Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA 21 February 2013 by Bill O'Boyle:
Vice President Joe Biden awarded Pennsylvania troopers Robert Lombardo and the late Joshua Miller Public Safety Officer Medals of Valor Wednesday – the highest national award for bravery by a public safety officer – during a White House ceremony.
The medal is awarded to officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.
Including... |
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From the Pittston Dispatch, November 4th 2012
For the complete article click here
By Joe Healy
Pittston is off to a great start in a campaign to add a police dog to its force.
Councilman Mike Lombardo said $5,000 has been raised, enough to purchase the dog, but anther $15,000 is needed for training, accessories and dog food.
“We raised most of it by word of mouth,” Lombardo said. “People have been very kind so far, dropping off donations at City Hall.”
Because of difficult... |
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In the aftermath of the 2011 flooding, great concern was raised over ensuring that local governments have adopted the most current federal government floodplain management regulations required for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Failure to adopt and enforce these regulations can lead to suspension from the NFIP and or increased flood insurance rates.
The City of Pittston has now adopted all of the currently required floodplain management regulations by means... |
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From the Pittston Dispatch:
Click this link for more information
A year ago, the Susquehanna River was raging.
This year, Pittston will gather on a banks of the Susquehanna to celebrate.
The Greater Pittston Cultural Coalition, Inc. is sponsoring its fourth annual Pittston Riverfest
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Pittston Riverfront Park, Behind Cooper's Seafood. Rain date is Sept. 23.
Riverfest will promote the area’s cultural, historical and Native American attributes... |
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The City of Pittston is accepting bids on a 2006 Monaco Trailer that is currently in the upper Tomato Festival lot rear of South Main Street. The trailer is being sold in "as-is, where-is" condition and must be removed by the winning bidder within ten days of being notified by the city. Sealed bids are being accepted by the office of the City Clerk, Pittston City Hall, 35 Broad Street, Pittston, PA until 10am on Monday September 17, 2012 at which time the bids will be opened and... |
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 Pennsylvania State Senator John Yudichak addresses the opening ceremony of the 2012
Tomato Festival. Mayor Jason Klush stands third from right;
Councilman Michael Lombardo, Esq., stands fourth from right
City Controller Christopher Latona at left at the opening ceremony
Mayor Klush Addresses the Crowd at the Opening of the Tomato Festival |
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Former Pittston Mayor Thomas A. Walsh, who served from 1980 to 1998, died Monday at the age of 88. Mayor Walsh was U.S. Army veteran of World War II, who served in the Army Corps of Engineers. He used his knowledge to benefit city infrastructure and building repair and improvement projects throughout his term. The Pittston Tomato Festival began during his term, and Pittston also celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city during his administration in 1994. Prior to... |
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Enjoy summer by visiting the Pittston Farmers' Market held every Tuesday on Main Street. In addition to a wide selection of healthy vegetables and produce, other vendors offer a variety of items for sale. Stop by for a great time!
While at the Farmers' Market, check out some of the nearby commemorative markers:
The Famers Market is held in the Tomato Festival Parking Lot, the Robert E. Conroy, Sr. Memorial Park. Mr. Conroy devoted many years of volunteer service to the... |
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The city government has been hard at work this summer, and is pleased to provide updates on a number of projects:
Street Repaving: With sewer improvement projects completed, Broad Street and Union Street have been totally repaved. The photo shows PENNDOT's contractor milling Broad Street prior to repaving:
Sewer Repair East Frothingham Street at Main Street: A damaged section of undeground sanitary sewer pipe was recently repaired at this busy... |
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By Jim Murdoch
5:47 p.m. EST, January 9, 2012Downtown Pittston was spared the wrath of the September floods, but it has undergone a major renovation project.
The mild winter helped crews get the work done early, and helped the city save thousands of dollars.
If you haven't been in downtown Pittston lately, you may not recognize it. Gone are the construction crews prying apart sidewalks, the lane restrictions on Main Street and the overall traffic... |
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 City of Pittston adds new 2011 Ford truck to their fleet in preparation for winter season.
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It is hard to believe it has been over a year since the series of tropical storms and hurricane remnants led to some of the worst flooding this area has ever seen.
These images recall some of the challenges the city faced in the aftermath of the storms:
Mayor Jason Klush (operating bucket loader) and Department of Public Works operator Bruce Widdick work to clear a fallen tree from East Frothingham Street in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
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Though he looked sort of seedy, she wasn’t afraid to talk to him. They were, after all, clinging to the same vine.
Welcome to “A Tale of Two Tomatoes,” in which two sun-ripened title characters hope The Pittston Tomato Festival will turn out to be the best of times — but soon realize their destinies are worlds apart.
HE: Hey, Toots. You’re blushing!
SHE: Like a beet?
HE: Nah. They’re kind of maroon, anyway. I’d say, you’re red as a tomato.
SHE: I am a tomato. Say, you’re... |
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IN THE PANTHEON of palate pleasers, the tomato stands among demigods of the delectable. From the slice on your burger to the sauce on your pasta, from the cherry in your salad to the soup with your crackers, this versatile edible earned its ubiquitous place on our plates.
Tomatoes are the taste that made pizza famous, the juicy bites on your bruschetta and the cool mouthful in your gazpacho. They can stand or their own or blend perfectly with a horde of herbs (basil, rosemary, oregano... |
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PITTSTON – Matt Flynn and Deedra Porfirio ran to easy victories in the Pittston Tomato Festival 5K Run on Saturday.
Both winners – former Pittston Area High School runners -- trailed early in the race, but took charge shortly after the first mile.
Flynn, 25, of Media, broke the tape in 16 minutes and 18 seconds. Shavertown’s Sean Robbins, 41, who recently won the Wilkes-Barre Triathlon, finished second, 44 seconds behind Flynn. Chris Dailey, 20, of Dallas, finished third, just one... |
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The Pittston Tomato Festival is off the vine, wrapping up Sunday with what organizers and vendors say was the most successful event in years.
Crowds shrugged off the possibility of rain, knowing perhaps that it would be a few drops.
"We've covered," said a confident festival chairwoman Lori Nocito, of the covered tents where people can eat. "When there are reports that it may rain, people will get takeout."
Weather was a minor issue compared to planning around a sewer construction... |
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PITTSTON - It was a sea of red.
Both trenches fired away as fast as they could, heaving the juicy projectiles through the air. And standing firm in the middle of one of the throngs in a camouflage shirt and eye black, Jake Amendola ducked an incoming blast and launched a first tomato into a makeshift shield and the second into the chest of an opponent.
It was tomato chaos Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of Cooper's Seafood House as more than 250 people took part in the Pittston... |
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PITTSTON – The thing to remember when attending the Pittston Tomato Festival is to come hungry.
Even before the opening ceremonies on Thursday night, the lines were beginning to form as festival-goers chose what to eat from an astonishing variety of choices.
Monsignor John Bendik, pastor of the Parish Community of St. John the Evangelist in Pittston, opened the 28th annual festival with a prayer and led the audience in an a cappella rendition of the national anthem.
Various... |
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Just days after receiving $3 million to help develop the downtown, the City of Pittston landed another large grant to help build condominiums next to the Susquehanna River.
"We're thrilled," said Joe Moscovitz, the city's administrator. "This condo development is really a game changer for the future of the city. It has so many attractive components."
Gov. Tom Corbett awarded the city $2.5 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds Tuesday to help developers Rob Grimm... |
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Pittston’s Main Street redevelopment project will receive $3 million in state grant funding.
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta’s office said it received notice from Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget office Thursday morning that the project had been approved for a grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and that the funds will be released in the very short term.
“This is very good news for the city,” Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Gerard Mullarkey said. “This is a... |
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Event at Jefferson Park on Aug. 26, 27 to feature several bands and a kids’ day
Two fallen local heroes who died in service to their country will be honored and several charitable organizations will benefit when “Junction Jam ‘11” is staged on August 26 and 27 at Jefferson Park in the junction section of Pittston.
This year’s event is dedicated to the memory of First Lt. Jeffrey DePrimo, of Pittston, who was killed while serving in Afghanistan on May 19, 2008, and SPC. Dale Kridlo... |
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The $2.5 million in state funding will help with a revised version of the project.
BILL O ’ BOYLE
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PITTSTON – A scaled-down version of a condominium project in the city has received $2.5 million in state funding through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Charles Zogby, secretary of the state Office of the Budget, sent a letter to the city Redevelopment Authority informing them that Gov. Tom Corbett has approved the funding for the Pittston Riverfront... |
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 REGISTRATIONAlbert West Park Youth 6-14 Years of Age Monday-Friday 5:30-7:30 Contact: Bob Fahey @ 362-8121 |
Pittston may not be a boomtown, but thanks to Jim Norris and the downtown merchants, it’s a bloom town.
Pro bono downtown manager Rose Randazzo said one day she arrived at her office to find that overnight someone had planted flowers under the trees in front of her office.
That someone was Jim Norris.
Norris has since planted flowers in the tree beds along Main Street from William Street to Charles Street where phase one of the Streetscape project is complete. The first planting of... |
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Vendors were: Golomb Farms and Greenhouses, Dymond’s Farms, Brace’s Orchard, and Paul Pauling. New to the market this season is Edward Transue Farms from Dallas.
New vendors are welcome. Rental shape of 14ft. ft frontage is available for $100 for the season which will continue until November 17. Charitable and civic organizations are welcome to participate at the market free of charge on a week-to-week bases. Vouchers received from the PA Department of Agriculture will be accepted by the... |
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PITTSTON - More than seven years after its first attempt, the City of Pittston is taking another look at adopting a home-rule charter.
The Pittston City Council took the first step Thursday toward putting a question on the November ballot asking voters to approve a government-study commission that would put together plans for a home rule charter.
The council presented a first reading of an ordinance on the ballot proposal and will meet again July 20 for a final vote. If approved, the... |
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It seems everybody who lives near Chuck Meninchini is sick.
The radius of disease circles Mill Street and Carroll Street in Pittston, Meninchini's hometown.
In a one-block radius on the streets five people have brain cancer, Meninchini said. And there's more. Fifteen people in the area, Meninchini said, suffer from esophageal cancer.
"How rare is that?" he said.
All told, more than 80 families include somebody who is battling cancer, Meninchini said. He's one of them, diagnosed with... |
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The 28th annual Pittston Tomato Festival will grace the pages of this week’s nationally published Parade Magazine, an insert in the Sunday Times Leader, in the feature story “Eat Your Way Across America, 50 States, 50 Fabulous Food Festivals.”
“The tomato fight caught our eye,” said Daryl Chen, features editor of Parade Magazine. “It was also great that the money for the event goes toward a good cause.”
Chen said that she and other editors were looking for events that have not... |
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PITTSTON -- Political tensions in the run-up to Tuesday’s primary election seemed like a distant memory at Wednesday night’s regular City Council meeting.
Aside from a few congratulatory handshakes given to council members Danny Argo and Joseph Mclean, the election was not even mentioned.
Council member Joe Chernouskas commended the work of city police, fire and ambulance personnel whose rapid response to a May 6 fire at the Apollo Apartments contained the damage to one unit and likely... |
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Milling work underway on Broad Street prior to new curbing and paving.
Photo by jack smilesStore
For a good chunk of Pittston the answer is this spring and summer. In fact work has already started. The American Water Company paved James Street from Curran Street to the Dead End.
City manager Joe Moskovitz said the city feels the residents’ pain.
“City officials are very sensitive to the inconvenience the sewer project has had on all of our residents and especially our residents in the... |
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Pittston Area
Charles A. Sciandra, Richard Gorzkowski, Tony Guariglia and John Casey Donahue were voted onto both Democratic and Republlican ballots. However, Joe Kelly received enough votes to make it on the Democratic ballot and John D. Boone to made it on the Republican ticket, a split that leaves some competition. |
Hotly contested local races in Pittston City and Plymouth Borough were decided Tuesday, and another crowded contest in Hanover Township shook out.
In Pittston City, where two seats were being fought over by six Democrats, controversial former councilman Danny Argo got back in the saddle again.
With all six precincts counted, unofficial totals showed Joseph G. McLean was the high vote-getter with 667. Argo beat out Kim Marie E. Alfano by four votes, 513 to 509. The gap widened to 559 to 530... |
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WILKES-BARRE – Seven candidates will vie for six open seats for Luzerne County judge in the November general election, according to unofficial tallies in Tuesday’s primary.
Five of the seven candidates will have an edge in November general election as they secured nominations on both the Democratic and Republican ballots: Fred Pierantoni, Michael Vough, Joseph Sklarosky Jr., Lesa Gelb and Jennifer Rogers.
The remaining two, Molly Hanlon Mirabito, captured a spot on the Democratic... |
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