WILKES-BARRE — Meteorological coincidence proved provident Wednesday. As a crowd began to plant blue and silver pinwheels into the Luzerne County Courthouse lawn, the morning’s relentless grey canopy of clouds started to break, allowing sunlight to sparkle off the decorations.

WILKES-BARRE — The award-winning author of Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Green Eggs and Ham and dozens of other children’s books— Dr. Seuss — once said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday demanded testimony and documents from two former Manhattan prosecutors who had been leading a criminal investigation into Donald Trump before quitting last year in a clash over the direction of the probe.

Six of the 16 applicants for Luzerne County’s top manager position will advance to interviews, county Manager Search Committee Chairman Charles Sciandra said Wednesday.

NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors postponed without any explanation a scheduled grand jury session Wednesday in the investigation into Donald Trump over hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign, at least temporarily slowing a decision on whether to charge the ex-president.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve extended its year-long fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point despite concerns that higher borrowing rates could worsen the turmoil that has gripped the banking system.

Penn State basketball is headed back to square one.

The Philadelphia Phillies are leaving open the possibility for Bryce Harper to return to their lineup much sooner than the All-Star break, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a quicker-than-expected return for the slugger from reconstructive right elbow surgery.

MIAMI — Major League Baseball’s new pitch clock is going to undergo some timing adjustments before it is turned on for games that count.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed longtime Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo to a three-year, $24 million contract.

Misericordia baseball took the lead over DeSales on the road in the sixth inning, but the host Bulldogs smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to earn a walk-off 4-3 win on Tuesday.

NEW YORK — Willis Reed, who dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports’ most enduring examples of playing through pain, died Tuesday. He was 80.