WVIA News

Policy limits nepotism, gifts and lobbying and regulates conflicts of interest.

Lackawanna County Commissioners are asking District Attorney Mark Powell conduct a criminal investigation into the recent pollution of at least two local waterways.

In June 2021, a group of West Scranton High School alumni formed a wrestling program to provide the same opportunities they once had to current students. Now, the group has created a separate nonprofit that will offer art classes. They hope to move both programs into a new home this summer.

The True Love Movement makes sure that people feel loved and valued all year round but especially on Valentine’s Day. Sharee Clark of Wilkes-Barre started the project during a dark time in her life.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent for Christians, marking the beginning of the Easter Season. At Catholic Churches around the world and locally, the faithful received a cross of ashes on their forehead. The practice dates back hundreds and hundreds of years.

Winterfest returns to downtown Stroudsburg this weekend. The family-friendly event includes more than 50 ice sculptures around the borough. The theme this year is Children’s Storytime. Shops and restaurants throughout Stroudsburg will have themed-specials, giveaways and activities. Churches will have warming stations and story time for children. The event is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Winterfest Maps are available online or from participating businesses. For more details, visit wvia.org/news and click on news briefs.

The Wilkes-Barre City Pothole Reporting Line is open. Residents are asked to call 570-208-4237 and provide the location of the pothole, including an exact address or the nearest intersection. In past years the pothole reporting line has been instrumental in expediting pothole repairs, according to Mayor George Brown’s office. It also alleviates redundancy of pothole reports made to different city departments.

Staff from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Recovery Center will be in Lackawanna County until Thursday. Businesses and residents from Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties impacted by severe storms and flooding on Sept. 9 are eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the administration. Loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, according to the SBA. Homeowners and renters are eligible for loans up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses; 2.375% for nonprofits; and 2.5% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Representatives on site can answer questions about the loan program and help complete applications. The Disaster Loan Outreach Center is located at the Lackawanna County Center for Public Safety, 30 Valley View Drive, Jessup. The center closes permanently at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Otherwise, hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is March 25. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Oct. 25. Applicants may apply online at https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. For more details, visit https://lending.sba.gov/search-disaster/?disaster=PA-20002;

At Mid Valley Elementary Center, members of the WVIA’s education team taught students about big feelings.

A Pennsylvania American Water project at the Dunmore Reservoir caused sediment to break free and flow into Roaring Brook. It’s dumping into the Lackawanna River, turning the water muddy brown and impacting aquatic life in both waterways.