News

Two area hotels win awards Hampton by Hilton locations in Sayre and Tunkhannock were among six winners of 2017 Connie Awards. The award, named for Hilton founder Conrad Hilton, is presented to top hotels in each of 14 brands within the Hilton portfolio. W

LUZERNE — Kayla Rhiel has a lucky and lovable mascot at her children’s consignment shop in Luzerne. His name is Mr. Chunkers. He’s a lionhead rabbit, a breed named for its fluffy mane, and he spends most workdays with Rhiel delighting and surprising custo

Will Keating hit the end of his rope. The first-generation dairy farmer weathered years of shrinking milk prices and swelling costs at his small operation in Jefferson Twp., and now, like dairy farmers around the country, he’s nearly had enough. “It’s get

WILKES-BARRE Police reported the following incidents: n Two men and a woman got into a confrontation with police at 3:18 a.m. Saturday after they were ejected from an unnamed “local establishment” on South Main Street, according to a police report. Dwayne

Like dandelions in a spring lawn, credit card offers pop up everywhere — stuffing your mailbox, flashing on the internet, even falling from the magazines in your doctor’s waiting room. And they all sound so attractive: “0 percent APR until next year,” “No

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Luzerne County that was filed by a former human resources director who was fired. U.S. Judge Robert Mariani on Thursday granted the county’s request for summary judgement, ending the case filed in December 2

WILKES-BARRE — City officials could have a report on the city police department’s operations and management in-hand as early as today, but the public will have to wait a while to learn what it says. City Administrator Ted Wampole said city officials were

PLAINS TWP. — WVIA Public Media has embarked on a project to address one of the most serious public health challenges: the opioid epidemic. The project began with airing the documentary, “Broken: Women, Families & Opioids” on Thursday night. It will be fo

Unionized workers in three Luzerne County human services departments will receive raises but pay more for health care, based on collective bargaining agreements county council approved this week. The four-year agreements cover 2018 through 2021 for employ

WILKES-BARRE — The trial for murder suspect Daniel Holtslander, set to begin next month, has been delayed to allow the defense more time to prepare. Holtslander, 40, is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Kurt Swan, a homeless man whose body wa

Teachers in the Hazleton Area School District pay health insurance premiums of $600 a year. An article in Sunday’s edition incorrectly said they paid no premium.

WILKES-BARRE — A Hazleton man who killed another motorist when he swerved into oncoming traffic pleaded guilty Thursday to felony charges. Estiven Rodriguez Fernandez, 21, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of fleeing the scene of an accident, as well

RICE TWP. — Investigators say they are still reviewing surveillance video from Rice Twp. Elementary to narrow down which students entered a bathroom where a threatening message was discovered on Wednesday, forcing a lockdown. “Whoever we pick out of the f

WILKES-BARRE — The city will join other government agencies across the nation in suing drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors that officials claim are responsible for making the opioid epidemic possible by “dumping millions of dollars’ worth of pre

WILKES-BARRE — The price was too darn high. Luzerne County will not seek to purchase a building on Water Street near Luzerne County Correctional Facility, after the owner raised the asking price, according to county Manager David Pedri. County officials h

WEST PITTSTON — West Pittston residents who want a levee have been disappointed. Next week, the borough council will learn about an alternative. Adam Wagner, CEO of Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based Flood Control Barriers LLC, will show council the inflatable flood

HUNTINGTON TWP. — A Stillwater man bit and choked a woman who was “crying and begging” for him to stop brutally raping her in a camper earlier this month, according to state troopers. Denver Samuel McCourt, 22, of 1360 Old Tioga Turnpike, was charged Thur

SCRANTON — The band director at Lakeland Junior-Senior High School knew about and encouraged an illicit relationship between her husband and a student that ended only after the wife asked the girl to join her in performing a sexual act on her spouse, inve

WILKES-BARRE — A Swoyersville man is facing aggravated assault charges after police say he broke a security guard’s jaw with a punch thrown at a downtown nightclub. Edward Kane Jr., 31, of 250 Tripp St., allegedly laughed and said, “I had to drop him like

WAVERLY TWP. — From Scranton to Toronto, hundreds of people will spend their Passover Seders feasting on kosher foods prepared in the Abingtons. Staff at the Jewish Discovery Center in Waverly Twp., prepared and sold about 2,000 portions of food over the