Tell us what you think was the biggest local story of 2014.
Firefighters fight cold, snow to douse 4-alarm blaze
HUNTINGTON MILLS — Volunteers from Luzerne and Columbia counties rushed through the snow Sunday to a four-alarm fire at a former chicken farm near here, the local fire chief says.
The call to 39 Ftorkowski Road, just north of here, came around 3 p.m. Sunday, said Dustin Thomas, chief of Huntington Valley Volunteer Fire Co.
The first volunteers arrived to find four empty barns ablaze and the nearest sources of water frozen, Thomas said.
Fire breaks out in Espy apartment complex
ESPY — A kitchen fire at a duplex apartment on Lackawanna Avenue here left one dog dead and a cat missing, but the apartment's occupant escaped with only singed hair, he said
Daniel Jeremiah said he was lying on his couch around 4 p.m. Thursday when his apartment began to fill with smoke. He saw flames crawling up the kitchen wall, near to the only exit from his apartment. He ran for the door, having to yank it open after it got stuck. By the time he got it open, the heat from the flames had singed his hair.
Fire destroys widow's home, 2 dogs feared dead
MOORESBURG — An early-morning fire left a 61-year-old woman homeless and mourning two dogs she feared were lost in the blaze.
Anne Dewald, of 5 Stump Road, said she was on her way back to bed after visiting the bathroom shortly after 2 a.m. when she smelled smoke.
Police look for man following Berwick gas station robbery
BERWICK — A man pointed a gun at a clerk and stole more than thousand dollars worth of lottery tickets from a West Front Street gas station here Sunday morning.
He then ran off toward the Park Place Village housing development behind the gas station.
Now police are looking for a man clerk Pratham Patel descibed as a White man around his 20s, last seen wearing a green hoodie, black pants, gray shoes, black gloves and a black mask.
Prof union calls for Hanna to step down — or be fired
HARRISBURG — The union that represents the faculty at Bloomsburg and the other campuses of Commonwealth University has called for school President Bashar Hanna to resign — or for the State System's Board of Governors to fire him.
But Hanna says he's not going anywhere, and plans to focus on improving education at the school.
Republican David McCormick flips pivotal Pennsylvania Senate seat, ousts Bob Casey
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican David McCormick has won Pennsylvania’s pivotal U.S. Senate seat, as the former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund beat three-term Democratic Sen. Bob Casey in Tuesday’s election after accusing the incumbent of supporting policies that led to inflation, domestic turmoil and war.
The battleground state contest pads Republicans' majority in the Senate, which they wrested from Democratic control this week.
Trump wins presidency
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.
Bomb threat disrupts Columbia's count
UPDATE 9:20 P.M.: County officials have returned to the vote counting site, and expect to have counting resume by 10 p.m.
ORIGINAL STORY 9:05 P.M.
BLOOMSBURG — A bomb threat emailed to officials at Columbia County's Main Street County Annex has disrupted vote counting on election night, officials say.
But it's not going to stop the count, said Columbia County Chief Clerk Dave Witchey.
"We are counting tonight, until 1 a.m., until 2 a.m., we're going to count until whenever," he said."