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Reps. Mullery, Pashinski, Carroll close district offices

State Reps. Jerry Mullery, D-Newport Township; Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre; and Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, on Tuesday announced the closure of their district offices until further notice per Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest COVID-19 mitigation plan.

The staff of district offices will be working remotely and will be able to continue providing assistance for state-related issues and concerns via email at the following:

Mullery: [email protected]

Pashinski: [email protected]

Carroll: [email protected]

It’s uncertain when the offices will reopen, but they hope it will be by early April.

NBLT 2020 annual dinner and auction postponed

DALLAS — The North Branch Land Trust has announced that the organization’s 2020 annual dinner and auction has been postponed until Thursday, Sept. 24.

The NBLT statement said: “In order to make the best informed decisions regarding events, we have thoughtfully and carefully reviewed the CDC, federal, state, and community guidelines and recommendations regarding the COVID-19 virus. Therefore, for the safety and health of our guests, we are postponing the annual dinner.”

All sponsorships, program book ads, auction donations, and ticket sales to date will be honored.

Exeter Borough building closed to public

EXETER — Until further notice the borough building is closed to the public due to COVID-19 , but remains open to essential personnel, Mayor Denise Adams and Police Chief Joseph Schlagel announced Monday.

The borough will respond to police, fire and medical emergencies. Police and fire departments will not be accepting walk-in visitors, however. Residents are asked to dial 911 in the event of an emergency.

In addition, payments for trash, taxes, tickets, building and trash container permits can be dropped off in the secure box located at the entrance of the borough building at 1101 Wyoming Ave.

For further information, residents can call the borough building at 570 654-3001 or visit www.exeterborough.com.

Borough officials said they are in constant contact with the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency for further directions from government agencies.

20th annual Tom Bigler Journalism Conference canceled

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University has decided to cancel the 20th annual Tom Bigler Journalism Conference, which was slated for Friday, April 24.

Kalen M.A. Churcher, Ph.D., associate professor in the communication studies department and adviser to the school’s newspaper, The Beacon, made the announcement Monday.

“With the closure of the public schools due to COVID-19, the uncertainty surrounding college and university classes, and the obvious concern for everyone’s health, we feel this is the best decision,” Churcher said.

PA Game Commission closes offices

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission has announced it will close all offices to the public for at least two weeks in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Harrisburg headquarters and all regional offices will be closed during this time, and purchases made online or by mail will not be filled until the offices reopen.

The earliest date when offices could reopen is March 30.

The Board of Game Commissioners meeting to be held April 6-7 at the Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., remains scheduled at this time. However, the Game Commission is exploring alternative methods for holding the meeting should offices remain closed for an extended period.

Any changes or updates will be announced by future news releases.

Rep. Boback temporarily suspends walk-in services

DALLAS — Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, has announced that, effective immediately, her district offices in Dallas and Tunkhannock will suspend walk-in constituent services, outreach and satellite hours until further notice.

Boback’s staff will still be available to assist residents over the telephone or online with any state-related matter.

“Out of concern for my constituents and staff regarding the coronavirus, I have chosen to put on hold any services that would risk disease transmission,” Boback said. “My top concern is for the well-being of my constituents, many of whom are elderly and therefore particularly vulnerable to this virus.”

For Harrisburg inquiries, call 717-787-1117, or email [email protected].

For Dallas inquiries, call 570-675-6000, or email [email protected]; or [email protected].

For Tunkhannock inquiries, call 570-836-4777, or email [email protected]; [email protected]; or [email protected]

Forty Fort Borough closes municipal building

FORTY FORT — The Forty Fort municipal building is closed to the public until further notice. The offices are open to office personnel only, who will continue to service public needs.

• For all police, fire, & medical emergencies, please call 911.

• Police are asking the public to report non-emergency situations to 570-287-8586, ext 24, or via email at [email protected]. The public is asked not to walk into the department to file a report.

• Overnight (2 a.m. to 5 a.m.) parking restrictions will be suspended until further notice. Previously issued tickets must be mailed, payment will not be accepted at the borough building.

• Tax payments will be accepted by mail only with a check or money order until further notice. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like a receipt. Mail payments to:

Tom Alexander, Tax Collector

PO Box 124

Luzerne, PA 18709-0124

• Building or zoning permits can be found on the website. Completed permit applications can be e-mailed to [email protected] . If any assistance is required with zoning and code enforcement, please contact Tom Craig 570-287-8586 ext. 5.

Call 570-287-8586 with questions or need assistance. Also email the borough manager at [email protected].

Rep. Kaufer temporarily closes district office to walk-ins

LUZERNE — Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, announced that his Luzerne district office will not be providing walk-in service to local residents until further notice.

Kaufer’s staff will still be available to assist residents over the telephone or online with any state government-related matter.

“We are trying to take precautions to protect both our area residents as well as our staff amid COVID-19 concerns,” said Kaufer. “I ask that everyone follow the advice of the Pennsylvania Department of Health and remain calm as well as practice preventative hygiene measures.”

The phone number for the district office is 570-283-1001. Kaufer and his staff can also be reached via email at [email protected] or through his website at www.RepKaufer.com.

Should constituents have questions regarding COVID-19, they should call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (877-724-3258).

Wilkes reschedules Rosenn Lecture with NPR’s Terry Gross

WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University has rescheduled the April 19 Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities with National Public Radio’s Terry Gross. The event is now set for April 25, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts.

Details about registering for the 2021 event will be released at a later date. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The lecture — “All I Did Was Ask: An Afternoon With Terry Gross” — will offer a behind-the-mic glimpse of her innovative and hugely popular public radio show, Fresh Air. Recounting stories of extremely successful interviews as well as relating entertaining tales of particularly disastrous interviews, Gross will share a side of herself that her listeners rarely get to see.

Gross is National Public Radio’s award-winning host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air. Gross, who has been host of Fresh Air since 1975, when it was broadcast only in Greater Philadelphia, is not afraid to ask tough questions. But she sets an atmosphere in which her guests volunteer the answers rather than surrendering them.

For more information about the rescheduled event, please contact Rebecca Van Jura at 570-408-4306 or email [email protected].