In September 2009, the city of Wilkes-Barre entered into a 20-year, rent-free lease with the Frank Martz Coach Company, a.k.a. Martz Trailways, under the condition that it would become the management company for the Intermodal Center. In lieu of rent, Martz Trailways would assume the responsibility of running the terminal and keeping it clean.
Fiorucci made his case in front of Magistrate Paul J Roberts of Kingston, claiming that he inadvertently delivered his newsletter to Casey’s home, and that as soon as he realized the mistake he returned to retrieve it in accordance with Casey’s request. Upon reclaiming the newsletter, Fiorucci was confronted by Casey, who later testified in response to questioning by Chief Pelchar, “I told him he was trespassing, and called you on your cell phone.”
On appeal, Mark Robbins’ trespass by motor vehicle charge was dismissed on August 7 by Judge Michael T Vough when Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Brian Gist failed to arrive for the scheduled hearing.
In responding to questioning arising as a result of that article as to why the city was only being paid a flat rate of $500 per month for the nearly 200 tons of materials generated by the city while NRS offers the above rates to their other municipal clients, Mayor Tom Leighton claimed, “NRS is the only single-stream recycler in northeast Pennsylvania.”
The Independent Gazette has learned of several vehicle break-ins which occurred this past Father’s Day at the city’s Park & Lock Central Parking facility at 52 South Main behind the Movies 14 theater. These acts went unreported by the city. They were reported, however, among other recent crimes within the Wilkes-Barre Crime Watch Coalition’s facebook group, where crime notifications are often made in real time.
The newly hired Community Relations Coordinator, city spokeswoman Liza Prokop is refusing to speak with reporters from the Gazette with regard to several news articles being investigated. Recently, Louis R. Jasikoff, publisher of the Gazette and this reporter paid several visits to city hall in attempts to investigate either claims made by citizens, or follow up on information contained in responses to Right-to-Know requests.
All but two members of the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board voted at the May 28th board meeting to approve a 0.1552 mill property tax increase. The “no” votes came from board members Christine Katsock and Rev. Shawn Walker. Walker was appointed in May to replace Robert Corcoran after Corcoran moved to Germany but attempted to maintain his seat on the board by attending board meetings via the internet.
As crime continues to mount on the streets of Wilkes-Barre, the administration, police, and concerned citizens look for ways to curb the rising violence. An integral piece of the crime prevention puzzle is the city’s surveillance camera system known as “Hawkeye.” Misleading or sometimes inaccurate news reports on the system’s functionality has lead to confusion about who runs the system, who owns the system, its crime prevention effectiveness, as well as the prudence of continued funding of the system. The Gazette performed an in-depth review of the Hawkeye security system, including viewing the cameras in operation both during the daytime and at night. We appreciate the openness and direct answers received from the owners of Legion Security Services and Greg Barrouck, and also for meeting us after hours and permitting the Gazette to view the system at work after dark. Presented are just the facts, as you, our readers, can decide Hawkeye’s fate.
Founded in 2008 by Mayor Tom Leighton and former City Administrator JJ Murphy as a Pennsylvania non-profit intended to enhance public safety, Hawkeye Security Solutions in conjunction with the City of Wilkes-Barre selected TAC (now Schneider Electric), a company whose security division specializes in digital video surveillance, to design, install and maintain a $2 million network of digital surveillance cameras throughout the City of Wilkes-Barre via an exclusive no bid contract.