Luzerne County

SALEM TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Pennsylvania's roads have plenty of attractions. One of them happens to be just outside of Berwick, and it caught the eye of 28/22 News Reporter Joe Mason, who tells us more about Kathy's Concrete Ornaments.

If you've ever passed through Berwick, there's a good chance you've driven by and taken a passing glance at towering statues.

Presidents, puppets, dogs, deer, bears, and Bigfoot, lots and lots of Bigfoot, but they're not just here for show.

Lehigh Valley Hospital in Hazleton received sensory aid bags to help support patients with autism and other neurodivergent conditions.

SUGARLOAF TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — PSU Hazleton survived the chopping block, but what now? What's next for that campus? That was the question at the center of a community meeting on Tuesday at Penn State Hazleton.

The campus was one of 12 across the state that were being considered for closure because of enrollment and financial challenges.

28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick was at that meeting.

Police have identified the victims as well as the suspect in a deadly shooting at Hilltop Apartments in Hazleton on Saturday.

WEST HAZLETON, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A historic theater is closing its curtain after more than 100 years of showing movies in West Hazleton. The theater has undergone multiple ownership changes, name changes, and closures over the years, and each time, it has made a comeback. However, locals are saying this is its last hurrah.

Many businesses struggled to keep their doors open during the pandemic, but the movie industry was hit harder than most. For the historic Hershker Theater, most recently known as Cinema and Drafthouse in West Hazleton, it was time for the final act.

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A three-judge panel issued a ruling that would put the empty Lackawanna County commissioner's seat up for a special election on Friday.

The Democratic and Republican parties of Lackawanna County had until Monday, September 15, to submit their candidates' names for the special election scheduled for November.

Democrats in Lackawanna County were pushing to appoint someone from their party to replace Commissioner Matt McGloin, as the party had won the seat back in the 2023 election.

KINGSTON TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Northeastern and central Pennsylvania seem to have no shortage of children who excel. Among them are some young authors, including one this week who branches out into the teen romance genre, with a twist.

What sounds like a prayer inside Cross Creek Community Church in Luzerne County's Back Mountain actually is in a way.

Colbi Cox is reading a line from a book called Keep the Faith.

"I thought, there's not a lot of clean, young adult romance stories out there, and I thought, 'I'm going to write one,'" Colbi explained.

NANTICOKE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local community college is now set to offer one of Pennsylvania's newest police academies. 28/22 News Reporter Joe Mason takes a closer look at what this could mean for the region.

Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) aims to address the state police officer shortage and make training more accessible to residents in the area.

Jonathon Stack of Wilkes-Barre recalls how a chance phone call from Kirk changed his life and career.

(WBRE/WYOU) — Do you believe in ghosts? Demonic possession? Those are some of the questions at the center of a newly released supernatural horror movie that focuses on a local family.

The movie is entitled The Conjuring: Last Rites. It's based on the experiences the Smurl family says they endured for years in their Luzerne County home.

28/22 News I-Team Reporter Andy Mehalshick reported extensively on the Smurl case in the 1980s.

This is not the first movie made about the Smurl family haunting.