Local News WB

Teen to serve prison time for shooting

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
A 17-year-old boy may spend the next 16 years in state prison for shooting a man during a robbery last year in Wilkes-Barre. Idris Khairi, of Wilkes-Barre, will spend eight to 16 years in prison for the shooting, which occurred on Blackman Street on June

George makes top 4 picks for W-B police department

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — Mayor Tony George has made his picks for four new hires in the police department, although the administration is keeping a lid on their identities for now. The Wilkes-Barre Police Civil Service Commission submitted a ranked list of 32 appli

Correction

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
The incorrect date for the 10th annual Crestwood Hoops for Hope was published in a headline and news column on Monday. The Crestwood Hoops for Hope fundraiser will be held today, Tuesday, March 6, at the Crestwood High School gymnasium in Mountain Top. Do

Progress made in talks between SPCA, local municipal officials over stray fee

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
Some progress has occurred in negotiations between municipal officials and the board of the Luzerne County SPCA over using tax dollars to help care for stray animals. The SPCA board has agreed to provide all 67 municipalities in Luzerne County with quarte

Sen. Baker’s office hours announced

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
DALLAS — A field representative for state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., will be available for consultation Thursday. Tom Yoniski will be at the Wright Twp. Municipal Building, 321 S. Mountain Blvd., from 10 a.m. to noon and at the Forty Fort Borough

Office hours set for state Rep. Barletta

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
DALLAS — A staff member for U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, will be available to meet with constituents on March 19. A staff member will be on hand from 1 to 3 p.m. on March 19 at state Sen. Lisa Baker’s office in the Dallas Shopping Center, along

Hazleton Area school starts backpack ban

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
HAZLE TWP. — Rebecca Foose entered Hazleton Area High School with books for classes, books for her piano studio, with lunch, a water bottle and a challenge: “How to carry it all?” Foose, a sophomore, said Monday morning when a backpack ban began at the hi

Nanticoke man charged with drug trafficking after search

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
Police charged a Nanticoke man with drug trafficking on Monday after officers allegedly found drugs and paraphernalia during a search at his home. Desmond Knott, 38, of 218 W. Ridge St., was arraigned Monday on felony counts of possession with intent to d

Police reanalyze evidence related to missing man

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
Old Forge and state police returned to Ghigiarelli’s restaurant Monday, the last place anyone saw Robert Baron more than 13 months ago. On Monday, investigators took another look at evidence gathered there, borough police Chief Jason Dubernas said. When a

W-B Area amps up security measures

Mon, 03/05/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — All high school students in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District must now enter school through metal detectors. The metal detectors were already at the schools, but officials were using them randomly when students entered, Superintendent B

New airport checkpoint almost finished

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
PITTSTON TWP. — A simple modernization, long common at most airports nationwide, should finally arrive at the local airport in April. In one overnight push, the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint will move to a location ahead of the Wilkes-

Pittston family loses home to fire Sunday

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
PITTSTON — A mother and three children are displaced after fire ravaged their Pittston home Sunday afternoon. The family escaped the fire at 156 Panama St. without injury, as did a dog, according to Pittston Fire Chief James Rooney. The single-family home

Special payment being offered to eligible veterans

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Eligible veterans who served on active duty in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations from Aug. 2, 1990 to Aug. 31, 1991, have six months to collect a special one-time payment to honor their service and sacrifice. Applications for the Persian Gulf Conflic

Some officers carrying opioid reversal drug to combat accidental exposure

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Police in Luzerne County aren’t just carrying opioid reversal doses for addicts; they’re also carrying them for fellow first responders and anyone else who may accidentally come into contact with the drugs. Accidental exposure does happen, and first respo

Kaufer hosting games of chance seminar

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
State Rep. Aaron Kaufer will host a small games of chance seminar from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, at the Wyoming Hose Company, 70 E. 3rd St., Wyoming. “If you are a member of an organization that uses a small games of chance license, or your group is

Here’s how many plan to use their tax refunds

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Tax filing season certainly isn’t at the top of most people’s list of fun times of year. But for most taxpayers, there is something to look forward to each spring: a refund. According to the IRS, the average refund has been close to $3,000 in recent years

5 surprisingly easy ways to be responsible with your tax refund

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Project yourself forward in time. It’s April 2018. Your direct deposit tax refund just hit your bank account. You’re feeling on top of the world. You think to yourself, “Maybe I should treat myself to a nice steak dinner...” Snap out of it! Your refund do

Event raises thousands for fight against cancer

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
WILKES-BARRE — They bowled strikes and spares to strike out cancer and spare lives. The fifth annual Bowl for a Cause on Sunday raised thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society, according to organizer Ronald Davis, of the R.J. Financial Service

County council to tour area of planned courthouse work

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Luzerne County Council members will get a first-hand look at planned improvements to the basement entrance of the county courthouse on Tuesday. That could help them decide whether to approve a six-figure budget transfer to fund the project, which is on ho

Legislator to introduce bill to replace school property tax system

Sun, 03/04/2018 - 22:00
Eliminating school property taxes in Pennsylvania will require raising more than $14.4 billion from other taxes, but huge numbers have never discouraged the idea’s supporters. If anything, they think they’re closer than ever to accomplishing what seemed i