In the News
Residents of Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district gathered in Scranton on Wednesday afternoon to share their stories of how U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s office has aided them over the past seven months. Pictured, from left, are Sandi Levens, Bresnahan, Leonard Wilson and Silvano Rivera and his family.
On Black Friday 2023, Silvano Rivera’s ex-wife left him in the United States and flew back to their native Dominican Republic with their two daughters.
Heartbroken, Rivera, a fashion designer who emigrated to the United States decades ago as a teenager, was determined to regain custody of the daughters.
Rivera, a Scranton resident, told the story of how he succeeded Wednesday during a news conference meant to highlight constituent service, the under-the-radar work that the staff of members of Congress do to help people.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp. and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, introduced the Supporting Apprenticeship Colleges Act.
The bill aims to close the skilled trades gap by boosting enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs through greater investment in outreach to students looking to learn a trade and get to work. It will help ensure they are better prepared to meet the growing demand for trained workers in critical industries like construction and manufacturing.
Sgt. Joseph J. Drake, a local centenarian and one of only five surviving World War II Army Rangers, recently received the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. He was honored for his service by state, county and local dignitaries on July 21 at the Wayne County Courthouse.
As an Army Ranger during World War II, Sgt. Joseph Drake helped liberate Buchenwald, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps in Germany.
During the Battle of the Bulge, the lifelong Wayne County resident was part of a six-man mission to capture a Nazi soldier for interrogation.
Almost 80 years after the end of World War II, Drake received the Congressional Gold Medal on June 26. It’s the highest honor given by Congress.
While the future of many government programs have been put into question in Washington, federal funds are still coming to the Head Start programs of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan announced last month that Head Start programs in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties had received more than $11 million in federal grants. The new funding will support Head Start functions in early-childhood education programs, health and nutrition programs, and family social services.