Local News WB
Glut of used cars gives buyers more options
DETROIT — Bargain prices on 2- and 3-year-old vehicles fueled record sales of used cars, trucks and SUVs last year, a trend that is expected to continue because people can save thousands of dollars over buying new. Used vehicle sales hit 39.2 million vehi
Pucker up, piggy!
Melissa Meyers, principal at Heights Murray Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre, kissed a pig at a school pep rally Friday. The kiss happened because students met the goal of reading 3,000 books, Meyers said. Students ended up reading 3,189 books, Meyers sa
Police: W-B man tried to strangle woman
HANOVER TWP. — A Wilkes-Barre man is facing strangulation charges after police say he used an electrical cord to choke his ex-girlfriend while she laid in bed with her baby. Luis Daniel Rosa, 23, of 84 Lehigh St., is also accused of poking his ex with a s
Man allegedly choked, made threats toward his girlfriend
JENKINS TWP. — A township man accused of choking and threatening his girlfriend during a domestic dispute Friday morning attacked police and had to be subdued with a Taser along with four officers before he was captured, according to police. Police say An
Newsmakers to feature family support alliance
Angela Liddle, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, will be the guest on this weekend’s edition of Newsmakers. Liddle, who joins hosts Jayne Ann Bugda and Andy Mehalshick, will discuss her organization, which educates, informs and le
Former coal sites to see new life
Four abandoned coal industry sites in Luzerne County will see new life under a Department of Environmental Protection program. The DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation will spend $25 million to fund mine reclamation work in 12 abandoned mine lands a
Suspect in brutal 97-year-old woman's murder ordered to stand trial
WILKES-BARRE — The former Nanticoke man accused of brutally beating and stabbing a 97-year-old woman with a screwdriver as she slept in her bed on Thanksgiving will stand trial on murder charges, but the extent of his ex-girlfriend’s involvement in the ca
Truckers ask court to halt turnpike toll payments to PennDOT
Groups representing truckers and other motorists asked a federal judge on Monday to halt the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s payments to PennDOT for transportation projects around the state while the court decides their claims that turnpike tolls are u
Tunkhannock man admits terroristic threats
A 35-year-old man from Tunkhannock could face as many as 7½ years in prison after pleading guilty Friday in Wyoming County Court to terroristic threats and reckless endangerment for forcing a 30-year-old woman from Factoryville to go with him in February
SUV crashes through Plains Twp. shoe store
PLAINS TWP. — One person went to the hospital, but no one was seriously injured after an SUV crashed into Jay-Dee SneakerKing, 1 S. Main St., on Friday afternoon. An older man was driving south on Main Street when he lost control of his white Ford Excursi
‘Autocratic’ leadership hampered W-B police department
WILKES-BARRE — A report critical of city police department leadership paints a picture of a stagnant organization impaired by “management missteps” and a dysfunctional directives system. Assessors with the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association describ
Dallas School District taking steps to increase safety
State police took aerial photographs of the Dallas School District campus from helicopters Thursday. State police offered the service during a recent meeting about improving school safety, and the aerial photographs will be distributed to local police, Su
Local residents sued over pirated porn videos
A company that operates an adult pornographic video website filed federal copyright infringement lawsuits against nine area residents Friday, including four people from Luzerne, Lackawanna and Wayne counties. Malibu Media Inc. of Westlake Village, Califor
Wilkes University buys new property in city for $600K
WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University has purchased Dr. John “Jack” Consalvo’s property at 182 S. Franklin St. for $600,000, according to a property transfer in Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds office. Wilkes University spokeswoman Gabrielle D’Amico said an op
Kenny Rogers cancels W-B concert
Kenny Rogers’ May 31 concert at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre has been canceled. Rogers has been working through a series of health challenges, according to the venue’s press release. His doctors fully expect the outcome to
Man sentenced to serve up to 16 years for molesting girl
WILKES-BARRE — A Sweet Valley man who pleaded guilty to molesting a teenage girl was sentenced this week to serve up to 16 years in state prison. John Thomas Morris, 48, was sentenced Tuesday to 5.5 to 16 years in prison for molesting the girl over severa
Officials investigating after deceased dogsfound at fire scene in Wyoming County
Emergency personnel from Meshoppen and Tunkhannock responded to a Wednesday morning fire that was called in just ahead of 10 a.m. in the Vosburg area of Washington Twp., Wyoming County. Meshoppen police Chief John Krieg said the property belonged to Charl
Billboard seeking justice for fire victim goes up along Cross Valley
A new billboard calling for justice for Laurie Merritt went up Wednesday on the Cross Valley Expressway between the Kingston and Luzerne exits. Merritt, a 51-year-old U.S. Postal Service employee, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a fire broke out a
Vote on electronic poll books in county could happen soon
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County will have use of an electronic poll book system for the November general election, if county council approves a proposal to lease or purchase it, according to county elections director Marisa Crispell. However, the poll books
Man faces criminal mischief charge
PLAINS TWP. — A Wyoming man accused of hitting and breaking a slot machine at Mohegan Sun Pocono was arraigned Wednesday on a criminal mischief charge. Henry Allan Rush, 44, of 296 Wyoming Ave., is accused of hitting a slot machine several times around 2: