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Coordinates: 41°11′N 75°59′W / 41.18°N 75.99°W / 41.18; -75.99
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== Corruption ==
== Corruption ==


Judge [[Mark Ciavarella|Mark A. Ciavarella]] and Judge Michael T. Conahan, two Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judges have been charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud the public of services, and with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, in connection with a multimillion honest services fraud scheme involving taking kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to privately run juvenile detention facilities.<ref>{{cite news
Judge [[Mark Ciavarella|Mark A. Ciavarella]] and Judge Michael T. Conahan, two Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judges have been charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud the public of services, and with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, in connection with a multimillion [[honest services fraud]] scheme involving taking kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to privately run juvenile detention facilities.<ref>{{cite news
| first = Schwartz
| first = Schwartz
| last = John
| last = John

Revision as of 05:33, 23 May 2009

Luzerne County
County
Official seal of Luzerne County
Seal
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Luzerne County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°11′N 75°59′W / 41.18°N 75.99°W / 41.18; -75.99
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
FoundedSeptember 25, 1786
SeatWilkes-Barre
Largest cityWilkes-Barre
Area
 • Total907 sq mi (2,350 km2)
 • Land891 sq mi (2,310 km2)
 • Water16 sq mi (40 km2)  1.80%
Population
 (2000)
 • Total319,250
 • Density360/sq mi (138/km2)
Websitewww.luzernecounty.org

Luzerne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located in the northern Anthracite area called "The Coal Region". As of the 2000 census, the population was 319,250. Its county seat is Wilkes-Barre.Template:GR

History

Luzerne County was formed in 1786 from part of Northumberland County. Luzerne is infamous for being the last county whose sheriff legally formed a posse to restore order in a time of civil unrest. In 1897, Sheriff James Martin's posse fired on a group of unarmed miners in what is known as the Lattimer Massacre.

The Luzerne County Historical Society maintains the storehouse for the collective memory of Luzerne County and its environs. It records and interprets the history, traditions, events, people and cultures that have directed and molded life within the region.[1]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 907 square miles (2,349 km²), of which, 891 square miles (2,307 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (42 km²) of it (1.80%) is water. The Wyoming Valley in the North and Mid part of the county is flat at the Susquehanna Basin and rises from 700 feet to 2000 feet in some places. Bear Creek, on the eastern side of the valley, has a mean elevation of about 2000 feet, while Pittston, on the Susquehanna Basin, is about 700 feet. The Valley goes as north as Exeter Township-Dallas Township to as on the west side from Plymouth Township-Bear Creek Township and as on the east side from Duryea to Bear Creek Township; South as Hanover Township to Bear Creek Township. The county is crossed by a series of east-to-west mountains. The Susquehanna River drains most of the county while the Lehigh River drains some eastern and southeastern portions and forms part of its southeast boundary.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Luzerne County is the only county in the United States where a plurality of residents state their ancestry as Polish

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 319,250 people, 130,687 households, and 84,293 families residing in the county. The population density was 358 people per square mile (138/km²). There were 144,686 housing units at an average density of 162 per square mile (63/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.63% White, 1.69% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22.2% were of Polish, 15.6% Italian, 13.8% Irish, 12.1% German and 5.3% Slovak ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 130,687 households out of which 26.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.80% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.50% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 93.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.50 males.

Luzerne Country is the only county in the United States with a plurality of citizens reporting Polish as their primary ancestry; the majority of Pennsylvanians report German or Pennsylvania Dutch.

Politics

Luzerne County Courthouse

As of November 2008, there are 187,849 registered voters in Luzerne County [2].

While the Democratic Party has been historically dominant in county-level politics, on the statewide and national levels Luzerne County leans toward the Democratic Party but only slightly. In 2000 Democrat Al Gore won 52% of the vote and Republican George W. Bush won 43%. In 2004 in was much closer with Democrat John Kerry winning 51% to Republican George Bush's 47%. In 2006 both Democrats Governor Ed Rendell and now Senator Bob Casey Jr. won 67.5% and 60.6% of the vote in Luzerne County, respectively. In 2008 all four statewide winners carried it, with Barack Obama receiving 53.6% of the county vote to 45.2% for John McCain.

Luzerne County is represented by three County Commissioners [3] and all county row offices have been held by Democrats since the 2007 election [4], when Republican incumbents Recorder of Deeds Mary Dysleski and Sheriff Barry Stankus lost re-election.

County commissioners

Other county offices

  • Clerk of Courts, Robert F. Reilly
  • Coroner, John P. Corcoran
  • District Attorney, Jacqueline Musto Carroll
  • Prothontary, Elizabeth Bernstein Decker (acting) [5]
  • Recorder of Deeds, James O'Brien
  • Register of Wills, Dorothy Stankovic
  • Sheriff, Michael A. Savokinas
  • Treasurer, Michael L. Morreale

United States Senate

United States House of Representatives

Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

  • Jim Wansacz, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 114th Representative District
  • Todd A. Eachus, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 116th Representative District
  • Karen Boback, Republican, Pennsylvania's 117st Representative District
  • Michael B. Carroll, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 118th Representative District
  • John Yudichak, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 119th Representative District
  • Phyllis Mundy, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 120th Representative District
  • Eddie Day Pashinski, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 121st Representative District

Corruption

Judge Mark A. Ciavarella and Judge Michael T. Conahan, two Luzerne County Common Pleas Court Judges have been charged with engaging in a scheme to defraud the public of services, and with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, in connection with a multimillion honest services fraud scheme involving taking kickbacks for sentencing juveniles to privately run juvenile detention facilities.[6][7]

Municipalities

Map of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Cities and Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in one case Bloomsburg, the only town, towns. The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Luzerne County:

Cities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated Places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law.

Map of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania School Districts

Recreation

There are four Pennsylvania state parks in Luzerne County.

Education

Public School Districts

Private Schools

Colleges and Universities

See also

References

  1. ^ Luzerne County Historical Society
  2. ^ Current voter statistics
  3. ^ Luzerne County Commissioners
  4. ^ Luzerne County Municipal Election Results - November 2007
  5. ^ Prothonotary
  6. ^ John, Schwartz (March 26, 2009). "Clean Slates for Youths Sentenced Fraudulently". nytimes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  7. ^ Rubinkam, Michael (February 11, 2009). "Two Pennsylvania Judges Accused Of Jailing Kids For Millions Of Dollars In Kickbacks". The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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41°11′N 75°59′W / 41.18°N 75.99°W / 41.18; -75.99

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