HUGHESTOWN — Locked in a stalemate with Dallas, Pittston Area finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh Monday. The Patriots also kept their divisional title hopes alive in the process. Dom Innamorati singled home Elijah Mead with one out as Pittston Area walked off Dallas 3-2 in a key Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 baseball game. Pittston Area (11-1 Div. 1, 15-2 overall) kept pace with first-place Hazleton Area (12-1 Div. 1, 14-4). The teams play Wednesday at Hazleton Area. Hazleton Area will win its fifth consecutive Division 1 championship with a victory. If Pittston Area win ..read more

In her second town hall in Hazleton on Monday, Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo touched on many topics, including the recent April 23 primary election. “I’m very proud of how this election took place,” Crocamo said during the gathering at the Hazleton One Community Center on East Fourth Street. “I applaud all staff that made this election work.” She also spoke about increased collaboration among county departments and between the county and outside government agencies at all levels. As an internal example, Crocamo said the pre-election email seeking employee volunteers to help the electi ..read more

Joan Hoggarth is retiring as Luzerne County’s judicial services and records division head, county Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Monday. This division head oversees the deeds, wills, sheriff, coroner and civil/criminal court records departments in addition to the county records storage facility in Hanover Township. A Hanover Township resident, Hoggarth has the longest tenure of the eight division heads. She was hired as division head in May 2013, which was a little over a year after the January 2012 implementation of the home rule government structure. As a division head, Hoggarth worked to ..read more

Joan Hoggarth is retiring as Luzerne County’s judicial services and records division head, county Manager Romilda Crocamo announced Monday. This division head oversees the deeds, wills, sheriff, coroner and civil/criminal court records departments in addition to the county records storage facility in Hanover Township. A Hanover Township resident, Hoggarth has the longest tenure of the eight division heads. She was hired as division head in May 2013, which was a little over a year after the January 2012 implementation of the home rule government structure. As a division head, Hoggarth worked to ..read more

Republican state representative candidate Jamie Walsh appeared in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Monday asking judges to throw out six mail ballots in his race because the voters did not fill in the final two digits of the year on the outer envelope. A decision is pending from the three-judge panel — Lesa S. Gelb, Tina Polachek Gartley and Richard M. Hughes III. This proceeding was separate from challenges the county Election Board heard last week over paper provisional ballots in the 117th District. As it stands, four votes separate the party’s two contenders — Walsh, with 4,728, an ..read more

Republican state representative candidate Jamie Walsh appeared in the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Monday asking judges to throw out six mail ballots in his race because the voters did not fill in the final two digits of the year on the outer envelope. A decision is pending from the three-judge panel — Lesa S. Gelb, Tina Polachek Gartley and Richard M. Hughes III. This proceeding was separate from challenges the county Election Board heard last week over paper provisional ballots in the 117th District. As it stands, four votes separate the party’s two contenders — Walsh, with 4,728, an ..read more

Luzerne County Manager Romida Crocamo will hold her second town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, May 6, at the Hazleton One Community Center. Crocamo is hosting the meetings at various locations throughout the county to accept public questions and comments about county matters and provide updates. Her first town hall was in Nanticoke in March. The Hazleton One center is at 225 E. Fourth St. in Hazleton. Primary election The county election bureau ended up reissuing mail ballots to 50 April 23 primary election voters because they were notified in advance of fatal deficiencies that caused their in ..read more

In vivid detail, Al Flora and John Sinclair recently described how the Northwest Area Little League made the most of its $250,000 American Rescue Plan allocation from Luzerne County Council. Speaking during a council meeting with several young players in the front row, Flora said the grant covered the cost of materials for a new lighting system at the league’s Shickshinny area complex, but not the labor to install it. “I can tell you the labor was extensive, and it was all volunteer,” said Flora, an attorney and active league supporter. He introduced league vice president and coach Sinclair, a ..read more

In vivid detail, Al Flora and John Sinclair recently described how the Northwest Area Little League made the most of its $250,000 American Rescue Plan allocation from Luzerne County Council. Speaking during a council meeting with several young players in the front row, Flora said the grant covered the cost of materials for a new lighting system at the league’s Shickshinny area complex, but not the labor to install it. “I can tell you the labor was extensive, and it was all volunteer,” said Flora, an attorney and active league supporter. He introduced league vice president and coach Sinclair, a ..read more

Thirteen more provisional ballots were approved for tallying in the tight Republican race for state representative in the 117th District. During a packed hearing Friday, the Luzerne County Election Board voted to count the lion’s share, rejecting challenge arguments. In other instances, the challenges were withdrawn following testimony and board discussion. However, the county cannot unseal and tally these results until the two-day appeal period has lapsed by the end of business Monday, said county Assistant Solicitor Gene Molino. That means the earliest the results could be known is Tuesday ..read more