Williamsport

Community leaders across Northeast and Central Pennsylvania have their eyes set on downtown revitalization, transportation and to update aging infrastructure in 2026.

On the frigid first morning of February, Jessup’s forecasting ferret drew a crowd of hundreds for a morning of tomfoolery, marking a new tradition in the Lackawanna County borough. But Jessup Giuseppe and Punxsutawney Phil ended up at odds about the forecast.

Throughout its more than 180 years in business, Otto Bookstore has moved around Williamsport, but it’s never expanded. That’s about to change as the bookstore’s owners announced they are preparing to double the store’s space by expanding into a former bridal shop right next door.

To celebrate our year of reading with Bookmarks, we asked some past participants to recommend their favorite read of 2025. Let the 2026 to-be-read pile begin.

A new Chili's, a cultural exchange with a town in Ireland, and a local filmmaker's cult following are highlighted in this year's top community engagement stories.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, or UPMC, started a rural residency program two years ago. The program trains doctors at its Wellsboro and Cole locations in Northcentral Pennsylvania to bolster the rural doctor workforce.

Geisinger Life Flight 3, based at the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton International Airport, or AVP, recently celebrated one year at its new hangar, built from the ground up with COVID-19 grants. The team works with Geisinger’s other Life Flight bases across the region to transport more than 400 patients each month by ground and through air.

A 15-year-old boy died and another was seriously wounded in Williamsport on Halloween night. A 16-year-old boy was shot Saturday in Bloomsburg. Police did not report on his condition.

Halloween season is in full swing! Haunted hayrides, family-friendly fun and ghostly experiences await those in search of a scary good time in Northeast Pennsylvania.

A football player from Williamsport could make history this season. If Tom Cillo plays in a game for Lycoming College, he’ll be one of the oldest players to ever see playtime at the collegiate level.