Latest news with #WilkesBarre
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Demonstrating STEM skills in Luzerne County at SHINE Science Olympiad
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Some 150 students got to demonstrate their science knowledge thanks to an annual competition in Wilkes-Barre. The always popular Egg Drop was just one of the categories on Saturday at the SHINE Science Olympiad. Wilkes University welcomed students from nine different schools in Luzerne County. 28/22 News Anchor Nick Toma and Reporter Amelia Sack served as celebrity judges. The event emphasizes the importance of STEM learning through the program SHINE, which stands for Schools and Homes in Education. DAs share crime trends in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties The kindergarten through eighth graders were happy to be there. 'It was an amazing time because when I was practicing it so it won't break, it kept breaking, but I added this final touch, and when I came here it stayed and it didn't break,' 10-year-old Participant Brianny Alberto told 28/22 News. 'We want them to feel really stimulated. We want them to engage in their education, and we want them to really know that there's a future, and if we can get them excited about learning and careers as we move forward, we know that they'll be a success and give back to our community later,' SHINE Program Executive Director Carol Nicholas said. Community donations and sponsorships help make the SHINE Science Olympiad possible at Wilkes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ruth's Place postpones Walk for Hope
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Organizers of a popular fundraiser to help the unhoused did not want to take chances with wet weather on Saturday. They postponed Ruth's Place Walk for Hope. Ruth's Place provides 24-hour lodging and services to women experiencing homelessness with the goal of helping them get back on their feet. Job Corps closing will impact local nonprofit Don't worry, organizers say they still plan to have the walk. The new date is Friday, June 13, at 12:00 p.m. on Public Square. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
The 100 Deadliest Days: AAA says teen driver deaths jump in summer months
May 30—WILKES-BARRE — Jana Tidwell, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic, this week said summer months are particularly dangerous as more young drivers hit the road during school breaks with many logging more unsupervised driving time than usual. "We encourage families to take advantage of AAA resources like our driver education classes and parent-teen safe driving agreements to help set clear expectations for driving privileges," Tidwell said. According to AAA, across the country, 13,135 people have been killed in a crash involving a teen driver between 2019 and 2023. More than 30% of those deaths occurred during the "100 deadliest days" between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to a AAA review of crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On average, eight people are killed per day in teen-involved driving crashes in the summer, compared to seven per day during the rest of the year. In 2023, the most recent year of complete crash data, 2,897 people were killed in crashes involving a teen driver. A third of those deaths — 860 — happened during the 100 Deadliest Days. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety analysis of NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data of deadly crashes involving drivers ages 15-18 in Pennsylvania shows the tragic impact in the summer months: According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety 2023 Traffic Safety Culture Index, teen drivers ages 16-18 admitted to having engaged in at least one of the following risky behaviors in the past 30 days: —Holding and talking on a cell phone (42%) —Reading a text or an email on a cell phone (46%) —Sending a text or email (33%) —Using hands-free technology (Bluetooth, CarPlay) (60%) —Driving 10 mph over the speed limit on a residential street (49%) —Driving 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway (41%) —Red-light running (30%) —Aggressive driving (28%) —Drowsy driving (20%) —Driving without a seatbelt (17%) —Drinking enough alcohol to be over the adult legal limit (7%) —Riding in a car driven by someone who has had too much alcohol (10%) —Driving within an hour of having used marijuana (10%) AAA says there are steps teens and parents can take to save lives. Parents should model safe driving behavior and talk with their teens about buckling up, obeying speed limits and putting phones away. With teens out of school, summer is also a great time for young drivers to complete a comprehensive driver education course to learn the rules of the road. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety also has new research highlighting the life-saving potential of smartphone-blocking technology. Parents should encourage teens to use "do not disturb" features on their phones to silence distractions while driving. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill OBoyle: Never forget our fallen heroes
May 25—WILKES-BARRE — On Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. They are all our most cherished heroes. My friend, Korean War veteran Joe Barna, 96, of Freeland, has two Purple Hearts and he knows and respects all veterans who have gone to battle. He especially holds dearest to his heart those who gave their lives for us. Mr. Barna said he made it back home and he sometimes wonders, "How?" "I look at my body and I still have two arms and two legs." he said. "I still have the same head, but it is full of memories." Mr. Barna says trying to describe war is not easy. "You have to live it, not read about it," he said. "You have to hear it, smell it, feel it. The scars come from bullets, shells, bayonets and the weather. There are other scars too — the scars you can't see. Scars in the minds of those who spent over a year in hell. They brought these demons home with them" Mr. Barna says combat is an ugly word and holds many memories for those who survive it. "For a while you tell yourself you're OK, but then something triggers a memory and you are brought back to those moments as if they are happening again," he said. Mr. Barna said Memorial Day is not a day to celebrate, but to remember and to continue to give honor to all the Americans who fought and died for a country they believed in. "Today should be about all our veterans and flags in our cemeteries," Mr. Barna said. "The flags show everyone where our heroes now sleep under a blanket of grass. In war, many young men, who are really just getting over being called a boy, will fight, and some will die. They will not get a chance to pick where he will fight nor will they get the chance to choose how they may die. God will take many of them too soon." Mr. Barna said he was 11 years old when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941. "I remember it was a Sunday morning and we heard on the radio that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor," he recalled. "I was at my uncle's bowling alley. I did not know what these words meant, but I was soon to learn the full meaning. Over the next several years, I would see my town's young men, only a few years older than I, come home in flag-draped coffins. This war would last until 1945. In Washington D.C., there was a World War II monument. At the monument there is a wall that holds 4,048 gold stars. Each star represents 100 American dead. That adds up to 404,800 American lives." Mr. Barna then talked about "his war" — Korea — "a war where our thousands fought over a million North Korean and Chinese soldiers." The Korean War lasted 3 years — more than 36,000 Americans died. "In Washington D.C., 19 larger-than-life, sculpted figures of soldiers, Marines and a Navy Corpsman endlessly patrol along side a dark, reflective marble wall. On the wall, are more images of the war. These haunting images are almost calling to the marching men. I can almost hear them." And the third war Mr. Barna spoke of was Vietnam. "Again young men were called to carry a weapon and to kill an enemy. Upon another long wall in Washington D.C., lies 58,000 names of service men and women who gave their lives. "When I visit a local cemetery, I stop and read many of the stones," Mr. Barna said. "On these is a birth date, a date of death and a name inscribed in between. Think about it — between the dates is the story of a life. "This is what Memorial Day is." So on this Memorial Day, try to think about what it must have felt like for all those soldiers who fought in all those battles in all those wars. Think of what it must have felt like to know that you may never return to your country, to your hometown, to your loved ones — to your "life." That you may never marry, have children, hold a job, buy a new car or have a beer with your pals at the local bar. Think about going to battle realizing that this day — this moment — might be your last day alive — that your next breath may be your last. That you may give your life for your country and all Americans back home. This is what these soldiers did — and they did it without question. And far too many gave the ultimate sacrifice They are who we remember on Memorial Day. We remember them for what they did for us and we thank them — we pray for them. Our fallen heroes. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Guilty plea in fatal ATV crash
May 22—WILKES-BARRE — A Nanticoke man pled guilty in Luzerne County Court to charges related to a fatal crash involving an all-terrain vehicle driver in 2023. Richard J. Simon Jr., 40, of West Union Street, was charged by Newport Township police with striking an ATV operated by James "Jimmy" Edward Thiemann, 26, on East Kirmar Avenue on July 30, 2023, according to court records. Thiemann, of Warrior Run, died at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township, on Aug. 5, 2023. Simon, through his attorney, Theron J. Solomon, pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor, before Judge Michael T. Vough on Thursday. Under state sentencing guidelines, Simon could face up to five years in prison but prosecutors did not object to house arrest if Simon is eligible. Court records say Simon, operating a 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe, was traveling on Alden Mountain Road when he was passed by several ATV drivers, including Thiemann. Simon and the ATV drivers changed lanes and varied their speeds with Simon briefly driving off the roadway. Simon then struck Thiemann's ATV that was pushed a distance resulting in Thiemann being thrown to the ground striking his head, court records say. Simon briefly stopped and was allegedly pulled from his vehicle and attacked, before he managed to flee the scene. Police did not charge Simon with fleeing the scene or failure to render aid. Videos of the encounter were recorded on cellular phones by other ATV drivers. In an unrelated case, Simon also pled guilty to a burglary charge as Nanticoke police accused him with entering a house under renovations on West Union Street and stealing tools, a hot water heater and materials on Jan. 24, 2024, according to court records. Vough scheduled Simon to be sentenced July 3. Simon remains free on $25,000 bail.
