News
Popular Forty Fort eatery to close
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Teen to serve prison time for shooting
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
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
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
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
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
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
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