Adam Lambert Returning To F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre

Adam Lambert, one of the three finalists for American Idol and a San Diego native, sings the national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner" during his visit to at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

American Idol” Season 8 runner-up and future front man for the band Queen Adam Lambert will play an area show, it has just been announced.

Lambert will play at 7:30 p.m. May 25 at F .M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, the center has just announced.

Tickets, at $35, $45 and $60 will go on sale to Kirby members and a special online sale by Wyoming Valley radio station WKRZ-FM 98.5 at 10 a.m. April 20, and to the public at 10 a.m. April 23 at the Kirby Center box office at 71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, by phone at 570-826-1100 or online at www.kirbycenter.org. To become a Kirby member, call 570-823-4599, ext. 225.

Read more: http://blogs.mcall.com/lehighvalleymusic/2012/04/american-idol-runner-up-adam-lambert-to-play-area-concert.html

Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Newspaper Sold

Impressions Media, owner of The Times Leader newspaper in Wilkes-Barre, has been acquired by a Philadelphia private equity firm, The Times Leader announced on its website.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/business/mc-times-leader-sold-20120306,0,6696191.story

 

Shut By September Flooding, Redner’s Won’t Reopen In Edwardsville

Image via Wikipedia

People have forgotten about the devastation caused by September’s flooding in various parts of Pennsylvania.  Here is a good example of the where things are five months later!

Redner’s Warehouse Market will not reopen in the Mark Plaza, Edwardsville, Pa., a spokesman said Tuesday.

The store was under water in September when the Susquehanna River crested at 42.66 feet and has been closed since the flooding.

“Due to it being in a known flood zone, it was cost prohibitive for us to reopen the store,” said Redner’s spokesman Eric White. “The lease has been terminated for that location and we will not be rebuilding or relocating our store in the Mark Plaza.”

The store had been in the Mark Plaza for more than 10 years. Mr. White said Redner’s has not chosen a new location, but customers who have suggestions can send them through its website at http://www.Rednersmarkets.com

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/business/shut-by-flooding-redner-s-won-t-reopen-in-mark-plaza-1.1268723#ixzz1m6KBmoF9

City Of Wilkes-Barre Christmas Parade, Saturday, November 19th

Image via Wikipedia

If you love Christmas, and all things associated with it, the place to be tomorrow is Wilkes-Barre.  Saturday, November 19th is the Wilkes-Barre Christmas parade plus a fun-filled day of holiday activities in the city.  The best part of all is that it is FREE!

The fun starts at 10am with the showing of A Christmas Story at Movies 14, downtown.  If you bring an unwrapped toy to benefit Toys for Tots, you get in FREE!

From noon until 1pm, you can enjoy a free Christmas concert by the King’s College Cantores Christi Regis Singers in the lobby of the Ramada, also downtown.

At 12:30pm, for those who aren’t in the mood for a concert, there is Storytelling at Barnes & Noble.  You can meet Mrs. Claus and enjoy a Christmas story.

At 1:30pm there is a concert at the F.M. Kirby Center.  The YOUniveristy Suzuki Strings will be playing in the lobby.  Come out and show your support for these young people!

At 2:00pm there is a Christmas Carol sing-a-long on Public Square.

From 2:00pm until 6pm there will be holiday face painting on Public  Square.   That will cost you $5.00 per face

At 3:15pm the main event begins.   The Christmas Parade featuring Santa, floats, music and tons of fun begins at South and S. Main Street.  There are four divisions this year.

Immediately after the parade, there will be a tree lighting ceremony on Public Square.  There will be photos with Santa for $5.00 to benefit Valley Santa, courtesy of Boscov’s.  There will also be complimentary (free) hot chocolate from the Salvation Army and the Wilkes-Barre Lion’s Club.

The Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association sponsored a window decorating contest this year (Window Wonderland) and over 40 businesses have decorated their windows to add even more holiday spirit to this year’s event!

It’s Christmas time in the city!

Guns N’ Roses Coming To Wilkes-Barre

Are you an 80′s hair-band fan?  If so, you may want to head to Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, November 20th to catch Guns N’ Roses in their first U.S. tour in five years.

Tickets go on sale October 1st via Ticketmaster and the arena box office.

For more information: http://web.gunsnroses.com/index.jsp

or http://www.mohegansun.com/entertainment/arena.html

Four Bridges Remain Closed In Wilkes-Barre Area

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Four major bridges remain closed after last week’s heavy flooding in the Wyoming Valley.  The Market Street Bridge, Eighth Street Bridge, Water Street Bridge and the Stone Bridge are all closed to traffic.  This has created congestion problems on the North Cross Valley Expressway.  If you are traveling in the Wilkes-Barre area, you may want to allow yourself extra time to reach your destination.

Metal Flood Gates Saved Kingston

KINGSTON – Mayor James Haggerty said portable metal flood gates installed at the Market Street Bridge saved the municipality from the swollen Susquehanna River.  Kingston officials spray painted a white high-water mark on the side of the wall near the Market Street Bridge.

Kingston Mayor James Haggerty and Kingston Emergency Management Coordinator Tom McTague look over the dirt and rock that Kingston dumped near the flood gates to help stop leaks at their base.  But not before a few tense hours late Thursday night into Friday morning.   

“The river at its worse was 8 or 9 feet up on those gates for us,” Haggerty said. “The pressure from the river was gushing out under, almost shooting straight out under the gates.”
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Mayor__Portable_flood_gates_saved_Kingston_09-11-2011.html#ixzz1XfCdEA00

Kings College Reopens Today, September 11th

Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, PA will reopen today at noon!  The college evacuated their students and closed in the wake of the recent historic flooding in Wilkes-Barre.  Sunday sports and events are cancelled except for Mass in the chapel at 8 p.m.  Classes will resume Monday.

The City of Wilkes-Barre also lifted their mandatory evacuation order on Saturday for those areas unaffected by flooding.

Gallery: View from above of flood destruction

Gallery: View from above of flood destruction.

Aerial pictures from the Wyoming Valley showing the massive scale of devastation from the flooding.

Susquehanna Crests Higher In Wilkes-Barre Than Orginally Reported Due To Gauge Malfunction

The Susquehanna River crested nearly four feet higher in Wilkes-Barre than originally announced.  A gauge malfunctioned that measures the river level.  The river actually crested at a level higher than Hurricane Agnes in 1972 (40.91 feet) and set a record of 42.66 feet Friday morning.

This high level of water is straining the levee system to its maximum.  Water is leaking into downtown Wilkes-Barre through the flood gates on the Market Street Bridge.

The levee at Forty Fort is also compromised and in danger of collapse.  Governor Corbett has strongly urged Wyoming Valley residents to head evacuation warnings.

Evidently it is not uncommon for gauges to malfunction during high water events.

Susquehanna River Reaches 38.82 Feet In Wilkes-Barre

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The Susquehanna River had topped out at 38.82 feet in Wilkes-Barre just before 1 a.m. this morning.  By 3:30 a.m. the National Weather Service declared the river had crested just under 39 feet.  An earlier prediction was for a crest of 41 feet.

Unprotected areas like West Pittston, Jenkins Township, West Nanticoke and Shickshinny experienced major flooding.

In Duryea there was a partial levee breach that sent 200 people from their homes to an emergency shelter at Sacred Heart Church Thursday evening.

Wilkes-Barre Mayor, Tom Leighton has just issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Brookside Section of the city due to rising water on the streets.

More Wilkes-Barre/Wyoming Valley Hurricane Lee News

Image via Wikipedia

PPL Electric cut power to the Wilkes-Barre City flood zone at 5 pm today.  This was done to avoid a major power failure.  Water and electricity do not exactly mix well.

The Pierce Street Bridge between Wilkes-Barre and Kingston is closed to traffic along with the 8^th Street Bridge, Water Street Bridge, Stone Bridge, and the West Nanticoke Bridge.  The South Cross Valley Bridge has water near the Plymouth Township exit but it open.  The North Cross Valley Bridge is open.  Pictures on the Times Leader website show water getting close to the bottom of the Market Street Bridge at 11 am this morning.  The Market Street bridge also closed last night. To see their pictorial from around Wilkes-Barre, click here: http://www.timesleader.com/news/Images_from_evacuations.html

Kingston has set an 8 pm curfew until further notice.  No vehicular or pedestrian traffic will be permitted after 8 pm.  West Pittston has set an 8 pm curfew until further notice and Edwardsville has set a 9 pm curfew as well.

Another evacuation site is opening at Hanover Senior High School with a capacity of 500. The GAR shelter has reached capacity.  The Solomon Plains shelter may still have room.

Shickshinny evacuated 200 residents.  70 percent of buildings in the borough will be flooded if the river hits 38 feet.

Students at Wilkes University and Kings College were evacuated and the schools closed.

Wilkes-Barre General is open, safe and in emergency mode.  Other WVHCS facilities may be evacuated and/or closed.

Luzerne County has called for the evacuation of 50,000 residents in unprotected areas.

Susquehanna River At Wilkes-Barre To Approach Agnes Levels

If the projection for the Susquehanna River at Wilkes-Barre to crest at 38.5 feet comes to pass, it will be the highest river level since Hurricane Agnes which crested at 40.91 feet in 1972.

Fortunately, since Hurricane Agnes, most the area is protected by a dike system that keeps water out of a significant portion of the flood plain.  The dike is good up to 41 feet for most of the Wyoming Valley.  However, a number of low-lying areas are already being evacuated.  The flood gates on the Market Street bridge are being installed tonight.

Wilkes-Barre Closes Flood Gates In Preparation For High Water

The Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works has closed flood gates to bridges over Solomon’s Creek on South Franklin Street, Regent Street, Waller Street and Barney Street, in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene.  Those bridges will be closed to traffic for at least 24 hours.

More Stupid News

These just get better!  For some unknown reason, a 41-year-old Wilkes-Barre man shot a toilet, inside of a Wilkes-Barre bar, at 12:36 a.m on Tuesday morning.  Was the toilet armed and dangerous?  Maybe he thought it was big game and wanted a trophy for the wall?

In any event that’s not the end of this stupid story.  The toilet-shooting pistol was stolen from the Edwardsville Police Department.  A 34-year-old Wilkes-Barre woman was also involved and arrested along with the “shooter”.

The elephant in the room here is how did a pistol get stolen from a police department and end up in the possession of two people who have no license and no business possessing one?

Hopefully the Edwardsville Police Department is conducting an investigation on how this happened and will hopefully put protocols in place to keep anymore drunks from getting pistols and firing them…..just sayin’,,,

Bad Behavior At Council Meetings Is Not Limited To Pottstown – Wilkes-Barre Has Problems Too!

This is just scary.  Name calling, door slamming, being escorted out of meetings… sound familiar?

Evidently Wilkes-Barre City Council meetings get “buck wild” too.  Mayor Thomas Leighton of Wilkes-Barre allegedly called City Wide Towing & Repair’s owner “cupcake” during a city council meeting.  Bob Kudluboski (City Wide’s owner) erupted calling the mayor a “punk” and was escorted out of the building by city police.

When questioned after being ejected, one of Bob’s comments was “Why was he (the mayor) standing back there anyway?  Is he trying to make me punch him in the face?”

To read the rest of this inspiring story from the Times Leader:

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Mayor_rsquo_s_remark_enrages_tow_truck_operator_06-16-2011.html

Wilkes-Barre Area School District Has As Many Elementary Schools As Pottstown

Here is another example that demonstrates Pottstown School District has too many elementary schools.  Wilkes-Barre Area School District has 9 schools.  Five elementary schools, one junior high and three high schools.  The enrollment for Wilkes-Barre Area is approximately 6700 students or about twice as many as Pottstown.  Very similar to Norristown Area School District, which I profiled the other day.

Elementary schools are K – 6th grades.

The Solomon/Plains Junior High School is 7th & 8th grades only. 

There are three high schools.  It was just announced that Wilkes-Barre Area is looking at possibily closing one of the three high schools (Meyers High School which has the lowest student population of the three with 840 students in grades 9 – 12 is being studied for closure).

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District encompasses 123 square miles and only has five elementary schools.  I would think a borough of 5 square miles, with half  of the student population of Wilkes-Barre Area, could easily get away with three elementary schools.

District data from Wikipedia and GreatSchools.org

Luzerne County Courthouse Getting Extreme Makeover

The Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre is a large and visually stunning building.  The courthouse was constructed a century ago and is in need of some work; $5.2 million worth of work, to be exact.  However, don’t expect anyone to yell “move that bus” when the job is done!

Stairs are being removed for a new support system to be installed, the waterproof coating is being replaced which entails scrapping off ALL the old coating first, exterior stone is being cleaned, repaired and repointing and the five domes will be repainted a new color.  Historians believe gray was the original color of the domes when the courthouse was constructed.

New flashing is being installed and the building’s stained glass windows are being removed, cleaned and releaded.  The old window frames are being replaced because they are rotting.

The original date for completion was October, but with all the rain we had this spring that date will most likely be pushed back.

If you would like to see a picture of the Luzerne County Courthouse click on the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LuzerneCountyCourthouseRiverCommons.jpg

Community Health Systems Changes Name Of Scranton Hospital

For-profit hospital corporation, Community Health Systems (CHS) has changed the name of Mercy Hospital in Scranton.  The new name is Regional Hospital of Scranton.  The other two Mercy locations will be called Tyler Memorial Hospital (Tunkhannock) and Special Care Hospital (Nanticoke).  Mercy Health Partners was a private, Catholic-based hospital system that operated in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metropolitan area.

CHS also owns Wilkes-Barre General, making it the dominant health care provider in NEPA.

CHS owns Pottstown Memorial Medical Center and Phoenixville Hospital in the western Philadelphia suburbs.

Community Health Systems Buys Up Three More Hospitals In Northeast Pennsylvania

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As residents of Pottstown and Phoenixville know first hand, things change when Community Health Systems (CHS) buys your local hospital.  CHS owns Pottstown Memorial Medical Center and Phoenixville Hospital.

CHS is continuing to expand their presence in Pennsylvania with the purchase of three hospitals in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Metropolitan Area.  CHS, who already owns Wyoming Valley Health Care System since 2009, has entered into an agreement with Mercy Health Partners to purchase Mercy Hospital in Scranton, Mercy Tyler Hospital in Tunkhannock and Mercy Special Care Hospital in Nanticoke.  Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is part of Wyoming Valley Health Care System and already owned by CHS.

The standard CHS rhetoric has followed: hire all employees in good standing at the time of the sale (same position, pay and seniority), CHS promised to invest $68 million in the first five years, set up a community foundation and donate $2 million, maintain the status quo for five years and treat employees with dignity and respect.

All I can say is, based on what happened in Pottstown, things will change.  We narrowly averted a strike because employees were disgruntled, claimed to be overworked and salary/benefits changes were proposed.  CHS does invest in hospital infrastructure, equipment and recruit physicians as promised.

Wyoming Valley Heath Care System in Luzerne County’s largest employer.   http://www.wvhcs.org/About/Pages/About%20Us.aspx