TimesLeader.com

4:37 PM

Luzerne County precluded from kids for cash lawsuit, judge says

U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo has denied a motion to add Luzerne County as a defendant to the kids for cash lawsuit. The ruling will preclude the plaintiffs from being able to seek damages from the county.

4:36 PM

Cohahan, Ciavarella partially immune from kids for cash suit, judge says

U.S. District Judge A. Richard Caputo issued an order today that partially grants former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan’s motion for judicial immunity in the kids for cash case.

4:34 PM

UPDATE:Attorney calls ruling rightly clears county

Attorney Jack Dean Calld Judge Richard Caputo's ruling in civil suits regarding the juvenile justice scandal a "well reasoned, detailed opinion on why (Luzerne) County is not liable" for actions of two disgraced county judges. "The judges are state actors," Dean said.

1:30 PM

Nanticoke sailor killed in Kuwait

The Department of Defense reported U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian M. Patton was killed in a non-combat accident in Kuwait.

2:20 PM

Two college students arrested in pot bust

LEHMAN TWP. - Two students at Penn State University - Wilkes-Barre were arrested by authorities on Friday on charges they sold marijuana from their apartments.

1:29 PM

Guilty verdict in Hazleton home invasion

Daniel Pinkney, 22, of West Hazleton, and Kevin Fisher, 27, of Hazleton, were both found guilty on eight counts including aggravted assault, robbery and burglary in a Hazleton home invasion case from November 5, 2008.

11:06 AM

$35,000 report can’t be located

Luzerne County paid Long Island-based B & M Investigations $35,000 to prepare a detailed report about background-check procedures, but county officials can’t locate this document.

9:26 AM

Judicial fill-in set for Toole

WILKES-BARRE – A replacement will be named for Luzerne County Judge Michael Toole, who took an unexpected vacation as the trial deadline approaches for a death penalty case he has been handling.

7:06 AM

Big step for Hillside

KINGSTON TWP. – Within a week, officials of the Lands at Hillside Farms announced on Thursday, the historic farm will be purchased and under sole ownership of the nonprofit organization, unlocking a slew of dreams – while simultaneously setting up a series of challenging obstacles.

4:08 AM

Local man ‘guilty’ of child rape

WILKES-BARRE – A Kingston man was found guilty Thursday of raping a 12-year-old girl last August.

9:10 AM

Wilkes tops presidential pays

Wilkes University President Joseph “Tim” Gilmour’s compensation has risen faster and higher than any other local president of the area’s five private institutions, soaring by 78 percent since his first year in 2001-02.

7:05 AM

Wilkes U student stabbed

WILKES-BARRE – A Wilkes University student was stabbed in an alleyway near his dormitory Thursday afternoon.

7:04 AM

Man charged in deliberate crash arraigned

SWOYERSVILLE – A Wilkes-Barre man was arraigned Thursday on charges that he tried to kill his girlfriend in July by intentionally crashing his truck.

November 20

A look into world of police

FORTY FORT – A daughter of a longtime police chief, Mia Rinaldi has already learned there is a lot more to police work than a trooper sitting on the interstate with a radar gun.

November 20

Photo ID leads to suspect in robbery

KINGSTON – Police arrested a Wilkes-Barre man Thursday after a Luzerne County probation officer allegedly recognized his photo from a store robbery.

9:31 AM

Back Mt. getting cash

DALLAS TWP. – Representatives of the Back Mountain Community Partnership learned Thursday afternoon during their monthly meeting at Misericordia University that three member municipalities were approved for a $239,000 grant.

7:12 AM

Wyoming Area addresses tax-relief question

EXETER -- An agenda full of routine items made for an uneventful Wyoming Area School Board work session Thursday.

9:22 AM

W-B wins more project cash

WILKES-BARRE – The city got an added financial boost for its intermodal facility even though its construction is running behind schedule.

9:13 AM

Connor: Papers here to stay

JENKINS TWP. – Richard L. Connor, editor and publisher of The Times Leader, on Thursday evening scoffed at the notion that newspapers are going away, calling predictions of the imminent death of print journalism “preposterous.”

9:25 AM

Area schools share in Keystone Awards for academic achievement

Touted by the state as “showing sustained academic achievement,” 35 local schools in 12 districts received Keystone Achievement Awards on Thursday.

November 20

Laurel Run seeks game cash

LAUREL RUN – Mayor Daniel Gildea will be meeting state Department of Community and Economic Development officials today in an effort to bring gaming grants to the borough.

November 20

Panel OKs chopping ‘too bigs’

WASHINGTON — A House committee voted Wednesday to give the government the right to dismantle financial firms that are so big, interconnected and leveraged that they could harm the economy, even if they are healthy.

November 20

City holds line on taxes for 2010

NANTICOKE – Property taxes in the city will not increase under a $3.9 million 2010 budget, city council members learned at Wednesday’s meeting.

November 20

PPL gets PUC OK

The state Public Utility Commission voted unanimously on Thursday to allow PPL Electric Utilities to continue to do the billing and accounting for customers who switch their service when rate caps expire in January.

November 20

Jury will decide in Hazleton beating

WILKES-BARRE – A Luzerne County jury today will begin deliberating the fate of two men prosecutors say assaulted a prominent elderly Hazleton couple in their home last year.

November 20

Dallas to hike property tax; amount not set

DALLAS – Residents can expect to see an increase in their municipal taxes next year, according to Borough Manager Tracey Michael Carr.

November 20

Local artist Sue Hand and family are picture of unselfishness

PLAINS TWP. – Artist Sue Hand laughed at her husband, Joe, 30 years ago, after a survey he took indicated he wanted to be a philanthropist.

3:52 AM

International news briefs

They call it the “Botax.”

November 20

Tiny breakdown a big problem for fliers

ATLANTA — For the second time in a little more than a year, a glitch at one of the two centers that handle flight plans for the nation’s air travel system set off delays and cancellations for passengers around the country.

November 20

Swine flu shot gripes abound

ATLANTA — When the nation’s swine flu vaccination program began in early October, health officials predicted it was going to be “messy.” They were right.

November 20

Muslims want blasphemy ban

GENEVA — Four years after cartoons of the prophet Muhammad set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery — essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.

November 20

House votes to aid docs

WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House voted Tuesday to add more than $200 billion to the deficit to prevent steep Medicare payment cuts to doctors, a move Republicans denounced as a political payoff.

November 20

Katrina ruling against Army Corps could bring new deluge of suits

NEW ORLEANS — A landmark court ruling blaming the Army Corps of Engineers’ “monumental negligence” for some of the worst flooding from Hurricane Katrina could lead to a new deluge: billions of dollars in legal action from thousands of storm victims.

3:39 AM

Business briefs

The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania was unchanged at 8.8 percent in October from September, the state Labor & Industry department said Thursday. The labor force, the number of people working or looking for work, fell by 27,000 to 6,340,000. The labor force was 95,000 less than in October 2008.

9:11 AM

From online to in line

WEST PITTSTON – Until now, those wishing to order cheese, coffees and other foods from the igourmet.com warehouse had to go online, no matter if they lived in West Pittston or West Virginia. But in a rare move, the specialty foods retailer will open its doors to the public this Saturday.

November 20

Airport site could host new tenant

PITTSTON TWP. – The former Damon’s restaurant on land owned by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport soon could be home to a new tenant.

November 20

Stronger dollar, weaker data pummel stocks

NEW YORK — Major stock indexes tumbled about 1 percent Thursday, but ended well off their lows. Energy and materials stocks logged the biggest losses as a jump in the dollar sent commodity prices tumbling. Meanwhile, an analyst’s downgrade of the chip industry pulled technology shares sharply lower.

November 20

Data signal a weak recovery

WASHINGTON — A gauge of future economic activity and a report on unemployment benefits signaled Thursday that the recovery likely will remain weak in the coming months.

November 20

AOL offers buyouts to 2,500 workers

NEW YORK — AOL LLC, an Internet company struggling to adapt to an advertising-driven economy, is looking to shed as much as 36 percent of its work force as it prepares to spin off from Time Warner Inc. next month.