Maria Jacketti
Hazleton Stnd Spkr
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Past articles by Maria:
HASD: No more freebies
Gone are the days when groups and organizations could request the use of a Hazleton Area School District building or property at no cost. The district’s longtime policy was to open its doors for worthy community causes while absorbing the associated costs that included having security and maintenance staff available on the scene. At the school board’s February meeting, former board candidate… → Read More
Local 'mom-and-pop' stores through the years
Hazleton was home to many mom-and-pop stores. General locations and items sold are listed, according to available information: ❒ Andy’s Food Market, 10th and Locust streets, operated by the Benyo family. Today it’s a Latino mom-and-pop grocery store. ❒ Belletiere’s, Seybert Street between Second and Third streets, in the basement of a “very high house.” ❒ Boston Hardware, North Wyoming Street,… → Read More
Districts scramble as possibility of closures loom
Area school districts continue to make tough calls on dipping deeper into their general funds — some of which are already dangerously diminished — or even borrowing money to keep schools functioning until a state budget is finalized. The budget was due July 1, 2015. The Hazleton Area School District has already taken out a $10 million line of credit. However, even through a difficult March,… → Read More
Six win titles at Miss Greater Hazleton event
Six crowns were awarded Saturday night at the third annual pageant sponsored by the Miss Greater Hazleton Scholarship Organization. Jillian Bartel, 16, a 10th-grader at Weatherly Area High School, was crowned Miss Greater Hazleton’s Outstanding Teen, while Kate Klock, 15, a ninth-grader at Pennsbury High School in Yardley, took the title of Miss Keystone Outstanding Teen. Ashley Calle, 15, a… → Read More
Accessibility a hot topic at schools forum
The third community outreach meeting hosted by Dr. Craig Butler, superintendent of Hazleton Area School District, took place Thursday night at the Hazleton One Community Center on East Fourth Street. A diverse audience that sometimes found itself in heated disagreement concentrated its attention on issues of Internet accessibility for district materials for students who are linguistically or… → Read More
HASD revises use of school metal detectors
Starting next week, what has become an almost time-worn policy of all Hazleton Area School District children and visitors, that is, passing through metal detectors on the way to class or a meeting, will change. The school board Security Committee Director, Vinnie Zola, believed it was time to reconsider the policy. “Metal detectors, at least in the way we are using them, give people a false… → Read More
Fire strikes West Hazleton home
Quick thinking from neighbors may have very well saved the life of an elderly handicapped woman and her dog this afternoon, when five fire companies were called to a single house fire at 421 W. Green St. at approximately 4 p.m. Monday. Neighbors who saw smoke emerging from the roof of the structure immediately rushed to the woman’s aid and got the wheelchair-bound woman to the home’s front… → Read More
Fire strikes West Hazleton home
Quick thinking from neighbors may have very well saved the life of an elderly handicapped woman and her dog this afternoon, when five fire companies were called to a single house fire at 421 W. Green St. at approximately 4 p.m. Monday. Neighbors who saw smoke emerging from the roof of the structure immediately rushed to the woman’s aid and got the wheelchair-bound woman to the home’s front… → Read More
Conyngham residents: No sale for store
The Conygham Borough Building overflowed with local residents Thursday night as CGP Capital Growth Buchalter sought a variance to construct a 9,100-square-foot metal structure to house a Dollar General store at the intersection of Route 93 and Woodland Avenue. The meeting was adjourned with no decision rendered. Discussion will resume March 16 at 6:30 p.m. The 2.8-acre lot in question is zoned… → Read More
Different kind of drop off
A still-uncalculated number of parents are relocating their children in Hazleton to attend school while they live, work and pay taxes some place else. And depending on whether the proper paperwork is filed to transfer the children’s guardianship, the phenomenon, which is centered in the Hazleton Area School District’s inner-city schools, may or may not be legal. According to district technology… → Read More
City’s first homeless shelter ready
It’s cold out there again, which is normal for the month of February in Hazleton. But for some people living full time in the woods behind Giant Food Market, “normal” has come to mean surviving in a tent or another makeshift shelter, and perhaps only eating once a day. Neil Oberto, director of Catholic Social Services, received an email Friday containing information about people still living… → Read More
Man shot in Hazleton, suspect in custody
UPDATE: Hazleton Police Chief Jerry Speziale announced that the suspected shooter, Jona Castillo-Rodriguez, was taken into custody just before 7 p.m. Hazleton police are investigating a shooting early Tuesday morning in the area of North Wyoming Street and Diamond Avenue. The identity of the shooter from the 2:39 a.m. incident at 18 E. Arbutus Street has been identified as Jona… → Read More
Man shot in Hazleton, 2 in custody
Hazleton police are investigating a shooting early Tuesday morning in the area of North Wyoming Street and Diamond Avenue. The identity of the shooter from the 2:39 a.m. incident at 18 E. Arbutus Street has been identified as Jona Castillo-Rodriguez, a Hispanic male, 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing 120 pounds. He is wanted on charges of reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. As of 5:20… → Read More
Cease-and-desist order issued for shredder project
Controversy continues over the building of a $10 million automobile shredder on land in Green Ridge, Hazle Township, located within the 200-acre Harry’s U-Pull-It salvage yard. The shredder is positioned to become an extension of the business, according to attorney Conrad Falvello, speaking on behalf of the business’ owners, Joseph and Harry Kress. However, Jim Montone, chairman of the Hazle… → Read More
Leaving Hazleton behind: Why folks moved away
What would ever make a person pull up stakes and leave the Hazleton area? For generations this had been the $64,000 question. Today, however, enough former area residents to fill several more cities the size of Hazleton live scattered across the United States — and beyond. Many have found a way to meet up with old friends on Facebook social media sites such as “You Might Be from Hazleton if ...”… → Read More
School board slated to hire ex-city chief
Former Hazleton police chief Edward Harry may be the next security director of the Hazleton Area School District if his nomination for the job is approved at Tuesday night’s monthly school board meeting. Harry would replace outgoing director Frank Hacken, who will leave the post on Feb. 22, nearly a month earlier than the March date previously given by the district. Harry was police chief in… → Read More
Parent speaks out against proposed cell tower near school
The future of a Verizon cell tower contracted to be placed on Valley Elementary/Middle School property came under scrutiny Thursday night at a community outreach meeting held by Dr. Craig Butler, superintendent of the Hazleton Area School District, at the Keystone Fire Company in McAdoo. The cell tower was approved during last November’s regular school board meeting during a session in which the… → Read More
Boy’s letter to the editor inspires good deed
Eleven-year-old Dreaden Cull of Harwood has reason to celebrate today. In fact, he may just pop a wheelie. Recently, he needed to vent a little, so he wrote a letter to the editor, explaining how his bike, along with his sister’s, were stolen in late December. The letter was published in the Standard-Speaker on Tuesday and read by many. One reader decided to do something to prove to the young… → Read More
Crash, fire closes I-80
Sugarloaf, Valley Regional, Nescopeck and Foster Township fire companies responded to a two tractor-trailer crash and the resulting fires just west of mile marker 252.7 along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 on Monday night. According to Sugarloaf Township Fire Company Chief Duane Hildebrand, an orange flatbed trailer carrying bricks was parked off the road and was sideswiped by a white… → Read More