2025 Newport News
5/13/2025
St. Adalbert’s Church in Glen Lyon closing next year
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St. Adalbert’s Church in the Glen Lyon section of Newport Township is set to close permanently on Jan. 11, 2026 due to “significant diminishment in Mass attendance and financial challenges,” The Diocese of Scranton announced.
In a letter circulated to parishioners of Holy Spirit Parish this weekend, the Rev. Joseph Bambera said the financial burden of the maintaining the site can no longer be sustained.
“I understand this announcement will be a day of sadness for many, especially those who have prayed, celebrated Sacraments, and grieved the loss of loved ones within our walls,” the letter read. “In making this difficult decision, I must acknowledge the many faithful of Glen Lyon who have already been through previous consolidations and remained committed and faithful to the Church. Please know that I share your sorrow and honor the generations of faith and devotion nurtured there.”
With the closure of St. Adalbert’s Church, Holy Spirit Parish, which also includes St. Mary Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Mocanaqua and St. Martha’s Church in Stillwater, will no longer operate as an independent parish.
According to the letter, St. Mary’s Church and St. Martha’s Church will continue to service in connection with other neighboring parish communities, with Saint Mary’s becoming a part of the St. Faustina Kowalska Parish in Nanticoke and St. Martha’s being absorbed by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Hunlock Creek.
Because of the restructuring, Bambera said it was necessary to end a partnership between St. Faustina Kowalska Parish and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish.
Bambera said that would mean that each parish will have a pastor assigned to and living at each one.
The Diocese plans to release information regarding the statistics and factors that led to this restructuring in the coming weeks, according to the letter.
It will also offer a listening session to support parishioners amid the change.
“May we remain a united flock, listening to the voice of the Good Shepard, and walking forward in faith, together,” Bambera wrote.
The Diocese of Scranton began working with Pastoral and Finance Council at Holy Spirit Parish in August 2023, regarding its financial challenges, Mass attendance, religious education enrollment and church maintenance needs.
These conversations were part of a larger process the Diocese has undertaken in the last five years called the Vision 2030 Pastoral Planning, which, according to the letter, has the goal of, “looking proactively at the realities of our local church in the present moment” and “strives to meet the opportunities and challenges of the coming decade in order to create vibrant expressions of parish life rooted in the life of Jesus Christ.”
Holy Spirit Parish was established in August of 2010 as part of a previous restructuring plan by the Diocese of Scranton.
St. Adalbert’s Church celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2014.
5/13/2025
St. Adalbert’s, last Catholic church in Newport Twp., to close
The Diocese of Scranton plans to permanently shutter St. Adalbert’s Church in Glen Lyon, the last Roman Catholic parish in Newport Twp., as part of continued consolidation plans in response to dwindling attendance and finances.
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera announced the pending closure this past weekend in a letter delivered at Mass to parishioners of St. Adalbert’s and other churches that will be affected as a result.
“.. I write today with a heavy — but hopeful — heart to announce some restructuring that will be necessary,” Bambera wrote.
St. Adalbert’s at 31 S. Market St., which traces its roots in Glen Lyon back to 1889, has been part of the Holy Spirit Parish community since 2011, along with St. Mary’s Church in Mocanaqua and St. Martha’s Church in Fairmount Springs.
When St. Adalbert’s closes on Jan. 11, 2026, the Holy Spirit Parish community will dissolve, the bishop wrote.
St. Mary’s and St. Martha’s will remain as worship sites, but St. Mary’s will be absorbed by the St. Faustina Kowalska Parish Community in Nanticoke and St. Martha’s will join Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Hunlock Creek, Bambera said.
An existing partnership between St. Faustina and Our Lady of Mount Carmel will dissolve.
When St. Adalbert’s closes, church goers will be faced with the option to drive to St. Mary’s four miles away or St. Faustina six miles away.
“We could go to Mocanaqua or Nanticoke. I am sad,” said lifelong Glen Lyon resident Janice Howell, 72, who has lived a few doors down from the church for 47 years. “I used to walk to church. Now, it’s going to be either go miles this way or go miles that way.”
Howell received all her sacraments St. Adalbert’s and loyally supported the parish, boosting her weekly and holiday donations in recent times. She even gave $1,000 recently when the church made a plea for donations due to reported financial problems.
But she realizes the church was in jeopardy of closing.
“Attendance has been down. There’s no births, no baptisms, no weddings,” Howell said.
Currently, the church hosts just one Mass on Sundays at 8 a.m. and one on Fridays at 8:30 a.m.
The original St. Adalbert’s Church burned down in 1908 around the same time another Catholic church, St. Michael’s the Archangel Church, opened next door. The current building opened in 1914.
As of 2001, Glen Lyon still had three Catholic churches. St. Michael’s, which was featured in the 1945 movie “Miracle of the Bells,” starring Frank Sinatra, was torn down while St. Denis was sold.
St. Adalbert’s will celebrate its 135th anniversary this year prior to is closing next year.
“In making this difficult decision, I must acknowledge the many faithful of Glen Lyon who have already been through previous consolidations and remained committed and faithful to the church,” Bambera wrote in his letter. “Please know that I share your sorrow and honor the generations of faith and devotion nurtured there.”
5/4/2025
Look back: Army master sergeant from Glen Lyon served in three wars
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“Somewhere in Korea” was the dateline of an Associated Press story published in the Times Leader Evening News on June 4, 1951, that involved U.S. Army Sgt. Maurice William Mosher and his heroic actions that killed an estimated 300 enemy soldiers in 15 minutes in a battle during the Korean War.
Mosher was 15-years-old in 1943 when he left an orphanage in New Jersey to live with his sister, Ruth Mosher Namowicz, at 37 Engle St., Glen Lyon. Mosher became employed as a laborer for a coal mine where he earned the nickname, “Bud,” but enlisted in the Merchant Marines at 17 and served four months before World War II ended.
Having the brief experience in the military at the end of World War II, Mosher enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1949, naming Glen Lyon as his home, and made the military his career, serving during the Korean War and Vietnam War, where he was killed in action on May 25, 1965.
For his heroic bravery during the Korean War battle where he was credited with killing hundreds, he was awarded three Bronze Stars and the Silver Star, the third highest combat medal in the U.S. Armed Services.
“Sgt. Maurice Mosher, 23, a resident of Glen Lyon, yesterday was recommended for the Silver Star for killing 300 Chinese Reds in 15 minutes in Korea,” reported the Times Leader Evening News on May 25, 1951.
The story reported Mosher was alone when he secretly entered a town surrounded by communist North Korean and Chinese soldiers and destroyed tanks and ammunition dumps before he retreated. As hundreds of enemy soldiers pursued him through a narrow path guided by high cliffs, Mosher took cover and fired back.
“Only one could come through the pass at a time, Mosher said, and that was where my gun was mowing them down. As one Red would go down, another would take his place and meet the same end,” the Associated Press story on June 4, 1951, reported.
Mosher’s machine gun burned out and he picked up another firearm he found near him.
“While Mosher was firing upon the enemy, the rest of his platoon covered his retreat with deadly rifle fire but the Chinese kept coming but could not overrun the Yankee positions,” reported the AP story.
One Army private was hit by enemy fire and Mosher used his field jacket as a stretcher to pull the injured solider to safety.
Mosher continued to serve during the Korean War and was one of the first U.S. combat ground troops to enter Vietnam in early 1965, where at this time, he was an Infantry and Intelligence Specialist with the Special Forces (Green Beret) serving as an advisor with the Vietnamese Army.
According to an accumulation of reports from military websites, Mosher gathered a small team of U.S. soldiers and Cambodian troops in response to a U.S. Army supply truck being fired upon near Tay Ninh. It was learned a Viet Cong sniper fired three shots at the supply truck, striking a solider.
Mosher and a small team boarded several trucks and drove to the area where the sniper was believed to be, and as they disembarked the trucks and began a slow march through rice paddies to a tree line, they took fire from the Viet Cong.
Mosher charged at a Viet Cong machine gunner firing his AR-15 in return but was struck and killed.
Mosher was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., with an interment date listed as May 23, 1985.
3/30/2025
Woman hospitalized after brush fire in Newport Twp.
By Julia Priest WBRE/WYOU
NEWPORT TWP. — Authorities are encouraging residents to follow local burn bans after a woman was sent to the hospital for severe burns.
Officials say the Newport Township Fire Department was called to the unit block of Newport Street at about 3 p.m. for a reported brush fire.
Newport Township Department Fire Chief Jason Kowolski told 28/22 News the brush fire was not major, but some wind blew debris off the pile and causing a woman to suffer severe burns to her lower extremities.
The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of her injuries, according to Chief Kowolski.
Chief Kowolski says the fire was contained fairly easily, but he wanted to emphasize that residents should abide by local burn bans as windy conditions could cause a fire to grow rapidly.
Officials say the Newport Township Fire Department is investigating the fire.
3/8/2025
Fatal crashes lead to new safety measures at intersection
Andy Mehalshick (WBRE/WYOU)
NANTICOKE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Efforts are underway to improve safety at a busy Luzerne County intersection that’s been the site of numerous crashes in recent years.
The intersection in question is located at the boundary of Nanticoke and Newport Township.
There have been two deadly crashes at the intersection in the last year.
Efforts on underway to improve the safety of a Luzerne County intersection that some community leaders and drivers say is a tragedy waiting to happen.
It’s been the site of two deadly crashes within the last year, the most recent just last week.
We are near the intersection of Alden Road and West Main Street in Nanticoke. It is close to the the boundary of Nanticoke and Newport Township.
Just this past week, Newport Township officials set up this speed warning sign underneath the actual speed limit sign. Newport Township and Nanticoke Police tell me they believe speed is a factor in many of the crashes.
The most recent deadly crash occurred last Monday when a 71-year-old woman was killed when two vehicles collided at the intersection of Alden Road and West Main Street. That crash is still under investigation by Nanticoke Police.
Less than a year ago, a woman was killed in a crash at this same intersection.
This past week, Newport Township installed a speed warning sign. It tells drivers how fast they are going. The speed limit here is 35 miles per hour.
Joseph Waiter owns an auto repair shop near the intersection. He’s been in business here for more than 50 years. He says he has seen way too many crashes.
“I got to give credit to Newport Township because it wasn’t too long after your segment they went down there and moved a sign back to give us more vision. It got a little bit better and a speed warning radar sign they put up I guess you call it, and it seems to be working; people are slowing down,” said Joseph Waiter, Owner of Broadway Garage.
Newport Township Manager Joe Hillan believes speed is one of several factors that may be contributing to some of these crashes.
“The speed limit should be lowered. Main Street in Glen Lyon, the speed limit is 25 miles per hour and there’s less traffic that in that area,” voiced Hillan.
Nanticoke Police Chief Michael Roke says the state has to take a close look at this intersection and all possible factors that may be leading to crashes.
“We’re looking at and working with PennDOT. We sent them a letter requesting a traffic study done at that intersection and once they come and do that, we most certainty will be able to focus on some of the mitigating factors in that intersection basically leading to the crashes that we have been having,” explained Roke.
A memorial is at the site of last week’s deadly crash. People in this area say they want this to be the last memorial ever set up here.
“Again it’s been terribly unsafe for all this time, but again got to thank you and the Eyewitness News Team for coming down and bringing this to light,” stated Waiter.
A PennDOT spokesperson tells the I-team once the receive the traffic study request, they will review the area and see what if any additional safety measures can be taken. We are still working the story more in the days ahead.
1/9/2025
Charges dismissed against caretaker
Edward Lewis
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WILKES-BARRE — A district judge in Luzerne County Central Court dismissed charges of striking or shoving a care-dependent person and harassment against Edith Alice Calderon, 53, of Warrior Run, on Wednesday.
Newport Township police charged Calderon in December on allegations she struck a woman in her legs during a dispute about wanting more money for gas mileage on Nov. 16, according to court records.
Calderon was the woman’s caretaker employed by a home health care agency. The alleged incident happened inside the woman’s residence in the 100 block of West Main Street in Glen Lyon.
The charges were dismissed when the woman failed to appear to testify at a preliminary hearing.