Times Leader News

Pro wrestlers ready to make a slamming statement for area veterans

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

WILKES-BARRE – Ready to see people get thrown around a squared circle or body slammed into the mat to round out your holiday weekend?

Susquehanna River now a three-credit course

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The Susquehanna River is, in a way, its own classroom. So naturally, a King’s College professor has created a course focusing on the river.

No school on Muslim holidays

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK — Moneeb Hassan remembers having to choose between a final exam in American history or celebrating the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha. In the end, he chose both.

Gas-lease tips offered before you sign up

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

ROSS TWP. – Gas-lease offers might be low, thanks to a lagging economy, but that’s not stopping drillers from proposing them.

Sarah Palin resignation a mystery

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

WASILLA, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin surprised supporters Friday and announced she is resigning from office at the end of the month, leaving open the possibility she would seek a run for the White House in 2012.

Rain storm damages West Side

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The estimated 2.5 inches of rain that drenched northern Luzerne County Friday afternoon caused particular headaches for West Side area residents.

IN CONCERT: Styx, REO Speedwagon, 38 Special

Mark Sowers — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:24:45 GMT

REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin performs with the rest of the band at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain on Friday. It was a triple bill as other bands 38 Special and Styx also performed.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hilary Duff is joining the cast of “Gossip Girl” — but not on a regular basis.

Big dream takes flight

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

BEAUMONT – Perhaps Wende DeOliveira’s plan is no more plausible than the one that preceded it at the nondescript old farmstead nestled on the sloping marshland off Crow Hill Road.

Powerful sedative found in mansion

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES — The powerful sedative Diprivan was found in Michael Jackson’s home, a law enforcement official said Friday as the city planned for a massive crowd at the singer’s memorial service.

International News briefs

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Vice President Joe Biden pressed Iraqi leaders Friday to do more to foster national reconciliation and offered U.S. assistance in achieving that, as concerns grow that a lack of political progress is fueling violence in Iraq.

Marines push deeper into southern Afghanistan villages

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

NAWA, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines moved into villages in Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan on Friday, meeting little resistance as they tried to win over local chiefs on the second day of the biggest military operation here since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

Iran wants Brits on trial

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

EDITOR’S NOTE: Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

Choreographer: ‘Everybody’s an artist; we paint the sky’

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

WILKES-BARRE – The four-man crew from Zambelli Fireworks arrived just before 3 p.m. on Friday, minutes ahead of the rolling thunder and lightning that foreshadowed what they had come to unleash.

Residents divided on fate of governor

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. — After a week that offered the world a glimpse into the conflicted mind of philandering South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, his constituents differed Friday on whether he should leave office.

At Post, old new again

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS — The Saturday Evening Post, a centuries-old publication that helped make illustrator Norman Rockwell a household name and showcased some of America’s greatest writers, is returning to its roots to show readers the value of a quiet read in an increasingly frenetic digital age.

Pope gives approval to beatify cardinal

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal John Henry Newman, an influential 19th-century Anglican theologian who converted to Roman Catholicism, moved a step closer to possible sainthood Friday after the pope approved a miracle attributed to his intercession.

Lottery

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

HARRISBURG (AP) — Tuesday’s payout in the “Pennsylvania Super 7” game will be worth at least $3.26 million because no player matched seven of the 11 winning numbers drawn in Friday’s game.

LOCAL BRIEFS

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

WILKES-BARRE – The Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch has announced the following meetings for next week:

State wants stimulus money to repair leaks

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 GMT

The state is applying for more than $6 million from the federal stimulus money to clean up 71 leaking underground storage tanks, six of them in Luzerne County, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced on Thursday.