Pocono News Section

2008 Year in Review: Part 4

2008 Year in Review: Part 4 - Thursday, January 1, 2009 at 1:57PM EST

An historic presidential election and Pennsylvania voted blue as expected. Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama made several stops in the area.

Meanwhile, financial turmoil gripped Wall Street markets, further trouble caused by sub-prime mortgage disaster and a cooling economy.

A pre-Halloween snow storm locked parts of the Poconos in ice causing thousands of power outages, closing interstates and canceling classes.

Called a scandalous judge and a courthouse embarrassment, Ann Lokuta was found guilty in October of judicial misconduct and kicked off the Luzerne County bench in December. She vows to appeal.

Michael Blakey was found guilty of first degree murder in the death of baby Kahyr Cash. The Scranton man will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

A few days after Thanksgiving, Jennifer Killian was charged with abandoning her baby in subfreezing temperatures. She apparently hid her pregnancy from her parents, gave birth to her child and left her baby outside the night before Thanksgiving.

In mid-December, a Lockheed Martin worker opened fire on his ex-fiance, killing her at the Archbald high-security facility. He then took his own life.

Budget cuts and downsizings are on the way for Luzerne County workers as some employees wait to hear if they'll have jobs in the new year. County leaders called for a departmental-wide 20-percent budget cut for 2009.

And a shocking story, a homeless man took up residence in an unsuspecting Plains Township family's home. He lived in the attic. The story, like many others in 2008, splashed our region into the nation spotlight.