TimesLeader.com

10:31 AM

4.4 Earthquake shakes Southern California awake

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An earthquake east of downtown Los Angeles rippled across Southern California’s vast urban center before dawn Tuesday, jolting people awake and putting first-responders on alert.

10:29 AM

Traffic Alert: Interstate 84 in Pike County

Interstate 84, Exits 2-4: eastbound mile marker 2.0 (Twin Bridges) Bridge deck patching Tuesday (3/16), 8 AM to 2 PM Right Lane restricted between Exit 2 Elmhurst and Exit 4 (I-84/380 split)

10:30 AM

Traffic Alert: State Route 348 in Lackawanna County

State Route 348 (PA - 348) eastbound lane restriction between Moore and Pumphouse Roads., Jefferson Township. Sewer work, right lane closed along road. Opens daily at 5 p.m.

10:30 AM

Traffic Alert: Interstate 84 in Pike County

Interstate 84 westbound, Pike County. Lane restrictions between mile markers 39 and 25/ Exits 46 Milford and 26 Tafton/Promised Land State Park. Core boaring on bridge decks. Reopening lanes at 4pm

2:57 AM

A novel take on prison contract

Luzerne County commissioners plan to take an unusual approach to contest part of a costly new prison union contract.

3:02 AM

Lackawanna probe may see indictments today

SCRANTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has scheduled a press conference for this afternoon to discuss developments in the corruption probe into Lackawanna County.

6:42 AM

Sheriff: Man altered record from court

WILKES-BARRE -- A Pittston Township man who missed at least nine court hearings on a 2007 felony theft charge was accused by the Luzerne County Sheriff’s Department of tampering with a court record.

3:10 AM

Certified dealers the job winners

With the allure of dealer jobs at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and other casinos in the state, there is a concern that unlicensed training schools will spring up, leaving some people lighter in their wallet and no closer to landing a gig.

6:41 AM

Superintendent: No drug bust at school

SUGARLOAF TWP. – An incident involving a student found in possession of drugs in an elementary-middle school on Monday was nothing out of the ordinary, according to Hazleton Area School District Superintendent Samuel Marolo.

2:40 AM

Car strikes pedestrian; traffic signal looked at

HAZLETON – Officials are investigating whether a malfunctioning crosswalk signal played a part in an accident Monday in which a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle while crossing a downtown intersection.

2:40 AM

Man not guilty of vehicular homicide

2:40 AM

Mayor defends fire dept. reduction

WILKES-BARRE – Jean Brodie lives on Parrish Street and she said Monday that she is “scared and concerned” about the city having just two fire engines on duty.

2:30 AM

Murder plea may bring up to 40 years

WILKES-BARRE – A city woman pleaded guilty to third-degree murder Monday in the April 2009 stabbing death of Sandra White after the women had argued about a bank access card.

3:06 AM

Russin offers to step down, source says

Luzerne County Chief Public Defender Basil Russin has offered to resign, but county commissioners haven’t decided if they are going to accept it, according to a well-placed source.

2:30 AM

Deal allows public to use Bear Creek Township tract

BEAR CREEK TWP. – An agreement between religious and conservation groups will result in 1,880 acres of private forested land remaining undeveloped. It will also make the land accessible by the public.

2:30 AM

Deady: Site was not active

A disbarred attorney who is seeking to get his law license back said he does not know how a Web site that incorrectly portrays him as an active attorney was made available for public access.

2:57 AM

County to save $74,000 on leases

Luzerne County will lease the same building for the Hazleton district judge office, but it will cost taxpayers $31,730 less over the next two years.

2:40 AM

W-B relocating gas line on Coal Street

WILKES-BARRE – On Wednesday, the city, in conjunction with UGI, will begin relocating a gas line along Coal Street as part of the Coal Street Extension project.

3:14 AM

Real but not lethal

DORRANCE TWP. – The soft crackling throughout the woods only vaguely implies combat, like hearing exchanges of gunfire muffled by earplugs – or maybe just nuts falling in the autumn.

3:03 AM

Lehman Twp. postpones gas drill vote

LEHMAN TWP. – Several residents worried about the effects of natural gas drilling attended Monday’s board of supervisors meeting hoping to have their concerns addressed.

2:57 AM

Countdown under way for Dems

WASHINGTON — Democratic congressional leaders showed signs of progress Monday in winning anti-abortion Democrats whose votes are pivotal to President Barack Obama’s fiercely contested remake of the health care system.

3:07 AM

Heritage park grant sought

Luzerne County commissioners are trying to get another grant to buy 107 acres needed to create the historic Ashley Planes Heritage Park.

2:40 AM

Tech Center teachers get new contract

PLAINS TWP. – After working since 2008 without a contract, the teachers at Wilkes-Barre Career and Technical Center finally have a new deal.

3:05 AM

Police: Teacher threatens boss

HAZLE TWP. – State police at Hazleton charged a teacher at Hazleton Area Career Center Monday after they say she threatened to shoot the principal over an assignment for a hearing impaired student.

3:05 AM

GOP TV ad takes aim at Chris Carney’s voting record

The National Republican Congressional Committee will fire the first shot in the 10th Congressional District race, and it will be aimed directly at incumbent Democrat Chris Carney.

3:03 AM

Woman who assaulted boyfriend gets 9-18 months

WILKES-BARRE – A Hazleton woman was sentenced Monday to nine to 18 months in county prison on charges that she pushed her boyfriend 19 feet off a stair landing last April.

2:40 AM

Your ideas for Comics page sought

Removing “Pickles” last week left you sour.

2:40 AM

No verdict reached in public-corruption trial

HARRISBURG — Jurors are done deliberating for the day in the public-corruption trial of a former top Pennsylvania House Democrat and three of his former aides, but there’s no verdict.

2:40 AM

Spotlight shifts to state elections

NEW YORK — Usually out of the national spotlight, state legislative races are taking on new prominence this year. The reason? It’s a year ending in a zero, when U.S. census results are the cue for state lawmakers to draw new boundaries for congressional districts across the country.

3:04 AM

International news briefs

Toyota cast doubt Monday on a California man’s claim that his Prius sped out of control, saying the report is inconsistent with the findings of the company’s preliminary investigation.

2:40 AM

Mexico gang eyed for killing 3 with U.S. consulate tie

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Suspected drug gangsters chased down and opened fire on two white SUVs carrying families of U.S. consular employees from a children’s party, killing three adults and injuring two children in this violent border city, officials said Monday.

2:40 AM

Gambling expanded to bring in money

DES MOINES, Iowa — Faced with a drop in gambling revenue, states are adding games, considering new casinos and increasing lottery options — anything to keep their cut of the profits rolling in.

2:30 AM

ACORN affiliates remove names from regional offices

CHICAGO — Affiliates of the once mighty liberal activist group ACORN are remaking themselves in a desperate bid to ditch the tarnished name of their parent organization and restore federal grants and other revenue streams that ran dry in the wake of a video scandal.

2:30 AM

Karzai angry over arrest

KABUL — The Afghan government was holding secret talks with the Taliban’s No. 2 when he was captured in Pakistan, and the arrest infuriated President Hamid Karzai, according to one of Karzai’s advisers.

2:47 AM

Business briefs

Some Toyota drivers worried about the safety of their cars are suing for a full refund.

2:20 AM

Space’s new star?

LOS ANGELES — A new rocket waiting to be launched from Cape Canaveral could determine the fate of a private aerospace venture in Hawthorne, Calif. — and even possibly NASA’s space program.

2:20 AM

Senate bill may break up firms

WASHINGTON — A new Democratic Senate bill to tame the financial markets would give the government new powers to break up firms that threaten the economy, force the industry to pay for its failures and create a consumer watchdog within the Federal Reserve.

2:20 AM

Van Heusen to buy Tommy Hilfiger

NEW YORK — Inking one of the top 10 textile merger deals on record, Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., owner of Calvin Klein, said it agreed to buy Tommy Hilfiger B.V. for about $3 billion in cash and stock to expand the label and its own portfolio from Izod to Arrow internationally.

2:20 AM

Unemployment drop-off not significant

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region started the New Year off with a drop in its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to 9.5 percent.

2:20 AM

Investors move on cautious note

NEW YORK — Investors turned cautious Monday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting on interest rates.