Police search for info on burglary
CLIFFORD TWP. - A burglar in Susquehanna County made off with jewelry, coins, a computer and pills after entering an unlocked home Thursday, state police said. Items taken from the 586 TR Williams Road residence between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. included a men's gold wedding band, a men's gold band with diamonds, a men's gold Rolex, a 17-inch laptop computer, 30 to 40 silver half dollars, a woman's jade and gold bracelet and earrings and 60 Hydrocodone pills, police said.
W-B grappling with deficit
WILKES-BARRE - City council members said Friday they aren't sure how to fix a multimillion-dollar deficit that Mayor Tom Leighton revealed Thursday.
On Tuesday, Mr. Leighton asked city employees to consider furloughs during the final six weeks of the year to help patch the $2.5 million to $3 million hole in the budget. Councilman Bill Barrett said he wasn't sure if that would be enough to fix the worst financial situation he's seen in his nine years on council.
Council President Mike Merritt said the administration needs to create a budget with the flexibility to withstand revenue shortages.
City spokesman Drew McLaughlin said the $1.2 million in income tax the city has yet to receive from former county collector Centax partially caused the crisis. The rest, he said, was caused by a decrease in taxes and other revenue.
W-B mulls prison guard layoffs
WILKES-BARRE - Luzerne County plans to eliminate 18 jobs for correctional officers, and eight active correctional officers will be laid off Nov. 1, officials said Friday.
Luzerne County Manager Robert Lawton is trying to trim costs to avoid a budget shortfall this year and plans to propose next year's budget to council Monday. A new scheduling approach at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility will allow a reduction in the amount of active correctional officers to 171, Mr. Lawton said.
The collective bargaining agreement with the union for prison employees prevents a further staff reduction, said Tom Borum, union business agent for Laborers' International Union of North America.