TimesLeader.com

3:37 AM

Deputy sheriff found dead at W-B home

A 41-year-old Luzerne County sheriff’s deputy died at home from complications from a blood clot.

3:42 AM

Undelivered IRS checks are available

The Internal Revenue Service released a list of Luzerne County residents who can claim undelivered refund checks.

November 7

District attorney shuts down pub in Plymouth

PLYMOUTH – In a highly visible show of force, prosecutors padlocked the doors at Olde Tymers Pub Friday afternoon, a move the manager says is racially motivated.

3:39 AM

State police vice isn’t a 9-to-5 job

FORTY FORT – Imagine popping the top off of a car battery to find marijuana stuffed inside, or posing undercover as a john at a truck stop in a prostitution sting.

3:27 AM

Two city family funeral homes merge

WILKES-BARRE – Two city families each with a long history in politics and the funeral business have merged.

7:24 AM

Pa. court tosses prostitution case over police-funded sex

HARRISBURG — An appeals court has ruled Pennsylvania State Police botched a prostitution investigation in which troopers gave an informant money to pay for sex four times at a massage parlor, along with a total of $180 for the man’s trouble.

November 7

Closed churchs to be taxed

Closed churches and religious schools will likely be taxed in Luzerne County next year, county Assessment Director Tony Alu said Friday.

November 7

Lawyer: Drop hit-and-run charges against woman

WILKES-BARRE – An attorney for a woman charged with a fatal Kingston hit-and-run accident in August said Friday that prosecuting attorneys did not present all evidence at a preliminary hearing and that charges against his client should be dismissed.

November 7

Fort Hood suspect said farewell

FORT HOOD, Texas — As if going off to war, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan cleaned out his apartment, gave leftover frozen broccoli to one neighbor and called another to thank him for his friendship — common courtesies and routines of the departing soldier. Instead, authorities say, he went on the killing spree that left 13 people dead.

November 7

Which party ruled on Tuesday?

The votes have been counted, candidates have been elected and both political parties have claimed victory.

3:46 AM

WVSA may treat wastewater from gas-drilling

The Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority is investigating the feasibility of treating wastewater created from natural-gas drilling.

7:19 AM

One dead, five hurt in Orlando shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. — A man so broke that he said he didn’t have the money to visit his son 30 minutes away opened fire Friday at the engineering firm that fired him two years ago, killing one person and wounding five, authorities said.

November 7

Sallie Mae supporters rally to save jobs

HANOVER TWP. – By the time the ripple effect of a possible Sallie Mae closing would hit Jerry Stewart’s business, it would be a good-sized wave.

7:22 AM

Hearing on federal obstruction charge postponed to December

WILKES-BARRE – A preliminary hearing scheduled Friday for a Pittston businessman charged in the county corruption probe has been continued to December.

November 7

W-B plans two more swine flu clinics for next week

WILKES-BARRE - The city has scheduled two more swine flu clinics for next week and people living outside city limits can get the vaccine if they are in the five high risk groups.

November 7

Bishop to visit St. Stephen’s

WILKES-BARRE – For what may be the first time in nearly two centuries, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral Wednesday, spending time at outreach ministries in the afternoon and giving a sermon at an evening service followed by a brief reception and a question-and-answer session.

November 7

Piece of airplane’s tail falls off

MELVILLE, N.Y. — It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Well, it’s part of a plane.

November 7

Nanticoke Area offers vaccine

NANTICOKE – The Greater Nanticoke Area School District began providing free H1N1 vaccine Friday to its students in an attempt to ward off a major swine flu outbreak.

November 7

‘Castle’ auditorium to be named after late art teacher

HAZLETON – When Allan Werst was a teen living in Texas in 1956, his aunt, an art teacher at the former Hazleton High School, invited him to come live with her in Hazleton.

November 7

North-South Classic Bowl to kick off

A youth football team that conquered the season by going undefeated but was barred from the playoffs due to a lawsuit will play in the first ever North-South Classic Bowl Game tonight.

November 7

Pulaski now honorary U.S. citizen

WASHINGTON — Finally, Gen. Casimir Pulaski became an American citizen on Friday, 230 years after the Polish nobleman died fighting for the as yet-unborn United States.

3:30 AM

International news briefs

Investigators are searching the New Orleans offices of the activist group ACORN in connection with embezzlement and tax fraud allegations.

November 7

Health vote may fall short in House

WASHINGTON — House Democrats acknowledged they don’t yet have the votes to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system, and signaled they may push back the vote until Sunday or early next week.

November 7

Suspect seemed harmless to his neighbors

CLEVELAND — The man who lived in the house of rotting corpses never gave people a reason to wonder what he was really doing behind closed doors.

November 7

Seattle team wins $900K with robot

LOS ANGELES — A space elevator may not be rocket science but it can be just as complicated — and rewarding.

3:07 AM

Business briefs

Outstanding consumer credit fell by $14.8 billion to $2.46 trillion in September, down 4.7 percent compared with a year ago.

November 7

Jobless rate tops 10 percent

WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate has hit double digits for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher.

November 7

Domestic air travelers feeling economy’s squeeze

FORT WORTH, Texas — If your most recent flight felt crowded, it was.

November 7

Deadline nears for Kraft

CHICAGO — The clock is ticking on a Monday deadline for Kraft Foods Inc. to make a formal offer for British candy maker Cadbury PLC.

November 7

Stocks make modest gains

NEW YORK — Investors added to the week’s strong gains in the stock market after finding some positives in a surprisingly weak jobs report.