Latest news with #WilkesBarre
Fox News
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Rock band frontman blasts music festival for canceling show for 'political reasons'
Low Cut Connie, a Philadelphia-based rock band, is claiming its scheduled performance at a music festival this week was canceled because of politics. Frontman Adam Weiner posted a message to fans on social media on Monday saying the band had been pulled from the lineup for the "Rocking the River" festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on Friday. "For the first time ever, my show has been canceled for 'political' reasons," Weiner wrote to the band's Facebook page. "The promoters in Luzerne County, PA feel that this weekend's Low Cut Connie show in Wilkes-Barre will be too controversial and polarizing ---Low Cut Connie shows are quite the opposite!!" The annual summer concert series is advertised as a free event open to all ages. An AC/DC cover band has replaced Low Cut Connie for the July 25 lineup. In a video message, the musician called the county's decision "so disappointing and upsetting." "Why did they cancel the show?" he asked. "They won't tell us, but they have indicated they are canceling my show for political reasons. Now, let me give you a little bit of context. If you've been to a Low Cut Connie Show, you know that onstage, I speak about diversity." Weiner said he believes diversity is one of America's strengths, and he wouldn't "apologize" for using the terms. "People don't like the word, but I will continue to use it because everyone is welcome at a Low Cut Connie show. 'Diversity' and 'inclusion' should not be dirty words," he said. Weiner also suggested the band's protest song called "Livin' in the USA" could've factored into the decision. The song, released in May, addresses the "terror, the unease, the fear that so many people are experiencing right now in the United States." "Because of these ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids that are absolutely inhumane and anti-American," Weiner said. He called the show promoter's decision to cancel the performance "cowardly." "We could have had a beautiful show this Friday," he said, before comparing his experience to that of late-night host Stephen Colbert's, whose late-night comedy show was canceled last week. Colbert is an outspoken progressive. "Artists like myself are losing work because of our principles, just like Stephen Colbert," he said. A Luzerne County spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Our goal is to have a place where we can enjoy music, food, promote our community, have fun, be safe and free of politics and propaganda." Low Cut Connie also pulled out of a scheduled Kennedy Center show in March in protest of President Donald Trump's takeover of the venue.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
SNAP benefits are still being stolen in Pennsylvania. Here's how to protect your money.
Kathy Swingon is taking the month of July day by day. The 57-year-old, who lives in West Philadelphia, recently tried to use her EBT card to access her SNAP benefits, only to find out there was no money in the account. "When I went to go swipe, it was no money on the card, so I just was like devastated. I just left out the market," Swingon said. "It says zero, zero, zero." Swingon said she relies on those benefits to put food in the refrigerator for herself and the three family members who live with her. Swingon showed CBS News Philadelphia the transactions made within minutes of each other before 2 a.m. While one location was in Philadelphia, the others were outside the city, including one as far as Wilkes-Barre. "Never been there. I don't even know how to get there, to be honest, because I don't drive," she said. READ MORE: What should I do if I'm a victim of stolen SNAP benefits? She shared emails showing her card was "locked," which is thought to prevent bad actors from draining benefits. "That's why I was like, how did they get it and it was locked?" she said. Justin King is with Propel, an app used by Swingon and some 5 million others to manage SNAP benefits. "There are real limitations to the tools that have been put into place," King said. Propel is a private service that is not affiliated with the state of Pennsylvania, but King said it mimics the features offered in the state's app. "In Pennsylvania, people have the choice to either lock their card totally or to block out-of-state transactions. In many states, people can do both of those things at the same time," King said. With Swingon's permission, we provided her information to the company to look into her case further. They confirmed her account was locked, but it was only set to block out-of-state purchases. Her benefits were used at stores in the state. "The states need to step up and put more and better protections into place to help stop this terrible wave of EBT theft that's happening," King said. King said the issue "is a national problem." The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services confirms it has "no relationship" with Propel. A spokesperson added, "The Connect EBT app is the only app that Pennsylvania partners with to manage EBT card transaction history and lock and unlock features." Connect EBT offers two card lock features — "lock my card everywhere," which prevents any purchases in store or online, or "lock my card outside of PA," which stops transactions outside the state but allows all others in Pennsylvania and online, the spokesperson said. Swingon still has questions as she waits to see what happens in August "I just hope it don't happen next month because if it happens next month, I'm really messed up," she said. Until then, Swingon says she'll continue to check food banks and lean on her family for support. Replacement benefits for those that are stolen stopped at the end of last year. Still, experts urge anyone who has had their benefits stolen to report it immediately to their county assistance office and the state department of human services. Community Legal Services of Philadelphia offers free legal assistance to those in need. "We are advising families about changing their PIN as much as they can and using card-locking features to the degree that they help, but unfortunately, this is still a huge problem in Pennsylvania. ... We think that the only solution is for Pennsylvania to invest in more secure EBT cards," Lydia Gottesfeld, managing attorney with Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, said. A bill in Harrisburg that would require Pennsylvania to move to chip-enabled EBT cards, which experts say are more secure, remains in the Senate after it passed out of the House.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Look Back: Jewelry thief attempts prison escape in 1884
Jul. 14—Among the many storefronts circling Public Square in Wilkes-Barre was Oscar Heyer's, a jewelry store that sold, well ... jewelry, along with French and American clocks, solid silver utensils and plates, and revolvers and fishing tackle. Oscar Heyer's, in the 1880s, was located at 81 West Side Public Square before moving to the corner of North Franklin and West Market streets in the early 1900s. On May 11, 1884, John Shultz, 20, left his home at 415 Broadway St., Williamsburg, N.Y., and disembarked a Lehigh Valley passenger train in Wilkes-Barre. Shultz took the name John Schuler when he boarded at a house on South Franklin Street, and took a job at Oscar Heyer's as a salesman under the alias. At at time when background checks for employment were non-existent, Shultz fled New York as he was wanted for being a thief. It did not take long for Shultz to resume his thievery. "John Schuler and Charles Rapps were before the mayor yesterday, in connection with the robbery of Oscar Heyer's store. Schuler pleaded total ignorance of the matter. He did not know how the valuables came to be in his possession," reported the Wilkes-Barre Record on May 22, 1884. Oscar Heyer reported more than $1,000 worth of jewelry and watches were stolen from his store and named Schuler as the suspect. Rapps told policemen he had recently met Schuler. "Charles Rapps said he had only known Schuler for a few days. He met him on the street with a satchel in each hand and assisted him in carrying them to the train depot. Further than this, he knew nothing of the affair and was discharged from custody," the Record reported. Schuler was jailed on $1,000 bail. Policemen did their due diligence and learned Schuler's real identity and the New York warrant by telegraph. "It turned out that Schuler's real name is John Shultz, for in the evening the mayor received a telegram from Williamsburg, N.Y.," reported the Record. After Schuler was jailed at the Luzerne County Prison on Water Street, the jail watchman found a postcard in Schuler's belongings that had the name, "John Shultz, 415 Broadway, Williamsburg, N.Y." Justice was quick and swift inside the Luzerne County Courthouse, which once stood in Public Square Park, as Schuler was convicted of larceny during a trial held Saturday, June 21, 1884. Judge Stanley Woodward sentenced Schuler a day after he was convicted. "John Shultz, alias John Schuler, for the taking of jewelry from the store of Oscar Heyer, to pay a fine of $25 to the Commonwealth, pay the cost of prosecution, restore the property stolen, and undergo an imprisonment by separate and solitary confinement at labor in the Luzerne County Prison for a term and period of eight months," the Sunday News reported June 22, 1884. About a month after being sentenced, Schuler attempted to escape from prison by climbing out a window on July 15, 1884. "Schuler was in the watchman's room and raising a loose window bar, made his way into the jail yard. He then commenced scaling the high wall, surrounding the building, but, when almost to the top, he fell down and was somewhat injured. Schuler tried again to climb the high wall but was discovered by the watchman making his second effort and the watchmen leveled a gun at him. Schuler immediately surrendered and was put back into his cell," the Sunday News reported July 20, 1884. Schuler remained in solitary confinement inside Cell 10 at the Luzerne County Prison and was released Feb. 8, 1885. Prior to being released, he was given a train ticket and was told never to return to Luzerne County, the Record reported Feb. 9, 1885.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bill OBoyle: Ensuring the Christmas tree industry stays healthy
Jul. 13—WILKES-BARRE — You may have noticed recent stories about "Christmas in July" events happening throughout our region. It's a fun thought — especially with these recent hot and humid days we've been having. It's nice to think about Christmas and snow and Santa and family celebrations and, oh yeah, Christmas trees. So it was very comforting to hear that Pennsylvania's Christmas tree industry has a new, reliable, competent friend in Kelly Piccioni — Penn State Extension's horticulture educator — who has been hired to support the state's Christmas tree industry with field visits, scouting reports and clear, easy-to-follow guidance. Before I get into why this is so significant, just know that those of you who still enjoy the long-standing tradition of having a real Christmas tree adorn your homes for the holidays, Piccioni has your back. When I was a kid, my mom always insisted on having a perfectly proportioned Douglas fir in our front room — centered in front of two large windows for the neighborhood to see and admire. Mom, Dad and I would head over to Last Chance in Breslau to pick one out, strap it to our car and head home to set it up and then decorate. Back then, most homes had real trees of varying species, and all were magnificent. Which is why Piccioni has a big job to do — to see that the tradition of real Christmas trees continues and that tree farmers have all the information and guidance they need. A news release from University Park states, "At one time, Christmas Eve was the most popular day to buy and decorate a Christmas tree. The evergreen would stay up through the holiday season and into the winter, offering a symbol of life during the darkest months. "For Penn State Extension Horticulture Educator Kelly Piccioni, Christmas trees are a family legacy. Her roots in the Christmas tree business stretch back four generations, starting with her great-grandfather, who bought trees off the railroad and resold them. Her grandparents grew trees in Schuylkill County and sold them from their backyard on Centre Avenue in Reading, Berks County." Piccioni knows all about the Christmas tree tradition. "Growing up, we did every job on the farm," Piccioni said. "There's even a special 'Christmas tree waddle' we learned as kids for planting seedlings." Piccioni provides educational resources and support to commercial producers of Christmas trees, cut flowers and other horticultural crops in the region. Her role is especially significant given that Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for Christmas tree production. "I've been out as much as possible, which has been so fun," Piccioni said. "You see the challenges people face, their strengths and the progress on their farms. Christmas tree growers are some of the best people. That's always drawn me to the green industry and ag world. I get to geek out every day as they let me walk around their farms." Each Thursday, growers subscribed to the Christmas Tree Production Area of Interest list receive a new report noting pest and disease activity observed in the field, along with pesticide guidance and management tips. Piccioni collaborates closely with the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association to deliver content and support grower meetings and information sharing. "Yes, we're always competing with artificial trees, but so many people keep coming back to a real tree because they miss the tradition, they miss the smell, and they want their kids to experience it," she said. Piccioni cited a 2024 consumer survey by the Real Christmas Tree Board, in which more than 80% of respondents agreed that the scent of a real Christmas tree makes their home feel festive, relaxes them and enhances their holiday experience. "I think everyone feels a bit of the innocence of childhood seeping away with technology," she said. "There's so much pressure and chaos at that time of year, but going out to get a real tree forces you to slow down. It's childlike in the best way." For real. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Offender pleads guilty to drug trafficking as manslaughter sentencing continued
Jul. 9—WILKES-BARRE — A Lake Township person who pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter for the fentanyl overdose death of a man in 2021 pled guilty to a felony drug trafficking offense Wednesday. William John Milligan, 30, who identifies as a woman and uses the name "Selena Leyc," pled guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance before Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas. Prosecutors withdrew four other drug offenses and a criminal trespass charge against Milligan. Milligan was arrested by Wilkes-Barre police who investigated a trespassing complaint at a residence in the 400 block of South River Street on March 4, a week after he pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. In the manslaughter case, the Pennsylvania State Police at Wilkes-Barre charged Milligan with delivering fentanyl that caused the overdose death of her boyfriend, Kodiak Solomon, inside their Loyalville Outlet Road residence on Dec. 24, 2021. An autopsy revealed Solomon died from fentanyl toxicity, according to court records. Wilkes-Barre police in court records say when Milligan was detained for trespassing, he was carrying four duffel bags that contained a bag of ecstasy pills, two bags containing fentanyl, a pill bottle in the name of another person, a glass pipe, syringes and a spoon. Milligan remains jailed and is scheduled to be sentenced on the separate cases Aug. 27.
