{"id":211629,"date":"2026-06-05T15:08:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/211629\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T15:08:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:08:54","slug":"i-team-reporter-andy-mehalshick-retires-after-decades-on-the-nepa-beat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/211629\/","title":{"rendered":"I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick retires after decades on the NEPA beat"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than 40 years, the leaders of 28\/22 News counted on Andy Mehalshick to cover the top story of the day in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania. Mehalshick embraced the daily responsibility and always rose to the occasion to inform viewers, his coworkers and fans say.<\/p>\n

Over the past six months, the Hazleton native was curiously absent from the airwaves with virtually no explanation. Mehalshick returned to the studio Monday to explain why.<\/p>\n

The 65-year-old revealed he\u2019s battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer, forcing him to make the tough decision to retire from full-time work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate to say it\u2019s goodbye,\u201d Mehalshick said Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult decision, but the reality is I have to focus on my health and my family. It\u2019s hard to walk away, or step back, from something you love to do, what you are passionate about and impacts our community \u2014 reporting on the good, bad and ugly of our area.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"28\/222822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.(Courtesy of 2822 News)<\/p>\n

He vows to return to 28\/22 News on a part-time basis for special projects and podcasts as his health allows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought I was Superman in this business. This is not going to be my kryptonite,\u201d Mehalshick vowed.<\/p>\n

Mehalshick served as the station\u2019s lead I-Team reporter for more than 30 years, reporting on political corruption, sensational murder cases, consumer fraud and more. He hosted a Stranger Danger program for more than 15 years in local schools and co-hosted the station\u2019s Newsmakers monthly show for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

Mehalshick said he attempted to work at the onset of his diagnosis, but it became impossible during his treatment to continue his \u201c100-miles-per-hour\u201d work ethic. It was difficult to watch news unfold and not be there to cover the story, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watched stories I owned and covered and I wanted to be there,\u201d Mehalshick said. \u201cI call it news envy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MSNBC'sMSNBC\u2019s Chuck Todd, left, and WBRE\u2019s Andy Mehalshick conduct an interview after a live broadcast of Todd\u2019s show \u201cMeet the Press Daily\u201d in Wilkes-Barre. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)
\nHazleton friends and colleagues for decades<\/p>\n

Mehalshick and fellow Hazleton native Jayne Ann Bugda worked together for nearly all of Mehalshick\u2019s career since he was hired by WBRE-TV in 1985.<\/p>\n

But their history goes back farther than that. They attended high school together, reported together from the Sunday Independent\u2019s Hazleton office, and worked in radio together in Hazleton-area radio stations before they both landed at WBRE, which officially merged with WYOU last year to become 28\/22 News.<\/p>\n

While Mehalshick was always on air, Bugda was generally behind the scenes as one of Mehalshick\u2019s producers.<\/p>\n

She relied on Mehalshick each and every day to\u00a0 find the top story for her broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could always count on Andy. His stories were always strong. He was a trusted voice. He was always my lead,\u201d Bugda said.<\/p>\n

\"WBRE-TVWBRE-TV anchor Andy Mehalshick, left, and senior producer Jayne Ann Bugda. (Submitted photo)<\/p>\n

After 40 years, they remain close.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndy, of course, is my dear friend. He\u2019s like my big brother. It\u2019s wonderful to work with someone who is your friend. I\u2019m going to miss him terribly,\u201d Bugda said. \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever find someone like him who is dedicated to his job, dedicated to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both made it a point to cover the Hazleton area, where people often felt forgotten, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHazleton was the forgotten land, but we made it a point to cover it,\u201d Mehalshick said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest is history\u201d<\/p>\n

Mehalshick attended Wilkes University to study political science with dreams of going to law school. But he caught the media bug after starting to work at the college radio station.<\/p>\n

In 1982, he started working at a Hazleton area radio station from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. while still attending college during the day. After graduation in 1983, he remained at the station and eventually worked his way up to news director \u2014 a stepping stone for anyone\u2019s career in television.<\/p>\n

He joined WBRE in 1985 on a part-time basis as a weekend assignment editor, producer and occasional reporter. He joined the station full time in 1988, and has been there ever since aside from a 10-month stint at WNEP.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe rest is history. I worked my way up,\u201d Mehalshick said.<\/p>\n

\"28\/222822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.(Courtesy of 2822 News)<\/p>\n

Mehalshick served as a co-lead anchor between 2003 and 2008 when he returned to the streets as an investigative reporter.<\/p>\n

Mehalshick covered the notorious murder cases involving defendants such as George Banks, Joann Curley, Glen Wolsieffer and Hugo Selenski. He broke stories about the infamous kids-for-cash corruption scandal involving two Luzerne County judges. He made it a point to expose contractors who ripped off customers. He partnered with the district attorney\u2019s office and local police to nab child predators in online stings before such undercover busts were common.<\/p>\n

He believes he reported on air for nearly 48 hours straight during the flood of 2011.<\/p>\n

Mehalshick took viewers aboard a F-16 fighter jet with the Air Force Thunderbirds to experience the intense G-force pilots feel.<\/p>\n

He landed exclusive interviews with Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden during their visits to Northeast Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly because of this business was I able to do all that,\u201d Mehalshick said. \u201cI am lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former WYOU reporter and anchor Melissa Sgroi, a longtime media professor in Northeast Pennsylvania, said Mehalshick \u201cis a broadcasting legend in this media market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmong reporters on the street, he was the one to beat. He had tremendous energy, always doing the very hard work of covering \u2014 and uncovering \u2014 stories that impact people\u2019s lives, and his empathy and sincerity was obvious both on the air and in person,\u201d Sgroi said. \u201cHe made my work better by his example. And face it: he does one heck of a good live shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AndyAndy Mehalshick, serving as master of ceremonies during the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Hazleton-opoly game. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)
\nManager: Mehalshick was Hazleton \u201cthrough and through\u201d<\/p>\n

Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo heaped praise on her fellow Hazleton area native, noting \u201cthey say they broke the mold with Andy Mehalshick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure that\u2019s entirely true. I think the mold just got exhausted trying to keep up with him and quietly retired a few years ahead of schedule,\u201d Crocamo joked. \u201cAndy and I go way back, all the way to the hilly streets of the South Side of Hazleton, where we were shaped by the same neighborhoods, the same values, and the same hallways at St. Gabriel\u2019s \u2014 G-Men, through and through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crocamo said Mehalshick \u201ccarried that Hazleton grit into every story he ever told.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAndy was always steady. Always fair. Always the guy in the room who\u2019d done the homework when everyone else was still looking for a pen,\u201d Crocamo said. \u201cHe didn\u2019t just cover the news, he understood the communities behind it. That\u2019s rare. What made Andy exceptional wasn\u2019t just his instinct for a story or his willingness to ask the hard questions. It was that he never lost the human being underneath the reporter. He was tough when the story called for it, and he was decent always. That balance, fairness and fearlessness together, is the mark of a journalist who genuinely believed in what he was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crocamo simply said, \u201cAndy Mehalshick is the real deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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\"Andy<\/p>\n

Andy Mehalshick, serving as master of ceremonies during the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Hazleton-opoly game. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)\n<\/p>\n

\"WBRE-TV<\/p>\n

WBRE-TV anchor Andy Mehalshick, left, and senior producer Jayne Ann Bugda. (Submitted photo)\n<\/p>\n

\"WBRE<\/p>\n

WBRE reporter Andy Mehalshick interviews \u201cMaria\u201d a juvenile that had case before former Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. between 2003 and May 2008. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)\n<\/p>\n

\"MSNBC\u2019s<\/p>\n

MSNBC\u2019s Chuck Todd, left, and WBRE\u2019s Andy Mehalshick conduct an interview after a live broadcast of Todd\u2019s show \u201cMeet the Press Daily\u201d in Wilkes-Barre. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)\n<\/p>\n

\"Kids-for<\/p>\n

Kids-for Cash Judge Michael Conahan is questioned by Andy Mehalshick outside of the Nealon Courthouse in Scranton. Conahan arrived for plea hearing with fellow defendant Mark Ciavarella. (Citizens’ Voice file)<\/p>\n

\"WBRE-TV<\/p>\n

WBRE-TV investigative reporter Andy Mehalshick, right, talks with Wilkes-Barre Police Chief Joseph Coffay after being interviewed live by MSNBC\u2019s Chuck Todd on \u2018Meet the Press Daily\u2019 at Nesbitt Park in Wilkes-Barre. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)\n<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/p>\n

Andy Mehalshick, of WBRE, served as master of ceremonies for the Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award program. (Citizens\u2019 Voice file)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

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2822 News I-Team reporter Andy Mehalshick is retiring from full-time work while be battles prostate cancer.
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