Former state Rep. Thom Welby took the oath of office Tuesday as Lackawanna County commissioner. He replaces Brenda Sacco, who served only 34 days after her appointment to the seat ended a long legal battle over who should replace former Commissioner Matt McGloin. Welby won the seat in a Nov. 4 special election.

A code official said Plains Township had to temporarily condemn the facility Monday night because it had no electric and no heat after service was shut off for non-payment of bills. Plains Township Deputy Fire Chief Mike Sebia said an inspection will be required before the property can reopen.

A Chabad rabbi wants to open 12 cabins for a religious retreat in Waverly Twp., Lackawanna County. Last week’s three-hour zoning meeting became tense.

The school bus rolled along streets in Forest City, its passengers ready to deliver Thanksgiving. With unprecedented need in the community, the bus had never stopped so much. Each stop on Monday offered a chance for gratitude, as Forest City Regional students continued an annual tradition.

All of the names framed in flickering candlelight at Wilkes University last week felt heavy for Alec Walker-Serrano, but a few especially weighed on him as he spoke at Transgender Day of Remembrance. Each November, Transgender Day of Remembrance honors the lives of transgender, nonbinary and gender-expansive people who died by violence in the United States in the past year.

Pike is Pennsylvania’s only county without its own hospital or immediate care center. That’s going to change in 2026.

Medical students from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine comfort hospice patients while their families are away. The students are part of the national No One Dies Alone program. And, Lackawanna County hopes "The Trouble with Cali" ends with an upcoming documentary.

On this week's News Voices, WVIA's Roger DuPuis and Isabela Weiss talk about ongoing issues at the deteriorating Good Shepherd Memorial Park in Plains Township, where two bodies were stolen from the condemned mausoleum earlier this month.

Medical students at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine volunteer to sit with hospice patients at Allied Services’ hospice centers in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton through the No One Dies Alone program.

For this week’s episode of Bookmarks, here are a few books that have made a successful leap from page to screen.