125259958_web1_125259958-aea90402e2b84392ab834587f44c7e60

Carl Reiner, beloved creator of ‘Dick Van Dyke Show,’ dies

125259742_web1_TTL083019VA-meeting2.cmyk

Cartwright votes to lower health care, drug costs; measure goes to Senate

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; King&rsquo;s College has purchased the property that once housed the venerable S&W Restaurant at 141-149 N. main St. in Wilkes-Barre, according to an email sent out to the college community by Janet Kobylski, vice president for business affairs.
				The move joins a growing list of purchase and re-purpose efforts by Kings. Most recently, it bought and renovated an old church on North Street and an old business on Franklin Street. It has also bought, though not yet announced plans for, the former Times Leader Building on North Main Street. In earlier years the College bought the former Ramada Hotel on Public square and converted it to student housing and space for it&rsquo;s expanding health care programs, and several other properties on North Main Street that were either converted to student housing or razed and replaced with new school facilities.
				Kobylski&rsquo;s email noted the school started negotiating for the S&W property in 2019 and made a commitment to purchase in January of this yea, before the COVID-19 pandemic, &ldquo;with the intention to complete the purchase in Fiscal Year 2020. As part of the agreement, there was a confidentiality clause in place that precluded disclosure of the agreement prior to the close of the sale, which took place on Friday, June 26.&rdquo;
				The restaurant closed in May after 68 years in business. At the time, co-owner Ernie Schmid Jr. said the business license with Wilkes-Barre City had expired and he and his brother Joe decided it was a good time to lock the doors. &ldquo;We had come to this decision prior to the pandemic,&rdquo; he said.
				The property includes 12 apartment units, Many of which, Schmid had said, were rented to King&rsquo;s students. It also has 20 parking spaces and the retail/restaurant space. In her email, Kobylski said &ldquo;the current short-term plan for the apartment units are for use as potential quarantine or isolation spaces if the need arises to accommodate individuals impacted by COVID-19. Importantly, the 20+ space parking lot located behind the building will immediately help alleviate some parking constraints. The retail/restaurant space is being evaluated for other potential uses.
				&ldquo;Though hard to imagine in these difficult times,&rdquo; she concluded, &ldquo;we look forward to the day when this highly visible space is part of vibrant campus life on North Main Street.&rdquo;

King’s College buys S&W building on N. Main St.