News

Another year and another group of Leadership Wilkes-Barre projects are underway to benefit the community. Leadership Wilkes-Barre is a year-long community service program that educates and trains emerging leaders in the Greater Wilkes-Barre area and encou

PLAINS TWP. — Chris Zorich got two songs as part of his introduction at the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick dinner Saturday. First was “Happy Birthday,” in honor of his 49th birthday on March 13. Then some of the Notre Dame fans in the crowd

LUZERNE — When Charlie Dugan was in elementary school, he had an unusual answer for that classic question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ His response: He wanted to own a bar. His classmates chuckled over his choice. They gave some traditional

Former smoker David Jenkins is determined not to become a statistic. A Vietnam War veteran, Jenkins, 69, of Clarks Summit, said he was exposed to Agent Orange, a defoliant heavily used during the war that is known to cause cancer. Although he quit his pac

Dallas School Board solicitor Vito DeLuca ripped into the teachers union over a published ad that claims the school board “consistently rejects any discussions or contract proposals that relate the safe schools.” “It’s really deplorable for them to piggyb

EDWARDSVILLE — A Jenkins Twp. man was arraigned Friday on charges he was caught hauling methamphetamine-making waste in Edwardsville while out on bail for manufacturing methamphetamine in Pittston, police said. Nicholas Space, 24, was charged with operati

SCRANTON — As the clock struck noon, 97 fourth-year medical students learned their futures in a flurry of cheering, tears and confetti. The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine class of 2018 joined medical students across the country when they learne

The Greens will meet in Scranton today and it has nothing to do with the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The Lackawanna County Green Party will host the Green Party of Pennsylvania’s convention in downtown Scranton today and Sunday. Anyone can attend re

Police will conduct driving under the influence checkpoints and roving patrols this Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. Police departments from areas around Nanticoke, Mountain Top, Hazleton, the Back Mountain and Wilkes-Barre are participating as part of the Lu

The Hanover Area School District is investigating threatening messages left in a girls restroom at the junior senior high school, Superintendent William Jones said Friday. The district and its school resource officer concluded there was no immediate threa

WRIGHT TWP. — A tribute to the victims of the Parkland, Florida, shooting that contained an audio clip of the attack concerned parents in the Crestwood School District and prompted an apology from the superintendent. The tribute was broadcast during a wal

Wilkes-Barre City is getting $1.14 million in grant funding, including $220,000 to help restore the Irem Temple on North Franklin Street. Nanticoke City has $700,000 coming to acquire properties on Market Street for a streetscape project and to fund a sta

A 72-year-old woman who was severely beaten during an attack that killed her daughter took the witness stand on Friday to face her alleged attacker. Barbara J. Wilkinson, 72, testified about the horrors that unfolded at 15 Spring St. in Foster Twp. in Jan

The Wyoming Area Secondary Center on Monday will start requiring everyone entering the school to go through metal detectors, school district Superintendent Janet Serino said Friday. Her decision comes a day after a threatening message written on a restroo

WILKES-BARRE — Although the site of the former Hotel Sterling has an assessed value of about $2.6 million, Mayor Tony George said he has no problem with selling the property for less than a quarter of that amount. George is asking city council to consider

A pair of accused drug dealers were caught in Wilkes-Barre with their stash hidden in a baby’s sock, arrest papers say. Police arrested Devon Beckford, 23, of Main Street, Sugar Notch, and Jack Pugsley, 34, of Woodside Street, Wilkes-Barre, following an u

SCRANTON — Long-planned parking changes at the Marketplace at Steamtown remain in the works, a representative of the parking-system operator said Friday. The operators of the parking system have removed old entrance/exit booths, installed new automated, p

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — A Plymouth man sold 400 bags of heroin possibly laced with fentanyl during a controlled drug purchase Tuesday, according to police. Kharyee Idrees Abdurruzzaq, 29, sold the drugs to a confidential informant at an arranged drug buy in t

CONYNGHAM TWP. — A long-simmering family feud turned toxic on Tuesday when a man doused his son with acid during a domestic dispute, causing severe injuries, state police at Shickshinny said. Ricky M. Polgar, 60, is charged with aggravated assault, simple

PITTSTON — Some friends forget to call Pittston Mayor Mike Lombardo on his birthday, but they always remember to reach out every March 15. Tragedy struck the Pittston area that day in 1993 when his brother John, 25, a Pittston firefighter, and Leonard Ins