Thom Welby

In a memo, Lackawanna County's solicitor says Commissioner Bill Gaughan's proposed law limiting cooperation with ICE carries potential criminal penalties.

The Lackawanna County commissioners are reviewing a legal memo that raises doubts about Commissioner Bill Gaughan's proposed Protect Our Neighbors Act.

After years of sending juvenile detainees to centers in other counties, Lackawanna County will send them to a Berks County center, which will reopen, perhaps as early as July 2027.

Supporters of a federal crackdown on illegal immigration debated critics of the way the government has carried out the crackdown Wednesday during a Lackawanna County Commissioners meeting. The commissioners are considering passing a policy regulating the way county employees can interact with federal immigration agents.

At a Lackawanna County commissioners meeting that lasted almost three hours, residents publicly opposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents' tactics and urged the commissioners to back restrictions on county cooperation with ICE agents.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan called on county residents to stand up for immigrants' right to due process and warned they could lose the same rights if they don't step up. Fellow Democrat Welby echoes Gaughan; Republican Chermak calls Minnesota shooting 'awful,' but stops short of criticizing ICE's actions.

Lackawanna County commissioners Thom Welby and Chris Chermak return former County of Lackawanna Transit System Board Chairman Larry Wynne to the COLTS board over the objections of Commissioner Bill Gaughan, who wants the county to seek other candidates.

A routine reorganization meeting held a surprise and sharp words for the Lackawanna County commissioners on Monday. And Harrisburg Democrats held a ceremony Tuesday to denounce the violence at the U.S. Capitol five years ago.

Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan ripped fellow Democratic Commissioner Thom Welby and Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak as Welby and Chermak teamed up against Gaughan.

During Commissioner Thom Welby's first public meeting, the Lackawanna County commissioners voted Wednesday to table a final vote on the 2026 budget until the county gets a clearer idea of electricity costs next year. The final vote is scheduled for Dec. 17 at 10 a.m.