Standard Speaker

1 day ago | standardspeaker.com | James Halpin

A Freeland man accused of opening fire during an underage drinking party in Hazleton, killing one person and injuring four others, was charged Wednesday with conspiring with another alleged killer to intimidate a witness in the case — while his attorney alleges a city police detective has engaged in some intimidation of his own. Frangel Garcia Andujar, 23, of Freeland, is charged with murdering 17-year-old Hazleton resident Stanley B. Jimson Jr. and injuring four others during a party at 182 S.

1 day ago | standardspeaker.com | Valerie Gonzalez |Gisela Salomon

By VALERIE GONZALEZ and GISELA SALOMON, Associated PressMcALLEN, Texas (AP) — Hubert Montoya burst out laughing when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security emailed to say he should leave the country immediately or risk consequences of being deported. He is a U.S. citizen. “I just thought it was absurd,” the Austin, Texas, immigration attorney said.

5 days ago | standardspeaker.com | Ron Devlin

TAMAQUA — State Fire Warden Paul Kennedy was still onsite monitoring a brush fire on Schuylkill County’s eastern edge Friday afternoon when he was called to another brush fire on the county’s western edge. Back-to-back fires, occurring almost as if on a schedule, underscored the intensity of the current brush fire season. While driving from one fire to the other, about a 40-mile trek, Kennedy took time to talk about the challenges presented by the upcoming brush fire season.

6 days ago | standardspeaker.com | Michael P. Buffer

Last Sunday morning at  5:47 a.m., Luzerne County dispatcher Kaylary Santos answered a 911 call from Luzerne Borough about a woman having a baby in active labor. “This call came in, and it was the father. And I noticed he was struggling a bit,” Santos recalled. “When you’re not from this country and come from a family of immigrants, you notice when someone is struggling with the language, when they need extra help. So I asked him it was preferable to speak in Spanish, and he said yeah.

6 days ago | standardspeaker.com | Michael P. Buffer

WILKES-BARRE — The drafters of a revised Luzerne County Home Rule Charter voted Thursday to keep requirements for an ethics code and ethics commission in the charter. The drafters serving on the county government study commission also proposed that the charter no loner mandate who serves on the Accountability, Conduct and Ethics commission. The commission voted to force council to ratify or amend the current ACE code within nine months of the effective date of the revised charter.