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Western Wayne School District has professional vacancies.

Nearly $40 million in state funding was recently announced to support major events happening across Pennsylvania in 2026, including a local investment for Pike and Wayne counties. As part of the first round of grants through the state’s new Marketing to Attract Marquis Events program, $20,000 is being awarded to support the 100th anniversary of Lake Wallenpaupack. The funding will help with programming and event needs tied to the centennial.

Christopher Vacirca posted on FB: "My name's Chris, and I want to vent a little here as to a really bad experience we have had since moving to NEPA. My fiance and I bought a piece of vacant land in Wayne county, on country route 370. We live full time in campers, and our vision was to create a homestead, and live off the land. Before buying the property we confirmed with 2 different lawyers, and the planning division of the Wayne county court that living in campers was perfectly legal, and that the land we were buying had no zoning laws against it."

"This video goes over the common myths that pop up around protests in the town where I live, and share what actually happened during a protest on 3-28-26. My goal in making this video was to encourage people to see their neighbors as neighbors first before anything else, so that we can more readily work on the many things we agree on.

One of two men charged in an August 2012 homicide in the Pocono Mountains pleaded guilty this week and was sentenced to prison.Kip Morgan, 63, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was charged with 51-year-old Brian “Sonny” Hewson in the Monroe County shooting death of Stephen Lepore.Morgan on Tuesday pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison. He was arraigned in the case Nov. 25, 2025, and received credit at sentencing for 127 days’ time served, court records show.

About $143,000 in Hotel Tax dollars has been allocated to fund events and nonprofit organizations in

DAMASCUS TOWNSHIP, PA — The Damascus Township Board of Supervisors outlined a set of conditions for a solar project off Route 317 during a meeting on Monday, February 16. They approved the project’s conditional use permit at that hearing.The hearing for this project, which is known as Ragapple LLC or Solar Renewable Energy LLC, was held back on September 15, 2025. For more, see riverreporter.com/stories/solar,220562.

Funding for the long-awaited Wayne & Pike County Career and Technical Center was formally presented to school officials yesterday with a $3 million check presentation at Wallenpaupack High School. The investment supports development of the new regional technical school, which will serve students from the Wallenpaupack, Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Delaware Valley school districts. Wayne and Pike counties are currently the only two counties in Pennsylvania without a dedicated career and technical center.

A man from Salem Township has been arrested for Child Sexual Abuse and faces over 50 related charges, according to the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office. Officials say 37-year-old Anthony Barattucci was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting two minors in Salem Township over the last several years.

UPDATE (2/4): The vote has been POSTPONED. Please continue to call your PA state representatives to vote NO on HB2151!Find your legislator at bit.ly/FINDMYPAREPThe cookie cutter approach that HB2151 proposes for municipal data center ordinances is dangerous for communities and threatens to fast track data center projects.

Brian Wrightson of Jessup to seek Democratic nomination in 2026 primary election; incumbent is GOP state Sen. Rosemary Brown of Middle Smithfield Twp.Business owner and former emergency responder Brian Wrightson of Lackawanna County on Thursday announced his candidacy to run in the 2026 Democratic primary for state Senate in the 40th District, currently held by incumbent Republican Sen. Rosemary Brown of Monroe County.

The North Pocono School District is considering borrowing up to $7.5 million to place solar panels on district buildings and other infrastructure projects.The school board plans to vote on a resolution to issue general obligation bonds for the project, which officials estimate will cost between $3.3 and $4 million. The other projects covered by the borrowing are a new roof at the high school, estimated to cost $2.4 million, and a districtwide lighting retrofit, estimated to cost $570,000.

Wayne County Commissioners have released the Proposed 2026 General Fund Budget during this week’s Board of Commissioners meeting. Designed to meet residents’ needs while addressing rising costs and increased service demands, the proposed budget ensures the County can deliver high-quality services in a fiscally responsible manner. It is balanced through a combination of new revenue, strategic cost-containment measures, and fund balance reserves.

Penn State Extension is hosting two workshops designed to inform and empower county residents and policymakers. Workshops will be held on Wednesday, March 4, at the Pike County Training Center, 135 Pike County Blvd., Hawley. Registration links below.𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀, 2 p.m.𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿: 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲, 7 p.m.

The Pennsylvania survey was sponsored by RealClearPolitics Institute of News & Information (RCPINI).Perception of Artificial Intelligence in PAForty-eight percent of Pennsylvania residents think Artificial Intelligence will have more of a negative impact on the economy, while 25% think it will have a more positive impact. Similarly, 46% think it will have a negative impact on the environment, and 21% a positive impact. 

Four community parks in Pike, Wayne, and Susquehanna counties will receive a total of $713,000 in funding through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnerships Program, according to state legislators.

NEWFOUNDLAND, WAYNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Police say an undercover operation led to the arrest of a man for allegedly ordering 300 pounds of marijuana to an Airbnb.Mark Gaughan, 70, is currently in jail after allegedly ordering 16 large boxes, containing a total of 300 1-pound bags of marijuana, to an Airbnb in Newfoundland.PSP Honesdale says they were contacted by the caretaker of the Newfoundland property on Monday, December 29, for the large UPS delivery addressed to CAS LLC, which he said neither he nor the owner ordered.

HONESDALE, WAYNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A new mental health center is now open in northeastern Pennsylvania.It is a resource center that many say is very much needed in Wayne and Pike counties,28/22 News Reporter Joe Mason was at Friday’s opening and explained the center’s goals.The Northeast Regional Crisis Stabilization Center is now officially open in Honesdale.Friday morning’s kickoff included two ribbon cuttings, speeches from community leaders, and tours of the new facility.

A man from Wayne County was sentenced to spend 17 years behind bars for producing and distributing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said.Investigators say in 2023, Christopher Foster, 31, paid a teenager to send him inappropriate photos and videos.

It’s late November, and a flock of construction-yellow excavators are chewing up the earth in a field in Damascus Township, Wayne County. They’re installing a stream and wetland complex that will improve the health and water quality of North Branch Calkins Creek, a stream that feeds into the Delaware River. 

A 26-year-old man with a history of mental health troubles shot his parents and killed a public safety officer Sunday in a gated Wayne County development, according to an arrest affidavit.

A Tobyhanna man was killed Sept. 28 in a shooting at a private residential community in Wayne County.  Jose Albert Duran Jr., 55, was identified by Wayne County Coroner Edward Howell as the victim.   Read the full story here.

LAKE ARIEL, Pa. — One person is dead and two people were hurt, and one person is in custody after a shooting Sunday afternoon at a housing development in Wayne County. State police say they responded to the shooting around 3 p.m. at The Hideout, a gated community near Lake Ariel.26-year-old Lucas Gardrell of Lake Ariel, was taken into custody, according to the state police. A Hideout security officer was pronounced dead at the scene.