Luzerne County’s election bureau issued 25,288 April 23 primary election mail ballots to voters who requested them before this week’s deadline, county acting election director Emily Cook said Wednesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, nearly half — 11,748 — had returned their ballots, Cook said. With the primary now less than a week away, Cook is advising the remaining voters to deposit their ballots in a county drop box instead of relying on mail to ensure they arrive in the bureau in time to be counted. Ballots must be physically in the election bureau by 8 p.m. on Election Day, and postmarks do ..read more

Electric bikes can only be used atop the Wyoming Valley Levee if the operator is actively pedaling — with or without electric assist — and traveling at a safe speed, Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority board members said Tuesday. The new levee trail policy adopted Tuesday states some classes of e-bikes (2 to 4) are prohibited, but authority board members said any class of e-bikes will be permitted as long as the users are not solely relying on motorized power. While making a specific exception for those with disabilities, the new policy prohibits the following motor and battery-powered t ..read more

Electric bikes can only be used atop the Wyoming Valley Levee if the operator is actively pedaling — with or without electric assist — and traveling at a safe speed, Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority board members said Tuesday. The new levee trail policy adopted Tuesday states some classes of e-bikes (2 to 4) are prohibited, but authority board members said any class of e-bikes will be permitted as long as the users are not solely relying on motorized power. While making a specific exception for those with disabilities, the new policy prohibits the following motor and battery-powered t ..read more

Luzerne County 911 telecommunicators cuddled with goats from Buttinhead Farms in Hunlock Creek Monday as part of activities celebrating National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, according to county Emergency Services Director Lucille Morgan. Shown is telecommunicator specialist Angela Hazelton. Source ..read more

Work is wrapping up on Luzerne County’s environmentally-conscious remodeling of the former Air Reserve Center in Wyoming for county government offices, county Operational Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora told council’s infrastructure committee Monday. The building will house the county recycling department and operational services division, said county Manager Romilda Crocamo. Pecora said she expects to start moving furniture into the building this week and have all offices operational within a month. This project cost approximately $2.4 million. County Recycling Coordinator Beth DeNardi ..read more

Work is wrapping up on Luzerne County’s environmentally-conscious remodeling of the former Air Reserve Center in Wyoming for county government offices, county Operational Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora told council’s infrastructure committee Monday. The building will house the county recycling department and operational services division, said county Manager Romilda Crocamo. Pecora said she expects to start moving furniture into the building this week and have all offices operational within a month. This project cost approximately $2.4 million. County Recycling Coordinator Beth DeNardi ..read more

WILKES-BARRE — Lake-Lehman’s promising season last year came to an end with an extra-inning loss to Holy Redeemer in the District 2 Class 3A softball semifinals. That game wasn’t really on the Black Knights’ agenda during a rematch with Redeemer on Monday. They are more concerned about the here-and-now instead of the past. Still, Lehman avenged that loss in a big way as Kirsten Finarelli belted two home runs as part of a 12-hit attack as the Black Knights defeated Redeemer 11-1 in six innings in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 game. Lehman defeated Redeemer 14-3 and 10-1 during the 2023 ..read more

A Luzerne County Council committee formed to discuss infrastructure will meet for the first time Monday. Council had first discussed the creation of the committee in 2022 to focus on county projects and overall development issues, but no meetings were held. In January, council Chairman John Lombardo appointed four council members to the committee: Jimmy Sabatino, Harry Haas, Patty Krushnowski and LeeAnn McDermott. Sabatino, the committee chairman, said the first meeting will include a status report on county projects from county Operational Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora and a discussi ..read more

Luzerne County Council members offered mostly positive comments during last week’s presentation of a proposed tax break for a troublesome 16-acre tract on Wyoming Avenue in Exeter. The request is under the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program for blighted properties, which means the property owner continues paying real estate taxes on the land and receives a real estate tax discount on the new development portion for up to a decade. Wyoming Avenue Development Group LLC is seeking these abatements on new construction: 90% the first three years; 80% in the fourth and fift ..read more

A new policy regulating the use of electric bikes on popular recreational paths atop the Wyoming Valley Levee along the Susquehanna River is scheduled for a vote at Tuesday’s Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority meeting, the agenda said. Authority executive director Christopher Belleman had first suggested the drafting of a policy for e-bikes after someone on one sped past him while he was working on the levee path. This person was “flying,” and the e-bike “was like a small motorcycle,” he had said at the time. The five-citizen authority has considered options ranging from a complete ban ..read more