a great message about not bullying to the students, which is an important message to tell, especially today in schools.

Here’s some bonus photos from her talk: