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WVIA 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW: Community News

Juana Vasquez of Artistry Studios cuts a client's hair at Keystone Mission in Wilkes-Barre.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
Juana Vasquez of Artistry Studios cuts a client's hair at Keystone Mission in Wilkes-Barre.

People of the region joined forces to support community organizations in good times and bad during 2024.

Organizations serving the homeless of all ages found new shelters. New businesses opened, and events celebrating pride and diversity experienced record turnout and support.

Keystone Mission opens permanent overnight shelter

Keystone Mission opened its Wilkes-Barre Innovation Center for Homelessness and Poverty in June.

The center provides overnight shelter 365 days a year. Previously, Keystone Mission would open a temporary shelter when the weather was too cold or snow-covered for sleeping outside ("Code Blue" nights), which it coordinated with the city of Wilkes-Barre.

Director of operations Kathy Regan said in December, the shelter is filled "to the max" every night.

Read full stories here and here.

Keystone Mission on WVIA Radio
Omar Vasquez of Martha's Beauty Salon trims Mike Ham's hair at the free haircut event at the Keystone Mission.

Blind Cat Beer Co. brings sustainable brewing to downtown Pittston

With a name inspired by their own blind cat, Cricket, Manny Salvatori and Brittany Grasso-Salvatori opened Blind Cat Beer Co. in downtown Pittston.

They opened in September with the goal of keeping their brewing process and merchandise as sustainable as possible.

The couple plans to use ingredients grown in Pennsylvania, avoid single-use plastic cups, and offer incentive programs for customers who return the plastic can carriers used for packs of canned beer.

Read more here.

Blind Cat Beer Co. on WVIA Radio
Manny Salvatori and Brittany Grasso-Salvatori are co-owners of Blind Cat Beer Co. Their cat, Cricket, inspired the business's name.

PrideFest returns to Wilkes-Barre with parade, wedding ceremony

The NEPA Rainbow Alliance was prepared for its biggest PrideFest yet on Public Square in June.

Thousands attended the parade and day-long event on the square, and couples renewed their vows or said them for the first time with Ceremonies by Lori.

Read more here.

The Polska Bandski performed in the parade.
Aimee Dilger
/
WVIA News
The Polska Bandski performed in the parade at Wilkes-Barre's 2024 PrideFest.

Making a way downtown: Pittston working to make neighborhoods more walkable

Pittston city officials sought the public's help this year as they looked for opportunities to make the city beyond downtown more walkable.

“Over 70 percent of residents said they cannot safely get to Main Street from their neighborhood using active transportation,” said Shannon Bonacci, the city’s director of community development. “That’s what we’re working to combat.”

They released a survey to help form an Active Transportation Plan.

Read more here.

Pittston's walkability survey on WVIA Radio
With a steep grade and sidewalks in need of care, Pine Street in Pittston is a candidate for improvement when the city forms an Active Transportation plan.

NEPA Youth Shelter loses Teen Center space, finds a new home

When Meals on Wheels of NEPA decided to relocate in May, the NEPA Youth Shelter had to find a new home for its Teen Center in Scranton.

Executive Director Maureen Maher-Gray worked all year to find a new space that would be as accessible as their former building on Wyoming Avenue.

After months of calls from the community, they found a temporary home in August, weeks before they had to move out of the Wyoming Avenue building.

By November, national homeless youth awareness month, Maher-Gray and her staff were preparing to move into their new, permanent Teen Center on Providence Road.

NEPA Youth Shelter finds a new home
Maureen Maher-Gray, director of NEPA Youth Shelter, stands in the empty space that will soon permanently house the organization's Teen Center and after-school program.

Don't forget to follow along each day at WVIA.org as we publish “Year in review 2024,” a week-long series recounting the top stories of the past year through New Year's Day.

Sarah Scinto is the local host of Morning Edition on WVIA. She is a Connecticut native and graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, and has previously covered Northeastern Pennsylvania for The Scranton Times-Tribune, The Citizens’ Voice and Greater Pittston Progress.

You can email Sarah at sarahscinto@wvia.org