NEWS VOICES

Big changes are coming to Medicaid in 2027, set in stone by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Anyone who’s signed up for Medicaid knows it’s confusing, so WVIA Healthcare Reporter Lydia McFarlane has been working to explain some of those changes.

This month marked 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and WVIA’s Sarah Hofius Hall spent the weeks leading up to the solemn anniversary gathering stories of people from our region whose lives changed that day. She joins News Voices to share some of those stories.

What secrets live beneath Hazleton? That’s a question WVIA producer, director and editor Tim Novotney has been digging into for more than a year. His documentary “The Secrets Beneath Hazleton” debuts on WVIA-TV tonight. He joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to discuss the film and the impact it's already had in Hazleton.

A recent study that used data from Geisinger’s MyCode genetic database identified a gene mutation that could lead to new treatments for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. WVIA Healthcare reporter Lydia McFarlane joins News Voices to talk about the study and how Geisinger contributed to the findings.

We tend to think of fire as destructive and damaging, but on Moosic Mountain, sometimes it can be reviving. That’s what WVIA’s Kat Bolus learned on a recent trip to Eales Preserve in Lackawanna County, and she joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto this week to talk about it.

Since Luzerne County Council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance in June, the local law has been tied up in a petition battle to either repeal it or put it up for a county-wide vote. WVIA's Roger DuPuis sits in as host to discuss the ordinance and petition with WVIA’s Sarah Scinto.

Luzerne County has a new sheriff, and she’s already made history. WVIA’s Sarah Hofius Hall stops by the podcast studio to explain how Genesis Arias became the first woman to hold the job in Luzerne County and the first hispanic woman to do so statewide.

What secrets live beneath Hazleton? That’s a question WVIA producer, director, and editor Tim Novotney has been digging into for more than a year. His documentary “The Secrets Beneath Hazleton” debuts on WVIA-TV next month. He joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to discuss the film and the impact it's already had in Hazleton.

It’s summer vacation for students all over the region, but some teachers are trying to make sure kids keep learning. WVIA Education Reporter Sarah Hofius Hall joins News Voices to talk about one way teachers in Bradford County are fighting the summer slide.

Organizations all over Northeast PA focus on making life more accessible for people with disabilities. WVIA’s Lydia McFarlane recently spent some time in the kitchen for an inclusive cooking class with one such organization. She joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to tell us about it.

If you’ve been following WVIA News at all for the past few years, you know WVIA's Kat Bolus loves an outdoor story. She joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to tell us about a unique whitewater rafting trip with an interesting mission.

School’s out for the summer, and that means WVIA’s annual PA School Report Card is out too. WVIA Education Reporter Sarah Hofius Hall spent weeks compiling the analysis, and she joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to discuss what she found.

Our Director of Digital at WVIA, Chris Zellers, joins News Voices this week to talk about some new ways to find WVIA News online.

Union Pacific’s Big Boy 4014 made a big splash when it arrived in Scranton for the longest stop on its cross-country tour. WVIA’s resident railfan Roger DuPuis got a true behind-the-scenes look as the steam locomotive made its way to NEPA - and he’s disembarked just in time to talk about it.

The Steamtown Marathon is the biggest race in NEPA - every October, hundreds of runners tackle the 26.2-mile course through the city. Registration is on the rise this year, and that means more runners in training over the next few months. WVIA’s Haley O’Brien is a runner herself and has spent some time with training groups as they get ready to race all over NEPA this year. She joins WVIA's Sarah S...

The weather is getting warmer and with that, peak tick season has arrived in Pennsylvania. This year is shaping up to be the worst in a while, all across the country. WVIA’s Lydia McFarlane stops by the WVIA podcast studio with everything you need to know to stay safe.

Three restaurants in Lackawanna County now offer a special service - dementia friendly dining. WVIA Healthcare reporter Lydia McFarlane joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to explain what that means.

The Institute has released its latest Indicators Report. The annual report tracks economic, demographic and quality of life trends in Northeast Pennsylvania. This year’s report grapples with the regional impacts of some national issues, and WVIA’s Roger DuPuis joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to break it down.

The 2026 primary election is over and now the general election campaign season begins. It was an interesting primary here in Northeast Pennsylvania. WVIA politics reporter Borys Krawczeniuk joins Sarah Scinto in the WVIA podcast studio to break down the results and look ahead to November.

As the debate over immigration plays out nationally, it’s also happening in this part of Pennsylvania. In a three-day series of stories, WVIA’s Borys Krawczeniuk reports on the conflicting local views over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. He joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio to discuss some of what he's found.

This week we’re talking about trains - but not the train from Scranton to New York City that we’ve talked about before. This time, WVIA’s Roger DuPuis joins WVIA's Sarah Scinto in the podcast studio with news about a different train making its way to the Steamtown National Historic Site for a special event.

A Catholic school in Williamsport will be the first in the region to start a four-day school week - starting this fall, students at St. John Neumann Jr. Sr. High School will only be in class Monday through Thursday. WVIA Education reporter Sarah Hofius Hall says this is all part of a national trend.

Pennsylvania received $193 million this year from the federal government’s Rural Health Transformation Program - but state health leaders worry that money won’t be enough to fill the financial gaps rural health systems already face. This week, WVIA's Sarah Scinto and healthcare reporter Lydia McFarlane discuss what leaders think Pennsylvania needs and what the state is doing with the money it’s ge...

The Diocese of Scranton welcomed more than 300 new Catholics this Easter into the church. Catholic churches all over the country are seeing more and more adults join the church. This week, WVIA’s Roger DuPuis joins host Sarah Scinto to talk about this trend.

This week, WVIA's Sarah Scinto and Sarah Hofius Hall discuss proposed legislation that would allow the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) to establish separate playoff systems and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools.