Local News

LUZERNE BOROUGH, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The state is working to complete a permanent fix to a mine subsidence that was draining a creek in Luzerne County.

Earlier this month, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found Toby Creek seeping through the same area in Luzerne Borough that was previously fixed in April.

A temporary plug put in over the weekend appears to be working.

Uptick in bear sightings across the area

The DEP says it will use the material to fill in space around the rocks in the creek bed with work wrapping up next week.

EYEWITNESS (WBRE/WYOU) — The Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) stated in July and August that 103 people have been charged with public assistance fraud.

According to OSIG, 102 people have been charged with felonies for public assistance fraud.

OSIG says the restitution owed to the Commonwealth totals $680,303 and the defendants will be temporarily disqualified from receiving public benefits within the programs they allegedly defrauded.

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — President Joe Biden paid a visit to his home in Scranton, for the funeral of his longtime friend; Lackawanna County native Thomas Bell.

The service took place at St. Paul's church in Scranton; the two attended St Paul's school nearby.

Biden arrived at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport at 10:15 a.m

He soon made his way to St. Paul's Church, where he went in to deliver an emotional eulogy for his longtime childhood friend, Thomas Bell.

NANTICOKE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Fall foliage, pumpkin patches, cider, and campfires. Many people in northeastern Pennsylvania know the tell-tale signs that the fall season is upon us. But one autumnal treat you may not be as familiar with; pumpkin pie'rogi.

NEPA'rogi in Nanticoke is combining two local favorite foods into one. They recently started making what they're calling "pumpkin pie'rogi", a pierogi-like shell stuffed with pumpkin pie filling.

"It's a fun fusion of the original pierogi and the fall dessert," says Lauren Gorney, owner, NEPA'rogi.

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Republican lawmakers are calling Ukraine President Zelenskyy's visit to Scranton last weekend an "apparent campaign event" for Kamala Harris, and they want to know who's footing the bill for the visit.

28/22 News has confirmed the visit was funded by the US Department of Defense. We still don't know how much it costs taxpayers, but we are working on getting that information.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toured the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sunday.

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EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Instagram is one of the most popular social media sites, and now it has announced a new experience for teenagers.

It was back in June when the U.S. Surgeon General called for the placement of health warnings on all social media platforms. Now just three months later, the social media site Instagram has announced Instagram teen accounts, a new, safer experience for teens, guided by parents.

CARBONDALE, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Carbondale man has been arrested for allegedly killing his dog and throwing it in the dumpster.

According to the criminal complaint on September 23, officers were dispatched to a home on Canaan St for a report that 19-year-old Robert Yates allegedly killed his dog and threw him in the backyard.

Upon arrival, police say they made contact with Yates to inquire about the dog.

"It is in my backyard, passed away," Yates reportedly told officers.

Uptick in bear sightings across the area

WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A teen has been arrested after allegedly bringing a gun and drugs to a school in Lycoming County.

According to the Williamsport Bureau of Police, on September 25, at Williamsport Area High School staff said a 15-year-old boy had a strong smell of marijuana.

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Officials say the student was then escorted to the principal's office where a search was conducted. Police say after searching the boy and his backpack, they found drugs and a gun.

WILLIAMSPORT, LYCOMING COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man has been arrested for allegedly carjacking a person in Williamsport.

According to the Williamsport Bureau of Police, on September 22, 27-year-old Tiler Martin Wood approached the victim who was sitting in a 2009 Camry in the 200 block of West 4th Street, and opened the car door.

Police say he held something underneath his shirt which the driver believed to be a handgun and demanded the driver to exit the vehicle.

The release states Wood fled the scene with the vehicle.

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — An uptick in bear sightings in the Poconos has prompted some concern on social media, but wildlife officials are setting the record straight.

28/22 News breaks down if this is normal behavior for the animals this time of the year.

Black bears are taking the spotlight on cameras in the Poconos, whether at Nicks Lake House in Lake Harmony or at a home in Stroudsburg.

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These animals are being seen more, but experts say human interaction is not what they are looking for.