From Crystal Club Soda to Gertrude Hawk Chocolate

One woman has died after a two-alarm fire ripped through a Meade Avenue residence this morning.  [Times-Tribune]

In June, the Electric City will host a NASCAR “Fan Fest” benefiting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeast Pennsylvania, an advocacy group for victims of child abuse and neglect.  The event will be held on the weekend of June 8 — when the Pocono 500 is scheduled — on Courthouse Square, where NASCAR vehicles will be on display. Attendees will be eligible for a giveaway of 1,000 tickets for the Saturday race and 100 tickets for Sunday. Four VIP tickets will also be up for grabs.  [Times-Tribune]  Editor’s Note:  I’m already digging around for my acid washed jean shorts and my Jeff Gordon Sucks t-shirt.

The Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom is hosting it’s annual conference right here in Scranton.  That event is a prelude to the permanent relocation of a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated human rights and religious freedom center to Scranton from the nation’s capital.  While the relocation of the program is still in its infancy and funding has not been secured, local leaders say they will support the plan.  [Times-Tribune]

The Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre area ranks 18th out of 291 metro areas for housing price by appreciation percentage over the last 5 years. In comparison, Allentown, Lancaster, and Philly rank 124th, 108th, and 130th respectively. [MSN] Editor’s Note: With home values are in a free fall across the country, the value of homes in Scranton have actually increased over the past year. How do you like dem apples?

The baseball team formerly known as the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, moved into their new ballpark today. Editor’s Note: I have no idea what an Iron Pig is…. but I like the sound of it.[OSC]

Traffic fines.. $400. Liquor.. $575. Pizza.. $587. Credit card late fees.. $3,500. Using taxpayer $ for a movie nobody will see.. PRICELESS! [Times-Tribune] Editor’s Note: At least he bought the pizza from Goodfellas.

10,080 to be exact.  In less than 3 months, Crystal Club has received over 10,000 visits!  We would like to thank our readers for their ongoing interest and comments.  Here’s to 100,000 more!

Mayor Chris Doherty will declare Tuesday that the city is in strong shape and making progress recognized on state and national levels. “The Office convention helped bring a lot of national attention to our area, as did our being featured in 27 newspaper travel sections across the country,” Mr. Doherty said Monday. “We had Money Magazine touting the growth of our real estate values and we’ve focused on creating a sense of place. We define ourselves as Scrantonians.” [Times-Tribune] Editor’s Note: While I may not be as bullish as our fine mayor, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.