Margaret Roarty

<p>WILKES-BARRE — With a potential strike looming, registered nurses at Geisinger Wyoming Valley assembled Wednesday on Public Square for a rally that union officials called “a last ditch effort” to reach a new agreement with the health care system.</p>

<p>The restoration and reopening of the Forty Fort pool is one step closer to reality as the borough was just approved for a $208,250 grant through the Greenways, Trails and Recreation program to help fund a potential massive repairs project.</p>

<p>WILKES-BARRE — A $30 million mixed-used housing project downtown, a community garden and several new businesses received zoning approval Wednesday at the city zoning hearing board’s regular meeting.</p>

<p>About a month into his role as acting mayor in Luzerne Borough, Ron Reino said he hasn’t yet decided if he wants to run in this year’s municipal election. </p>

<p>SCRANTON — Union hospital workers represented by SEIU Healthcare PA and the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP), along with local and state representatives from both Lackawanna and Luzerne County, came together Monday at the Scranton Hilton Hotel to participate in a town hall on the future of community hospitals, following the collapse of Woodbridge Healthcare’s acquisition of Commonwealth Health.</p>

<p>TRUCKSVILLE — With little more than a week before Christmas, hundreds of community members came together Sunday at the Back Mountain Harvest Church to celebrate the holiday season with this year’s final performance of “The Gift,” a musical dramatization of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.</p>

<p>PITTSTON — Brittany Grasso-Salvatori and Manny Salvatori would open their own brewery under two conditions: that it was located in their home state of Pennsylvania and that it was for a good cause.</p>

<p>WILKES-BARRE — 13-year-old Nicholas Schultz stood in the corner of the dining room holding a tray of sodas.</p>

<p>PLAINS TWP. — Attendance at Sunday’s annual Veterans Brunch, hosted by Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, nearly doubled from last year’s inaugural event as veterans, family members and local officials gathered at The Woodlands Inn and Resort in celebration of those who put their lives on the line in service of their country.</p>

<p>EDWARDSVILLE — Pawtopia Suites, a luxury cat and dog daycare and spa that also offers boarding services, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday in honor of the grand opening of its new location at 104 Woodward Hill Road in Edwardsville. Formerly located on Main Street in Plymouth, Pawtopia has been in business for three years. According to owner Kaitlyn Littzi, the business offers cage-free, overnight boarding, professional grooming, and both private and group training classes. Those who attended the grand opening and signed up for daycare or reserves for boarding enjoyed a 10% discount on those services. For more information on Pawtopia Suites, visit the business’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561430842010" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.</p>