This compilation of the top local photos of the past week, as taken by Citizens’ Voice photographers, highlights local news of the past week in images.
— In-person voting got underway Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Luzerne County Bureau of Elections at Penn Place, Wilkes-Barre, in advance of the Nov. 3 general election.
— A $650,000 project to replace the roof on the historic Irem Temple got underway in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Dunmore Roofing began work on the building’s roof as part of a $10- to $15 million restoration project. The facility has a 1,500 seat auditorium and stage. Once a premier entertainment venue in the region, it closed in the 1990s. Those behind the restoration project envision the facility once again serving as an entertainment venue or possibly a museum for the region’s history.
— A medical marijuana dispensary, Ethos Cannabis, opened Wednesday in Bear Creek Commons near the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre Twp. Ethos has locations in Philadelphia, Allentown, Montgomeryville, Maryland and Massachusetts. Additional locations are planned at 113 Woodbine St., hazleton, and the Pittsburg area by the end of the year.
— Wilkes-Barre City Mayor George Brown unveiled his 2021 budget last week, a plan that includes doubling the sewage transmission and recycling fees.
— Volunteers for the Commission on Ecomonic Opportunity’s Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank began using a former Walmart store at 1201 Oak St., Pittston Twp., has a place to pack food for people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mericle Commercial Real Estate, which had acquired the property in 2016 with the intention of converting the former retail store into a multi-tenant office and multiplex complex, is allowing the volunteers to temporarily use the building free of charge.
— Lehman-Jackson Elementary School student Aubriella Wojnarski was named grand national champion by Zaner-Bloser this past week for having the best cursive handwriting among fourth graders in the country. Wojnarski will receive a trophy and a check for $500, which she said she will save for college.
Runners warm up before the cross country race in Dallas last Wednesday.
Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber President/CEO Wico van Genderen, left, and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, right, speak to the media with Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi, the Consul General of Japan in New York, after lunch at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday.
A Luzerne County Bureau of Elections sign was hung above the entrance to Penn Place in Wilkes-Barre last Thursday to help direct voters to the drop box and polling place at the election bureau as early voting in the general election got underway in Luzerne County.
Justin and Kal Gonzalez of Wilkes-Barre explore a large display of pumpkins at Dundee Gardens in Hanover Twp. to pick out the best one for their family on Sunday.
Voters wait in line at Penn Place on Monday for their chance to cast their ballots at the Bureau of Elections in Wilkes-Barre.
An employee from Dunmore Roofing works on the roof of the Irem Temple in Wilkes-Barre Thursday, Oct. 15.
A kayaker paddles through the lake at Frances Slocum State Park last Saturday as peak fall foliage reflects from the calm water.
A visitor at Frances Slocum State Park, left, takes a photograph at the dock near the lake as peak fall foliage reflects from the still water.
Dallas Hanson Richards, above, adjusts a mask on a mannequin to create the image of Jason Voorhees, the main antagonist in the ‘Friday the 13th’ horror movie franchise, at her family’s Old River Road residence. The home is decorated with more than 150 different Halloween items. The family stated they wanted to bring some holiday spirit to the community during these tough pandemic times. They also planned to hand out pumpkin lights and candy on Halloween, taking into consideration COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
Lehman-Jackson Elementary School student Aubriella Wojnarski was named grand national champion by Zaner-Bloser this past week for having the best cursive handwriting among fourth graders in the country. Wojnarski will receive a trophy and a check for $500, which she said she will save for college.