This Fourth of July weekend, families all over the area will have a number of chances to catch the fireworks, as several municipalities in Luzerne County and the surrounding areas have their own firework shows scheduled throughout the weekend.

The Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market opened on Thursday, with plenty of produce, ranging from asparagus to snow peas to those little cucumbers that people like to pickle.

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s new fiscal year will begin without a state budget in place, as Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration and top Republican lawmakers haltingly worked through Thursday’s deadline to hammer out a roughly $42 billion spending plan whose details were still largely being kept secret.

WYOMING — The Wyoming Commemorative Association will hold its 144th annual observance at the Wyoming Monument National Historic Site, Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, on Monday, July 4, at 10 a.m.

HARRISBURG — A state court on Thursday permanently blocked Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to toll as many as nine major bridges on interstates in Pennsylvania, including here in Luzerne County.

PLAINS TWP. — The Wilkes-Barre Area School Board worked through a long agenda Wednesday that included passing a final budget with no tax increase, appointing a new member, accepting a lawsuit settlement with the prime construction contractor of the new high school, adding a new Early Learning Academy for four-year-olds, inking a five-year sports medicine deal with Geisinger and buying two new reading programs for elementary students.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders defeated the Buffalo Bisons for the third consecutive night with an 8-1 victory on Thursday evening.

The NBA generated more basketball related income than ever this past season, the total number coming up just short of $9 billion.

Back Mountain National defeated Northwest 16-3 in pool play Thursday in District 31 8-10 year old Little League Baseball.

DENVER — There was Nathan MacKinnon jumping off the fire truck so he could walk the streets and shake hands with the swarm of Avalanche fans.