Local News WB

Luzerne County Council set to vote again on Piazza settlement

Fri, 03/09/2018 - 22:00
Luzerne County Council is again poised to vote on whether to approve a lawsuit settlement with the county’s former director of elections. A motion to approve an undisclosed settlement with Leonard Piazza is on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting. Council dea

Students compete in Science Olympiad

Fri, 03/09/2018 - 22:00
Students from more than 40 schools across the area competed in the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Science Olympiad on Friday. The science competition, held at Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman Twp., features various individual and team events. Winners of

Bridal shop that refused couple will close

Fri, 03/09/2018 - 22:00
BLOOMSBURG — A Bloomsburg bridal store that refused to sell wedding dresses to two Luzerne County women planning to marry each other will close. WW Bridal Boutique posted a message on its Facebook page saying the store will close at the end of March after

Toohil gets PFA against fellow rep

Fri, 03/09/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — State Rep. Tarah Toohil on Friday got a restraining order against another state representative alleging he pulled a gun on her and threatened to murder her. Toohil, a Republican from Butler Twp., alleges in the complaint that state Rep. Nic

City officials propose raising fees at Hollenback

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — Fee increases initially proposed for Hollenback Golf Course this year could add anywhere from $2 to $7 to the cost of a round of golf and double the annual membership cost for city residents. City Administrator Ted Wampole had asked council

Four W-B officers to be sworn in Friday

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — Mayor Tony George will swear in four new city police officers on Friday. The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. in council chambers on the fourth floor of City Hall, 40 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre, according to a press release from

Storm a bust for W-B after system shifts east

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
Wednesday’s winter storm tracked east at the last minute and dumped much less snow on the Wyoming Valley than forecasters predicted. The storm dropped several inches of snow in Mountain Top and up to a foot of snow on the highest elevations of the Poconos

Popular Forty Fort eatery to close

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
FORTY FORT — After nearly four years in business, Millers Brunch at 91 Shoemaker St. will close on March 26, owner Valerie Gower said. Gower said she was renting the space and the landlord has sold the building. She did not identify the landlord, but reco

Lawsuit: Pennsylvania failing its schoolchildren

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania has failed its constitutional duty to provide its students with an adequate education, a long-running lawsuit brought by school districts, parents and activist groups alleged Wednesday before a panel of judges in Philadelphia.

Upcoming train trip to benefit steam locomotive in Scranton

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
If you have ever wanted to tour the coal region by rail, be sure to get your ticket soon for an upcoming trip. The Oneida Clipper excursion, a 96-mile round trip, starts and ends at the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad headquarters at 1 Railroad

Jury awards $3.4M verdict in hospital negligence case

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — A Luzerne County jury this week returned a multimillion dollar verdict against a late doctor and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, although the amount the plaintiffs actually stand to collect remained unclear. The jury on Tuesday found Dr. Mal

W-B General Hospital cited for overtime violations

Wed, 03/07/2018 - 22:00
Wilkes-Barre General Hospital owner Community Health Systems was recently cited by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for at least 10 violations of Pennsylvania Act 102, which bans mandatory overtime for nurses and other health care workers

Man dies after fall outside Tunkhannock bar

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
TUNKHANNOCK — Tunkhannock Borough Police are investigating a series of altercations early Saturday morning both inside and outside the Warren Hotel, as well as an unrelated death. Nathion Robert Schmidt, 34, of Waverly, Missouri, was found outside the 54

Police: Man shot outside YWCA

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
HAZLETON — Hazleton police are investigating a shooting incident that occurred outside the Hazleton YWCA, 75 S. Church St., on Monday night. Hazleton police Chief Jerry Speziale described the events that led up to the shooting, which occurred around 7 p.m

Reeling and in the dark, eastern Pa. braces for more snow

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
LACKAWAXEN TWP. — Jane Cole sat in the main hall of a rural Pike County fire department Monday and waited out a storm that ended three days before. Downed trees and snapped power lines from a lashing nor’easter cut electricity to the 73-year-old’s Lackawa

Friends rally to help Pittston family who lost home to fire

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
PITTSTON — Maria Chacko and her three children made it out unharmed when their Panama Street home caught fire on Sunday. The home, however, was destroyed. Chacko, her two sons, 16 and 14, and her 9-year-old daughter lost everything. Now the Chacko family’

Police: Drunk man charged at officer outside Ashley nightclub

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
ASHLEY — Police said a drunk man at Bentley’s Nightclub 1.0 charged at an officer and threw punches at him before the officer punched back. Ashley Police charged Nathaniel Bradford, 38, of Hanover Twp., with aggravated assault, simple assault and resistin

Man sentenced to up to 14 years in jail

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
A Hanover Twp. man accused of having sex with two teenage boys after giving them alcohol, marijuana and a gun will spend up to 14 years in jail, a judge ruled Monday. Luzerne County Judge Michael Vough on Monday sentenced Alexander Walski Jr. to 84 to 168

Controversies dominate Swoyersville council meeting

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
SWOYERSVILLE — A veteran police officer was suspended, one councilman called another an “airhead” and borough ambulance officials questioned why council cut off its funding. Controversies dominated the monthly meeting of Swoyersville borough council on Mo

Gaming raid nets three county establishments

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
Police on Monday released the names of three Luzerne County licensed liquor establishments cited for allowing illegal gambling following a three-county “gaming raid” last fall. The state police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement executed search warrants