Luzerne County

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Local folks with autism can live better lives with the help of an annual fundraiser.

Autism Awareness NEPA hosted its third annual masquerade gala at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre.

PA live's Chris Bohinski served as the event's emcee. Autism awareness takes funds raised and focuses on where the money is needed most.

Saturday night's event also honored a parent of a child with autism who has dedicated more than 30 years to the cause.

$2M grant awarded towards Community Recreational Campus

DALLAS, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A sensory playground for kids with autism is one step closer to reality Saturday night in Luzerne County's Back Mountain.

The Dallas Rotary Club held Cornhole with a Cop, Saturday at Fellowship Church. The cornhole fundraiser also featured raffles.

The event aimed to raise roughly 7,500 dollars toward the more than 100,000 dollar price tag for a sensory playground at Dallas Intermediate School.

Organizers say it is not only about raising money but also building bridges between police and the community.

HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Thousands of families will have what they need for a Thanksgiving fest this year, thanks to a food drive.

The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank held its 45th annual food drive in Hazelton.

They handed out more than 2,500 meals Saturday, all part of their goal to serve more than ten thousand families this season.

Each family received a turkey, fresh produce, and pantry staples they needed to prepare a holiday feast.

$2M grant awarded towards Community Recreational Campus

FORTY FORT, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— Crews discovered the headstones on Thursday during construction for the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority`s Abrahams Creek restoration project.

WVSA contractor Rutledge Construction uncovered about 35 headstones about 300 feet from the Forty Fort Cemetery.

Officials say that the headstones were washed away from the 1972 Agnes Flood that washed away an entire section of Forty Fort Cemetery.

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The conviction this week of a Luzerne County man on charges he scammed a 95-year-old woman out of her home has brought the issue of dependent elder care to the forefront.

35-year-old Jeremy Cieniawa was found guilty of taking advantage of a care-dependent elderly person.

Prosecutors say, and the jury agreed, that he gained the victim's trust and used that to benefit himself financially.

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SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The Scranton Beltway Project is stirring up concern in not one, but two counties.

On Wednesday, 28/22 News reported on how several residents in Luzerne County could lose their homes if the project takes place.

The same could happen to some in Lackawanna County, but that's not their only concern.

28/22 News Reporter Gianna Galli was at the second public hearing on Thursday.

The removal of homes, insertion of retention ponds, and addition of sound barriers are all on the list of worries.

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Another season for the beloved Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market has come and gone.

The final day for the market just wrapped up.

Lackawanna County businesses staying open late on Thursdays for holiday season

The popular farmer's market has been a downtown staple since 1974.

Every year, proud local farmers and vendors fill Public Square with fresh produce, tasty food, and homemade crafts.

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Guilty: That was the verdict handed down in the case of a jury of a Hazleton man who scammed a 95-year-old woman out of her home.

Investigators say 35-year-old Jeremy Cieniawa from Hazleton gained the trust of the wheelchair-bound woman and then violated it.

The jury deliberated for about three hours finding Jeremy Cieniawa guilty on all counts, including theft and crimes against a care-dependent person.

Prosecutors say and the jury believed that Jeremy Cieniawa took advantage of that trust for personal gain.

YATESVILLE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — People are frustrated in part of Luzerne County over a plan for a Beltway System to connect a pair of major highways in our area.

The more than $236,000,000 transportation project was first proposed in 2018.

The goal is to reduce congestion on Interstate 81 but it would mean several houses will have to go.

28/22 News was at a public hearing in Pittston Township Wednesday night.

HAZLE TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Multiple people have been brought to the hospital with serious injuries after a crash in Hazle Township.

The Hazle Twp. Fire & Rescue Company says the call came in just before 3:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon to the 100 block of Stockton Mountain Road.

Monroe County approves temporary homeless encampment location

Fire crews say when they arrived, there was someone trapped inside the car and they had to do a full driver-side removal to get the victim out. Officials say another was ejected and more injured.